135-505: John Frederick Milius ( / ˈ m ɪ l i ə s / ; born April 11, 1944) is an American screenwriter and film director. He was a writer for the first two Dirty Harry films, received an Academy Award nomination as screenwriter of Apocalypse Now (1979), and wrote and directed The Wind and the Lion (1975), Conan the Barbarian (1982), and Red Dawn (1984). He later served as
270-493: A terrorist ring calling themselves the People's Revolutionary Strike Force. Harry opposes introducing inexperienced officers to the dangers of police work, whether male or female, and sees the homicide division as too dangerous for his new partner, who worked until recently in the personnel department. Though Moore starts out overenthusiastic, she soon proves herself valuable to Harry, and matures quickly, earning Harry's respect in
405-490: A 1968 Time magazine article about the new generation of Hollywood filmmakers, which also referred to George Lucas and Martin Scorsese . This was read by Mike Medavoy , who became Milius's agent. Medavoy called Milius "a badboy mad genius in a teenager's body, but he was a good and fast writer with original ideas." Milius began to get writing commissions. He wrote a script entitled The Texans for Al Ruddy at Paramount,
540-597: A Marine", said Milius. "As a surfer I'd spent a lot of time hanging out with the Marines off Pendleton , and I'd had every intention of joining up ... I was devastated, I felt like I'd been rejected as a human being." "It was totally demoralizing", he said later. "I missed going to my war. It probably caused me to be obsessed with war ever since." Milius said he was "dying to be able to... go prove myself in battle—the same as all young men long to do, if they are honest with themselves, whether it's right or wrong or even sane, which
675-453: A Pretty (how) Town , Filmmaker and 6-18-67 . He was passionate and interested in camerawork and editing, defining himself as a filmmaker as opposed to being a director, and he loved making abstract visual films that created emotions purely through non-narrative structures. In 1967, Lucas re-enrolled as a USC graduate student in film production. He began working under movie and logo designer Saul Bass and film editor Verna Fields for
810-486: A badge. And being lonely." Dirty Harry was an enormous box office hit. George Hamilton hired Milius to rewrite Evel Knievel (1971), a biopic of the stunt rider , at a fee of $ 1,000 a day. Milius re-did the entire script over seven days. He wrote an original script, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean , about the famous judge . He offered it for $ 150,000 if he could direct, but could find no takers. He sold it to First Artists for $ 300,000, then extremely high for
945-632: A clique of film students known as The Dirty Dozen . He also became good friends with fellow acclaimed student filmmaker and future Indiana Jones collaborator, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese . A group of friends, which included Chris Lewis and Don Glut , started the Clean Cut Cinema Club. Lucas, Kleiser and Lewis then formed a short-lived production company called Sunrise Productions with offices on Sunset Boulevard. There they would make up stage names for themselves, Lucas calling himself Lucas Beaumont. Their only project would be
1080-507: A colorful character with a talent for lively interviews. His self-styled "Zen Anarchist"/"American samurai" persona made him stand out in Hollywood. For instance, he rewrote Dirty Harry only on the condition that he be given an expensive gun. He was also one of the inspirations for the character of John Milner in the enormously successful American Graffiti (1973). Milius said of this film, "I guess he [Lucas] saw me in that light because I
1215-402: A contemporary version of Red River (1948) (never made, although Sam Peckinpah was going to direct it in 1979)— Milius later said it "wasn't very good". He also wrote an original called Truck Driver (aka The Haul ) which was purchased by Levy-Garner-Laven, although that film too was not made. Milius later said he "didn't do a good job" with these two early scripts "because in both cases I
1350-804: A key supporter in the creation of the federal E-Rate program to provide broadband funding to schools and libraries, and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art , a forthcoming art museum in Los Angeles developed with his wife, Mellody Hobson . Lucas was born and raised in Modesto, California , the son of Dorothy Ellinore Lucas (née Bomberger) and George Walton Lucas Sr., and is of German, Swiss-German, English, Scottish, and distant Dutch and French descent. His family attended Disneyland during its opening week in July 1955, and Lucas would remain enthusiastic about
1485-450: A little more like a novelist ... I tackled an unpopular subject that no one was going to make a movie about where the chances were really slim that I could pull it off. There was no book, nothing but me and the blank page. And that was wonderful because I had followed my heart. One of the nicest times in my life was writing Apocalypse Now. The commercial failure of THX 1138 delayed production plans for Apocalypse Now . Milius later said of
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#17327840001171620-455: A long time, but we never did it." Milius did come close to making Extreme Prejudice , based on his script, in 1976. However he decided to make Big Wednesday instead; Extreme Prejudice would be made a decade later, much rewritten, and directed by Walter Hill . In 1975, Milius formed his own production company, The A Team, with Buzz Feitshans , who had edited Dillinger . They had a five-year deal with Warner Bros.. Milius said, "Our motto
1755-554: A millionaire by the age of 30. He attended Modesto Junior College , where he studied anthropology , sociology, and literature, amongst other subjects. He also began shooting with an 8 mm camera, including filming car races. At this time, Lucas became interested in Canyon Cinema : screenings of underground , avant-garde 16 mm filmmakers like Jordan Belson , Stan Brakhage and Bruce Conner . Lucas and childhood friend John Plummer also saw classic European films of
1890-537: A parody. Frank Miller , creator of the Sin City graphic novels , revealed in an interview that he created the Sin City story-arc That Yellow Bastard out of his dislike of The Dead Pool . Miller said: "When I went to see the last Dirty Harry movie, The Dead Pool , I was disgusted. I went out and said, this is not a Dirty Harry movie, this is nothing, this is a pale sequel." and I also said, "that's not
2025-446: A percentage of the profits for Big Wednesday which amounted to virtually nothing. In 1979, Milius said "the ultimate aim of the A Team is that it will become a company that makes lots of projects. I shall be the figurehead and the father figure and take a percentage and I won't have to do anything except go off and direct my movie once every three years." The A Team made a number of movies not directed by Milius. Notably, they produced
2160-488: A pioneer of the modern blockbuster . Despite this, he has remained an independent filmmaker away from Hollywood for most of his career. After graduating from the University of Southern California in 1967, Lucas moved to San Francisco and co-founded American Zoetrope with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola . He wrote and directed THX 1138 (1971), based on his student short Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB , which
2295-464: A producer of the Indiana Jones films, had been appointed as co-chair of Lucasfilm Ltd. It was reported that Kennedy would work alongside Lucas, who would remain chief executive and serve as co-chairman for at least one year, after which she would succeed him as the company's sole leader. With the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, Lucas is currently Disney's second-largest single shareholder, after
