For better or worse, Star Wars: A New Hope hit theaters in 1977, bringing millions in at the box office and changing the face of movie showbiz forever. From that point forward, it was no longer good enough to just have a good story. If you wanted to make a movie, you needed a killer idea and it had to be marketable.
In a way, showbiz has been trying to mimic the success of Star Wars since it came out and hasn’t managed to do as well yet. The idea of how can we take a high concept idea and turn it into a series reigns supreme thanks to it. And the man behind it all: George Lucas.
A New Hope was obviously a very decisive moment in Lucas’ life. It was also the most stressful. For one thing, the studios almost fired him off his own project. They understood nothing of what it would take to make a film like A New Hope great, and demanded its production be rushed through like any other sci-fi B movie. Lucas also had to fire the original editor and took on the task upon himself while directing.
He was completely out of time and money. He just had to bite the bullets knowing that shots where stormtroopers banged their heads into doors were going to make it into his final picture. When asked about the production, stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher both commented on how stressed out George looked; by the end of the production they were just trying to make him smile.
Lucas finished A New Hope and checked himself into a hospital. He had almost suffered a heart attack at the age of 32. The rest is history. Lucas refused a slice of the pie on the backend profits for A New Hope, exchanging them instead with the studios for exclusive rights on merchandise and franchise image. The studio execs quickly agreed and in subsequent years were all fired. This was the most important decision Lucas ever made in his life. It is why he became a billionaire.
Already sick of the hell the studios put him through on his earlier films THX1138 and American Graffiti, Lucas took his exclusive rights on Star Wars along with his newfound riches and left mainstream Hollywood forever. From this point on, he would be fiercely independent and have the final say on everything that he did.
Did Lucas sell soul out somewhere along the way? Good question. To answer it one must take a deeper look at what became of the merchandise he traded box office profits for to tell the rest of the story…
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46 Comments
A potentially decent article but it was dragged down by the incessant Prequel and Expanded Universe bashing. The Expanded Universe isn’t Lucas selling out. Granted he still makes a profit from the EU works but it’s about letting the franchise live on beyond the films. I can’t see what’s so bad about letting people tell new stories about both old and new characters. Loads of franchises have done it such as Star Tre and Doctor Who.
Also, points 9, 8, 7, 6, and 2 are not even products. So there’s no reason for them be here. And you counter your own reasons in point 2 by bringing up the fact that Lucas is giving away the majority of the Disney money, meaning that it isn’t selling out. And finally, George Lucas had nothing to do with the Holiday Special. He didn’t write it, direct it, or produce it and he has publicly disowned it saying that if he had the time and a hammer, he would destroy every copy.
Totally agree on the expanded universe point. Despite profits being made, it opens up a rich universe to a pool of new writers which I think – far from being selling out – is absolutely wonderful!
George Lucas gave the network permission to do the Holiday Special. That sort of thing doesn’t happen in the entertainment world without some sort of monetary deal being made. Although he regrets the decision, he did allow it to happen.
The prequels themselves, the movies that is, are products. Everything that was included in them is a business decision made by Lucas. I just happen to think that the Gungans and Trade Federation only exist in the way they do to sell toys.
Number two is not meant as a contradiction, it is a acknowledgement of what Lucas has given to all of us. Yes he sold his product to Disney, but he gave back, which is more important. I think after 20 previous pages of Lucas bashing showing some support is necessary. I love Star Wars, including the Expanded Universe, and I don’t hate Lucas. I just don’t like all of the decisions he made with the franchise.
Lucas started writing Episode I in 1994. They started shooting in 1997. That’s a lot of months.
I totally agree that the Prequels are products. No arguments there. What aren’t products are characters and plot devices regardless of the reason for them being written in.
Not really about the article, but can “we” please stop calling the Star Wars movie from 1977 “A New Hope”. It was NEVER called that until after it was a huge success and a second movie was planned. It was originally market as a space love story. I vividly remember the ads for the movie…A Boy, A Girl, The Universe.
Agreed. The first movie is now and always will be Star Wars.
It was called “Episode 4: A New Hope” in the very title sequence of the film so your point could not be more wrong. The fact that people didn’t commonly use the movie’s full title does not mean that it wasn’t the movies name. Eventually it became easier to say “A New Hope” rather than constantly having to clarify that you were referring to the first movie instead of the franchise in general. This became even more common when the prequels made the phrase “first movie” even less clear.
In other words you are nerd raging about something as stupid as people calling a movie by its ACTUAL TITLE. That’s the kind of stupidity that gives fans in general a bad name.
Wrong, Micah. The “Episode IV: A New Hope” was *not* in the original title sequence when the film first appeared in theatres. It was added later.
