Lucas Leaves, Geeks Return

Unless you’ve been living in a galaxy far, far away, you know that “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” is coming soon.

Chances are, you’ve tried to buy tickets for opening weekend even if you’re not a fan. Too late. The diehards snagged them within hours of tickets being released.

The film has already begun breaking box office records even though the film hasn’t yet been released. With the constant barrage of marketing surrounding the latest installment of the property, it’s easy to forget that the franchise has been in what would kindly be called a lull for at least a decade. What’s firing up the geek squad now?

For years, fans decried the endless tweaks that George Lucas made to the original films. At last count, there were three “special editions,” plus the original theatrical versions. Adding insult to injury, the “prequel films,” released from 1999-2005, were widely regarded as a massive disappointment. The original trilogy remained the only true “Star Wars” in the minds of hard-core fans, and it stood light years ahead of those that followed.

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Alexandre Philippe, director of “The People Vs George Lucas,” spoke to LifeZette about his firm belief that Lucas’ mistakes represented a travesty. This was supposed to be a franchise that captivated a generation, but the founder let the opportunity slip out of his grip.

“I don’t think they completely walked away from it, but there’s definitely been a lull in fandom,” he said.

Philippe outlined one of the core issues with the property, telling LifeZette, “This idea that it was all about George (Lucas), I think was really starting to weigh on the franchise … George became more and more alienated from his fans and saying essentially, ‘This is mine and it’s not yours.’ I think that really took a toll and made the fans angry.”

The attitude was most obvious in Lucas’ stubborn refusal to release the theatrical cuts of the original films except as a shoddy extra on the 2006 DVD releases.

Philippe himself, an avowed lifelong fan, sold 90 percent of his impressive “Star Wars” collection once the fatigue of fandom took root in him, but he never gave up on the franchise.

So what has changed to cause this seismic shift in the course of its history?

All signs point to the Walt Disney Co., according to Philippe.

“Obviously, there was a lot of skepticism about Disney coming on board the way there was skepticism when Disney took on Marvel,” Phillipe told LifeZette. “I am majorly impressed with what they’re doing, and Lucasfilm as well, in reaching out to their fans. I think that all the people who walked away, not only came back, but they’re bringing their friends and their kids, and this is going to be the biggest ‘Star Wars’ hit in history.”

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That outreach also means going back to the basics.

“They understand some of the mistakes that have been made in the past,” Philippe said, pointing out that ushering Lucas out of the picture may have been instrumental.

“Understanding how frankly vocal and vicious many of (Lucas’) fans have been, you can easily get in his shoes and understand why it happened, but … Lucas gave us ‘Star Wars,’ so how mad can we really be with him?” Philippe noted.

Once Lucas agreed to sell the property to Disney and JJ Abrams was named director of the new film, interest spiked. Philippe described the effect of this move to LifeZette, explaining that it opened the minds of many in the disgruntled fan base.

“Picture this idea that all these very talented directors were standing outside the sandbox and knocking on the door for years. And finally Disney and Lucasfilm said, ‘OK, we’re going to open the doors. Come on in and let’s play.’ George’s sandbox is now open to you guys,” he said.

If fan response is any indication so far, it looks like the they’re coming back in droves to bask in the fun and future of the franchise they fell in love with so many years ago.

The force was indeed awakened, and expectations are high.