2430-567: A recently widowed Korean War veteran alienated from his family and angry at the world. Walt's young neighbor, Thao Vang Lor , is pressured into stealing Walt's prized 1972 Ford Gran Torino by his cousin for his initiation into a gang. Walt thwarts the theft and subsequently develops a relationship with the boy and his family. Biographer Marc Eliot called Eastwood's role "an amalgam of the Man with No Name , Dirty Harry, and William Munny , here, aged and cynical, but willing and able to fight on whenever
2565-422: A script. Directed by John Huston and starring Paul Newman , it was a moderate hit, although Milius disliked the final result. "I fought every day", he said. "And I was blooded well. I was treated horribly." More popular was Jeremiah Johnson . Milius did some work with David Giler on the script which became The Black Bird . By now Milius was one of the most sought after screenwriters in Hollywood, seen as
2700-407: A separate Blu-ray, requiring fans who want the other four movies in high definition to buy the box set. In 2010, all five movies were released as a Blu-ray box set, "Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry Collection". In the early 1980s, Warner Books published twelve books, authored under the pseudonym Dane Hartman , that further the adventures of Dirty Harry. The novels were later translated into French in
2835-470: A success. Lucas then created his own company, Lucasfilm, Ltd. , and directed the successful American Graffiti (1973). Lucas then set his sights on adapting Flash Gordon , an adventure serial from his childhood that he fondly remembered. When he was unable to obtain the rights, he set out to write an original space adventure that would eventually become Star Wars . Despite his success with his previous film, all but one studio turned Star Wars down. It
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#17327840001172970-542: A tree; Lucas's seatbelt had snapped, ejecting him and thereby saving his life. However, his lungs were bruised from severe hemorrhaging and he required emergency medical treatment. This incident caused him to lose interest in racing as a career, but also inspired him to pursue his other interests. Lucas's father owned a stationery store, and had wanted George to work for him when he turned 18. Lucas had been planning to go to art school, but his father said he wouldn't pay for it. Lucas declared upon leaving home that he would be
3105-586: A troubled production but was a surprise hit, becoming the highest-grossing film at the time , winning six Academy Awards and sparking a cultural phenomenon . Lucas produced and co-wrote the sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). With director Steven Spielberg , he created, produced, and co-wrote Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989) and The Kingdom of
3240-482: A very good eye, and he thought visually," he recalled. At Plummer's recommendation, Lucas then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts . USC was one of the earliest universities to have a school devoted to motion picture film . During the years at USC, Lucas shared a dorm room with Randal Kleiser . Along with classmates such as Walter Murch , Caleb Deschanel , Hal Barwood , John Milius and Matthew Robbins , they became
3375-600: A warehouse in Van Nuys, California . After seeing the map for the location was zoned as light industrial , Lucas named the group Industrial Light and Magic, which became the Special Visual Effects department on Star Wars . Alongside Dykstra, other leading members of the original ILM team were Ken Ralston , Richard Edlund , Dennis Muren , Robert Blalack , Joe Johnston , Phil Tippett , Steve Gawley , Lorne Peterson and Paul Huston. By June 2013, Lucas
3510-481: A year." Milius then got a summer job working at the story department of American International Pictures through a student colleague of his who had begun working there, Willard Huyck . Huyck and Milius worked at AIP under producer Larry Gordon , reading scripts. They eventually collaborated on a rewrite of the screenplay for The Devil's 8 (1968), an action drama about moonshine drivers which ripped off The Dirty Dozen (1968). Milius's name had been mentioned in
3645-399: Is Civitas Sine Prudentia, which really translates to Social Irresponsibility; I believe in it. It's refreshing, it's liberating. Americans are basically socially irresponsible ... Who else would have invented the atomic bomb quite the same way? The Nazis would have invented it with the desire to conquer the world; we were the only people that could have invented it with the desire not to conquer
3780-463: Is a classic lone man, with a searing loneliness about him. A leader of men is always alone." It was never made; neither was Man-Eaters of Kumoan (1976) based on book by Jim Corbett about a tiger hunter in India which Milius worked on. For several years, he developed with Stanley Kubrick an adaptation of Night Drop by S. L. A. Marshall . "We talked about it for years and years and worked on it for
3915-401: Is a debate that's been going on since we left the caves. Only there was no way I could found my own unit, so I did the second best, which was to write it. Every writer wishes he could actually be doing the thing he writes about." He later admitted, "I don't know how well I'd have done. I really wanted a military career, to be a general, but I had a hard time polishing shoes. And marching. I was in
4050-399: Is an American neo-noir action thriller film series featuring San Francisco Police Department Homicide Division Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan . There are five films: Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983) and The Dead Pool (1988). Clint Eastwood portrayed Callahan in all five films and directed Sudden Impact . Callahan
4185-480: Is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises and founded Lucasfilm , LucasArts , Industrial Light & Magic and THX . He served as chairman of Lucasfilm before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. Nominated for four Academy Awards , he is considered to be one of the most significant figures of the 20th-century New Hollywood movement, and
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4320-461: Is notorious for his unorthodox, violent and ruthless methods against the criminals and killers he is assigned to apprehend. At the same time, he is assigned a partner who is usually either killed or seriously injured during the film. Clint Eastwood was the only actor to have appeared in all five films. Dirty Harry (1971) was directed by Don Siegel and starred Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan. Harry tracks serial killer Scorpio (loosely based on
4455-579: Is the form. "I can't grade you on the content. I can't tell you whether this is a better story for you to write than that, you know? And I can't teach you how to write the content, but I can certainly demand that you do it in the proper form." He never talked about character arcs or anything like that; he simply talked about telling a good yarn, telling a good story. He said, "Do whatever you need to do. Be as radical and as outrageous as you can be. Take any kind of approach you want to take. Feel free to flash back, feel free to flash forward, feel free to flash back in
4590-464: Is the only way anyone will listen to you in Hollywood", he said. "It's the next best thing to being a star." Gangster films were popular at the time and AIP offered him the chance to direct one if he would write it for a fraction of his regular fee. Milius agreed and wrote and directed Dillinger (1973). "I deliberately chose Dillinger because he was a pure criminal", said Milius. "Robbing banks to right social wrongs did not come into it." The movie
