'Star Wars' creator George Lucas faced studio backlash during prequel trilogy?

Star Wars is perhaps one of the biggest film franchises to have spun out of Hollywood. The original trilogy from decades ago proved to be the blueprint followed by modern blockbuster cinema seen today. While the entire credit for the franchise can be laid on the shoulders of George Lucas, who singlehandedly created a world of lore and sci-fi elements symphonised together to be showcased as a 'Space Opera', it is also he who is often blamed for the not so impresive outing of the prequel series. However, it is not just the fans who thought the prequel series was an abomination as compared to the original trilogy, it was also the studio executives back then who thought the same. 

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The Phantom Menace backlash 

The prequel trilogy which spanned across 1999 to 2005 clearly divided a lot of fans who considered Star Wars to be the epitome of entertainment. The prequel series was financially successful, but failed to create the same magic as the original trilogy and was also widely criticised for altering some key plot points from the original series too. In the latest book titled The Star Wars Archives, it is revealed that the plans made by George Lucas for the future of the Star Wars movie series concerned the production company. 

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Image courtesy - Fox Home Video (still from the sets of The Phantom Menace)

Lucas kicked off the prequel story by going back in time and showcasing the story of a young Anakin Skywalker. The franchise creator was then working with 20th Century Fox for the prequel series while writing The Phantom Menace, The Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. However, according to the newly released book, it was deemed by studio executives that the prequel film focussing on a 10-year-old Anakin Skywalker would have been a 'disaster'.

Anakin Skywalker's character was showcased to be the biggest villain 'Darth Vader' in the original franchise which left studio heads confused whether a younger version of the character would ever work. As it turns out, fans did not like The Phantom Menace much and the film received major backlash from reviewers and the general public. However, the prequel trilogy founds its redemption with the next two films, substantially. 

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