StarWars.com announces Rick McCallum’s retirement from Lucasfilm

The initial news of Rick McCallum’s retirement was announced fairly quietly, but now we have the the official word. Here’s what George Lucas had to say about his long-time colleague:

“We had hit the limit of production technology, and I needed someone with conviction and passion to help us into the digital realm,” says Lucas. “Rick became an evangelist for the endless possibilities digital technology offered filmmakers. Rick and I fought many battles side-by-side, constantly facing nay-sayers who were convinced we could never make the lasting changes in the movie business that we set out to make. I cannot be more proud of what Rick accomplished. We worked with over 60 companies and hundreds of amazing engineers and artists over a 10-year period to bring about overdue changes: now digital cameras routinely capture images, films are released digitally, and the entire production pipeline maintains unprecedented quality by being digital. As I go off to make my own experimental films — and I hope to be able to collaborate with Rick again on one of these projects — I wish him the best and look forward to seeing his new films.”

McCallum has relocated to Prague and is “now in development of a slate of smaller, independent films that more closely resemble the projects he was involved with prior to his association with Lucasfilm.”

Don’t miss the slideshow, which features a cameo from Pablo Hidalgo and perhaps the thickest laptop I have ever seen.

One Reply to “StarWars.com announces Rick McCallum’s retirement from Lucasfilm”

  1. Thank you, Lucasfilm, for honoring a loyal, hard working and passionate collaborator with such a comprehensive farewell post! Much appreciated!

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