Posted on 10/04/2006 5:56:03 PM PDT by DCBryan1
Posted: Wed., Oct. 4, 2006, 4:52pm PT
Lucas: Let's get small
Helmer sees shrinking pic biz
By DAVID S. COHEN
George Lucas has a message for studios that are cutting their slates and shifting toward big-budget tentpoles and franchises: You've got it all wrong. The creator of "Star Wars," which stamped the template for the franchise-tentpole film, says many small films and Web distribution are the future.
And in case anyone doubts he means it, Lucasfilm is getting out of the movie business.
"We don't want to make movies. We're about to get into television. As far as Lucasfilm is concerned, we've moved away from the feature film thing, because it's too expensive and it's too risky.
"I think the secret to the future is quantity," Lucas told Daily Variety. "Because that's where it's going to end up."
Lucas spoke to Daily Variety after the groundbreaking ceremony for the for the renamed School of Cinematic Arts at USC.
He gave $175 million -- $100 million for endowment and $75 million for buildings -- to his alma mater. But he said that kind of money is too much to put into a film.
Spending $100 million on production costs and another $100 million on P&A makes no sense, he said.
"For that same $200 million I can make 50-60 two-hour movies. That's 120 hours as opposed to two hours. In the future market, that's where it's going to land, because it's going to be all pay-per-view and downloadable.
More at Variety Magazine Link above.
(Excerpt) Read more at variety.com ...
This is great news!
You really believe he's done?
Gawd I hope so....I could kick his ass for Jar Jar Binks...I waited 20 years to see the prequel movies and just hated them! (well they did get A LITTLE better).
Says you, I rather enjoyed SW3, it was his best movie since The Empire Strikes Back.
(PS The Mods might talk to you about changing the title of a story)
I was wondering if I was the only person that loved Star Wars right up until halfway through Return of the Jedi. It really jumped the Ewok on that one.
Lucas lost all credibility {with fans} and gained major credibility with bankers and toymakers in 1984 with the Ewoks.
I think he knows his forumla to success: The derivative market. Licensing, spin-offs, repackaging for new media, etc; Lucas has tapped 'em all. Get a story that will support mass merchandising, and let the money roll in. Maybe he figures with lots of little movies there are more opportunities to cultivate a mass market champion that will provide his next billion dollars.
You can't argue with his logic. The movie studio business is probably a dying industry.
There's no reason to go to the movies anymore.
I hear Lucas is planning a sequel to some other movies, though.
I had always thought it should be quality, not quantity...
He hasn't been able to deliver the QUALITY. The best movies he has done, have been directed by someone else.
Too bad this didn't happen before he destroyed the Star Wars franchise with three lousy, lousy movies.
A better caption to this would have been that JJ is now unemployed and bumming around on park benches now.
I thought the first two were very good, the 3rd one was too sugar coated for my taste, the 4th was somewhat better than the 3rd but not nearly as good as the first two -- the 5th was so boring that I decided I wouldn't see the 6th.
Another friend once told me, "George Lucas without a computer is Howard the Duck."
Why this idiot is so praised is beyond me. He`s the Bruce Spingsteen/Jon Bon Jovi/Brian Adams of movies; Two hits stretched out for all they`re worth for the next two decades.
The problem with Lucas was he lost the sense of humor that made his first few movie so great. American Graffitti, the 1970`s early 1980`s Star Wars all had that humor. Then he got serious and his movies became more boring than Michael Moore on horse traquilizers. Every flick he made thereafter was so boring that if my yawn got any bigger they`d have assign it a hurricane name (To quote Dennis Miller).
I thought he quit making movies after Empire...
"Says you, I rather enjoyed SW3, it was his best movie since The Empire Strikes Back."
Seconded. I thoughtt he casting choice for Anakin in the first movie was horrible, though.
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