George talks to Time about moviemaking, his upcoming projects, (yes, Indy 4!) and what he sees for the future of film.
Sci-Fi All-Stars
George Lucas to be inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Anne McCaffrey, Frank Herbert and Frank Kelly Freas will be likewise honored in a June ceremony hosted by Neil Gaiman.
3.5 billion dollars!
George Lucas is #194 on Forbes annual list of billionares.
The box office is coming for YOU!
George Lucas thinks blockbusters are a dying art form:
“The market forces that exist today make it unrealistic to spend $200 million on a movie,” said Lucas, a near-billionaire from his feverishly franchised outer-space epics. “Those movies can’t make their money back anymore. Look at what happened with ‘King Kong.'”
I’m doubtful; People do love blockbusters. On DVD. (via TFN)
George the Disrupter
More on George Lucas in Washington from the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, and McClatchy Newspapers.
George to Harrison: Simmer down!
George Lucas responds to Harrison Ford’s Indy 4 comments. (Which everyone is calling an ‘ultimatium’. Sorry, but “If it doesn’t happen in the next two years we should all forget it” is not an ultimatium. Unless he was holding a weapon at the time.) According to MTV, Lucas says:
“We just keep working on it,” shrugged series writer/producer George Lucas. “You know, we just write and write and write and write and write. But we are getting closer, and hopefully this year we will have a start date and we will have a script that we all love and hopefully it will come out next year.” Lucas added that Jeff Nathanson (“Catch Me if You Can”) is the newest addition to a pile of screenwriters bigger than the Cairo swordsman’s weapon of choice.
So, you know, definitely maybe.
George Lucas still richer than you
Revenge of the Sith was last year’s top earner, making $380.3 million. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, War of the Worlds, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Wedding Crashers (one of these things is not like others) round out the top 5. Thus, it’s not too suprising that several Episode 3 stars are among the top draws – Christoper Lee, Ewan McGregor, and Samuel Jackson. Liam Neeson is there too – if you can’t be a Jedi, I guess voicing Jesus in lion form and smacking around Batman are good substitutes.
Breakfast with George
ILM turns 30, and The Hollywood Reporter interviews George Lucas, among other things. (Via SF Signal)
The Boston Globe’s exhibit coverage
Want to keep an eye an articles about the Star Wars exhbit in Boston? Boston.com has a page dedicated to the exhibit, including the Lucas interview (in audio!) and a photo gallery.
Kids love hobbits, right?
Changes in George Lucas’s Lord of the Rings: Special Edition. Rather predictable, but good for a giggle or two. (via The Movie Blog, which also gives George props.)