George Lucas is one of the most renowned filmmakers of our time, so if he has concerns about where Hollywood’s headed in ten years from now, we’d better listen. At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Lucas sat down for an interview with Brut France’s Augustin Trapenard, who asked him, “What will cinema become in ten years?“
Lucas didn’t beat around the bush before replying,
Same thing as it is now. What happens now – and it happens in streaming probably more than features, but features, it’s the same thing – nobody knows what to do.
"J'étais à la plage, à faire des châteaux de sables avec Steven Spielberg. Des amis m'ont appelé en disant : regarde les infos […], c'est là que j'ai compris que Star Wars était un vrai succès."
Conversation entre @ATrapenard et George Lucas, qui reçoit une Palme d’or d’honneur… pic.twitter.com/uXMN78AktA
Lucas continued that the stories that are being told in Hollywood at the moment are nothing but “old movies“. He said, “‘Let’s do a sequel, let’s do another version of this movie.’ And it’s not just in movies, but in almost everything. There’s no original thinking.“
He also talked about how hard it is to sell original concepts in the industry, especially since the big studios want “something that is like something they’ve seen.” Lucas called the creators out for not having enough imagination to come up with something new.
Fans Point Out the Irony in George Lucas’ Statement
George Lucas sure has a point. Fans are getting tired of seeing the same story repeat itself over and over again, and there are only so many sequels you can see before you give up.
While movies like Sinners, One Battle After Another, and Weapons prove from time to time that there are some creative thinkers out there, more often than not, the audience is being fed the same thing.
However, fans couldn’t help but notice the irony in Lucas’ statement. Lucas spoke of originality and creative thinking, but netizens pointed out that Star Wars, the one thing he is best known for, was inspired by many classic works, including Dune.
Is Star Wars original thinking?
1- The story is a classic Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell.
2- The universe is largely inspired By Frank Herbert's Dune (eg. Tatooine and the worm) written 10 years before.
3- John Williams music is almost a plagiarism, listen to The Planets by…
“There’s no original thinking” that’s literally coming from a guy that ripped off everything from Dune to make Star Wars
He's right, but didn't he rewrite Flash Gordon as Star Wars as he couldn't afford the rights?
Others called him out for coming after sequels when his franchises, like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, are built on the same formula:
OK George sure but also theres like 11 Stars movies, 16 Star Wars TV shows, and 5 Indiana Jones movies so maybe lets have a little bit of chill about it.
Says the guy who did Star Wars and then proceeded to make 8 more sequel/prequel films in that story, then produced countless more around it.
star wars created this era of movies, idk what he's complaining about
All in all, no one disagrees with Lucas when he hints that Hollywood’s going through a rough patch at the moment. What netizens don’t seem to agree on, though, is the hypocrisy of it all.
Sequels Coming Out in 2026 That Prove George Lucas’ Point
Looking at the roster for 2026, we understand that George Lucas may be onto something, after all. Whether it’s one more Toy Story movie or another installment to a classic story, the upcoming year is filled to the brim with sequels.
Let’s take a look at the sequels coming out next year that prove Lucas’ point:
While some of these we get, do we really need another Toy Story and Angry Birds movie? Do share your thoughts on the upcoming films and let us know how much of Lucas’ words you agree with in the comments section below!
