While George Lucas claims to be retired from making films, it would appear as if the Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator just couldn't help but direct a brief scene in Ron Howard's SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.
The reveal of Lucas having a hand in the making of the Star Wars spinoff film comes by way of an interview conducted by Entertainment Weekly with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. While speaking about the upcoming origin story feature, Kennedy shared that, during a visit to the set, Lucas decided to stick around, and in one way or another found himself behind the camera, just like old times.
In the interview with EW, Kennedy teases the experience by telling the outlet:
“He had intended to just kind of stop by and say hi, and he stayed five hours. There’s even one little moment in a scene that — I can’t tell you what, sorry — but in the scene on the Millennium Falcon where George said, ‘Why doesn’t Han just do this.’ It actually is a funny little bit that will probably get a laugh. And Ron happened to be by the monitor and not inside the Falcon and he goes, ‘Oh that’s a great idea,’ and ran in and said, ‘George wants us to do this.’ So that was pretty cool. I think George felt pretty great about that. He could revisit these characters, and I think he felt so comfortable, obviously with Ron being there, that it was just fun for him.”
In looking back at some of the more recent Star Wars films, you'll find that Lucas was not particularly a fan of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, having said that the film was something of a re-tread of his original material. On the other end of the spectrum, the bespectacled creative has also stated that he enjoyed ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, and even came to the defense of Rian Johnson's THE LAST JEDI, saying that it was "beautifully shot."
These days, Lucas seems content to let other filmmakers bear the burden of creating more chapters of his epic space saga, leaving him in a position to just sit back and watch the display of online fireworks courtesy of the franchise's rabid fans. Some would argue that this is a smart move, particularly when considering how easily displaced passion can be on the internet, these days.
For the moment, SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY looks to be shaping up into a worthy addition for the long-running series. After all, the project certainly has received a fair bit of insight from both former Solo directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, current helmer Ron Howard, Harrison Ford himself (by serving as an advisor), and now, the main man, George Lucas.
Fans can look forward to discovering Lucas' contribution to the film when SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY makes its theatrical debut on May 23rd.