4725-528: The Apocalypse Now script, "No one would touch it because of the Vietnam War. Everyone loved it, it did more for my career than any other script because it was always considered a work of genius; from the minute it came out, it really stirred people up. It's a good script, it's certainly no work of genius. It churns people up, and that's what they think works of genius are supposed to do." However,
4860-466: The Indiana Jones television prequel spinoff The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–93). There were unsuccessful projects, however, including More American Graffiti (1979), Willard Huyck 's Howard the Duck (1986), which was the biggest flop of Lucas's career, Coppola's Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) and Radioland Murders (1994) directed by Mel Smith . The animation studio Pixar
4995-528: The National Film Board of Canada like Arthur Lipsett 's 21-87 , cameraman Jean-Claude Labrecque 's cinéma vérité 60 Cycles , the work of Norman McLaren and the documentaries of Claude Jutra . Lucas fell madly in love with pure cinema and quickly became prolific at making 16 mm nonstory noncharacter visual tone poems and cinéma vérité with such titles as Look at Life , Herbie , 1:42.08 , The Emperor , Anyone Lived in
5130-808: The National Mall in Washington, D.C., to commemorate American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. On September 19, 2006, the University of Southern California announced that Lucas had donated $ 175–180 million to his alma mater to expand the film school. It is the largest single donation to USC and the largest gift to a film school anywhere. Previous donations led to the already-existing George Lucas Instructional Building and Marcia Lucas Post-Production building. In 2013, Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson donated $ 25 million to
5265-601: The ROTC once, and I hate marching ... I would have been good in the Mexican Army." At one stage Milius considered becoming an artist or historian. During a rainy day on a summer vacation in Hawaii in 1962, he stumbled upon a movie theatre showing a week of Akira Kurosawa films and fell in love with cinema. Milius studied film at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television , which he chose because it
5400-480: The San Francisco Bay Area and co-founded the studio American Zoetrope with Coppola, hoping to create a liberating environment for filmmakers to direct outside the perceived oppressive control of the Hollywood studio system . Coppola thought Lucas's Electronic Labyrinth could be adapted into his first full-length feature film, which was produced by American Zoetrope as THX 1138 , but was not
5535-620: The United States Air Force as an officer, but he was immediately turned down because of his numerous speeding tickets. He was later drafted by the United States Army for military service in Vietnam , but he was exempted from service after medical tests showed he had diabetes , the disease that killed his paternal grandfather. Lucas saw many inspiring films in class, particularly the visual films coming out of
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5670-621: The United States House of Representatives subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet as the head of his Foundation to advocate for a free wireless broadband educational network. In 2012, Lucas sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company for a reported sum of $ 4.05 billion. It was widely reported at the time that Lucas intended to give the majority of the proceeds from the sale to charity. A spokesperson for Lucasfilm said: "George Lucas has expressed his intention, in
5805-513: The United States Information Agency , where he met his future wife Marcia Griffin . Working as a teaching instructor for a class of U.S. Navy students who were being taught documentary cinematography, Lucas directed the short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB , which won first prize at the 1967–68 National Student film festival. Lucas was awarded a student scholarship by Warner Bros. to observe and work on
5940-580: The Zodiac killer ). Eastwood's iconic portrayal of the blunt-speaking, unorthodox detective set the style for a number of his subsequent roles, and its box-office success led to the production of four sequels . The "alienated cop" motif was subsequently imitated by a number of other films. At the beginning of the film, Callahan corners a bank robber and says, "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?'. Well, do ya, punk?". The line became famous, although often misquoted as "Do you feel lucky, punk?";
6075-832: The highest-grossing film of all time , displaced five years later by Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . After the success of American Graffiti and prior to the beginning of filming on Star Wars , Lucas was encouraged to renegotiate for a higher fee for writing and directing Star Wars than the US$ 150,000 agreed. He declined to do so, instead negotiating for advantage in some of the as-yet-unspecified parts of his contract with Fox, in particular, ownership of licensing and merchandising rights (for novelizations , clothing, toys, etc.) and contractual arrangements for sequels. Lucasfilm has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from licensed games, toys, and collectibles created for
6210-425: The "Special Editions". The trilogy received further modifications and restorations for DVD releases in 2004, Blu-ray releases in 2011 and 4K releases released in 2019. Additionally, Lucas released a director's cut of THX 1138 in 2004, with the film re-cut and containing a number of CGI additions. The first Star Wars prequel was finished and released in 1999 as Episode I – The Phantom Menace , which would be
6345-452: The "secret sauce" of his movies. Lucas is the wealthiest film celebrity in the world. His personal net worth is estimated to be between $ 7.5–9.4 billion. Lucas has pledged to give half of his fortune to charity as part of an effort called The Giving Pledge led by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to persuade America's richest individuals to donate their financial wealth to charities. In 1991, The George Lucas Educational Foundation
6480-628: The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special for 20th Century Fox Television . That year, Lucas hired Los Angeles-based real-estate specialist Charles Weber to manage the company, telling him that he could keep the job as long as he made money. Lucas wanted the focus of the company to be making independent films, but the company gradually became enlarged from five employees to almost 100, increasing in middle management and running up costs. In 1980, after Weber asked Lucas for fifty million dollars to invest in other companies and suggested that they sell Skywalker Ranch to do so, Lucas fired Weber and had to let half of
6615-471: The 1990s, as the Collection Supercops . In 1995, Williams Electronic Games (WMS) created a Dirty Harry pinball machine , inspired by the 1971 film. 4,248 units were manufactured. Notable features include a gun handle shooter, a moving cannon used to shoot playfield targets and custom audio callouts recorded by Clint Eastwood. Game modes, sounds and dot matrix animations reflect events in
6750-475: The CGI film Strange Magic , his first musical. The film was produced at Skywalker Ranch . Gary Rydstrom directed the movie. At the same time the sequel trilogy was announced, a fifth installment of the Indiana Jones series also entered pre-development phase with Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg set to return. Lucas originally did not specify whether the selling of Lucasfilm would affect his involvement with
