George Lucas Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Lawrence Pitkethly, who produced and directed multiple documentary series shown on PBS and other broadcasters, died Feb. 24 at Albany Medical Center near his home in Hudson, N.Y., of cardiopulmonary arrest linked to complications from Parkinson’s. He was 79. Pitkethly is best known for “American Cinema” (1995), a 10-part, $7 million series for PBS, BBC and Canal Plus covering U.S. filmmaking that he produced, co-wrote and co-directed. It examined film genres, the rise and fall of the studio system, the creation of stars and other aspects of American movies through interviews with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Sydney Pollack, George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee, Joel Coen and other major players. John Lithgow served as host; Matthew Modine, Kathleen Turner and Cliff Robertson narrated.

Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux has barely gotten over his jet lag after a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles this month, but he’s already planning a return visit as he attempts to pull together one of the most formidable lineups in the 76-year history of the event. He’s made it clear to studio executives that he would love to highlight both their blockbusters and their awards contenders, and though formal offers have not been made or accepted, this year’s Cannes has the potential to match or even surpass the 2022 edition — which played host to Tom Cruise and “Top Gun: Maverick” and Austin Butler and Tom Hanks with “Elvis” — in movie star moments. 

prepares to kick off its third season, creator Jon Favreau has a bold and sweeping vision for the show's potential future and is promising some real excitement for the forthcoming new episodes.Favreau walked the red carpet at season 3 premiere on Tuesday, at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, and he spoke with ET's Ash Crossan about what fans can expect from the show's iconic characters in the new season.«Things certainly will culminate this season, because there's a lot of characters that we've set up and there are all lot of them that are coming together again,» Favreau teased, cautiously. «There are bigger things happening in the galaxy as well. We have the resurgent Empire and we have the Mandalorians, who are scattered, and there's lots of different factions that are all over the galaxy.»One thing fans saw in was Grogu (or «Baby Yoda» as fans have come to fondly call the character) leaving the tutelage of Luke Skywalker and choosing to return to Din Djarin — a.k.a.

Daft Punk video creator and manga artist Leiji Matsumoto has died, aged 85.Matsumoto, who worked on the videos for 2000 hit ‘One More Time’, ‘Digital Love’ and ‘Aerodynamic’, passed away last week (February 13) due to acute heart failure.He also worked with duo on their film Interstella 5555: The 5story of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.In a statement, his daughter Makiko Matsumoto wrote: “Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto departed for the sea of stars at a hospital in Tokyo on February 13, 2023 at the age of 85.“The farewell ceremony has already been held with close relatives. I think it was a happy life.”Matsumoto (real name Akira Matsumoto) was also heavily involved in the manga and anime art and film worlds and was best known for his work in creating TV series Space Battleship Yamato and 1979 film Galaxy Express 999.Writer Zack Davisson, who had previously worked with Matsumoto, paid tribute to the late artist.He wrote: “Leiji Matsumo’s work was the foundation of what we know as ‘anime/manga fandom,’ in both the US and Japan.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Ant-Man,” released eight years ago, was a comic-book movie that almost inadvertently used its hyper-miniaturized cowboy-on-ant-back superhero as a metaphor for what a tiny place the film itself occupied in the MCU. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018) was a bit less small. The director, Peyton Reed, who had a background in human comedy (“Down with Love,” “Bring It On”), expanded the sequel into a puckish fantasy of scale, with characters and objects popping back and forth in size, though the result was still more amusing than momentous. Paul Rudd’s nice-guy divorced dad turned badass metallic bug Scott Lang may have been an official Avenger, but that still didn’t give him more than a flyweight significance.

Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones” franchise is generally well-beloved, and yes, it has its mystical, supernatural, and paranormal elements—see the end of “Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade” or even, hell, the end of “Raiders Of The Lost Ark.” Geez, there were all kinds of wild iterations that almost made it to the screen like “Indiana Jones and the Saucermen from Mars,” Frank Darabont’s “Indiana Jones and The City of The Gods,” but for whatever reason, the alien elements in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull,” were a bridge too far for most audiences.

