George Lucas Star Wars Return - What Will Happen
1. What Would Lucas' Return Mean For The Franchise?
Again, Roger Christian's remarks didn't shed clear light on the full nature of Lucas' possible return, but first and foremost, even having Lucas involved with a future project merely as a consultant would likely help unite a fanbase that's been fiercely polarised in recent years.
Consider that both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - two of the most popular pieces of Star Wars media - were conceived with Lucas vacating the director's chair but taking a hands-on approach behind the scenes, and it's easy to see how a similar approach might work wonders today.
Of course, Lucas is a much older man in 2024, and the literal and figurative heavy lifting would likely be done by other trusted collaborators.
But to have Lucas acting as a creative force behind a new series could in the very least give Disney a great moral boost moving forward, to renew general audience interest in the IP for the future.
And of course, if this single project was well-received, it's entirely possible Lucas would be retained to help work on other projects, whether as a mere advisor or in a more active creative capacity.
Given that the House of Mouse is reportedly yet to turn a profit from their acquisition of Lucasfilm, anything that could palpably rejuvenate excitement in Star Wars fans, both casual and die-hard, seems like a smart strategy.
And so to summarise, while it's absolutely worth tempering your expectations for George Lucas coming back to Star Wars in any major way, with him having enjoyed a decade of parenthood and imminently entering his ninth decade of life, it'd make a certain amount of sense if he dipped his toe back into his cherished world one last time.
As ever, we'll have to wait and see.