6885-835: The Chicago-based not-for-profit After School Matters, of which Hobson is the chair. On April 15, 2016, it was reported that Lucas had donated between $ 501,000 and $ 1 million through the Lucas Family Foundation (now the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation) to the Obama Foundation , which is charged with overseeing the construction of the Barack Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side . In 2021, Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson made
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#17327840001177020-585: The Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). He last collaborated on the CGI-animated movie and television series of the same name, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2020), the war film Red Tails (2012) and the CGI film Strange Magic (2015). Lucas is also known for his collaboration with composer John Williams , who was recommended to him by Spielberg, and with whom he has worked for all
7155-406: The Clones . The final prequel, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith , began production in 2002 and was released in 2005. Numerous older fans and critics at the time considered the prequels more mixed compared to the original trilogy, though they were box office successes and popular with younger fans. In 2004, Lucas reflected that his transition from independent to corporate filmmaker mirrored
7290-474: The Clones and Revenge of the Sith , and featured the last Star Wars stories in which Lucas was involved in a major way. In 2012, Lucas self-funded and served as executive producer for Red Tails , a war film based on the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II . He also took over directing of reshoots while director Anthony Hemingway worked on other projects. I'm moving away from
7425-535: The Crystal Skull (2008), and served as an executive producer, with a cursory involvement in pre and post-production, on The Dial of Destiny (2023). In 1997, Lucas re-released the original Star Wars trilogy as part of a Special Edition featuring several modifications; home media versions with further changes were released in 2004 and 2011. He returned to directing with a Star Wars prequel trilogy comprising The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of
7560-512: The Hunting Trail directed by Milius and written by Winfred Blevins , about Theodore Roosevelt . The film was never made. Neither was The Life and Times of Joe McCarthy , a proposed biopic about the famous anti-Communist Senator , which Milius declared interest in making. Milius next wrote and directed the popular adventure film The Wind and the Lion (1975), which starred Sean Connery and Candice Bergen . He later said he felt this
7695-571: The Jedi, Raiders of the Lost Ark , Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ). After Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney, Williams stayed on board with the franchise, and continued to score the remaining three films of the " Skywalker Saga " ( The Force Awakens , The Last Jedi , and The Rise of Skywalker , for which he received a further three Oscar nominations), after which he announced his "retirement" from
7830-400: The Los Angeles staff go. By the same year, the corporate subsidiary had been discontinued and its business was absorbed into the various divisions of Lucasfilm. Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic in 1975, he wanted his 1977 film Star Wars to include visual effects that had never been seen on film before. After discovering that the in-house effects department at 20th Century Fox
7965-611: The Main Title Theme, the Force Theme (less commonly referred to as Obi Wan Kenobi's Theme), the Rebel Alliance Theme and Princess Leia's Theme (all introduced in this film) repeatedly. Subsequent films also added to the catalog of themes for different characters, factions, and locations. The score was released to critical acclaim and won Williams his third Academy Award for Best Original Score . The score
8100-521: The National Student Film Festival and screened around the country in various festivals; it was praised by Vincent Canby of The New York Times . Milius received a job offer to work in animation but he turned it down as he could not see himself "sitting there drawing cell after cell." Milius's first completed script was Los Gringos (1968). "It actually wasn't bad", he later said. "It was sort of like The Wild Bunch ... there
8235-438: The Vietnam War which George Lucas intended to direct as a follow-up to his first feature THX 1138 (1971). Milius says Coppola: Offered that wonderful fork in the road where I could go do my own thing rather than just rewrite some piece of crap that would probably be rewritten by somebody else. That was the most important decision I made in my life as a writer. That sort of steered me onto the path of doing my own work and being
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#17327840001178370-432: The accused and resolves to stop the killers. In this film, Harry's catch-phrase is "A man's got to know his limitations". The Enforcer (1976) was directed by James Fargo . In this film, Harry is teamed with a female partner with no field experience (in 1976, American women had only recently been allowed to fill patrol and investigative assignments in most police bureaus), Inspector Kate Moore ( Tyne Daly ), as they take on
8505-404: The business ... From the company, from all this kind of stuff. —George Lucas on his future career plans In January 2012, Lucas announced his retirement from producing large blockbuster films, and instead re-focusing his career on smaller, independently budgeted features. In June 2012, it was announced that producer Kathleen Kennedy , a long-term collaborator with Steven Spielberg and
8640-572: The co-creator of the Primetime Emmy Award -winning television series Rome (2005–2007). Milius was born April 11, 1944, in St. Louis , Missouri , the youngest of three children to Elizabeth Marie ( née Roe; 1906–2010) and William Styx Milius (1889–1975), who was a shoe manufacturer. He is Jewish . When Milius was seven, his father sold Milius Shoe Company, which his grandfather George W. Milius had founded in 1923, and retired. He moved
8775-447: The company. The sale reflected Lucas's desire to stop the cash flow losses from his seven-year research projects associated with new entertainment technology tools, as well as his company's new focus on creating entertainment rather than tools. As of June 1983, Lucas was worth $ 60 million, but he met cash-flow difficulties following his divorce that year, concurrent with the sudden dropoff in revenues from Star Wars licenses following
8910-639: The creative differences between him and the producers of The Force Awakens . Lucas went on to say that he needed to support the company and its employees who were going to suffer financially. Lucas described the previous six Star Wars films as his "children" and defended his vision for them, while criticizing The Force Awakens for having a "retro feel", saying: "I worked very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships – you know, to make it new." Lucas also drew some criticism and subsequently apologized for his remark likening Disney to "white slavers". In 2015, Lucas wrote
9045-415: The creator and executive producer for a second Star Wars animated series on Cartoon Network, Star Wars: The Clone Wars which premiered with a feature film of the same name before airing its first episode. The supervising director for this animated series was Dave Filoni , who was chosen by Lucas and closely collaborated with him on its development. This series bridged the events between Attack of
9180-486: The end of the trilogy. The success of the first Star Wars film also resulted in more attention focused on Lucas, both positive and negative, attracting wealth and fame, but also many people who wanted Lucas's financial backing or just to threaten him. Following the release of the first Star Wars film, Lucas worked extensively as a writer and producer, including on the many Star Wars spinoffs made for film, television and other media. Lucas acted as executive producer for
