McCallum's future after Lucasfilm

Rick McCallum...will he be unemployed
after Episode III is completed?

Frank Marshall is the producer on
the Indy movie that Spielberg is
doing.

Any predictions on where this great
producer, Rick McCallum, will end up after Episode III?

 

Working on future (non-Star Wars) LucasFilm productions. At a guess.

 

He was working on Lucasfilm projects before the prequels. I assume he'll continue to produce Lucasfilm movies.

 

Well, what are these future Lucasfilm productions? I haven't heard of them.

 

Star Wars (original Trilogy) on DVD for starters.

I dare say the newly formed LucasFilm Animation division will be getting underway.

After that, who knows?

Anyway, let them get Episode 3 finished and released before you get too concerned about the subsequent projects.

 

Considering his lifestyle, I wouldn't worry too much. I just hope Lucasfilm has a good life insurance policy, for whoever he leaves behind!

 

Well that's because Lucasfilm hasn't announced any other projects. I'm sure it'll make the frontpage of Variety when he does. As far as film projects only Episode 3 and Indy 4 are on the pipeline. Of course there's the DVDs but that's much less. I've heard of a THX Special Ed. DVD or release.

Lucasfilm Animation is sort of a separate venture despite it's name. Sure it depends more directly on Lucasfilm, though the current creative team resides insde ILM. They are trying to attract filmmakers so there probably won't be much of Lucas involvement at least initially.

 

A Lucasfilm animation division is extremely good to hear. They have run the rampant of the video game world, good to see them take a shot at animation.

As far as Rick McCallum goes -- I'm sure he'll find work in the movie industry. The prequels did hit $300 mil. domestic after all.

 

I'm sure he'll retain his position at LucasFilm.

Or has he said he's leaving the company after Ep3?

 

I'd wonder if he could convince other directors to use digital cameras? I'm sure I read he'd prefer to use it over film. Outside of Lucasfilm, I wonder how lucky he'd be with this.

 

Fired I hope.

 

Care to elaborate?

 

He just is not a good producer thats all.

 

Uhh. Care to elaborate?

 

Sure why not.

 

McCallum > Kurtz



McCallum will be active with Lucasfilm for the foreseeable future. Lucas has always said he'd like to do television and experimental film work after the PT is finished. I can't see Uncle Rick not having a role in those projects.

 

I agree. I think that McCallum and Lucas will stay together for future projects. I can't wait to see what Lucas does after SW, his more "experimental films". I'm sure Rick will be there with him, along with Spielberg and friends to give their input.

Lucas has the best connections.

And McCallum is a great producer. All 3 prequels seem to be made with the same budget, and they all earn twice that much at the box office. Hell, he seemed to be in perfect control after that storm in Tunisia in TPM.

Cometgreen

 

Being a good film producer requires many skills, not the least of which is logistical planning. Being good with people, technically knowledgeable and having a temperament to handle a lot of pressure all help in that job. Rick's accomplishments speak for themselves and his future is secure, whether at Lucasfilm or where ever he wants to go. He can probably write his own ticket.

 

Why does anyone think Kurtz is a better producer than McCallum? Because they like ANH/ESB better than the prequels?

The producer's job is to get the movie made, not to write the script or direct the actors. The era of the all-powerful producer who called the shots on everything in the movie and held the director(s) in the palm of his hand was over years ago. Kurtz and McCallum are not the same sort of producer that, say, Louis B. Mayer or David O. Selznick were!

Kurtz and McCallum both got the movies made, but McCallum thus far gets them done within schedule and budget constraints, which Kurtz completely failed to do on both his SW films. Compare how McCallum dealt with the sandstorm in Tunisia with how Kurtz ran out of money for ESB even when sets WEREN'T being destroyed by acts of God.

Blaming the producer for the prequels' quality shows a clear lack of understanding of the process behind filmmaking and as a result calls into question the acceptability of any of one's critiques.



