Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1581 Restarting Star Wars
"You really don't want to go with me? Let me tell you, there are only a few people who have reached the wreckage of the Titanic. If you go with me, you will go down in history."

"No, you are a deep-sea diving enthusiast, and I understand your feelings, but the last time I saw you filming the abyss, the submersible had a problem, and I have a psychological barrier to deep-sea diving. When you finish filming Titanic, remember to show it to me. I want to be the first person to see the footage you shot."

"That's no problem..."

Cameron cordially invited Ronald to explore the Titanic in the deep sea. Ronald felt honored and then declined.

For some adventures and extreme sports, if you are well prepared, the risks can be controlled within an acceptable range. But Ronald also has his own logic. No matter how small the probability is, if it is not absolutely necessary, why should you try the probability?

It was fine for Cameron to go and see the site in order to shoot a movie, but I would not have to go. Besides, Ronald was facing more important things right now. The negotiations between Ovitz and Bronfman Jr. were at a stalemate, and I definitely could not run away at this moment.

……

"I am Jedi Knight Roger V. Lee, you bad guy, take my lightsaber...yeah..."

"what……"

On this day, I was at home with my son, Roger, who was dressed up as a character from Star Wars and playing with a lightsaber model. This lightsaber was the most expensive one produced by a Hollywood toy manufacturer. When you press the button, the light will flash from the hilt to the tip of the sword, which is not comparable to those cheap plastic toys.

Little Roger was having a lot of fun, running around the sofa and chopping his daddy, looking very happy.

"Roger, don't cut your daddy with your lightsaber...uh-huh!" Diane came over after hearing the noise, then frowned and told her son to go around her husband and turn around. She brought Ronald with her and said unhappily, "George is looking for you, dear."

"Which George?" Ronald didn't understand at first.

"Who else? George Lucas, the man who invented the lightsaber you're holding..."

"Oh..." Ronald hurriedly took off his Jedi Knight's cloak and went to his study to answer the phone. George Lucas wouldn't chat with him for no reason, so it seemed like there was something important.

"Ronald, can you come to my manor when you are free? I have something to talk to you about movie special effects."

"Of course, but can I bring my wife and kids with me? I was just playing lightsaber with my son, and he'll be so happy to know he can go to Uncle Lucas's estate."

"Of course. It seems that you enjoy being with children as much as I do."

The next morning, Ronald and his family took a private plane to Skywalker Ranch. Lucas received them personally. Little Roger was taken to see the Star Wars Museum by several children adopted by Lucas. He was very excited and jumped for joy.

"Why not build a private airport here, Mr. Lucas? After we land at the nearby airport, we still have to drive for an hour." Ronald felt that although this ranch was great, it was still a bit remote.

"I don't like the noise of jets, but there is a helicopter pad here." Lucas laughed. This is the quietness he wanted when he settled here.

"Congratulations on winning the Oscar for Best Director. I don't have an Oscar trophy, so I didn't go to the event..."

George Lucas was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for American Graffiti and Star Wars Episode IV, but never won. He has an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, but it's not in the shape of a statuette.

At that time, the executive committee of the Academy had also invited him to present the Oscars. Walter Murch, who won the Best Editing Award, was his buddy. He had also helped Ronald and was also a candidate for the award presenter.

However, Lucas preferred to stay away from others, so the Academy Executive Committee only invited Spielberg to present the award.

"Haha, that's what I said. It's an honor for me to win an Oscar, but it's a stain on the Oscars' history that they didn't give you the Best Director Award twice."

"Hahaha, is it really as good as you say?" Lucas was very happy with this super flattery.

"Of course, you have seen my son's interest in Star Wars. As someone who grew up watching Star Wars, I also have a special feeling for it. I used to often imagine what kind of person I would be if I were born in the world of Star Wars."

"Hahaha, your dream will come true soon..."

Lucas laughed, and then took Ronald to a studio, where there was a half-human-high model. Ronald took a look and found that it was a handsome young man with blond hair and a lightsaber in his hand. The whole person gave people the impression that he was both good and evil.

Next to her was a girl wearing a special dress. She looked like an alien noble, but her lips and cheeks were painted red, making her look a bit like a singer in Japanese culture.

"This is..." Ronald felt something in his heart.

"This is Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, and Queen Amidala, the parents of Luke and Princess Leia, and the protagonists of my latest first film."

“Oh…” Ronald nodded. Last year, Lucas announced through a variety show that he would invest in the story before the original trilogy of Star Wars (the 45th, 56th). Now it seems that it will tell the story of the parents of the male and female protagonists in the original trilogy.

In Forrest Gump, which he directed himself, there are many cross-cut sequences between real people and historical footage, as well as some techniques that use computer special effects on real people. Did Lucas have to ask himself these questions?
His own Industrial Light & Magic is the best expert in this area? Maybe they think the special effects and real people in Forrest Gump are well combined? Ronald thought with a little complacency that being recognized by Lucas is a great honor for any Hollywood director.

However, Lucas said that his dream came true. Could it be that he was allowed to play a cameo role? This is very interesting. Would it be better for him to be a stormtrooper or a soldier of the Rebel Alliance?

"How about it? Are you interested in directing the first Star Wars movie, the story of Anakin's childhood?"

"I am, eh?"

Ronald was still immersed in the decision of whether to choose the stormtrooper who couldn't hit accurately or the rebel soldier who was quickly killed. He was suddenly asked if he wanted to be a director. He felt a little puzzled. Lucas wanted to shoot a Star Wars prequel, so why don't you direct it yourself? Why are you asking me?

