George Lucas Claims Racism Reason for Lack of Studio Support for 'Red Tails'

[KalMart]

Actually he planned for 12. Harrison Ford and Mark Hamil brought this up in an interview back in 77.


Haha, c'mon Matt! Just admit defeat.

No one should ever plan for 12 movies...they're just not really made for that unless you treat them like short serials, which really doesn't jive with the time and money needed to make each one.

 

[KalMart]

Apparently, from reading this thread....if you like Lucas, you are a deluded apologists who doesn't face facts.....if you hate Lucas, you are a free thinker who doesn't follow the crowd.

Personal opinions are not allowed or tolerated.

Well, he is a god, after all.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I hate the prequels with a passion. I think they make a mockery of the legacy of Star Wars and are a wasted opportunity. But after Lucas donates billions to charity and acknowledges black contributions to American history, it's hard to hate the man.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

No one should ever plan for 12 movies...they're just not really made for that unless you treat them like short serials, which really doesn't jive with the time and money needed to make each one.

Sorry I meant 9. He planned on having a completely different tale about Annikin Starkiller - the hot-headed Jedi-in training who would be in conflict against the evil galactic empire, and would later go on to become bad in the second act and be redeemed in the third act. He also had a brother who he would come at odds with and there was supposed to be a large scale war shown. Due to budget constraints and lack of proper technology, he decided to split the tale into two arcs, one being about Luke and Han (breaking apart the brashness into one character and heroism into the other), and the fall to the darkside, great war and brother vs brother to the backstory trilogy (to be explored once the technology would allow it).

After the success of SW (the first film) in 1977, he told the actors that he liked what they had created so much that after doing the prequel trilogy he wanted to come back and do three more films with Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. If you think about it, there was so much backstory written within the original trilogy, but in writing the prequels he retconned so much that it just pissed off fans (including myself).

 

[Figs]

Nanny nanny noo George Lucas sucks nanny nanny noo we're all ******** fanboys, that's all I'm reading here. Yeah, sure, say I'm trolling, but Lucas doesn't deserve the hate he gets over his movies, and people who mindlessly hate him like he's the next Hitler are ridiculous.

I was actually shocked when I heard this film was directed by him. I have to say that Lucas is not a great director though and for the majority of his career has been milking the Star Wars films and done nothing else really. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but as a famous director, you would think he would have made some movies between the prequels and now.

As much hate is in here towards him, there is way more mindless worship over him. Which doesn't make sense to me since it's just because of the SW movies, he hasn't done much else to warrant all the worship as a director. A true director worthy of the worship Lucas gets actually has a nice collection of films under their belt. The only reason he has so much praise is because the original SW films blew people's minds back then but that was mainly because of the effects(and Vader). I really enjoy the original trilogy but the acting and overall story isn't anything new or special, it was the effects that made it so popular. He didn't even direct The Empire Strikes Back which is usually considered the best one of the entire series. A New Hope, which I liked was nice or decent directing at best and we all know how the CGI filled prequels turned out.

I think it's great he made a film with an all black cast but I think he's overdoing the crying over the studios and Hollywood. As others have mentioned in here, there have been a number of movies with an all black cast. I realize there is still a bunch of racist BS in Hollywood, but he's blowing it out of proportion.

 

[KalMart]

Sorry I meant 9. He planned on having a completely different tale about Annikin Starkiller - the hot-headed Jedi-in training who would be in conflict against the evil galactic empire, and would later go on to become bad in the second act and be redeemed in the third act. He also had a brother who he would come at odds with and there was supposed to be a large scale war shown. Due to budget constraints and lack of proper technology, he decided to split the tale into two arcs, one being about Luke and Han (breaking apart the brashness into one character and heroism into the other), and the fall to the darkside, great war and brother vs brother to the backstory trilogy (to be explored once the technology would allow it).

After the success of SW (the first film) in 1977, he told the actors that he liked what they had created so much that after doing the prequel trilogy he wanted to come back and do three more films with Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. If you think about it, there was so much backstory written within the original trilogy, but in writing the prequels he retconned so much that it just pissed off fans (including myself).

Honestly...any more than 3 pretty much eats itself away. But anyway, I still thing he's a bit full of it when he talks about what he 'intended'. The first Star Wars was an absolute mess until his editors decided to chop away at it.

 

[KalMart]

I was actually shocked when I heard this film was directed by him. I have to say that Lucas is not a great director though and for the majority of his career has been milking the Star Wars films and done nothing else really. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but as a famous director, you would think he would have made some movies between the prequels and now.

