George Lucas news stories on Newser

Lucasfilm Pulls Plug on 'Evil Empire' Studio Complex

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:32:00 CDT

A fed-up George Lucas has pulled the plug on a digital studio development plan that Northern California neighbors treated like a plot by an "evil empire." Now Lucasfilm hopes to sell the Grady Ranch site next to Skywalker Ranch in Marin County to a developer for low-income housing. "We have...

George Lucas' Neighbors Strike Back at Vast Plans

Mark Russell — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:35:13 CDT

George Lucas has big dreams for his Lucas Valley estate—unfortunately, he's also facing big opposition from hundreds of his neighbors, who say his plans for a 263,701-square-foot production complex will ruin their quiet community, reports the San Francisco Examiner . "It will be bringing a lot of commercial activity...

Artist Who Shaped Star Wars' Universe Dead at 82

Mark Russell — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:18:00 CST

Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who was instrumental in shaping the Star Wars universe—down to the look of characters like Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and R2-D2—has died at the age of 82, reports CBS News . In addition to working at Boeing and creating Apollo space flight animations for CBS News,...

Star Wars Camera Sells for Out-of-This-World $625K

Rob Quinn — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:59:02 CST

The camera used to film the first Star Wars movie has sold for an astronomical $625,000 at a movie memorabilia auction. The late '60s Panavision PSR 35mm camera, which is still in working order, went to an anonymous buyer at the sale of actress Debbie Reynolds' collection of Hollywood...

Lucas Loses Copyright Fight Over Stormtroopers

Tim Karan — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:36:46 CDT

For at least one day, the force is not with George Lucas. The head of the Star Wars empire has lost a lawsuit against a prop designer over the right to sell replica Imperial Stormtrooper helmets, reports the BBC . The UK Supreme Court ruled that Andrew Ainsworth—who designed the...

Worst Summer Blockbusters Ever

Matt Cantor — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:35:21 CDT

The summer blockbuster: proof that, when it comes to movies, budget is often inversely proportional to quality. In Time , Everett Rosenfeld and Gilbert Cruz reflect on the worst of the worst: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen : Director Michael Bay’s only priority: explosions. Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace : “This...

Lucas Doesn't Actually Think World Will End in 2012...

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:14:23 CST

Sorry, 2012 enthusiasts, but it turns out George Lucas does not actually believe the world will end next year . “He was not serious when he talked about the end of the world in 2012,” with Seth Rogen, a Lucasfilm rep tells Wired . However, “he is an adamant believer that the...

George Lucas Believes World Will End in 2012

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:41:42 CST

Count George Lucas among those who believe the world will end next year. Seth Rogen recounts a recent meeting with the Star Wars creator, during which Lucas spent 25 minutes talking about said apocalypse, the Toronto Sun reports. “I first thought he was joking, and then I totally realized he...

Empire Strikes Back Director Dead at 87

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:03:05 CST

Irvin Kershner—who directed the Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back , the James Bond film Never Say Never Again and Robocop 2 —died Saturday after a long illness at age 87. Kershner already had made a number of well-received movies when he was hired by George Lucas to direct...