‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Built Too Many Sets, George Lucas Says
WhenGeorge Lucasfirst filmed the originalStar Warsin 1976, he was limited to the technology available at the time — practical effects, sets, and his own visual effects company that he had formed the year before.Star Wars, now known asStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was filmed on a small budget compared to the big-budget spectacles of the modernStar Warsfranchise.
But under the ownership of Disney — which recently boosted its stocka tonthanks to the historicFox deal—Star Wars: The Last JedidirectorRian Johnsonhas a significantly bigger sandbox to play in than Lucas did 40 years ago. That means more effects, more locations, and a lot of new sets. Maybetoomany sets, according to Lucas.
The original script ofStar Wars: The Last Jedicalled for a whopping 160 sets, according toThe Hollywood Reporter, more than could feasibly be made even under massive entertainment studios like Disney/Lucasfilm.
“A ridiculous amount of sets,” saidLast Jediproduction designer Rick Heinrichs, who was able to settle the number of sets with Johnson, decreasing the number to 125 sets on 14 stages at London’s Pinewood Studios.
But that’s still a vast number of sets, and definitely too many for Lucas — who came to rely heavily on green screen stages during production of hisStar Warsprequel films in the early 2000s.The Force Awakenswas an intentional return to the practical effects of the original trilogy, in part because of the blowback against Lucas' CGI-heavy prequels. And Johnson, an old school Star Wars fan, happily followed the same path.
But Lucas didn’t seem that impressed when he visitedThe Last Jediset during production, according to Heinrichs' interview with THR:
“We went intoStar Warssaying we’re going to do matte paintings and we’re going to be hanging miniatures. That’s the way we’re going to do this cause that’s what George would want. And of course George visited and he’s like, ‘Why are you building all these sets?’ ‘Well, because that’s what you like, isn’t it?’ He’s a cranky guy but his point is that for the big stuff, obviously planets, spaceships flying, when you’re not close enough to see actors in it, there isn’t much point anymore in actually building something.”
That was about as much creative input Lucas was able to give to the new trilogy, after Disney scrapped his plans in favor of what would becomeThe Force AwakensandThe Last Jedi. But it sounds like his “cranky” advice to Heinrichs' didn’t feed into hisfinal reaction to the film, which he told Johnson was “beautifully made.”
