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George Lucas asked three people to direct the Star Wars prequels (why did they turn him down?) -TGN

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  • Three renowned directors, including Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg, were offered the chance to direct George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels, but all declined, feeling that Lucas should direct the films himself.

  • The prequels were criticized for stiff performances, iconic but chilling lines, and questionable visual effects, suggesting that having different directors could have improved the overall quality.

  • While the directors hadn’t wrongly encouraged Lucas to pursue his passion and tell the story as he envisioned it, perhaps their fear of following up on the original trilogy was unfounded, as Howard’s successful take on Solo: A Star Wars Story shows.

George Lucas offered three directors the chance to take over Star Wars prequel trilogy, but was rotated by each for the same reason. Had a miserable experience directing A new hopeLucas handed the reins to Irvin Kershner The Empire strikes back and Richard Marquand Return of the Jedi. He initially planned to do the same for the prequels, serving as an executive producer for the films and overseeing story and production, while others took the director’s chair.

In a 2015 interview on the Happy, sad, confused podcast via CinemaBlendDirector Ron Howard revealed that he, Robert Zemeckis, and Stephen Spielberg had been approached by Lucas to make the Star Wars precursors.

“He didn’t necessarily want to direct them. He told me he talked to Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg and me. I was the third person he talked to. They all said the same thing: ‘George, you have to do it.’ I don’t think anyone wanted to follow up on that act at the time. It was an honor, but it would have been too daunting.”

The directors ultimately rejected Lucas, instead urging him to helm the films himself. At a time when the original Star Wars trilogy was all the franchise brought to the screen, the task of fusing together Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace the other films required tremendous effort. Lucas was panned for his writing and directing when the prequels were released, with many wondering how the trilogy would have turned out under different guidance.

Were the directors right to reject Lucas?

In hindsight, it might have been best to have different voices in the director’s chair Star Wars precursors. The story itself is excellent, but the trilogy is full of stiff renditions, lines that have become eternal memes, and effects that Star Wars precedes special edition. With more collaborators, the best of Lucas would be seen, as with the original trilogy when he developed and produced the story. The directors were not wrong to reject Lucas and encourage him to pursue his passion, but they were also wrong in rejecting the offer out of fear.

Howard has since given his take on the franchise with Solo: A Star Wars Story, proving that he is more than capable of handling such an undertaking. Spielberg’s name has been linked Star Wars since its earliest day; he was Lucas’s only friend who believed in the original film, and was the creator’s first choice to direct Return of the Jedi before complications from the Directors Guild thwarted his plans, eventually overseeing part of the Mustafar duel for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The Star Wars prequels are far from perfect, but Lucas told the story the way he imagined it on his own terms.

Source: Happy, Sad, Confused (via CinemaBlend)