USC School of Cinematic Arts alums Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Fruitvale Station) and Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Little) have joined the school’s Board of Councilors.

Filmmakers Ryan Coogler and Tracy Oliver are the newest and youngest members of the USC School of Cinematic Arts Board of Councilors.“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” director Coogler graduated from the program in 2011. “Girls Trip” writer Oliver is an alum of the Class of 2010.The Board of Councilors oversees strategic planning, development, and fundraising efforts for the film school.

No matter your thoughts on the most recent “Star Wars” trilogy that Disney released in theaters, you have to admit that it could have been handled a bit more elegantly. Originally planned as a trilogy with three different filmmakers helming each “episode,” the Sequel Trilogy was going to close out the Skywalker Saga that George Lucas began decades prior.

Filming has wrapped for the Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew which stars Jude Law. Stunt coordinator George Cottle shared a video on Instagram celebrating the moment.

Gale Anne Hurd has been selected by the Visual Effects Society (VES) as the next recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her contributions to visual arts and filmed entertainment. The award will be presented at the 21st Annual VES Awards on February 15, 2023, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The Smithsonian last week debuted its long in the works Entertainment Nation, an entire wing at the National Museum of American History devoted, for the first time, to pop culture.

It’s no secret that George Lucas struggled to develop 1988’s “Willow.” Lucas hatched his idea for the film before “Star Wars,” but he couldn’t make it until he approached Ron Howard to direct in 1985. Shortly afterward, MGM entered the production process, Bob Dolman came on board to pen the script, and things moved forward.

Warning: The following interview has spoilers of Andor’s season one finale “Rix Road” on Disney+

An “Indiana Jones” television series is in the works for Disney+, TheWrap has confirmed with sources close to the project.This new series won’t follow the whip-wielding adventurer, like “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” but will instead be a prequel focused on young Abner Ravenwood, Marion Ravenwood’s father who remains a much talked-about but never seen figure in Indiana Jones lore. In this new show, Abner would be mentoring a group of young archeologists, just as he would one day mentor Indiana Jones.

Newly crowned Warner Bros Film Group Co-Chairpersons and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy will receive The Producers Guild of America’s 2023 Milestone Award.

American Cinema Editors has announced it will honor The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood with its ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award at the 73rd annual ACE Eddie Awards, taking place within UCLA’s Royce Hall on March 5, 2023.

EXCLUSIVE: Lewis Hamilton is launching film and TV production company Dawn Apollo Films.

Zack Sharf Ke Huy Quan took a break from his continued “Everything Everywhere All at Once” awards tour to visit the Warner Bros. soundstage where he filmed scenes for “The Goonies” over three decades ago. It turned out to be an emotional reunion, as Quan revealed he had not been to the film’s set in the just-over 36 years since “The Goonies” first opened in theaters. “First time back to Warner Brothers’ stage 16 in 36 years,” Quan wrote on Instagram. “This stage is where we filmed the pirate ship scene in ‘The Goonies.’ I got a bit emotional as all my wonderful memories of my Goonies Gang came flooding back. Fun trivia fact: the floor of this stage opens up and goes down 40 ft deep.”

Kanye West sees himself as a George Lucas-like figure in the fashion industry. The 45-year-old rap star - who has legally changed his name to Ye - believes he's more like the 'Star Wars' creator than a true fashion designer. He explained: "You know, specifically in this fashion context, I see myself more as a George Lucas than a fashion designer.

“Star Wars” universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order.

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled the new team of programmers and consultants who will work with incoming delegate general Julien Rejl on his inaugural selection for May 2023.

“Star Wars” universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Freevee has picked up Icons Unearthed: Star Wars for the UK, the doc series that features the first tell-all on-camera interview with George Lucas’ former wife Marcia Lucas.

announced on Tuesday that the institution, which is now under construction in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park, will open in 2025. In 2017, Los Angeles won the location sweepstakes over San Francisco for George Lucas’ one-of-a-kind museum, which will house art from films including Lucas’ own “Star Wars,” as well as photography, Renaissance paintings, and ancient Roman mosaics.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art said Tuesday that its five-story, 300,000-square foot building and 11-acre campus in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park is now aiming at opening in 2025.

