George Lucas Has Seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and “Really Liked It”

‘Star Wars’ creator George Lucas may get a raw deal from fans and critics nowadays after the special editions and the prequels - but surely his blessing on the new movies counts for something.

The imminent ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is the first ‘Star Wars’ movie in which Lucas has had no creative involvement, after selling his company Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012.

Still, Lucas is among the few to have already seen ‘The Force Awakens’ - and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy tells The Hollywood Reporter, “he really liked it.”

To cement his seal of approval, Lucas has confirmed he will attend the London and Los Angeles premieres of the eagerly-anticipated film from director JJ Abrams.

According to THR, the select few others to have seen the completed ‘The Force Awakens’ include Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, and the top brass at Disney.

Kennedy added that stepping away from the franchise he created was difficult for Lucas, but “at the same time, he really wanted to step away.

"If there’s one thing I’ve learned about George is it’s that he’s never, ever held back. Having him 100 percent on board is up to him and he can’t do that unless he’s running everything.”

A seasoned producer whose awe-inspiring CV includes the ‘Indiana Jones,’ ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ movies, ‘The Force Awakens’ is actually the first ‘Star Wars’ movie Kennedy has worked on.

Kennedy will also produce the as-yet untitled Episodes VIII (due 2017 from director Rian Johnson) and IX (due 2019 from Colin Trevorrow), as well as spin-off movies ‘Rogue One’ (2016, Gareth Edwards) and the Han Solo-based prequel (2018, Chris Miller and Phil Lord).

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ opens on 17 December.

Picture Credit: WENN, Lucasfilm/Disney

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