9315-458: The estate of Steve Jobs . Lucas worked as a creative consultant on the Star Wars sequel trilogy 's first film, The Force Awakens . Lucas's involvement included attending early story meetings; according to Lucas, "I mostly say, 'You can't do this. You can do that.' You know, 'The cars don't have wheels. They fly with antigravity.' There's a million little pieces ... I know all that stuff." Lucas's son Jett told The Guardian that his father
9450-506: The event the deal closes, to donate the majority of the proceeds to his philanthropic endeavors." Lucas also spoke on the matter: "For 41 years, the majority of my time and money has been put into the company. As I start a new chapter in my life, it is gratifying that I have the opportunity to devote more time and resources to philanthropy." In 2005, Lucas gave $ 1 million to help build the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on
9585-579: The family to Bel Air , California. John Milius became an enthusiastic surfer. At 14, his parents sent him to a small private school, the Lowell Whiteman School , in the mountains of Steamboat Springs, Colorado , because he "was a juvenile delinquent". Milius became a voracious reader and started to write short stories: "I had learned very early, to write in almost any style. I could write in fluent Hemingway , or in fluent Melville , or Conrad , or Jack Kerouac , and whatever." He says he
9720-411: The film features an aging, tough cop who partners with a rookie cop, played by Charlie Sheen . Upon the film's release critics and audiences noted the similarities between Eastwood's two characters. Eastwood returned to acting after a four-year self-imposed hiatus in this 2008 film, which he also directed, produced, and partly scored with his son Kyle and Jamie Cullum . Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski ,
9855-403: The film series into a "Saga". In 1994, Lucas began work on the screenplay of the first prequel, tentatively titled Episode I: The Beginning . In 1997, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Star Wars , Lucas restored the original trilogy and made numerous modifications using newly available digital technology to bring them closer to his original vision. The films were re-released in theaters as
9990-431: The film, such as a car chase, barroom brawl, defusing bombs and "Feel Lucky" mode. Dirty Harry is a 1990 video game based on Dirty Harry film series. It incorporates several references to the film series. Dirty Harry , originally scheduled for a 2007 release, is a canceled video game by The Collective based on the 1971 film of the same name. George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944)
10125-512: The film. In October 2016, Lucas announced his decision to not be involved in the story of the film but would remain an executive producer. In 2016, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , the first film of a Star Wars anthology series was released. It told the story of the rebels who stole the plans for the Death Star featured in the original Star Wars film, and it was reported that Lucas liked it more than The Force Awakens . The Last Jedi ,
10260-419: The film.) Eventually, Robert Redford agreed to play the lead and Sydney Pollack signed to direct. Milius wrote an uncredited draft of Dirty Harry (1971). He says his contribution to the film was "A lot of guns. And the attitude of Dirty Harry, being a cop who was ruthless. I think it's fairly obvious if you look at the rest of my work what parts are mine. The cop being the same as the killer except he has
10395-517: The films in both of these franchises. He also produced and wrote a variety of films and television series through Lucasfilm between the 1970s and the 2010s. Lucas is one of history's most financially successful filmmakers . He directed or wrote the story for ten of the 100 highest-grossing movies at the North American box office, adjusted for ticket-price inflation. Through his companies Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound , Lucas
10530-641: The final step in Eastwood's repudiation of the Dirty Harry persona. If Unforgiven ends up being equivocal in its attitude toward violence and vigilantism, Gran Torino appears to accept the impotence of the lone, avenging hero" and that the impotence "is perhaps underlined by Walt's repeated gesture of pointing his finger at villains as if it were a gun." Amy Biancolli of the Houston Chronicle said that though Walt, an "old fart", does not have
10665-437: The first film Lucas had directed in over two decades. Following the release of the first prequel, Lucas announced that he would also be directing the next two, and began working on Episode II . The first draft of Episode II was completed just weeks before principal photography, and Lucas hired Jonathan Hales , a writer from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles , to polish it. It was completed and released in 2002 as Attack of
10800-465: The first four Indiana Jones films, which his colleague and good friend Steven Spielberg directed. Craig Barron , who worked at ILM as part of the matte painting department, told Star Wars Insider that Lucas liked to spend time with the department's painters and often spoke of what movies he wanted to make. According to Barron, Lucas had wanted to make a film about Alexander the Great , but this film
10935-517: The first three films from Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale : I Wanna Hold Your Hand , 1941 (directed by Steven Spielberg ), and Used Cars . He also produced Hardcore , directed by friend Paul Schrader . Schrader once described Milius's writing as containing too many good lines and scenes. He says Warren Beatty once "told John something I've been telling him too: 'You come too soon and you come too often.'... He's so full of juice he just can't stop coming, rather than holding back and tightening
11070-608: The following year saw the release of Apocalypse Now , directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola rewrote the script, which Milius disliked. "He wanted to ruin it, liberalize it, and turn it into Hair ", said Milius in 1976. "He sees himself as a great humanitarian, an enlightened soul who will tell you such wonderful things as he does at the end of Godfather 2 -- that crime doesn't pay ... Talent-wise, he's no John Ford; character-wise, he's no Steve Spielberg. Francis can't stand to have any other creative influence around ... Francis Coppola has this compelling desire to save humanity when
11205-432: The franchise. The original Star Wars film went through a tumultuous production, and during editing, Lucas suffered chest pains initially feared to be a heart attack, but actually a fit of hypertension and exhaustion. The effort that Lucas exerted during post-production for the film, and its subsequent sequels, caused strains on his relationship with his wife Marcia Lucas, and was a contributing factor to their divorce at
11340-468: The kind of drama that I was interested in. Another great influence on me was ... On the Road , which has no tight, linear narrative, but sprawls, following this character. Moby Dick and On the Road are completely different kinds of novels, yet they're both extremely disciplined. Nothing happens by accident in either of those two books. Milius reflected his "ambitions stopped at B Westerns ... I thought that
11475-665: The last Dirty Harry story, I will show you the last Dirty Harry story." Another character in That Yellow Bastard story is Nancy Callahan , named after Harry Callahan. Bruce Willis played Hartigan, the "Dirty Harry of the story", in the Sin City (2005) film. This 1985 film featuring Jackie Chan was Chan's second American feature film. The movie was noted for being similar to the Dirty Harry series, with inspiration taken from there by director James Glickenhaus . Directed by and co-starring Clint Eastwood;