As much hate is in here towards him, there is way more mindless worship over him. Which doesn't make sense to me since it's just because of the SW movies, he hasn't done much else to warrant all the worship as a director. A true director worthy of the worship Lucas gets actually has a nice collection of films under their belt. The only reason he has so much praise is because the original SW films blew people's minds back then but that was mainly because of the effects(and Vader). I really enjoy the original trilogy but the acting and overall story isn't anything new or special, it was the effects that made it so popular. He didn't even direct The Empire Strikes Back which is usually considered the best one of the entire series. A New Hope, which I liked was nice or decent directing at best and we all know how the CGI filled prequels turned out.

I think it's great he made a film with an all black cast but I think he's overdoing the crying over the studios and Hollywood. As others have mentioned in here, there have been a number of movies with an all black cast. I realize there is still a bunch of racist BS in Hollywood, but he's blowing it out of proportion.

I don't think Lucas directed Red Tails.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485985/

 

[Figs]

I don't think Lucas directed Red Tails.

Did he just produce it? That sucks even more then, I don't see why he doesn't direct more films since he is supposedly a director after all.

 

[Golgo-13]

excellent marketing move for Lucas. Gets people talking.

Mel Gibson met the same wall of hollywood b.s when he tried to get POTC made; the studios ended up eating their words when the movie crushed everthing at the b.o. Hopefully Redtails will do the same.

 

[Thundercrack85]

From what i understand, he's a good director, but needs help with the stories.

 

[C. Lee]

I was actually shocked when I heard this film was directed by him.

Not as shocked as it's director Anthony Hemingway is to hear that.

 

[KalMart]

Did he just produce it? That sucks even more then, I don't see why he doesn't direct more films since he is supposedly a director after all.

Pretty-much...financed and made through Lucasfilm.

Lucas has never been a good director. He's a great visionary and innovator, but an actual guy in the trenches like that he's not...especially at this age. And he's all but admitted to not liking actually directing. Spielberg is the one that really has directing in his veins.

 

[Figs]

Not as shocked as it's director Anthony Hemingway is to hear that.

Yes, I just realized that. All the hype with involving Lucas behind this film, I figured he actually directed it. My mistake.

 

[RockSP]

I think it's great he made a film with an all black cast but I think he's overdoing the crying over the studios and Hollywood. As others have mentioned in here, there have been a number of movies with an all black cast. I realize there is still a bunch of racist BS in Hollywood, but he's blowing it out of proportion.

This has been addressed multiple times earlier in this thread. He's talking about big budget films from a major studio. Hollywood has rarely done that.

 

[T'Jai]

I think it's great he made a film with an all black cast but I think he's overdoing the crying over the studios and Hollywood. As others have mentioned in here, there have been a number of movies with an all black cast. I realize there is still a bunch of racist BS in Hollywood, but he's blowing it out of proportion.

Actually Hollywood's lack of support over 10-15 mill without Tyler Perry's name on it it is Across the board true... And any budget even approaching that is independently funded Doubt it? Find me one all black movie (That's not a Comedy, Melodrama or, Hood Drama) with a budget of over 20 mill... I'll wait...

The budget was 58 mill. No Major White Roles. Hollywood would laugh at James Cameron if he suggested such a thing...

The complete lack of any All Black movies within 30 million dollars of his budget is a pretty good indicator that he May be right about it...

(Also the words of any Black Filmmaker that has tried to go through the Hollywood system to get their All Black over 15 million dollar major motion picture made in the last hundred or so years they may know a thing or two about it)

I can do this all day

 

[terry78]

The only guy that has actually successfully, in a sense, actually gotten full minority casts in his action/adventure films is Robert Rodriguez, due to his own studio of course.

 

[Motown Marvel]

The complete lack of any All Black movies within 30 million dollars of his budget is a pretty good indicator that he May be right about it...

(Also the words of any Black Filmmaker that has tried to go through the Hollywood system to get their All Black over 15 million dollar major motion picture made in the last hundred or so years they may know a thing or two about it)

right, like i said: im not doubting the possibility of it. i would just like to see more than lucas' words. the instances you bring up, im less than familiar but dont doubt for a second the truth of it. obviously racism exists in hollywood, as it does in most facets of life to some extent. but in this particular case, did Red Tails get rejected because all the major studios in hollywood are racist? or were they just not into the film as lucas presented it?

also, something to consider: looking at films with an all black cast, what do their box office returns generally average? if they are on the lower end, is it racist that a studio doesnt want to risk big money funding the film knowing they would be less like to make an acceptable profit, or is it just a smart business move? im not implying one way or the other....just something that should be considered, as these things arent so clean cut black and white situations (no pun intended).

One would have to be seriously naive to think there's no racism or sexism in hollywood. Why would that industry be the one exception to that universal rule?

im not saying hollywood is free of racism or other oppressive beliefs. it exists, surely. but to the extent that lucas implies would suggest it to be on a much larger scale that i would have believed. is it possible? sure. but its not a charge i would take lightly, nor simply at the word of george lucas.

