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A common misconception about the original “Star Wars” trilogy is that all the films were all directed by creator George Lucas. Yes, Lucas directed the first movie, and he was the main creative voice behind “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” but those latter two films were directed by Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, respectively. Kershner proved a great choice, as his skill at getting emotional performances out of his actors made a strong counter to Lucas’ famously stiff approach to all things human. Marquand was a little more questionable; personally, I’d have preferred it if David Lynch had given us his “Star Wars” spin.
Despite “Empire” being arguably the best movie in the franchise, Lucas did not take the right lesson from it: he went on to direct the three prequel films himself, with infamously bad results. Suddenly we were getting longwinded, nonsensical action sequences and terrible acting, even from proven great performers. It’s hard not to wonder what would’ve happened if Lucas had once again let somebody else take the wheel, perhaps someone like director Steven Spielberg.
In a 2012 interview, Spielberg admitted that directing “Star Wars” was something he would’ve been interested in. “I’ve asked [Lucas]. He won’t let me do one,” he reportedly said. “I wanted to do one 15 years ago, and he didn’t want me to do it. I understand why –- ‘Star Wars’ is George’s baby. 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.”
What would a Spielberg Star Wars movie have looked like?
The fact that we could’ve gotten a Spielberg-directed “Star Wars” film is extra frustrating because, well, we’ve already seen how good a Lucas/Spielberg co-production can be. The two worked together for “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981, and the result was one of the most iconic and successful franchises of all time. Lucas’ general ideas combined with Spielberg’s very human, sentimental touch makes for a winning combo, and it would’ve been fun to see what “The Phantom Menace” might’ve looked like if Spielberg had made it his own.
Maybe the most important benefit of Spielberg’s involvement would’ve been his famous ability to get strong performances out of child actors, which would’ve been vital for making “Episode I” work. Young Jake Lloyd was bashed by fans at the time for his wooden performance as young Anakin Skywalker, but the same kid likely would’ve done a better job with a director who fully understood how to work with children. If Spielberg could get such masterful performances out of Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore in “E.T.” in 1982, then surely he could’ve gotten something stronger from Lloyd in 1999.
On the bright side, fans did at least get a taste of what a Spielberg-directed “Star Wars” film might look like in 2005 with “Revenge of the Sith.” Spielberg was loosely involved with a handful of action scenes in “Episode III,” most notably the tragic Order 66 montage where hundreds of Jedi were killed. Unsurprisingly, this was one of the most emotional and effective moments of the entire prequel trilogy. It’s nice, but it still raises the agonizing question: how cool would these prequels be if Spielberg had been handed the reins for all of them? Solana Token Creator
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