‘Star Wars’ Creator George Lucas Didn’t Go To ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’ Premiere

Days after the first reactions and official reviews went out, general audiences are heading out to see the ninth and final Star Wars film this evening. Despite the fact that they’ll be seeing what a select few people have already seen, though, they will join the critics, entertainment journalists, and industry professionals in a larger group that, interestingly enough, won’t include filmmaker George Lucas. Because, as Comic Book reports, the franchise creator did not attend The Rise of Skywalker premiere earlier this week.

The film’s cast and crew, including franchise alum Billy Dee Williams, were all in attendance during Monday’s premiere screening in Hollywood. Lucas, however, was not. Even so, The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy were adamant about making sure they everyone there knew how much they owed the Star Wars creator. “We wouldn’t be standing here without him. His vision of Star Wars hanged cinematic history, and we honor his legacy tonight,” said Kennedy. Abrams noted that “without him, I wouldn’t have had a childhood. It’s been a privilege to work in a galaxy he created.”

While Lucas did discuss matters with Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio at one point in the production, his absence from Monday’s premiere is more interestingly contextualized by Disney CEO Bob Iger’s revelations in his recent book. “There’s nothing new,” the filmmaker evidently said after seeing The Force Awakens, which Abrams also directed. “There weren’t enough visual or technical leaps forward.”