Lucas drew inspiration from the serials of flash gordon, and had the story sketched out as such. This was a serial from the beginning, but not pitched to the skeptical fox executives as such. Please read the making of a new hope to see the original notes and development of the story.
hi michael;
enjoyable read but i kinda agree with james there; this comes across as a mash-up of three different articles; toy merchandising, spin-offs and a critique of the effect Star Wars has had on our overall pop culture. All 3 would have been decent separate articles on their own.
Although Star Wars wasn’t the first to create ‘action figures’ for the movie, it sure seemed to me they perfected it and subsequently basically created the ‘collectibles’ market that now exists for nearly all toys so
i enjoyed the glimpses at little known products (to me) such as the medi-minti-chloridians and would have liked to see more of the article that focused on things like that; i recently saw a USB drive shaped like r2d2 and immediately thought the same thing as your article heading, wondering if there was anything Lucas hasn’t placed the Star Wars logo on.
But still, a well-thought out article that just encompassed too much of what you wanted to say under one heading.
Unfortunately the idiot who wrote this article didn’t realize the minti-chlorians were released as a joke for Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, something for the fans to get a kick out of, not mass marketed. The same thing goes for the Tiki Pins. He had a golden opportunity to highlight odd Star Wars products and failed. Things like the meteor slug oven mitt, taun taun sleeping bag, Underoos, and many more.
Can’t believe I didn’t see mention of Star Wars Kinect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xJqkzngBI
It’s nothing but selling out! Apparently the reason Han actually didn’t shoot first is because he was mentally rehearsing his dance choreography.
Dang! This makes me want to demand a rewrite. I can’t believe I didn’t spot this one, haha! Thanks Thom.
There’s always the option of doing a follow-up piece, Michael. There’s a lot more Star Wars merch out there.
Lucas always insisted the merchandise machine was to fund the movies, and I believed that lie… until said machine kept churning even after the saga was supposedly completed with Episode III, now we know that was baloney, and with selling Lucasfilm to a colossal entertainment conglomerate, Lucas becomes everything he set out to oppose in the film industry back in the 1970′s, I wish him a happy retirement (he’s earned it) and all happiness in the future now he’s engaged, but don’t tell me it wasn’t about the money these last few years…
To start off with all 22 correct if you look at it from comerical point of vieuw.
Maybe the federation droids even had a doubt but then i look back at the scenes there made fun off and then i think damn there where almost as bad as the gungans.
They did there part we all remember C3PO’s head put on droids body the whole saga is full of humor not all well placed i must addmit even as a die hard fan.
Never saw the clone wars so cant say selling out or not,thought to my self when the so called movie came out wtf is this so kind of ignored it,maybe il get really high one day and start watching who knows.
The whole Disney thing,yeah there’s great disturbance in the saga i hope it will be good we cant judge before seeing one frame so lets not.
Hate light flare’s tough so J.J dont even think about it.
Lucas was in 70′s one of the first do this and got very rich off it and i think we all in his place and looked at our bank account would not feel so bad even if we made loads of crap,crap sells look at pokemon im 24 and still cant get that tune out of my head after all these years.
Great list anyways and if my English was any better would sign up as Star Wars contributor.
May the force be with you all
Okay, judging by the damning judgment laid down in this article the only thing Lucas should have done to make everyone happy is kill himself.
Tallgent
The big thing with Star Wars though is that it still sells. Loads of flicks try exactly the same angle with a flood of merchandise and it just sits there on shelves. The fact Star Wars has been around since 1977 and still stays current with its merchadise AND can literally be put on everything and be succesful is a good thing. right? At the end of the day you don’t have to buy it but for a fan of movies, I love the fact one of my favorites has so much scope for mechandise.
I just don’t see any of this as a negative. Star Wars merchandise is awesome and the weirder the better.
Exactly Marcus. With the exception of the prequels I love most of Star Wars. The fact that I can go to museums with entire exhibits dedicated to the films is a blast. I’ve spent my whole life being a fan and the fact that there is so much to choose from guarantee’s that the experience will never get old.
I really don’t hate Star Wars or Lucas, I’m just poking fun at some of the more ridiculous things the franchise has produced. While I do think Lucas is a sellout, there’s nothing really wrong with that. Sellouts make money, always a good thing.
On the other hand, I do hate the prequels and about 80% of all their by-products.
I think the point you made in your first paragraph pretty much sums up the film industry today. It’s like all they are trying to accomplish a third of the time is another Star Wars.