Despite that online halfwit insisting, “politics have no place in ‘Star Wars,’” or some nonsense about wokeness, I’m sorry to break it to you that George Lucas’ films have always been, in fact, political from the jump. It is an era where a totalitarian regime rules the galaxy with an iron fist wiping out all dissidents and agitators, after all.

former love rival Kanye West confessed that he’s never actually read a book, going on to compare literature to icky green vegetables.Yeezy’s remarks came Friday on an episode of the “Alo Mind Full” podcast just a day after Rolling Stone reported that parents must sign non-disclosure agreements to send their children to West’s $15K per year, non-accredited Donda Academy outside of Los Angeles.“I actually haven’t read any book,” West told hosts Danny Harris and Alyson Wilson. “Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts for me.

Disney+ has found its Ezra Bridger. Eman Esfandi has been tapped to play the animated character in Disney+’s live-action Ahsoka series, sources have confirmed to Deadline. Lucasfilm declined comment.

The rules of survival in Hollywood have always fascinated me. “Consistency is the key – always present yourself to studios as a total bitch,” Bette Davis once confided. “Never delude yourself into thinking that a star can become a loyal personal friend,” advised Billy Wilder. “Since studios always lie, a producer’s mandate is to come up with bigger lies,” said David O. Selznick.

previously announced star Amandla Stenberg.Going farther back in time than any live-action “Star Wars” project before it, “The Acolyte” will take place in the last days of the High Republic Era, centuries before “The Phantom Menace,” where the thought-to-be eradicated Siths have returned. “Russian Doll” co-creator Leslye Headland will be showrunning.Speaking to TheWrap last year, Headland — who is the first queer woman to be behind a “Star Wars” title — said “The Phantom Menace” appealed to her upon its release, when she was first discovering her sexuality.“I actually was very intrigued by why George Lucas had started us at that particular point.

via EW), conjures old Hollywood and is an exciting preview of what’s to come when the untitled “Indiana Jones” sequel opens in theaters on June 30, 2023.Harrison Ford reprises the role of Jones for a fifth time in the new movie, which also stars Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Thomas Kretschmann, Shaunetee Renée Wilson, Toby Jones and Antonio Banderas.Plot details for the new film have been firmly under wraps, but the project has been in the works for years following the release of 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” The fifth film was originally to be directed by Steven Spielberg, who directed the previous four “Indiana Jones” movies and co-created the franchise with George Lucas, but Spielberg stepped down from the director’s chair in 2020 to focus on other projects (his next film, “The Fabelmans,” opens this fall) but remains involved as a producer.Mangold was hand-picked to direct fresh off the success of his Oscar-winning racing drama “Ford v. Ferrari,” and co-wrote the current screenplay with Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth.

If you’re a fan of a particular era of British rock ’n’ roll, this is the right year to be at the Telluride Film Festival. The festival’s opening day brought onetime photographer Anton Corbijn’s “Squaring the Circle,” which looked at the rock design company Hipgnosis through memories from Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Noah Gallagher and many others.

By Many kids aspire to become what they see on screen. Some might dream of being superhero, or perhaps a daring detective or celebrated athlete. Ismael Cruz Córdova couldn’t wait until he could be an elf.

Star Wars after starring in Trainspotting.The Obi-Wan Kenobi actor recently reflected on his career in the 1990s on the Smartless podcast, discussing his uncertainty about joining the Star Wars franchise in 1999 after working on Trainspotting in 1996.“I really had to think about it,” McGregor said. “Because it came right after that Trainspotting period, and by that time I was so full of myself.“I was like, ‘I am Danny Boyle’s actor. I am fucking urban grunge.

In the original period fantasy feature, we saw titular character Willow Ufgood, a benevolent aspiring sorcerer, embark on a dangerous quest alongside swordsman Madmartigan to save a baby empress from a tyrannical queen.