J.J. Abrams has discussed Star Wars creator George Lucas’ criticism of The Force Awakens.
Upon the film’s release back in 2015, Lucas likened Star Wars’ new owners Disney to “white slavers”.
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Ahead of the release of The Rise Of Skywalker, the last film in the trilogy that The Force Awakens kicked off four years ago, Abrams has revealed his admiration for Lucas, and says he thinks the comments were misrepresented.
Talking to Rolling Stone, Abrams said he “only [has] gratitude for George.”
Going on to discuss the sale of Star Wars to Disney, Abrams said: “It’s probably a complicated thing for him. To decide you’re going to sell this thing that you created, that was your baby, to anyone – that must be more complicated than signing a check and smiling about it. But he’s been incredibly gracious. He’s been super-generous.”
Abrams goes on to say that he and Lucas “talked through a ton of different ideas and stories” when working on The Force Awakens.
“Do I wish that [The Force Awakens] had been his favourite movie of all time? Yes, I only wanted to do well by him,” the director continued. “I would just say that I have nothing but profound respect for the guy and am still truly, even more so now, working on these movies in awe of what he created.”
Shortly after Lucas criticised the film in 2015, he apologised for the comments, calling the “white slavers” comment a “very inappropriate analogy,” and adding that Disney are doing “an incredible job.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger recently claimed that the Star Wars films are set to “go into hiatus” after The Rise Of Skywalker.