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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Speculation George Lucas says "I don't really have much to do."

Discussion in 'Archive: Disney Era Films' started by Darth Chiznuk , Dec 3, 2012.

  1. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    "we're sitting down with a couple of writers and we're starting to discuss ideas and we're starting to talk about what those stories might be. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to be entirely on my own because it's important that [George] continue to be a little guardian angel on my shoulder". That's her exact quote. Big difference between discussing ideas and stories and actually collaborating on a script.
     
  2. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012

    OK, I just looked this up, and here it is:



    So let me quote the relevant bit:

    Interviewer: And what you do see your role as? "Creative consultant," what does that mean?

    G-Lu: I just said that I would back her up, and I would be there, if, eh... you know, and especially helping with the script, and making sure the script sort of... There's a lot of blank spots in the story treatment, that hopefully we can fill in.
     
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  3. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    Exactly, he's the gate keeper. He's going to make sure the script doesn't contradict the world he's created. Kind of the same thing he and his company did with the novels. That doesn't mean they collaborated on the novels.
     
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  4. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    No, he didn't collaborate on the novels, but "helping with the script" and "filling in the blank spots in the treatments" doesn't sound like "the same thing he and his company did with the novels."
     
  5. Fettcrom

    Fettcrom Jedi Youngling

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    Jun 29, 2004

    I agree with Krueger above, he has probably been coming up with this stuff fairly recently. He has always been very vague about what the third trilogy would be and I don't believe that was him holding back what it was about but more likely that he only had vague ideas himself about spiritual journeys and so forth. That Gary Kurtz interview from a year or so ago had some general details about the third trilogy but Kasdan has said that some of those ideas were moved to ROTJ as that appeared to be the final film at the time.

    I think part of Georges return to the films has to do with is ongoing involvement with the Clone Wars. He is essentially the creative consultant on that show and has been more involved than he originally planned. He comes up with a lot of story ideas, hands them off to others and they make the episodes, while bringing their own flavour to them. He appears to have really enjoyed the process and the result, but it's not all sitting on his shoulders all day in the same way as if he was directing. I think it has also given him story ideas about the ST as it has freed him up to explore other parts of his universe while not having to focus so intently on the "Skywalker" story.

    I'm so glad he is still involved in whatever capacity. None of us would be on these boards if it wasn't for his creation.
     
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  6. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

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    Nov 20, 2012
    If he's the gatekeeper who's the keymaster? :)
     
  7. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    Yes, he's a little more involved than the licensing is in just reviewing the novels, but it seems clear to me it's because he's handing someone something he started and wants to see them succeed with it. If that's what you meant by "collaborating on the script" that I guess you're right, but it seems to me it's more like "protecting the story" than "collaborating on the script".
     
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  8. Panakas_Dawg

    Panakas_Dawg Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jul 29, 2004
    I'm sure Lucas will be there with his red pencil, crossing out names and renaming characters or planets and making notes like "They're supposed to be related, but only one can use the Force" and stuff like that. Not collaboration, per se, but he is the "go to man" when a screenwriter is developing the characters and story.
     
  9. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    Lets see... going from Screenwriter/Producer/Director in the PT to... Creative Consultant... yeah, I think that's a workload reduction.
     
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  10. StampidHD280pro

    StampidHD280pro Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jul 28, 2005
    Basically, I expect this to be like 'Dark Empire' (a GL-consulted EU comic), in the sense that Lucas has not decided the plot of the story, but understands the mechanics (the psychology, mainly) of the Force and can dictate how things go about for the characters..
     
  11. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    I doubt it'll be that free form... since George Lucas has treatments. What it sounds like is Michael Arndt wrote a treatment, GL has a treatment. Put together they'll hammer out a story... which GL will then tweak or ask changes for... once that's done it'll go to a director and producer who will make the actual film.

    At which point GL's job is done... he can go take a nap.
     
  12. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    Arndt wrote a treatment?
     
  13. Panakas_Dawg

    Panakas_Dawg Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jul 29, 2004
    If Lucas reads these boards, I wish he'd post in this thread: "I told you all, I don't have much to do!" ;)
     
  14. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    That's what I heard... and now he's working on the actual script for VII. There was some rumors going around that Arndt's treatment was for VII, VIII, and IX but I've got no idea if that's true or not.
     
