2012 was an interesting year. The presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney unfolded, The Avengers marked the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first big crossover event, and there was talk about the world possibly ending before the year was over, based off various ancient beliefs. According to Seth Rogen, George Lucas was among those who ascribed to this doomsday scenario, which threw Rogen for a loop when he first crossed paths with the Star Wars filmmaker.
During his recent visit to the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, Seth Rogen recounted how in 2012, he and his partner Evan Goldberg had a meeting with Steven Spielberg, and surprisingly, George Lucas was there too. While Spielberg took care of some odds and ends, Rogen and Goldberg started talking with Lucas, which led to the following exchange:
Very quickly the conversation turns to ‘How’s it going?’ ‘Not great. We’re nearing the end of 2012 and the world is going to end.’ Essentially. To which me and Evan are like, is he joking? A question that still haunts me, and I think I know the answer is ‘Was he joking?’ It did not appear he was joking. So we tried to prod. And we’re making jokes like ‘What’s supposed to happen?’ ‘Oh a giant fault is going to happen. It’s a fault line.’
If you think all this sounds weird, there’s more. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg then jokingly asked George Lucas if he had a spaceship in order to flee Earth’s impending destruction, and if they could come aboard. Lucas responded to their inquiry with a blunt “No,” leading Rogen to keep believing that the man who breathed life into the Star Wars franchise wasn’t joking. Conan O’Brien noted had Steven Spielberg been in the room, watching his reaction would have solved the mystery, as he and Lucas are good friends, so Spielberg would have known if Lucas was indeed kidding or being completely serious.
While I am confounded at the idea that George Lucas legitimately believed that the world was going to end in 2012, I don’t doubt that the man has enough money to afford his own spaceship, or at least pay for passage on one. Still, 2012 came and went without apocalyptic destruction, so at least that crossed off one entry on Lucas’ list of worries. I won’t lie, if Seth Rogen ever runs into Lucas again, I’d love to hear how that conversation unfolds, specifically if Rogen tries to amusingly point out how the world didn’t end nearly a full decade ago.
Alas, the chances of that happening seem slim, not just because Seth Rogen and George Lucas run in different circles, but Lucas is also semi-retired. 2012 was also the year that he sold Lucasfilm to Disney, and while he’s been kept in the loop about Star Wars projects being developed, that franchise is now being guided by those whom the Mouse House deems worthy. As for Rogen, he’s working on a variety of things, from joining Steven Spielberg’s movie that’s loosely based on the director’s childhood to being an executive producer and voice on Amazon’s Invincible series. He’s even started his own weed company!
Still, should Seth Rogen and George Lucas cross paths again, and one of them talks about it in public (let’s be honest, it would almost certainly be Rogen), we’ll inform you. In the meantime, take a look through our upcoming 2021 movies guide to learn what cinematic entertainment is arriving later in the year.