Rick McCallum (you heard me) loves you!

 

Right on, AdamBertocci.

I'm sure Rick's going to stay with Lucasfilm.

 

Adam NAILED it!

(applause)

 

Not necessarily. There are still too many newbie or inexperienced directors given lots of projects and many times the producer is the one pulling the strings. Joel Silver is a perfect example. Of course more experienced directors or famous ones won't get manipulated, they usually work with ones where there is some synergy. And actually producers do have some reponsability for the scripts, maybe not rewrite lines but the overall structure and direction. Heck in high profile poictures even studio heads meddle in scripts especially after previews, rough cuts, tests, etc. and might reoirder rewrites and reshoots.

That said I also don't subscribe completely to that theory that McCallum is responsible for the prequels being bad or anything. And yes it's amazing that they have come always on time and budget. Then again lets not be unfair to Kurts either. Shooting in Norway for Empire was not easy with the storms, plus screenwriter Leigh Bracket died and Lawrence Kasdan was brought in. And if it wasn't for Kutz Star Wars wouldn't haven't been finished in the first place. ILM took way to long to develop stuff and get their first footage. Fox was ready to close down the film and Kurtz was responsible for getting the studio of Lucas back.

It just seems Kurtz would stand up more to Lucas and even argue over specific plot points. McCallum seems a bit more agreeable to Lucas. I'm sure that in bioth cases sometimes the producer got it right and sometimes got it wrong. I like all 5 films, though but as far as producers McCallum is pretty good and there are a lot of more questionable ones out there.

 

It's not a producer's job to argue plot points. That's why there is a director and screen writer.

A producer's job is simply to make sure teh movies gets done, on time, under budget, while keeping everybody happy.

 

"Not necessarily. There are still too many newbie or inexperienced directors given lots of projects and many times the producer is the one pulling the strings."

But Lucas never was a newbie director, at least not after American Graffiti.

"Joel Silver is a perfect example."

As is Jerry Bruckheimer. Hell, the director's name is hidden pretty nicely in all of Bruckheimer's films.

"Of course more experienced directors or famous ones won't get manipulated, they usually work with ones where there is some synergy."

Who's to say Lucas and McCallum don't have synergy?

"And actually producers do have some reponsability for the scripts, maybe not rewrite lines but the overall structure and direction. Heck in high profile poictures even studio heads meddle in scripts especially after previews, rough cuts, tests, etc. and might reoirder rewrites and reshoots."

Which, again, is with newer directors, or when Executive Producers step in. In the case of the OT, Fox could have came in and ordered reshoots or rewrites, which I'm sure they may have done.

"That said I also don't subscribe completely to that theory that McCallum is responsible for the prequels being bad or anything. And yes it's amazing that they have come always on time and budget. Then again lets not be unfair to Kurts either. Shooting in Norway for Empire was not easy with the storms,"

Of course not, but it was Kurtz's job to make sure they went to an area good for filming. Now then, I don't know the specifics, but I don't think they had an unpredicted storm hit Norway or anything, but I'm not sure.

"plus screenwriter Leigh Bracket died and Lawrence Kasdan was brought in."

Which was looong before production started, I'm sure.

"And if it wasn't for Kutz Star Wars wouldn't haven't been finished in the first place. ILM took way to long to develop stuff and get their first footage. Fox was ready to close down the film and Kurtz was responsible for getting the studio of Lucas back."

Of course, Kurtz and Lucas were buddies who wanted to get the movie made. But that doesn't mean that we should all be thanking Kurtz for giving us Star Wars. It also doesn't mean we should be bashing him, but really, a producer like McCallum (one who likes Lucas and his directing skills) would have done the same as Kurtz did back in the late 70s. If you watched the last season of Project Greenlight, you would have seen the producer also stand up for the film, even though he wasn't a huge fan of it. Again, the producers' job is to get the film made, so most other (good) producers would have done the same as Kurtz.

