Twenty-two years ago, in the breakfast room at the Main House at Skywalker Ranch, I sat down to lunch with George Lucas and Bob Iger. Bob was then head of ABC, and George was pitching him on a new TV series called The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. ”It’s an educational show, Bob,” I remember George saying. “Nobody will watch it.” I cringed. Not exactly the best way to sell a show. But Bob said, “I don’t care. I’ll take that chance.” True to his word, Bob Iger stuck with Young Indy for two seasons, through critical success and ratings failure. In the process he won George’s trust and forged a relationship that would pay huge dividends far in the future.
A decade or so before that, I met Kathleen Kennedy, a friend of George’s and an upstart young producer. In 1981, she brought two top secret Steven Spielberg projects to ILM (their first work ever on productions outside of Lucasfilm): Poltergeist and a script so hush hush it went by the code name “A Boy’s Life,” for fear that its real title, E.T., would give it all away. She was a precocious whirlwind, having only a year before been credited as “Mr. Spielberg’s associate” on Raiders of the Lost Ark — instantly likeable, and even back then, a force to be reckoned with.
In the intervening years, Kathleen, Bob, and I each followed different but intertwining paths. Kathleen went on to become one of the most successful and respected producers of our time, with films like Jurassic Park, The Color Purple, Schindler’s List, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Lincoln to her credit. Bob became CEO and eventually chairman of the Walt Disney Company and took the company to soaring new heights. I was fortunate enough as head of Licensing at Lucasfilm to work with George on the re-launch of Star Wars in the early ‘90s, culminating in the prequels and The Clone Wars, to become the multi-generational phenomenon it is today. Our paths would cross many times in those years, with Kathleen most recently when she served as executive producer of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and with Bob as our presence in the Disney theme parks grew, through Star Wars Weekends, Jedi Training Academy, and now the fantastically re-imagined Star Tours attraction.
Today, George Lucas — the same force that brought us together in the first place — has brought us together once again in a much more profound way. He and Bob have signed an agreement for the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and he has recruited Kathleen to run the company and oversee the making of a new slate of Star Wars films. Kathleen, in turn, has asked me to give up my recent semi-retirement and return to the company full-time to assist her in the heady task of managing the Star Wars franchise.
When Kathleen asked me if I would come back, it took me all of a nanosecond to say yes. Life at Lucasfilm had suddenly gotten vastly more interesting. I knew that we were in the midst of negotiating the Disney deal, and I believed that Disney would be the perfect home for Lucasfilm given George’s imminent intention to step away. I knew Kathleen well and was enormously excited to work with her. But, more than anything, the prospect of being involved with a new trilogy of Star Wars films made by a new generation of filmmakers was nothing short of exhilarating for me.
Star Wars has been my life’s work. I started my career at Lucasfilm in 1980, the week that Empire was released. I have been intimately involved with every Star Wars film since then, and have helped shepherd the franchise through three generations of fans. I authorized and then oversaw the creation of the Expanded Universe. I re-launched Star Wars toys after nearly a 10 year hiatus. I brought LEGO into the Star Wars fold. To say that I am passionate about Star Wars would be a gross understatement.
I would not have come back unless I truly believed that we were doing the right thing for Star Wars and, even more fundamentally, that we were entrusting its fate to people worthy of that trust. I believe in Bob and his teams at Disney. I believe in Kathleen. And I believe in George and our company. My faith isn’t blind. It’s based on knowing these people for decades, knowing their talents, their achievements, their integrity, their commitment. For many of the pundits analyzing the Disney deal, we are often little more than abstractions based on resumes and numbers on a page. But for me it’s much more. My faith is the product of my life experience, what I know from living and working with the folks to whom the torch has been passed, who will now share responsibility for keeping the Star Wars flame burning bright.
I didn’t have to come back, but I did. And I, for one, am enormously excited about the future.
Tags: disney, episode vii, Howard Roffman
Very nice to see a familiar name return to the franchise !
Glad to have you back Howard!
[...] the official blog today, Howard Roffman talks about his history with George Lucas, Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy, as well as his emergence [...]
Nice to have you back. Now make sure they give us STAR WARS as the fans want it. Luke in his prime fighting Sith lords like the boss that he is.And plis dont ignore the EU, thinking of the Solos, Ben, Mara etc.Original stories can be a good thing but dont ignore what the most lojal fans love about the EU after the movies.
interesting article, hope to hear more from Mr Roffman in the future
Thanks for all you’ve done and yet to do, Howard! Hoping to see some great things in the upcoming months and years!
