While George Lucas has said his negative share of things about Disney Star Wars, the former head of Lucasfilm comes out in support of Bob Iger and the current board in regards to the ongoing proxy war with investor Nelson Peltz over two board seats.
Lucas released the following statement supporting Bob Iger and Disney:
“Creating magic is not for amateurs. When I sold Lucasfilm just over a decade ago. I was delighted to become a Disney shareholder because of my long-time admiration for its iconic brand and Bob Iger’s leadership. When Bob recently returned to the company during a difficult time, I was relieved. No one knows Disney better. I remain a significant shareholder because I have full faith and confidence in the power of Disney and Bob’s track record of driving long-term value. I have voted all of my shares for Disney’s 12 directors and urge other shareholders to do the same.”
While Lucas has come out and said negative things about Disney Star Wars (see below), he has also been on the set of The Mandalorian, so it’s not like his relationship with Disney is broken.
We can also add that George Lucas was paid rather handsomely for Star Wars in a deal worth $4 billion in cash and Disney stock.
The vote for the two board seats will be revealed on April 3 at Disney’s annual meeting.
What has George Lucas said about Star Wars?
Some of the more negative remarks made by Lucas include telling Charlie Rose he sold Lucasfilm to “white slavers.”
He also said he lost control of Star Wars, but at least the six movies are still his.
“I’ve kind of lost control of Star Wars, so it’s going off in a different path than what I intended. But the first six are very much mine, and my philosophy,” he said in an interview three years ago.
Worth a mention is that Lucas’ wife, Mellody Hobson, is the independent chair of the Starbucks Board of Directors, and the Starbucks Corporation has a business relationship with Disney since 2009.
Disney also hasn’t released a new Star Wars movie in five years, Indiana Jones 5 was a massive failure for Disney, and Lucasfilm’s Willow reboot has been canceled after one season.
