'Star Wars' Sequel Trilogy Ruined the Whole Franchise, Original Editor Says
"Star Wars" sequel trilogy sucks? The original editor hints on as much.
The Oscar-winning editor of 1977's first "Star Wars" film did not mince words in criticizing those in charge of Episodes VII through IX of the saga, stating matter-of-factly, "It sucks. The storylines are terrible. Just terrible. Awful."
In an interview with J.W. Rinzler's book "Howard Kazanjian: A Producer's Life," Marcia Lucas went off on Disney's evil empire, accusing executive Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams of having "no clue about 'Star Wars.'"
Lucas, 75, the ex-wife of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, 77, was particularly adamant about Disney killing off the beloved heroes played by Harrison Ford, 79, Mark Hamill, 69, and the late Carrie Fisher from the original films without providing solid ground for their replacements - Daisy Ridley, 29, John Boyega, 29, and Oscar Isaac, 42 - to stand on moving forward.
"And J.J. Abrams is writing these stories - when I saw that movie where they kill Han Solo, I was furious. I was furious when they killed Han Solo. Absolutely, positively, there was no rhyme or reason to it. I thought, 'You don't get the Jedi story. You don't get the magic of "Star Wars." You're getting rid of Han Solo?'," he shared.
According to Variety, Lucas, who edited the first three films and was responsible for cutting the original Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the first Death Star, has the force on his side when it comes to knowing magic.
"They have Luke disintegrate. They killed Han Solo. They killed Luke Skywalker. And they don't have Princess Leia anymore. And they're spitting out movies every year. And they think it's important to appeal to a woman's audience, so now their main character is this female, who's supposed to have Jedi powers, but we don't know how she got Jedi powers, or who she is," she added.
Abrams, who directed Episodes VII and IX, has already expressed his displeasure with the path in which his "Star Wars" films and other projects have taken.
"I've had all sorts of situations where you plan things in a certain way and you suddenly find yourself doing something that's 180 degrees different, and then sometimes it works really well and you feel like, 'Wow, that really came together,' and other times you think, 'Oh, my God I can't believe this is where we are,' and sometimes when it's not working out it's because it's what you planned, and other times when it's not working out it's because you didn't [have a plan].
Despite her displeasure with the way the films were made, Lucas made it plain that her feelings aren't personal. "I like Kathleen. I always liked her. She was full of beans. She was really smart and really bright. Really wonderful woman. And I liked her husband, Frank. I liked them a lot." In fact, the veteran editor aspires to be the franchise's new hope, working with the couple to restore peace to the republic. "You can quote me: J.J. Abrams, Kathy Kennedy - talk to me."