"It just seems Kurtz would stand up more to Lucas and even argue over specific plot points. McCallum seems a bit more agreeable to Lucas."

Agreed. It's possible, though, that McCallum simply always agrees with Lucas, or any arguments are off screen, perhaps because one of them starts getting abusive. But again, the producer's job is not to come in and start debating about scenes. They do give their input, but it's totally up to the director. As I've said in other threads, some directors don't even like to have the screenwriter on set.

"I'm sure that in bioth cases sometimes the producer got it right and sometimes got it wrong. I like all 5 films, though but as far as producers McCallum is pretty good and there are a lot of more questionable ones out there."

Definitely.

Cometgreen, now bored

 

It's not a producer's job to argue plot points. That's why there is a director and screen writer. A producer's job is simply to make sure teh movies gets done, on time, under budget, while keeping everybody happy.

Well maybe in the ideal movie world that's what supposed to happen but not in the real world. You can sometimes read and hear descriptions of producers doing that in DVD commenatry tracks, making of books and and Premiere (at least long ago when I used to read it). And part of making sure a movie gets done is making sure the final product is watchable meaning story might have to change halfway through.

Besides that a toorigd view. After all actors and directors make changes on the spot. By the same token, aren't actors only supposed to act? Why would they have to suggest line, script and story changes? ;-)

Want an example, heck see the latest Project Greenlight on HBO. You can see the producer making script changes with the 2 directors nd telling the screenwriters afterward. In some instances the producer was in charge or coerced this changes. See it with your own eyes!!! ;-) Nad that's just a very small independent film. Imagine on a big budget with higher stakes.

But Lucas never was a newbie director, at least not after American Graffiti.

Well I'll take the presidential postion and say that it depends on what you define as newbie ;-). Star Wars was his 3rd pro film, though Amerian Graffiti gve him enough clout to have more power and independance. Though I guess it's on par with Spielberg as his 2nd and 3rd films were Jaws and CE3K. But I'm guessing they are more the excpetions than the rule. But your first film, well you are a newbie ;-).

Who's to say Lucas and McCallum don't have synergy?

Eeeh I didn't say that. I was just talking in general terms. Certainly Lucas feels he works well with McCallum. The best example is Spielberg, almost always working with John Williams, Michael Kahn and Dennis Muren. He also works with a small group of producers and cinematographers.

Also I agree about Bruckheimer (don
't get me started ;-).

As far as the OT, Fox was ready to pull the plug and scrap entirely the films. It was not understandable to them: wookies, jawas, jedi, etc. For some of them it was beyong reshooting salvation. Actually what happened is that they sent some people in to make sure things got done. Patricia Rose Duignan came in a second wave at ILM to handle the administrative stuff. She then stayed there for I think over 15 years. In the end it all worked out. And the OT is not the exception to chaotic filmmaking.

Of course not, but it was Kurtz's job to make sure they went to an area good for filming. Now then, I don't know the specifics, but I don't think they had an unpredicted storm hit Norway or anything, but I'm not sure.

Forgive me but that is silly . You can't controll the weather. That's the same as saying McCallum didn't do his job because he didn't choose a good area and hey were hit by a sandstorm the first day of filming Ep. 1. It happens all the time. Heck about a month ago production on Troy stopped for a few days at the studios in Baja because of that hurricane.

But that when producers shine, and it was probably McCallum finest moment. I'm still amazed that even with all the destruction they were able to ge back on their feet quickly and start shooting. My hats off.

As far as Empire, it was assoc. producer Robert Watts that suggested Finse, Norway and it was the best location from the other candidates (in Sweden and Finland). Apparently also the winter was unusally harsh that year up there, which even blocked the railway to the location. Actually first unit finished almost in time up there despite the snowstorms though second unit was plaagued down there for some time to come.

Which was looong before production started, I'm sure.

Yes you are right, he dies about a year before start of principal photography. On the other hand John Barry, second unit director died 2/3 into principal photography at the studios