Why Didn’t George Lucas Direct ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’?

With just a few agonizingly slow weeks left until the release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, series creator George Lucas has opened up about his decision to sell the franchise to Disney back in October of 2012.

Citing the harsh criticism that Episodes I, II, and III received on release, the iconic director said that dealing with the franchise that helped make him a billionaire simply became, “not much fun.” He added, “You can’t experiment. You have to do it a certain way. I don’t like that, I never did. I started out in experimental films and I want to go back to experimental films.”

For most fans, Lucas’ decision was hardly controversial. After all, of the first three films in the series — Episode IV, V, and VI — Lucas only directed the original, and most fans agree that his effort was actually the weakest of the original trilogy. The two most loved films in the series, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, were largely handled by more inventive storytellers. In other words, even though the series would have been impossible without his initial contribution, as a whole, Star Wars is at it’s best when Lucas sticks to the special effects.

It’s still unfortunate that the beloved series creator has such hard feelings about one of the best sagas in movie history. When asked who his favorite character in the series was, Lucas claimed that honor belonged to Jar Jar Binks. An attentive fan might hear that and hope it’s intended to lend sly credence to a recent (amazingly awesome) fan theory about the much maligned Gungan.

In spite of the sour taste still clearly present in George Lucas’ mouth, there’s little doubt the producer and director can diminish people’s expectations when JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens opens on December 17.