"Why don't you direct it yourself?" These words came out of my heart.

"Which part of the trilogy do you think is the best?" Lucas did not answer, but asked Ronald a question instead.

"Well... I'm afraid it's still The Empire Strikes Back..." Ronald replied.

“Oh, that’s not what I directed.”

The fourth film, A New Hope, was released first. At that time, Lucas had not yet achieved the fame he would later achieve, so he had to direct it himself. The film was considered childish by the leading actors, and was made as a joke, and it was likely to fail at the box office.

Unexpectedly, it became one of the most influential movies in Hollywood history. For the second part, George Lucas found his college teacher Irvin Kershner to make this sequel that received the best reviews from critics and audiences.

This is also one of the few films in Hollywood history where the sequel is better than the original film. Lucas said this probably because he is aware of his directing ability. He is good at creating a sci-fi world and setting up characters, but directing may not be Lucas' strongest point.

When filming A New Hope, the main actors complained about him. They said that he just kept asking them to move faster. In the late stage of filming, Lucas was sick and couldn't speak, so they made a few signs with Lucas's catchphrases such as "Faster" on them. When he wanted to say something, he just held up a sign.

"This is the outline of the story I wrote, take a look..."

Lucas handed over a ten-page document, and Ronald opened it. It was indeed the story of the first part, and the title "The Phantom Menace" was written on the cover.

The story is the same as the original, not complicated. Anakin is a child conceived and born by his mother one day without anyone else, and has a very strong affinity with the Force. Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan happened to be on Anakin's planet. After a series of adventures, Anakin, who has a talent for mechanics and driving, was rescued from slavery by the Jedi Knights, and finally went to the capital of the Republic with Queen Amidala.

However, the reason why Star Wars became popular all over the country is not because of the complex twists and turns of the story, but because of the boundless imagination and the yearning for exploration of the future world that is very consistent with the American national character.

Simply put, this is a western that takes place in space, with countless spaceships and space fighters, something that is so real that it makes American teenagers scream.

Ronald flipped through it and found a scene of a car racing on an alien planet. This car was not like a car on Earth, with four wheels, but two engines that could float above the ground, dragging the chariot forward, a bit like the scene of a car racing in the ancient Roman Coliseum in the Hollywood classic movie Ben-Hur.

This scene requires the fusion of a large number of computer-generated special effects images and real-life shots, which is Ronald's strength in shooting special effects movies. It may be because of this that George Lucas invited him to come and talk about directing the first Star Wars.

"However, I still think you should direct this first work yourself." Ronald finished reading the story outline and then politely declined.

Being able to sneak a peek at the plot of the first Star Wars movie is a privilege that many Star Wars fans don't have. Ronald is definitely not stupid, he wants to finish watching it first.

"I can be honest with you, George. Steven (Spielberg) once asked me if I could direct Schindler's List, and I said no. The reason is the same as what I'm going to tell you. Every director probably has a movie that they are destined to make.

For Steven it was Schindler’s List, for me it was probably Forrest Gump, and for Lucas it was definitely The Phantom Menace, the first film in the Star Wars reboot…”

"so……"

Lucas didn't expect this would be Ronald's reason for refusal.

"I can honestly say that I have approached Steven (Spielberg) and Ron (Howard) before, and they both refused. However, I just thought they were afraid of the challenge, but now I understand that I am indeed the most suitable person to shoot it."

The challenge Lucas mentioned is that the Star Wars trilogy has a huge and very loyal fan base all over the world.

They all thought it was natural that the first Phantom Menace would be good, because George Lucas had already set up such a magnificent story background world for them.

If it's not good, then it's definitely the director's fault. The original Star Wars trilogy tells such a good story. Now if you were asked to film a story about their parents, wouldn't it be much easier? If it's not good, then it's definitely the director's fault.

Ronald certainly didn't want to be the director. He understood George Lucas's psychological retreat. It was precisely because the audience and fans of the original trilogy were so huge that restarting this film series would face extremely huge pressure with such expectations. As Ronald said, who else could shoot it besides Lucas?

However, George Lucas was also enlightened by Ronald's words that perhaps no one except him could shoot the reboot of this series.

Lucas turned to Ronald for help with computer effects. He felt that Ronald had some skills in blending computer-generated effects with live-action backgrounds that no one else in Hollywood could match.

Ronald agreed immediately and asked to play a cameo role. He had already decided to be a minor character on the side of the good Republic. Because most of the villains wore masks, even if his son Roger played a cameo role, his daughter Linda would not recognize him, which would lose the greatest fun of the cameo role.

Lucas invited their whole family to have dinner at his estate. Little Roger was particularly happy. For him, today was a fun trip comparable to a trip to Disneyland. Moreover, unlike his friends who could go to Disneyland, he was probably the only one in the world who could enjoy this treatment.

Ronald and Diane played with little Roger here for another day before the family returned to their home in Los Angeles.

I had just finished dinner and was watching the evening news when another Hollywood incident made the headlines.

Christopher Reeve, the famous "Superman" actor, was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment after he had an accident while jumping the third obstacle during the Commonwealth Dressage and Combined Training Association finals held at Commonwealth Park Equestrian Center in Culpeper, Virginia.

Local reporters said that Reeve's cervical vertebrae may be broken and his life is in danger.

(End of this chapter)