“It’s good to see a familiar face!” – C-3PO
Welcome back, Howard! The Disney/Lucasfilm partnership has had all kinds of interesting effects, and this is definitely a great one. I’m looking forward to many years of great Star Wars products to come…
Howard, I’m very glad to know you’ve returned to Lucasfilm.
It’s a toss up as to which I was more excited about: learning that we would be doing more Star Wars movies or learning that Howard would be returning. I’ve always valued his keen insight, inspirational leadership, and passion for the franchise. And kudos to Kathleen for bringing him back.
Good news for Star Wars!
Great to have such a top team bringing new movies and more to our futures. Awesome to see you back Howard and it was great to share that shuttle ride from the airport in Orlando back at C5.
Howard, we’re delighted you’ve come back home to Lucasfilm and we look forward to working with you again over the coming years! With Kathy at the helm you had to come back – we missed you.
Glad you’re back Howard, makes me even more optimistic about the future of Star Wars.
Star Wars VII starring me. Make it happen. This carbonate sleep is boring.
Howard, this is great news for Star Wars fans, especially those who love the care and consideration folks like you and Leland Chee have given the continuing saga in the EU.
More and more I’m seeing this less as a “new day” for Star Wars, and more as a continuation of the great times we’ve already had as fans.
And, not that my vote counts, but a new story (respectful of, but not rehashing, the existing EU) set 50 years or so after RotJ wouldn’t be amiss . . .
STAR WARS IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE FOREVER.George Lucas you are indeed a truly wise and forward thinking creative genius,you’ve put your company and legacy in the hands of some of your true friends and trusted collaborators,more and more I’m becoming comfortable with the Lucasfilm/Disney merger which you set in motion.May The Force Be With Us,All. The future awaits.
It is extremly good news to see Star Wars go onward with some of the original people involved. It feels like this is a huge step into fulfilling many fans dreams, the continuation of the saga after RotJ! I would love to see the Timothy Zahn books brought to life. Face it, we all want to see Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest of the gang again!
Very excited to see what happens, regardless of story choice!
For you to come back Howard it must be special and special it must be. Truly I know GL needed to do some serious succession planning for his company and all those employees but do have my reservations about a Hollywood Studio taking ownership of the company but I’m prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and am really looking forward to a new take on George’s third trilogy – I never thought it would happen! Howard, make it happen young sir.
I really hope the new trilogy doesn’t totally disregrd all of the EU as there would be no Prequels or even new trilogy without it. It was the proving ground for all that came after in the 90’s and 00’s. Lucas owes them a giant debt for keeping the fame alive.
Welcome back Howard! I worked with you in the mid to late 90s, as producer of all the Kenner / Hasbro Star Wars toy commercials. As a huge Star Wars fan, i always appreciared your knowledge and enthusiasm for the toys I worked on as we ushered them back into the hands of a new generation of kids. Star Wars is Forever, and thanks to you, a galaxy far, far away is in great hands for the future once again! Can’t wait for all the fun in the licensing world that comes with Episodes VII, VIII & IX!
Its good to see a man return that has had so much input on not just a film but a culture that’s been with me for more than 30 years and has now passed onto my children. What would be even better would be the return of many things that have not only kept the franchise going but made it what it is today. I am talking about the Game that was closed down last year called Star Wars Galaxies, although it was replaced by a better looking game, for many its not the Star Wars we all know and love and to be honest we don’t like being told what to like. This might be a total shot in the dark but there are many of us out there that would like to see this game come back as it was but, you should never look back with out fixing what was broken so what I and so many are asking is would there be scope for Star Wars Galaxies 2 to go along side the new films and still be the same type of game as the original. There has been no comment from anyone over the last year that has totally put to bed the idea it would never happen, but ow Disney has the company and Lucasfilm has the security of a huge blanket would this be a possible near future project. Please replie or mail me back so I may post any findings thank you for your time. CRJ.
Interesting. This has shed some new light on Disney buying Lucasfilm.
Welcome home!
Hi there, Howard!
I just read your blog post and thought you might enjoy this infographic from Dictionary.com, highlighting the top words added to the English language by Disney and Star Wars:
http://infogr.am/Dictionary-comDisneyStarWarsWords/
Please feel free to post on your site and share with your readers, here’s the embed code for your convenience:
Best regards,
Jill Beaverson
I’d love to see Rick here, too.
i really hope this dont screw up the older movies…. .-. thats the only thing im afraid of