Hey folks. I wouldn’t say that I’m the biggest star wars fan in the world, but I am a fan nonetheless. My take on the topic is this; if you don’t agree with what Lucas has done with the Star Wars franchise, don’t partake in it. That’s what I do. I own the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the cartoon network series. Though the prequel trilogy may not have been up to the same standards as the originals, they achieved what fans had been hoping for for a couple of decades; more Star Wars. With the amount of additional merchandise that has been sold, is it really selling out to give the fans what they want. I would agree that it would be selling out by flooding the market with merchandise that no one has any interest in to make a buck. But does Lucas really need another buck? I don’t think so. Maybe he does it because he truly loves the franchise. Another question; who’s really selling out by buying all of this merchandise? If ya don’t like it, just say no
Top 1 reasons that star wars fans are full of it. They demand more than complain about it.
Sorry then not than
This post wins.
I will say right now that I have nor the time nor the energy to debate with the author of this piece of crap article, but I will note the following:
- Clearly the author has some issues with the fact that the Star War franchise is just that. A franchise. Suck it up, dude. Seriously. Not once did I see something in your article that really told the reader more than they already should know. I, for one, would not bemoan a business endeavor doing what its supposed to. Selling itself.
- Yes, there are alot of things about the Star Wars franchise that really should have not been done. However, I fail to see how this is different from any other franchise, sci-fi, movie based or otherwise. Walking Dead, Jersey Shore, any sports team. They only survive if they make money for the people who invested in them. At one point, Lucas had to go to someone with the script and say “I think this is a great idea. Will you pay to help make it reality.”
Reason Number One that he still rules is because my Star Wars characters can beat up your Star Trek characters.
Did you know all the money he made selling the rights to Disney he gave ALL of it to charity…
Not even just a charity, to an educational cause that he’s been championing for years with little support from the powers that be. Of course given he owned Star Wars, 4.2 bn is probably just a drop in the ocean but still that’s a huge gesture.
The word is ‘sense’ not since.
No mention of the Star Wars Adidas?
I 99% agree with this whole article! Only one thing i’d say is only part sell out is the new FANTASTIC Clone Wars series. It has resolved many issues with the prequels, and in many respects made parts of them better. it even re-explains that midichloreans are miss interpreted by the Jedi.
Though i will admit, clone wars has also got a vast array of tots and lego. Frankly, i think this overdose of crap merchandise is swamping everything and diluting what Star Wars was. Everything now from toys, tshirts, everything really is all plasticy looking, or horrible photoshopped packaging/posters etc.. Wheres the retro look of it all gone?
I would also say the console games are a sell out too! (mostly) so much potential for incredible star wars games, yet they are very few and far between, or rushed or full of flaws, or just not made for fans anymore. In this day and age star wars games should be THE best games out there. Wheres the reboot of the x-wing games for modern consoles? Why was force unleashed 2 so short, wheres battlefront 3 4 5 and 6? Why cant i play a pod-racer/speederbike game that rivals Forza-4? Why does KOTOR look more advanced than the OT and yet its set 1000s of years before, yet stormtrooper armour and star destroyer designs aswell as a vader rip off sith exist. The games need rejuvenating as much as the films.
Perhaps you should cast your mind back to the late 1970s and early 1980s when millions upon millions of Star Wars toys were being manufactured and sold. There’s really very little change between then and now other than that there’s more of the franchise to merchandise and more mediums to merchandise in these days.
Dude.. you need to take a breath and not worry about this so much… it’s a movie franchise, and of course the man is going to make as much as he can off of it. All in all, the prequels were not as bad as all the hand-wringers made them out to be, and a lot of the work that he did on the original three actually helped the over all look of the movies. Here’s a thought: If you don’t like what Lucas did, don’t watch them anymore, and don’t comment on them… oh, wait… you can’t help it… you’re trying to make more money off of the franchise! Hmmmm… where have I heard this before????
Seriously though
I agree that Lucas is a complete sellout, but I think you are missing some things:
- you mention that Gungans were only made to sell toys and appeal to little kids. BUT, so are the Ewoks from RotJ.
- you say that Jango Fett’s death is cheap and pontless. But then, so is Boba Fett’s death in RotJ.
Anyway, I 100% agree with you on some points, especially on Darth Maul.
Lucas sold out before the Star Wars films. The whole point of Stars Wars was not only to entertain but also make a lot of cash. Well that’s the way its portrayed in the book ‘Easy Riders, Raging Bulls’
What about Droid Phones?
