Lucas biography

A long time ago in a galaxy not far awaybefore the empire struck back and Jedis returned — there was a young Padawan director named George Lucas who had a crazy idea for a space opera that almost never made it to the screen.

From Mel’s Drive-in to the Mos Eisley Cantina

In , Lucas was living in a one-bedroom home in Mill Valley when he directed a low-budget film called American Graffiti, based loosely on his youth in Modesto, California, and his love for hot-rod culture.

Although it cost less than $1 million to produce, it became a blockbuster teen-culture classic, earning $50 million and five Oscar nods, including Best Director.

Emboldened by his early success with Graffiti, Lucas was determined to follow through on an idea for a “space opera” he and his partner, Gary Kurtz, had been noodling around since The story was based on outer-space adventures like those of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers—stories Lucas adored as a