George Lucas has officially — and quite happily — moved on from Star Wars. More than a decade after selling Lucasfilm to Disney for $4.05 billion, the filmmaker behind one of cinema’s most influential franchises says he’s done looking back. “Of course I’ve moved past it. I mean, I’ve got a life,” Lucas told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview. “I’m building a museum. A museum is harder than making movies.”
That museum — the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art — is his new creative focus. Set to open in 2026 in Los Angeles, the billion-dollar, 11-acre project is dedicated to exploring storytelling through art. Curated by Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, the museum will highlight how visual narratives shape culture, influence values, and inspire imagination.
While Lucas insists he’s stepped away from Star Wars, traces of the saga remain. A massive 33-foot N-1 Starfighter from The Phantom Menace will hang in the museum’s south wing, alongside a gallery exploring vehicle design from the franchise. Still, Lucas says he included it reluctantly: “It’s one gallery out of 33. And I did it grudgingly. I didn’t want people to come to the museum and say, ‘Where’s the Star Wars?’”
The rest of the museum’s collection moves far beyond lightsabers and droids. It will feature works from classic illustrators like Norman Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith, Maxfield Parrish, and N. C. Wyeth, as well as art from comic legends Frank Frazetta, Jack Kirby, and Robert Crumb. For Lucas, it’s about honoring the visual storytelling traditions that helped shape his own creative path.
His remarks, shared with The Wall Street Journal, underscore how comfortable he is watching Star Wars evolve under Disney’s stewardship. “They took it over and they gave it their vision,” he said. “That’s what happens.”
While Disney continues to expand the Star Wars universe through shows, films, and theme park attractions, Lucas seems content to let it go. His attention is fixed firmly on the Lucas Museum — a space built not for nostalgia, but for the stories that will inspire the next generation of dreamers.
