A Scorned George Lucas is Retiring from Hollywood

George Lucas leaves Hollywood and his empire a bitter man over the apparent rejection of his latest film and the continuous lashings from disgruntled Star Wars fans.

Ok, we're sorry, George, for bashing the prequels. We're sorry for ridiculing you over hacking the original flicks with added CGI, revised scenes and so on. Honestly, we didn't mean to hurt your feelings and push you into retirement. Did you ever stop think that maybe we were just trying to send you a message to leave it all alone? It was great. It was perfect. We consumed it like kids at an all-you-can-eat chocolate buffet. Revisions and additions just weren't necessary.... and neither is 3D.

"On the internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie," 67-year-old Lucas said during an interview about his latest film Red Tails, a biopic about the Tuskegee Airmen. "I’m saying: 'Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it.'"

The "guys" he was referring to are Star Wars fans that are re-editing the movies again, restoring them back to their original form. To some degree, it's understandable, but to Lucas, it seems somewhat discouraging. But over the years, Lucas has used his tremendous financial gain to do just that -- to do what he wants, turning simple stories into fictional sandboxes that he's allow to rearrange whenever he pleases. Typically that doesn't happen with other movies, TV shows, books and other multimedia.

But those days are finally coming to a close, the credits are about to roll. Lucas said he's retiring after the launch of Red Tails. He said Hollywood executives didn't want anything to do with the flick -- some wouldn't even bother showing up for a screening. To get it into theaters on January 20, Lucas had to pay for everything, including the actual prints. That, so the interview indicates, was the final straw for the man who created Star Wars, Indiana Jones and even a live action version of Howard the Duck.

"I’m retiring," Lucas said. "I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff."

Rick McCallum, who has been producing Lucas’s films for more than 20 years, is well aware of the filmmaker's intentions. "Once this is finished, he’s done everything he’s ever wanted to do," McCallum said. "He will have completed his task as a man and a filmmaker."

The interview depicts a wounded man when it begins to delve into the years following the release of 1997's Star Wars IV: A New Hope Special Edition. Lucas was clearly disappointed about the way fans lashed out at him in regards to revising the original trilogy (guilty -kp). Complaints have spanned from the revised scene between Han Solo and Greedo in Mos Eisley, to the final moments of Palpatine as Vader dumps him into the second Death Star's erupting core.

Of course, Star Wars fans and critics alike have been rather negative about the three prequels and the continuous wave of Star Wars-related merchandise littering retail shelves. But given that he's now retiring, we won't see any additional Star Wars content coming from the franchise creator himself. For some, that's good news.

"Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" he said.

To read the full interview, head here.

UPDATE: Die-hard Lucas fans needn't worry about a total Hollywood departure. Lucas indicated that he'll work on small, independent films instead of big, blockbuster projects.