Lucasfilm President Doubts George Lucas Would Ever Return to the Studio

Some fans think things just aren’t the same since George Lucas sold off Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company and stepped away from the company. Even Simon Pegg, who arguably built the first steps of his career trashing Lucas’ work on the Star Wars prequels and has since appeared in one of the films, thinks that his magic touch is missing. Despite a handful of meetings about them, and seeing them early to offer his very honest input, Lucas has had no involvement in the new Star Wars films and it’s probably going to stay that way. Though some have insisted the creator of the galaxy far, far away should return in some capacity, the president of Lucasfilm herself says it’s not in the cards.

Speaking with Rolling Stone about the future of the company, the franchise, and more, Kathleen Kennedy offered a fresh perspective on Lucas’ current life and the unlikelihood that he’ll ever return.

“I doubt it,” she said succinctly when asked if he’d ever come back. “But listen, I think that would be fantastic, if he would be interested in doing that again. But I doubt it. He’s loving doing his museum (the upcoming Los Angeles’ the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art) right now. That’s a huge project, which is going to be absolutely fantastic. It’s a narrative museum, so it really keeps him engaged in storytelling. I think he’s loving that and he’s loving his little girl [six-year-old daughter Everest]. So he’s pretty fulfilled.”

Before asked this question though, Kennedy did admit that Lucas seems to miss being on the set and making the films, something she noticed when the director visited the set of The Mandalorian. Lucas hasn’t officially directed something since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005, with the 2015 flop Strange Magic the last feature film he had any direct involvement in.

“He was just like a little kid on that set when he was watching what we were doing. So I see him get caught up in this again, and I think there’s a little bit of regret that he’s not on the stage and directing movies and in it still. And that may filter into it as well. I can’t really speak on behalf of what George is feeling all the time. But I know that he’s very, very proud of what he created. And to see people go on and enjoy this now into almost 2020 is pretty remarkable.”

The new film in the Star Wars saga, and the official end of the Skywalker storyline, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, hits theaters on December 20th.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is directed by J.J. Abrams and also stars Daisey Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams, Joonas Suotamo, Anthony Daniels, Jimmy Vee, Dave Chapman, Brian Herring, Mark Hamill, Billie Lourd, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Keri Russell, Dominic Monaghan, and Greg Grunberg.