The reason George sold to Disney was because of pist off fan boys writing articles like this, why should he continue making movies and putting himself out there if people are just going to dump all over him? Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon, a generational treasure, and ingrained in our culture, so of course there are going to be a ton of products out there, it’s not some secret indie movement that no one knows about. Not to mention people are just greedy, and if you can make tons of cash then why not? George, George’s kids, George’s great grand kids and his great grand kids grand kids are set up for life, wouldn’t you want to take care of your own as well? I understand you feel like your childhood was rapped or whatever all I am saying is think before you bash, he’s just a guy making a living and the way he makes his living is just way more sucessful than any of us. Anyways I’ll shut up now because I love Star Wars, just like I think we all do, so lets just be greatful we have it at all.
Wow, you seem to hold a lot of disdain for these films seeing as you seem to know so much about them. So why all the dry sarcasm like you would have done better than Lucas? You think all fans fall into your stereotypes? And why dig so hard about it being for kids, too? Star Wars isn’t the greatest movie ever made, but in 1976 it inspired several generations. Adults, Teens and Kids saw and enjoyed a type of film that threw their imaginations into wonder and happy memories. The characters drew you in, Vader was, and to some still is, the biggest bad-ass antagonist anyone had ever seen. The film, as you should probably know, was never fully backed by the producers and was expected to be a bomb, which is exactly how George Lucas was able to keep the sales from merchandise. That was the last time any movie execs allowed that to happen, it was the biggest mistake they ever made! Can you imagine how much greedier a movie company would be with a hit like that? Asking for that was pure brilliance on Lucas’ part, and allowed him the funds to make other beloved movies and build Skywalker Ranch where students of film and special effects can go to study. It also allowed him to make more than just the one Star Wars movie, he was able to make The Empire Strikes Back, arguably the best of all six films. And why is more and more merchandise made? Because people desperately want it! It brings back good memories, makes you smile, and is quite relaxing after a long day to pursue your personal collection. Yes, Jar-Jar was a miserable character everyone points to as an example, but there are quite a few others that were not pleasant to have on screen as well. Don’t let a few bad apples ruin the bunch for you. It seems that YOU are more interested in the Star Wars franchise as a whole than even the fans! Let it go, dude. Just live your life and stop complaining about what other people enjoy. It’s here, it’s going to stay, and it’s going to get even bigger. Put on your big boy pants and find something else to complain about. I guess God forbid you get your panties in a bunch over things like Elvis, The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, and Barbie Dolls, ok? If you don’t have anything to say besides whining, let me know. Jeesh.
Kinda ironic you do an article about Lucas selling out but I’ve got to click through 22 pages to see number one, all the while being advertised to by Verizon, Sallie Mae and anything else you can throw at me… not to mention this is really just someone bashing the prequels and expanded universe and not very well written at that.
You mean to say there are actually people in Hollywood looking to make money off of their films? What outrage! How unheard of! I thought people only made movies for the art and craft of filmmaking, and for pure artistic expression. Imagine that! Film as an industry rather than an art form. They should start calling it “showbusiness” if that’s all it really is.
Kind of lost some credibility when the author used the word “since” rather than the correct form “sense.” Granted, I’m 18 years old, I knew the original trilogy before the prequels and loved both trilogies. Never understood the reason to bash the prequels. I suppose all those nerd purists from the original trilogy find all sorts of faults with it that “George Lucas ruined Star Wars!” But since Lucas CREATED Star Wars is it truly possible for him to ruin it? I thought both trilogies were great in different ways, the prequels HAD to be very different to show how different the galaxy and the time within that universe was itself.
People love ripping the prequels! Geez. They would do everyone a favor if they knew the PLOT before they start spewing!
Think like a Sith!
Palpatine was EVIL.
He tricked the Nemoidians (Trade Federation)into building the battle droids so they could stage a blockade to protest unfair trade practices that Palpatine himself was undermining.
Palpatine covertly influenced Jedi Master Syfo Dias to commission the creation of a clone army to “defend” the growing threat.
Palpatine wanted WAR. He wanted the Republic crushed so he could rebuild it to serve HIS desires.
But, above all, he planned to use clones in a final betrayal, to destroy the Jedi Order.
He also had his new army of stormtroopers ready to rule the galaxy.
These characters all had a PURPOSE. The Gungans and Nemos were just pawns to be murdered later. Lucas’ plot was genius.
Ease up on the trash talk.
I completely agree with the Gungans, horrible choice of characters…
And also agree that Darth Maul had so much potential, even though the lines he was given were good ones, he should have had a lot more. Also the fact he killed the master but was killed by the Padawan, strikes me as a pretty poor decision, even though yes it was necessary for the rest of the story to continue, he just shouldn’t been killed off so abruptly. shoddy…
shoulda just named this article “stuff i don’t like about star wars”
Does anyone else see the irony of writing an article about someone “selling out” on an ad-supported slideshow-based template?