It’s two nearly two decades since George Lucas completed his producing work on The Land Before Time, and since the faithful year of 1989 he has hasn’t produced, written or directed anything that wasn’t Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Well that’s not strictly true as he did come up with the story for the instantly forgettable 1994 comedy Radioland Murders but apart from that, he has never again dabbled in anything outside of those two worlds, content in revisiting characters and the same situations, happy for the paychecks to keep coming through the door.
Over the last few years though the much maligned billionaire has often spoke of his desire to make an epic movie set around the Red Tails – who were the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II but the cynics among us have dismissed the probability of it ever being made.
Maybe we shouldn’t be so skeptical any more. Lucas said the following when asked by Coming Soon what status the film was in, after the last we heard on the picture was in August when John Ridley (Undercover Brother, Three Kings) was hired to scribe the screenplay…
“As a matter of fact, I’m working on it tomorrow,” he told us, much to our surprise. “We’re getting towards a script, and probably start shooting before the end of the year, and it should come out next year, maybe. That’s probably going to be the last movie I do, apart from my own movies, but my own movies are going to be more esoteric and probably will come and go in a week and be in one or two arthouses. It’s basically the same as what Francis (Ford Coppola) is doing.”
Presumably “apart from my own movies” refers to future films in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises which he is intent on returning to in the future I think. But then, it can’t be really because he is talking about arthouses and the like?
Is Lucas really planning on making some dramatic works of artistic sentimentality as either a director or producer in the near future? Surely not?
I can’t fathom what else that quote could possibly mean.
Good news on the Red Tails picture I guess. I would love to see Lucas really produce something amazing here, something that puts the last two decades completely behind him and is a new fresh start for the guy who has lived in the past for way too long.
If your serious about making movies for the rest of your life Mr. Lucas, then see this as a new start for you my friend. Remember, your only as good as your last few movies and although you have had nothing to prove to anyone since 1977… you must be itching to lower the abuse and the “raped my childhood” discussions that plague the fanboy message-boards.
Whether it’s in arthouses or multiplexes, I’m glad you still have a passion for making movies. Leave those Star Wars flicks alone… and you will have support from me on each picture you make.
Want to write about the stuff you're passionate about and have your work read by an audience of over 10 million a month? Click here to become a contributor.
13 Comments
About damn time he makes it. Lucas promised the Tuskeegee Airmen’s Association that he would do this movie and there’s not many of them left alive to see it.
Hope Lucas gets off his ass and makes the thing while some of the guys who made it are still around to appreciate it.
But DAMN why’d he have to get John Ridley, one of the least talented screenwriters in the business? It’s nice that Lucas wanted a black screenwriter, but I’m pretty sure no one would have minded if John Logan (Gladiator) or Frank Darabont wrote the script.
Imagine soldiers fighting against fascism and race hatred overseas meanwhile the country they fight for subjects them to all those things whlie preching to world that it’s a bastion of equality?
Takes a hell of a writer to touch on all those themes intelligently and make something entertaining and worthwhile.
Let’s hope Lucas can do it in spite of himself.
I’m not holding my breath here. Lucas has been “working on it tommorrow” for 30 years–its still in the same state it was in 1987, which is no final script. It could still come together, but theres no actual new development here.
FYI Lucas’ “own moviess” are these short experimental pieces he’s been saying he’s going to make ever since 1974. I doubt he’ll actually get around to doing them though.
I remember first reading about Redtails back in 1992 and have been waiting eagerly ever since. It’d be great to see Lucas oversee a war story given that the Star Wars movies have been influenced by the genre in various ways.
Watch the skies I guess :)
JC
I can’t WAIT. THANK GOD he didn’t make it way back then, special effects and digital technology are so much better nowadays ! I think if he were to make it back then the spfx would’ve been too cheesy.
TRILOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If the vast multitude of WWII stories obviously influenced Lucas, as seen in Indy and Star Wars Trilogies legends, I cannot fathom how these real-deal historical legends – the Tuskegee Airmen – canot go on into a successful Trilogy of its own. Lucas has millions of fans who will come out in droves just to see these World War 2 influences on Star Wars. Coupled with the millions of fans who voted for Obama; of whom himself admited he stands on the shoulders of the Tuskegee Airmen, I can see even a poorly received Red Tails being just as bad as Episode 1 “The Phantom Menace”, can nevertheless very extend itself into a increasingly successful Trilogy. I feel its a must. There’s just way too many good stories with the Tuskegee Airmen to fit into one film. Red Tails: the Trilogy. I really want to see it all, in as much of its full glory as many movies as possible.
