George Lucas Once Inspired Steven Spielberg to make a ‘Really Bad Version’ of 1 Famous Movie
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have been good friends for decades, often supporting each other’s careers. But when Spielberg was influenced by Lucas to make a change to one of his own movies, Spielberg deeply regretted the end result.
Steven Spielberg was once jealous of George Lucas
Spielberg noticed Lucas’ filmmaking capabilities from a young age. The Close Encounters director first became aware of Lucas when Lucas premiered his film THX-1138 at a University of California LA [UCLA] film festival. As impressed as Spielberg was by the feature, he admitted to being envious of the project at the same time.
“I realized that there was an entire generation coming out of NYU, USC and UCLA. THX-1138, made me jealous to the marrow of my bones. I was eighteen years old and had directed fifteen short films by that time, and this little movie was better than all of my movies combined,” he once said according to The Bearded Trio.
But the two wouldn’t become closer friends until Lucas saw the Spielberg film Duel. Lucas was so impressed by the project that he was even more interested in the man behind the film.
“Since I’d met Steven, I was curious about the movie and thought I’d sneak upstairs and catch 10 or 15 minutes. Once I started watching I couldn’t tear myself away. I thought, ‘This guy is really sharp. I’ve got to get to know him better,’” Lucas said.
Their mutual interests and passion in film led to a lifelong bond between the pair where they’ve even helped each other with their projects. Spielberg once confided to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that Lucas helped him with Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. Their collaboration also led to the Indiana Jones franchise, with Spielberg directing the first film and Lucas helping craft the story.
Steven Spielberg regretted taking a cue from George Lucas for 1 of his movies
Spielberg learned a hard lesson about messing with his past films. The Oscar-winner once decided to digitally update his classic 1982 feature E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for a more modern feel. Doing so included such changes as replacing guns with walkie-talkies and making the actual E.T. character more digital. But Spielberg admitted that these changes weren’t for the best.
“Well, I got in trouble for doing that,” he once said in an interview with Collider.
Spielberg confided that he took some inspiration from Lucas to make the changes he did to the movie. Lucas was already known for updating his original Star Wars films in a similar fashion.
“So, there’s a really bad version of E.T., where I took my cue from Star Wars and all of the digital enhancements for A New Hope that George [Lucas] put in,” Spielberg continued. “I went ahead because the marketing at Universal thought we needed something to get an audience back in to see the movie, so I did a few touch-ups in the film. In those days, social media wasn’t as profound as it is today, but what was just beginning erupted in a loud negative voice saying, ‘How could you ruin our favorite childhood film?’”
George Lucas wouldn’t let Steven Spielberg direct a ‘Star Wars’ movie
There was a point where Spielberg wanted a crack at Lucas’ Star Wars franchise. Even before handing the Star Wars rights off to Disney, Lucas didn’t always direct the Star Wars films. Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were both filmed by other directors, although Lucas remained heavily involved in both.
The main reason that Spielberg never had his turn at a Star Wars feature was because Lucas didn’t want him to.
“I wanted to do one 15 years ago,” Spielberg once told Empire. “And he didn’t want me to do it. I understand why – Star Wars is George’s baby. George is my best friend and I believe I am his, but we are all competitive.”
Still, Spielberg was very understanding of Lucas’ feelings on the matter.
“I believe that this is George’s franchise,” he said. “It’s his cottage industry and it’s his fingerprints. He knows I’ve got Jurassic Park and Raiders. But George has Star Wars and I don’t think he feels inclined to share any of it with me.”
