George Lucas will always be known, and loved, as the man who created Star Wars. However, today the franchise has more going on than it ever has before, and the man who started it all isn't involved. These days Kathleen Kennedy is the one managing the creation of all things Star Wars as the head of the company that bears George's name. While Kennedy says that George Lucas does still occasionally whisper in her ear some of his thoughts regarding the Jedi, she also says that Lucas has started to accept his new role of fan. Although, she completely understands why that transition has been difficult. According to Kennedy...
I think he's starting to settle into this and just be a fan. It's taken a while. It's hard to let go, after 40 years. That's a lot of expectation and things he thought a lot about. Suddenly that next generation, that whole thematic idea he came up with, is in process.
Back when it was announced that Disney had purchased Lucasfilm and that new movies would be produced, George Lucas was said to be a creative consultant and the new trilogy was going to be based on some of his ideas. Ultimately, little was used of Lucas' ideas and the man isn't officially involved in the franchise in any way.
It's not too surprising to hear Kathleen Kennedy tell Entertainment Weekly that George Lucas has found it "hard to let go." While seeing Star Wars continue to be popular likely makes Lucas feel like the proud father, it was such a major part of his life for so long that not dealing with it on a daily basis is probably quite strange. It's clearly going off in directions that he never intended, which could be quite frustrating, but the success it's still having can't be overlooked.
At the same time, George Lucas likely understood that at some point he was going to have to let Star Wars go on without him and that when that happened he would also lose control. For the most part, Lucas has remained quiet in public when it comes to his feelings about Star Wars. His initial comments about Star Wars: The Force Awakens were sort of generically positive, calling it a movie the fans would love. He later admitted that he didn't like the fact that they decided to go with a movie so similar to the original trilogy.
George Lucas will always be the godfather of Star Wars. While he may not be the brains behind the franchise anymore, we'll always appreciate the work that he did to create it. Hopefully, he's finding fun ways to enjoy his billions of dollars that he made when Disney bought the company.