11610-433: The life of the mountain man Liver-Eating Johnson . Milius later said this was "the real breaking point" where he knew "almost overnight... that I had become a good writer with a voice.": I knew that material. I'd lived in the mountains, I had a trapline, I hunted, and I had a lot of experiences with characters up there. So, it was real easy to write that and there was a humor to it, a kind of bigger-than-life attitude. I
11745-441: The making of a film of his choosing. The film he chose after finding the animation department closed down was Finian's Rainbow (1968) which was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola , who was revered among film school students of the time as a cinema graduate who had "made it" in Hollywood. In 1969, Lucas was one of the camera operators on the classic Rolling Stones concert film Gimme Shelter . In 1969, Lucas moved back to
11880-630: The man is a raving fascist, the Bay Area Mussolini ." The film was released in 1979 to great acclaim. Milius's old agent, Mike Medavoy, helped establish Orion Pictures in 1978 and one of their first movies was going to be East of Suez , written and directed by Milius. It was not made. Spielberg said in 1978 that Milius was key to the group of young filmmakers known as the New Hollywood , which included himself, Lucas, and Coppola: Dirty Harry (film series) Dirty Harry
12015-416: The middle of a flashback. Feel free to use narration, all the tools are there for you to use." Milius says his writing style was influenced by two novels in particular, Moby-Dick and On the Road : I think Moby Dick is the best work of art ever made ... I used to point out the dramatic entrance of characters, how they were threaded through ... Moby Dick was a perfect screenplay, a perfect example of
12150-538: The museum in California. On January 17, 2017, Lucas announced that an eleven-acre campus with green space and the museum's five-story 300,000 square foot building will be constructed over what was a parking lot in Exposition Park , Los Angeles, California. It is due to be completed in 2025. Lucas was also heavily involved and invested in the scoring process for the original Star Wars soundtrack , which
12285-767: The need arose". Manohla Dargis compared Eastwood's presence on film to Dirty Harry and the Man with No Name, stating: "Dirty Harry is back, in a way, in Gran Torino , not as a character but as a ghostly presence. He hovers in the film, in its themes and high-caliber imagery, and of course, most obviously in Mr. Eastwood's face. It is a monumental face now, so puckered and pleated that it no longer looks merely weathered, as it has for decades, but seems closer to petrified wood." Tania Modleski , author of Clint Eastwood and Male Weepies , said, "[f]or many reviewers, Gran Torino represents
12420-484: The never completed short "Five, Four, Three", a self-referential and self-deprecating mockumentary about the making of a satirical teen beach movie called "Orgy Beach Party". Lucas was deeply influenced by the Filmic Expression course taught at the school by filmmaker Lester Novros which concentrated on the non-narrative elements of Film Form like color, light, movement, space, and time. Another inspiration
12555-536: The next two Star Wars films, commissioning Irvin Kershner to direct The Empire Strikes Back and Richard Marquand to direct Return of the Jedi , while receiving a story credit on the former and sharing a screenwriting credit with Lawrence Kasdan on the latter. Lucas also gave away his screenwriting credit out of great respect for Leigh Brackett for The Empire Strikes Back after her death from cancer. He also acted as story writer and executive producer on
12690-591: The park. He was interested in comics and science fiction, including television programs such as the Flash Gordon serials. Long before Lucas began making films, he yearned to be a racecar driver, and he spent most of his high school years racing on the underground circuit at fairgrounds and hanging out at garages. On June 12, 1962, a few days before his high school graduation, Lucas was driving his souped-up Autobianchi Bianchina when another driver broadsided him, flipping his car several times before it crashed into
12825-415: The process. Sudden Impact (1983) was directed by Clint Eastwood. Aging, but still bitter, Callahan is sent to a small town to follow up a lead in a murder case, which leads him directly to a rape victim who is out to avenge herself and her catatonic sister by killing the people who sexually assaulted them. The film is notable for Callahan's catchphrase, " Go ahead, make my day ". The Dead Pool (1988)
12960-658: The reasoning of people in Asia, it makes sense to me. Zen is very sensible, the whole way of feeling things is logical, whereas many of the Western-motivated things—greed, business sense—I'm not comfortable with, I don't understand their rationale." Milius says he attempted to join the Marine Corps and volunteer for Vietnam War service in the late 1960s, but was rejected due to a "chronic" and "sometimes disabling" case of mild asthma . "I'd have given anything to be
13095-448: The river man ..." I just realized that this was the voice that the script had to have. It was as clear as a bell. I knew that writing was particular to me. Milius sold the script to Warner Bros. in 1970 for $ 5,000, going up to $ 50,000 if it was ever made. Warner Bros. had other writers work on the original script based on The Crow Killer . Milius was also called back to work on it, and his fee grew each time. (He eventually made $ 90,000 on
13230-462: The same name as Dirty Harry, "there's no mistaking the rasp in his voice or the uncompromising crankiness of his Weltanschauung ." Tom Charity of CNN said of Walt: "Like other Eastwood heroes before him, Walt sacrifices his independence by accepting that others depend on him." John Serba of The Grand Rapids Press said that Walt, who is "bitter, hopelessly cranky," "shares a sense of moral certainty" with Callahan, but that Walt "is infused with
13365-504: The second film in the sequel trilogy, was released in 2017; Lucas described the film as "beautifully made". Lucas has had cursory involvement with Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), the Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian , and the premiere of the eighth season of Game of Thrones . Lucas met with J. J. Abrams before the latter began writing the script to the sequel trilogy's final film, The Rise of Skywalker , which
13500-593: The second movie, Magnum Force , opens with Harry asking, "Do you feel lucky?" It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1971 after Fiddler on the Roof , The French Connection and Diamonds Are Forever . Magnum Force (1973) was directed by Ted Post . The main theme of this film is vigilante justice , and the plot revolves around a group of renegade traffic cops who are executing criminals who have avoided conviction in court. Despite Harry's penchant for strong-arm methods, he does not tolerate coldblooded murder of
13635-484: The series would be a tragic one, examining Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side. Lucas also began to change the status of the prequels relative to the originals; at first, they were supposed to be a "filling-in" of history tangential to the originals, but now he saw that they could form the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step towards turning
13770-582: The series. Lucas was in attendance for a ceremony honoring Williams as the 44th recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award , the first composer to receive the honor, and gave a speech in praise of their relationship and his work. In interviews, and most famously at the 40th Anniversary Star Wars Celebration convention, Lucas has repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of Williams to the Star Wars saga, affectionately referring to him as