 

[KalMart]

Mel Gibson met the same wall of hollywood b.s when he tried to get POTC made; the studios ended up eating their words when the movie crushed everthing at the b.o. Hopefully Redtails will do the same.

And gave it to his buddy Depp.






Want a successful movie? Use those letters for the title.....Piranhas on the Cheap.......Please Observe These Cassavas.....

 

[Figs]

This has been addressed multiple times earlier in this thread. He's talking about big budget films from a major studio. Hollywood has rarely done that.

I can do this all day

Sorry, my original post was directed at someone's post on the first page and I didn't make it to the other couple of pages yet.

 

[RockSP]

Mel Gibson met the same wall of hollywood b.s when he tried to get POTC made;

Sadly my first thought was Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

[terry78]

What makes me a little wary about Black Panther possibly getting made is that they'll find some way to shoehorn in a white guy basically playing audience surrogate to that wild and exotic African adventure.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

Actually, StarWars was a helluva movie to direct, it was no mean feat he got that movie made the way he wanted to. Every step of the way he had to fight with the crew who did not understand what he was trying to achieve, the cameramen were a nightmare, and would refuse to shoot the movie the way Lucas wanted it, keeping to their traditions, that Lucas wanted to break.
Everyone on the set thought the movie was a joke, a sure flop, and it was a gargantuan task to get the film going at all.
this is all well-documented, and the crew on the film have all now come out and admitted they had an attitude that did not help George with the filmaking at all.

He may have been a shy guy when it came to directing actors, but he still directed them in that first film to it's benefit, making sure they took the material seriously, as opposed to camping it up.

At the end of the shoot he had to be hospitalised because of the stress and strain on his body that the process had on him. The movie burnt him out as a director basically. If you want to look at it this way, the 'dark side of the force', the evil forces in the world, satan, whoever, did not want that movie made, haha, it did everything possible to mess it up and force George to compromise his vision, but he did not, he fought the good fight, and changed cinema forever, giving us the most popular film series of all time.
that was being a great artist and a director, anyone who says otherwise is ignorant of the facts.
even back in filmschool he was a lauded talent, winning a lot of awards for a short film he made(not the early version of thx1138, a diff one).

 

[T'Jai]

right, like i said: im not doubting the possibility of it. i would just like to see more than lucas' words. obviously racism exists in hollywood, as it does in most facets of life to some extent. but in this particular case, did Red Tails get rejected because all the major studios in hollywood are racist? or were they just not into the film as lucas presented it?

im not saying hollywood is free of racism or other oppressive beliefs. it exists, surely. but to the extent that lucas implies would suggest it to be on a much larger scale that i would have believed. is it possible? sure. but its not a charge i would take lightly, nor simply at the word of george lucas.

The fact that IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF FILM(which at this point is over a hundred years) is a little more than the word of George Lucas and when the Most Successful Independent Film Producer Of All Time explicitly states it... May have a little something to it. The green trail isn't there and so they don't wanna risk it. That's what he stated and that is the truth.

Sorry, my original post was directed at someone's post on the first page and I didn't make it to the other couple of pages yet.

No worries.

The only guy that has actually successfully, in a sense, actually gotten full minority casts in his action/adventure films is Robert Rodriguez, due to his own studio of course.

And all the ones with any kind of budget ( that were minority casts) were kids films...

 

[Golgo-13]

That's what i hate about Hollywood. Whe the cast is primarily white it's just a 'movie'. When the cast is primarily black, it's a 'black movie'. Even with big AA leads like Denzel Washington as the lead, who's movie aren't always labelled as' black movies', tend to have a white supporting cast....go figure.

Speaking of Denzel. I believe his directorial debut 'Antwoine Fisher' was finaced by a major studio, and that was considered a 'black movie'.

 

[Figs]

At the end of the shoot he had to be hospitalised because of the stress and strain on his body that the process had on him. The movie burnt him out as a director basically. If you want to look at it this way, the 'dark side of the force', the evil forces in the world, satan, whoever, did not want that movie made, haha, it did everything possible to mess it up and force George to compromise his vision, but he did not, he fought the good fight, and changed cinema forever, giving us the most popular film series of all time.
that was being a great artist and a director, anyone who says otherwise is ignorant of the facts.
even back in filmschool he was a lauded talent, winning a lot of awards for a short film he made(not the early version of thx1138, a diff one).

Even though he had to go through all that hardship when making Star Wars, I still don't think that means he is in fact a great director. I think he just busted his ass big time like others have done on different projects in the past, whether it's making movies or not. That truly sucks what he had to go through, but I still think he's just a good or average director, but not great. If he would direct more films maybe he could prove me wrong.

Either way, I'm glad he gave us the original Star Wars trilogy.