  15. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012

    Thanks... *googles* Ah, found it:
    http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/star-wars-episode-vii-may-have-found-its-writer.html
    "Insiders confirm that Arndt has written a 40- to 50-page treatment for the film and is likely to be at least one of the writers when the Disney/Lucasfilm project begins shooting in 2014."

    (Side note: 2014? Really?)

    It seems to me that (assuming this is true), Arndt was given Lucas' treatment to expand upon. If so, that could really mean anything—on one hand it could be just be more detail added (for instance, added information about how certain scenes should flow, or on the other hand it could mean large sections of the plot have been rewritten.
     
  16. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

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    Nov 20, 2012
    That's why I posted earlier, "Do you guys think the treatments Lucas handed off are dusted off old material from bygone days or something he wrote recently?" My hypothesis is that Georges treatment was old and based on notes. I think he might have given that to Arndt, who fleshed it out into the larger treatment that's been reported.
     
  17. Panakas_Dawg

    Panakas_Dawg Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jul 29, 2004
    Lucas may have had some notes (or noteBOOKS) full of ideas and Arndt was allowed them to fashion into a coherent story. Evidently, Lucas liked what he read.

    EDIT: Da Scoundrel beat me to it! Guys! ;)

    Maybe they'll shoot for a week in front of screens, then spend two years CGI-ing everything in.
     
  18. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

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    Nov 20, 2012
    The force was with me. :)
     
  19. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    Sounds plausible. As for whether Lucas' ideas are old or new: I find it extremely hard to believe that the man never had any idea for a sequel to ROTJ whatsoever, until a few months ago when he decided to sell Lucasfilm and all of a sudden got some ideas.
     
  20. Panakas_Dawg

    Panakas_Dawg Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jul 29, 2004
    Exactly. Any creator who comes up with this rich an environment will have *notes*. Copious notes. Books full of ideas. Look at all Tolkien's detritus he left behind. Not all of these are fully formed (or even half-formed) ideas. The creative process is a mixture of coming up with new ideas and drawing off old ones. I will never understand the people who think Lucas just makes it all up as he goes along.
     
  21. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    People don't generally think he makes the larger story up as he goes along, just some of the major plot points, like Leia being Luke's sister (contradicted by a make out session with her in Empire) Anakin meeting Obi-Wan as a 9 year old kid (contradicted by Obi-Wan saying he was a great pilot when he first knew him), Obi-Wan teaching Anakin to fulfill a promise (contradicted by him say he "took it upon himself" in ROTJ), Padme dying in childbirth (contradicted by Leia's images/feelings of Padme being beautiful, kind, but...sad), Owen only meeting Anakin for about a day (contradicted by Obi-Wan's implications of the two being very close) and Obi-Wan generally being a compulsive liar ("your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough") It's these contradictions that give the impression of him "making it up as he goes along" and it's pretty easy to understand that impression.
     
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  22. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    Sigh. None—none—of those are contradictions, and I can only assume that (1) these have been discussed at length here, and (2) people who hang on to this stuff are quite emotionally invested in their particular viewpoint.
     
  23. Mystery Roach

    Mystery Roach Chosen One star 4

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    Mar 10, 2004
    Ok I know I shouldn't but I guess I'll bite.

    Hardly a make out session. Leia kissed Luke to prove a point and make Han jealous. Had nothing to do with any romantic connection between Luke and Leia.

    Anakin had already been a pilot all his life and being strong with the Force made him a great enough pilot to win the podrace, not to mention handle the Naboo fighter well enough to blow up the droid control ship.

    "I will train Anakin. Without the approval of the Council if I must."

    Images/feelings... sounds a lot like the Force to me...

    I don't recall any implication of the two being very close, but he did bring Luke to the Lars homestead, and it hardly matters because nearly everything Obi-Wan tells Luke in this scene is a lie anyway.

    Yes. Obi-Wan admitted to having been dishonest with Luke in ROTJ. Where's the contradiction here?
     
  24. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    I watched the saga in episode order with my ex' then-preteen daughter and some of her friends some time ago, shortly after ROTS was released on DVD. Asking them questions about it afterwards, one of the things that stood out to me was how obvious this particular thing was to them.
     
  25. Doug625

    Doug625 Jedi Knight star 1

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    Nov 9, 2012
    why would we believe anything GL says? Look where we are now, Disney owns Lucasfilm, we are getting at least 3 more SW films.....who saw this coming a few months ago?