13905-456: The situation and building characters. That releasing diffuses the energy, the characters are too broad because they never have time to build up the inner strength." Milius says he was offered $ 17,000 to rewrite Skin Game (1971) but then Francis Ford Coppola made a competing offer of $ 15,000 for Milius to write Apocalypse Now . Apocalypse Now was an adaptation of Heart of Darkness set in
14040-569: The sound and visual effects subdivisions of Lucasfilm, while Lucasfilm Games, later renamed LucasArts , produces products for the gaming industry. Having lost much of his fortune in a divorce settlement in 1987, Lucas was hesitant on making additional Star Wars features. However, the prequels , which were still only a series of ideas partially pulled from his original drafts of "The Star Wars", continued to tantalize him with technical possibilities that would make it worthwhile to revisit his older material. When Star Wars became popular once again, in
14175-483: The story of Star Wars character Darth Vader in some ways, but concluded he was glad to be able to make his films the way he wanted to. Lucas collaborated with Jeff Nathanson as a writer of the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , directed by Steven Spielberg. Similar to the Star Wars prequels, the reception was mixed with fans and critics alike. From 2008 to 2014, Lucas also served as
14310-542: The theatrical run of Return of the Jedi . At this point, Lucas had no desire to return to Star Wars , and had unofficially canceled the sequel trilogy . Lucas, formerly a member of Writers Guild of America West , left and maintained financial core status in 1981. Also in 1983, Lucas and Tomlinson Holman founded the audio company THX . The company was formerly owned by Lucasfilm and contains equipment for stereo, digital, and theatrical sound for films, and music. Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light & Magic , are
14445-417: The time, including Jean-Luc Godard 's Breathless , François Truffaut 's Jules et Jim and Federico Fellini 's 8½ . "That's when George really started exploring," Plummer said. Through his interest in autocross racing, Lucas met renowned cinematographer Haskell Wexler , another race enthusiast. Wexler, later to work with Lucas on several occasions, was impressed by Lucas's talent. "George had
14580-470: The wake of Dark Horse 's comic book line and Timothy Zahn 's trilogy of spin-off novels , Lucas realized that there was still a large audience. His children were older, and with the explosion of CGI technology he began to consider directing once again. By 1993, it was announced, in Variety among other sources, that Lucas would be making the prequels. He began penning more to the story, indicating that
14715-414: The wisdom and weariness" that Callahan does not have. Warner Home Video owns rights to the Dirty Harry series. The five films have been remastered for DVD three times — in 1998, 2001 and 2008. They have been packaged in several DVD box sets. The Dirty Harry films made their high-definition debuts with the 2008 Blu-ray discs. Warner's marketing plan called for only The Dead Pool to be available as
14850-428: The world" Its first production was an autobiographical surfing picture, Big Wednesday (1978), which he called "a surfing How Green Was My Valley ". This was a major commercial disappointment although it has gone on to be a cult film. Milius's friendship with George Lucas saw him given a percentage of the profits for Star Wars , which Mike Medavoy estimated earned Milius $ 1.5 million—in exchange Milius gave Lucas
14985-544: Was "very torn" about having sold the rights to the franchise, despite having hand-picked Abrams to direct, and that his father was "there to guide" but that "he wants to let it go and become its new generation." Among the materials turned over to the production team were story treatments Lucas developed when he considered creating Episodes VII – IX himself; in January 2015, Lucas stated that Disney had discarded his story ideas. The Force Awakens , directed by J. J. Abrams ,
15120-494: Was a critical success but a financial failure. His next work as a writer-director was American Graffiti (1973), inspired by his youth in early 1960s Modesto, California , and produced through the newly founded Lucasfilm. The film was critically and commercially successful and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture . Lucas's next film, the epic space opera Star Wars (1977), later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope , had
15255-560: Was a good life. I never wanted to be Hitchcock or some big mogul, I didn't want to be Louis B. Mayer . I wanted to be ... Budd Boetticher or something ... John Ford ." His short films at film school included The Reversal of Richard Sun (1966), Glut (1967) and Viking Women Don't Care (1967). He wrote a documentary, The Emperor (1967), directed by classmate George Lucas , who also edited an animated short Milius directed called Marcello, I'm So Bored (1967) with John Strawbridge. Marcello , Milius's thesis film, won best animation at
15390-442: Was a lot of killing and shooting and riding and dust ... sombreros. ... It was a pretty good idea, actually. It had everything, and it was certainly as original as The Wild Bunch , but it wasn't as skillfully written as later stuff." He followed this with The Last Resort which was optioned by Michael S Laughlin in 1969. Milius says, "Neither of them were ever made, but I was able to option them. I had them rented out for like $ 5,000
15525-400: Was a surfer going past my time." He also wrote the first draft of the Dirty Harry sequel, Magnum Force (1973). Milius later said "I don't like Magnum Force . Of all the films I had anything to do with, I like it least. They changed a lot of things in a cheap and distasteful manner." However, it was successful at the box office. Milius wanted to move behind the camera. "Being a director
15660-473: Was also influenced by the oral story telling of surfers at the time, who had a beatnik tradition. "My religion is surfing ", Milius said in 1976, adding that "the other thing that influenced me throughout my youth was my involvement with things Japanese. I studied judo , kendo , and painting. I felt more comfortable with things Japanese and with Japanese people than I did with Europeans ... feudalism in any country, at any period, fascinates me ... I understand
15795-460: Was an elitist school that trained people for Hollywood. His classmates included George Lucas , Walter Murch , Basil Poledouris , Randal Kleiser and Donald F. Glut . Milius says he was influenced by his teacher, Irwin Blacker: He gave you the screenplay form, which I hated so much, and if you made one mistake on the form, you flunked the class. His attitude was that the least you can learn
15930-607: Was composed by John Williams , on the recommendation of his friend and colleague Steven Spielberg. Whilst initially wanting to use tracks and film music in a similar manner to 2001: A Space Odyssey , which served as the inspiration for the film, Williams advised against this and instead proposed a system of recurring themes (or leitmotifs ) to enhance the story in the style of classical composers Gustav Holst , William Walton , and Igor Stravinsky ; works that Lucas had used as " temp tracks " for Williams to gain inspiration from. The film, and subsequent sequels and prequels, make use of
