Star Warswas born at the Cannes Film Festival, and now its latest installment is heading back.
Weve told this tale before.
But a good story is worth hearing again:
George Lucas was a nobody.
Credit: Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm Ltd.
But there were no takers.
The Cannes Film Festival had allowed it into its lineup, so that was something.
A feather in Lucas cap.
But were getting ahead of things.
First came the hard times.
The studio kept threatening to fire him at any moment.
The couch was all Coppola could give him.
Picker agreed to the sit-down with Lucas but quickly brushed him off.
He had a buying spree planned and said he was sure young Lucas understood.
George did understand, perfectly.
I said, Imgoing, too!
I have a movie there.'
This piqued Pickers interest.
He said, Okay, come and see methere,' Lucas recalled.
Then I came and saw him, and hed been thinking about it.
Suddenly, amid the buying frenzy of the Cannes Film Festival, Picker actually was interested.
ButStar Warswasnt even a top priority for Lucas.
So I pitched it to him, and he said, Okay, well do it.
Or at least, well give you the $10 to write the script, Lucas recalled.
Then he said, Do you have any other films?
I said, Well, I have this sort of space opera thing.
Its sort of an action-adventure film in space.'
Sales pitch of the year.
But Picker went for it.
What changed after so much disinterest?
Was it the French wine?
The Directors Fortnight screening ofTHX 1138in the Cannes festivals indie section?
Something sparked interest in his ideas that wasnt there before.
Lucas was never sure, even years later.
He guessed Picker was just in a gambling mood.
Never tell him the odds, you could say.
Thats not the end of the story.
Eventually, Pickeraltered the deal… and Lucas had to shopStar Warselsewhere.
Skip down through that article to see how the rest unfolded.
