What’s the creator of ‘Star Wars’ George Lucas’s net worth?
Star Wars mastermind George Lucas has had much reason to celebrate over the last fifty years, including his jaw-dropping net worth, a number so jarring that it would even shut Jar Jar Binks up.
George Lucas has carved himself out an iconic Hollywood legacy, as he’s not only the creator of Star Wars, but he’s also part of the creative team that developed legendary projects such as the Indiana Jones films, as well as some cult classics like Willow, The Land Before Time, and Labyrinth.
Let’s revisit the history of George Lucas so we may uncover the reason behind his gargantuan net worth.
George Lucas
Born on May 14, 1944, in Modesto, California, George Lucas’s empire truly began after he graduated from the University of Southern California in 1967, when he co-founded the film production company American Zoetrope in San Francisco with fellow filmmaker & future icon, Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now). This is the studio where he would make his first film, THX 1138.
After the financial disappointment Lucas experienced due to the film, he went on to write & direct his follow-up feature, American Graffiti in 1973, which he produced through his brand new Lucasfilm production title. The film would go on to garner five Oscar nominations.
However, the creative juices flowing deep within Lucas were simply too strong for him to strictly rely on real-world stories. George Lucas was conjuring something much stronger, something much more epic in the back of his mind over the years, and in 1977, we would all finally get to witness just exactly what he was planning.
Star Wars
Star Wars was released in 1977 to the surprise of many, seeing as how many moviegoers had yet to experience a space epic of this scale before. The film, which told the story of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who goes on through the course of three films to discover his true powers as a Jedi master, all while attempting to take down the evil Empire led by the powerful Darth Vader & Emperor Palpatine.
The series also featured Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The two subsequent sequels, The Empire Strikes Back & The Return of the Jedi were released in 1980 & 1983. What many fans simply refer to as “the trilogy”, Star Wars went on to become a cultural phenomenon, truly innovating the way movies could be made and setting the bar for all sci-fi projects.
George Lucas, who felt desperate to return to Star Wars, revisited the franchise with a new prequel trilogy in the late 90s & early 2000s. The difference for Lucas this time would be that he himself would direct the projects, unlike the original trilogy. Sadly, for many fans, this was a major detriment to their Star Wars nostalgia, as the prequel trilogy faced much backlash which put a dent in the legacy of Star Wars.
Disney buys Lucasfilm
On October 30th, 2012, it was announced that Disney had purchased Lucasfilm and all of its properties for a whopping $4.05 billion, half in cash and the other half in Disney stock.
While George Lucas had to give up his baby Star Wars in the deal, making Disney the true proprietors of all things pop-culture, he did come out to a pretty impressive payday, making his net worth stretch beyond a galaxy far, far away.
George Lucas’s net worth
As of today, it is estimated that George Lucas has a net worth of $6.4 billion, and while it’s unclear just exactly how George Lucas spends his earnings, we think it’s safe to say that he & his family will be well off for generations to come.
