MovieChat Forums > Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Discussion > How was George Lucas able to change Empi...

How was George Lucas able to change Empire and Return of the Jedi?

posted 5 years ago by TMC-4 (20179)
3 replies | jump to latest

How in the world did George Lucas have permission to make changes and film new sequences (like that goofy dance/music sequence) for Empire and Return of the Jedi? He didn't write them or direct them. Could he get away with it bcause he made them outside the DGA and WGA? Was it simply because he owned all the rights to them. So being a writer or director doesn't exactly give you any legal control over the film.

[–] Lampedusean (498) 5 years ago

...because there was money to be made in the short run.

[–] MoviesSuck (964) 5 years ago

He owned the rights.

Being a writer in Hollywood gives you almost zero control over the end product. As for directors, they rarely have more control over a project than the studio/financier.

[–] PaladinNJ (21525) 5 years ago

Lucas did write them. Maybe not the final script but he created the original stories and owned the rights. He could make any changes he wanted to.