16065-897: Was considering establishing a museum, the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, to be built on Crissy Field near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which would display his collection of illustrations and pop art, with an estimated value of more than $ 1 billion. Lucas offered to pay the estimated $ 300 million cost of constructing the museum, and would endow it with $ 400 million when it opened, eventually adding an additional $ 400 million to its endowment. After being unable to reach an agreement with The Presidio Trust , Lucas turned to Chicago. A potential lakefront site on Museum Campus in Chicago
16200-407: Was directed by Buddy Van Horn . Harry finds that he is among the subjects of a dead pool , a game betting on deaths of celebrities. Someone tries to rig the game by killing the celebrities on one player's list. Harry's catch phrase in this movie was "You're shit out of luck". After this film, Eastwood retired from playing the Dirty Harry character, as he felt his age (58 in 1988) would make Harry
16335-590: Was founded as a nonprofit operating foundation to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools. The foundation's content is available under the brand Edutopia , in an award-winning web site, social media and via documentary films. Lucas, through his foundation, was one of the leading proponents of the E-Rate program in the universal service fund , which was enacted as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 . On June 24, 2008, Lucas testified before
16470-612: Was founded in 1979 as the Graphics Group, one third of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm . Pixar's early computer graphics research resulted in a digital film The Adventures of André & Wally B. and groundbreaking effects in films such as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Young Sherlock Holmes , and the group was purchased in 1986 by Steve Jobs shortly after he left Apple Computer . Jobs paid Lucas $ 5 million and put $ 5 million as capital into
16605-491: Was his first "real" movie. He intended to follow this with Give Your Heart to the Hawks , a story about mountain man Jedediah Smith in the 1820s based on the novel by Winfred Blevins "It's my interpretation of Jedediah Smith, which might not be exactly historical", said Milius. "It'll be about exploration, about the need to see what's over the next ridge and what that does, what price you pay, to find out. Like Dirty Harry, Smith
16740-403: Was influenced by the people who had hired me. They said put this in and put that in, and I went along with it. Every time I went along with something in my whole career it usually didn't work. Usually there's a price to pay. You think of selling out, but there is a price to pay. Usually what people want you to do is make it current." Milius then wrote Jeremiah Johnson , a story loosely based on
16875-461: Was inspired by Carl Sandburg . I read a lot of his poetry and it's this kind of abrupt description—"a train is coming, thundering steel, where are you going? Wichita." That great kind of feeling that he had, that's what I was trying to do there. I remember there was a great poem about American braggarts. You know, American liars—"I am the ring-tailed cousin to the such and such that ate so and so and I can do this and I can do that better than Mike Fink
17010-494: Was involved in the production of, and financially benefited from, almost every big-budget film released in the U.S. from the late 1980s until the 2012 Disney sale. In addition to his career as a filmmaker, Lucas has founded and supported multiple philanthropic organizations and campaigns dedicated to education and the arts, including the George Lucas Educational Foundation , which has been noted as
17145-777: Was listed by the American Film Institute in 2005 as the greatest film score of all time . The professional relationship formed by Lucas and Williams extended through to Williams working on all of Lucas's blockbuster franchise movies: the remaining two films of the Star Wars original trilogy ; all three films of prequel trilogy developed over fifteen years later; and the five films of the Indiana Jones franchise, in which Williams reunited with his long-time collaborator Spielberg. In his collaborations with Lucas, Williams received six of his fifty-two Academy Award nominations ( Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of
17280-676: Was moderately successful and launched Milius's directing career. He worked on the script for a TV sequel, Melvin Purvis: G-Man (1974), a pilot for a proposed series about Melvin Purvis (there was a second TV movie, but no series), but did not like the director, Dan Curtis , or the experience of working for TV. Contemporary film critics grouped Milius in with the emerging "movie brats" generation of filmmakers that also including Lucas, Coppola, Terrence Malick , and Scorsese. In 1974, David Picker announced he would produce Ranch Life and
17415-503: Was no longer operational, Lucas approached Douglas Trumbull , best known for the effects on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Silent Running (1972). Trumbull declined as he was already committed to working on Steven Spielberg 's film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), but suggested his assistant John Dykstra to Lucas. Dykstra brought together a small team of college students, artists, and engineers and set them up in
17550-418: Was only because Alan Ladd Jr. at 20th Century Fox liked American Graffiti that he forced through a production and distribution deal for the film, which ended up restoring Fox to financial stability after a number of flops. Star Wars was significantly influenced by samurai films of Akira Kurosawa , Spaghetti Westerns , as well as classic sword and sorcery fantasy stories. Star Wars quickly became
17685-577: Was proposed in May 2014. By June 2014, Chicago had been selected, pending approval of the Chicago Plan Commission , which was granted. The museum project was renamed the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art . On June 24, 2016, Lucas announced that he was abandoning his plans to locate the museum in Chicago, due to a lawsuit by a local preservation group, Friends of the Parks, and would instead build
17820-587: Was released in 2019. Lucas founded a film production company Lucasfilm in 1971, and incorporated as Lucasfilm Ltd. on September 12, 1977. In the mid-1970s, the company's offices were located on the Universal Studios Lot . Lucas founded the Star Wars Corporation, Inc. as a subsidiary to control various legal and financial aspects of Star Wars (1977), including copyright, and sequel and merchandising rights. It also produced
17955-399: Was released on December 18, 2015. Kathleen Kennedy produced the film and its sequels. The new sequel trilogy was jointly produced by Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company , which had acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. During an interview with talk show host and journalist Charlie Rose that aired on December 24, 2015, Lucas likened his decision to sell Lucasfilm to Disney to a divorce and outlined
18090-565: Was the Serbian montagist (and dean of the USC Film Department) Slavko Vorkapich , a film theoretician who made stunning montage sequences for Hollywood studio features at MGM , RKO , and Paramount . Vorkapich taught the autonomous nature of the cinematic art form, emphasizing the kinetic energy inherent in motion pictures. After graduating with a bachelor of fine arts in film in 1967, he tried joining
18225-519: Was ultimately never produced. Projects where Lucas was credited as executive producer and sometimes story writer in this period include Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980), John Korty 's Twice Upon a Time (1983), Ewoks: Caravan of Courage (1984), Ewoks: Battle for Endor (1985), Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Jim Henson 's Labyrinth (1986), Ron Howard 's Willow (1988), Don Bluth 's The Land Before Time (1988), and
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