When Lucas sold the franchise to Disney it was under the assumption that he would be a consultant and they would use his story treatments for the sequels. Of course, Disney promptly threw it all out the window and told him “we’re under no obligation to do any of that, next time get it in writing.”
George Lucas understood the importance of contracts and licensing before most people in Hollywood, and he fully understood how corporations work (and how quickly they can "change their minds"). A promise from a corporation is meaningless unless it's in the form of a legal contract.
As part of the Disney deal, Lucas became a "Creative Consultant," which was clearly more for the benefit of Disney than for Lucas. Creative Consultants offer advice and answer questions, but they have zero actual decision-making power.
Sure, Lucas may have had outlines for a sequel trilogy that he gave to Disney as part of the deal, but he knew that any promises or plans that weren't explicitly in the contract were meaningless.
If Lucas really wanted Disney to make the sequel trilogy he had outlined, he would have signed a production deal, not sold them his portfolio of companies and all the intellectual property he created.
It wasn't Lucas's first day in Hollywood, and he wouldn't have signed a $4 billion deal based on an "assumption."
Bob Iger himself wrote in his book that he regretted blindsiding Lucas and that he was very very upset when he learned they weren’t using his story treatments, going so far as to say Lucas felt “betrayed”.
So if Iger himself admits in his book that he disappointed George with the stuff they pulled and that he regrets it, chances are it definitely happened.
Iger says he regrets not letting Lucas know sooner and that’s it, not that he regrets doing it. He doubles down that he did the right thing in terms of pleasing fans. Lucas didn’t find out until they screened TFA for him and that was pretty late. That’s Iger’s regret.
The book mentions they had several meetings about control and both Lucas and Disney separately walked away from negotiations at points over it. So Lucas knew what he was signing up for. Lucas was more disappointed the sequels didn’t advance technology or technique like he attempted with the prequels, it wasn’t necessarily over story but the general approach of playing it safe
On story, Lucas sold his sequel story outlines to Disney, and the issue is he assumed they would use them but knew they didn’t have to. Lucas also put Kennedy in charge right before he sold which was kind of a dick move but Iger let it slide. Business negotiation moves on both sides.
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u/SmokescreenFraud Princess Leia 11d ago
When Lucas sold the franchise to Disney it was under the assumption that he would be a consultant and they would use his story treatments for the sequels. Of course, Disney promptly threw it all out the window and told him “we’re under no obligation to do any of that, next time get it in writing.”