TOYS TOYS TOYS TOYS TOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HASBRO. please crank out some finely detailed RED TAILS toys!!! Many on people’s wish list include a true to 1:18 scale P-51 Mustang aeroplane. Milking the same tooling and toy mold; various repaints reflecting the unique nose-art of each pilot would be way cool. The big bombers the Tuskegee Airmen escorted – that can be the size of the Big Millennium Falcon — would also be incredible. And, the P-47 Thunderbolts in which some Tuskegee trained. For future Red Tails movies and toys, we can have more bigger bombers on both sides, more figures, and more aeroplanes. Till then, here’s a fine example of what could be. Its a Mustang Tuskegee airplane done in the exact same scale, 1:18, such as Lucas’s own Star Wars action figures — check it out and scroll down to Roscoe’s Mustang called “Bunnie” —- http://www.21stcenturytoys.com/1_18_scale.html
It is very important that lucas do a triology, the tuskeegee air-men had to many challanges and triumphs to fit into one movie, and apart from beign an important part of african-american history,it will be very motivating to young peopel to always ‘persevear when all odds are against you.
I look forward to this film, even though I have heard, and I hope that I am wrong, that the story is less historical that the ’90s HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen, which was written by Robert Williams of the 100th.
http://star.walagata.com/w/bearcat/Duchess.jpg
It was basically his story.. The Hannibal Lee character played by Fishburne was based on him, as were the markings of his aircraft. One thing I saw that disappointed me slightly, and I hope it will be corrected, was that many of the planes had incorrect markings. The ones I saw in pictures had thew markings of the 301st but I saw nothing with the 99th (At least it does have P-40s in it), the 302nd, or the 100th, which was the squadron Brown & Williams flew with. I also saw where the characters were not based on fact.. at least as far as their names went.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485985/
That’s like doing a film about the 10st Airborne (Band of Brothers) and making up the names.. While the main B.O.Davis character is named after another icon in African American aviation WWI flyer Eugene Bullard, who flew for the French.. for obvious reasons.. still I would like to see an accurate movie. Not a “Peral Harbor” with African American actors.
Now Eugene Bullard…. THERE is a story to be told…. the African American character in Flyboys was based on Bullard.
I have been WAITING for a WWII fighter movie, Pearl Harbor was magnificent but it was not a fighter movie, it was just ABOUT 2 fighter pilots. There is SO MUCH history in the WWII era that has not even begun to get tapped by the movie industry. The Tuskegee Airmen should be the first, leading the path. Next, we can do separate movies on EACH of the famous Mustangs for example. You’ve got the Big Beautiful Doll, and the story of her pilot Chuck Yeager, one of America’s top WWII aces. There are plenty of other famous planes of the aces that could make fantastic movies, like the Old Crow, Cripes’A'Mighty, The Gunfighter, Miss Helen, and so many more. MAKE MORE MOVIES!!!!
“If your serious about making movies…” ???
If you’re serious about writing, learning the difference between a possessive and a contraction would be a good start.
No amount of anachronistic WWII moral alibi-making movies will change the FACT that Hollywood is now -and has been for the past decade or more -soldout and sucking-up to the most awesomely genocidal regime in ALLLLL human history —across the Pacific.
—That latest accepted scholarly figure is 70 million
-in case you haven’t heard —and you probably haven’t
thanks to our media and over-paid -under-inspired movie-makers.
—NOW we know what’s been behind the past decade’s dumbing-down,
recycling and franchise-slum mentality.
AMEN
If there is going to be a movie about the WWII Fighter Pilots, why not talk to the ones that were there. My dad was a Fighter Pilot of WWII in the Air Force. He flew P-40′s and P-47′s. Two of the best planes of the war. Thank God he is still with us at the age of 89.
Do it right and get the facts from the real fighter’s.
What could Lucas possibly be thinking! To my knowledge there are 54 chapters of Tuskegee Airmen. I met some of the original airmen last month. Indeed the youngest was eightytwo and the oldest ninety. I think Lucas should have interview the original Tuskegee Airmen before making this movie. I was so proud to meet DR. Welton I. Taylor (one of the original Tuskegee Airmen) who is also a world renowned Scientist. I hope the stories the airmen told me gets to be in this movie. Dr. Taylor and I have become friends, we talked on the phone for three hours after we met, because he had a lifetime of stories to tell. And oh, the racism was awful, but the black airmen proved our government wrong, and they did it all by themselves with no affirmative action! I am so proud to have met these wonderful men. Lucas please make them proud.