Why am I the envy of George Lucas? Here’s a quote from GL explaining why he doesn’t want to make another Star Wars film, or any big budget feature for that matter.
You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized, and people try to make decisions about what you’re going to do before you do it.
Y’know, it’s not much fun, and you can’t experiment; you can’t do anything. You have to do it a certain way. I don’t like that, I never did. I started out in experimental films, and I want to go back to experimental films, but of course no one wants to see experimental films.
Like many folks, I’ve spent so much of my life answering to people and things other than myself; it’s nice to have a little corner of my world, i.e., this film and the writing, where I don’t answer to anyone but me. Mostly, anyway.
George, you didn’t ask for it, but here’s my advice. Make your experimental films. People will want to see your experimental films. They might confuse people, critics might think you’ve lost your mind, Hollywood might think you’ve lost your mind. Are you concerned that they will tarnish your reputation? Are you concerned that no one will want you to make another big budget film? Are you still looking for some kind of validation?
I say, screw it, George. You are in a unique position to bring the idea of “experimental film” into the mainstream. Go for it. What do you really have to lose?