Club Jade

George Lucas is the subject of a lengthy profile in the New York Times today, and gives them the full story on his ‘retirement.’

“I’m retiring,” Lucas said. “I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff.”

He was careful to leave himself an out clause for a fifth “Indiana Jones” film. But otherwise, “Red Tails” will be the last blockbuster Lucas makes. “Once this is finished, he’s done everything he’s ever wanted to do,” says Rick McCallum, who has been producing Lucas’s films for more than 20 years. “He will have completed his task as a man and a filmmaker.”

The profile focuses on Red Tails, of course, but also features a bit of frank talk on Star Wars. Of the special editions, prequels and backlash, and why we’re not going to see any more:

Lucas seized control of his movies from the studios only to discover that the fanboys could still give him script notes. “Why would I make any more,” Lucas says of the “Star Wars” movies, “when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?”

It also covers the Indy 4 refrigerator, girlfriend Mellody Hobson, ‘personal’ films and all things “corny and wonderful.” It’s worth a read.

Pablo reports from last night’s The Empire Strikes Back screening and Harrison Ford Q&A in Los Angeles.

Spike is taking the original trilogy for a go-round beginning Saturday, while Fox will air Family Guy’s ‘Something, Something, Something Dark Side’ as the show’s finale Sunday night. (I doubt it’s worth missing the Lost finale, but I suppose people will watch it anyway.)

This fan documentary by Jambe Davdar gathers together commentary, alternate takes and behind the scenes footage for a look at The Empire Strikes Back. (via) Head beneath the cut for the rest. (more…)

Avatar may have beat Titanic in terms of cold hard cash, but it still has yet to catch up with The Phantom Menace when it comes to the amount of tickets sold, Entertainment Weekly points out. And when the domestic box office numbers are adjusted for inflation, it’s only #26 – all three original trilogy films and TPM are higher, along with Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., The Exorcist and all-time champ Gone With the Wind. (A New Hope is #2.)

Granted, all this stat-pushing is petty and useless, but hey: We’re interested, aren’t we? And on that note, check below the cut for a blast from the past: The ad George Lucas took out in Variety when Titanic took the top spot from Star Wars. (more…)