Francis Ford Coppola has some strong opinions about George Lucas and Star Wars.
During an interview at the Marrakech International Film Festival (via ScreenDaily), the Godfather director spoke about his longtime friend's most famous creation, saying that the big budget cycle of the Star Wars machine drove Lucas away from his roots as an experimental filmmaker.
"I think Star Wars, it's a pity, because George Lucas was a very experimental crazy guy and he got lost in this big production and never got out of it," Said Coppola.
"I still hope that he made so much money out of it that he will just make some little movies. He promises me that he will."
Prior to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope's release in 1977, Lucas directed two films: the dystopian science fiction tale THX 1138 and the 60's coming of age dramedy American Graffiti.
To his credit, Lucas' statements in recent interviews indicate that he will be keeping his promise to Coppola. Last month, he spoke to Vanity Fair magazine about leaving Star Wars behind and what his future plans will be.
"You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized. And, people try to make decisions about what you're going to do before you do it." Said Lucas when discussing the harsh criticism that surrounded his final years at the helm of Star Wars.
"You know, it's not much fun. And you can't experiment, you can't do anything. You have to do it a certain way. I don't like that, I never did. I started out in experimental films and I want to go back to experimental films."
As for Coppola, the 76-year old director said that he may have one more film left in him.
"I may only make one film more in my life, but it may be very long, and it may go in different places. It's sort of like Buddenbrooks because it's about three generations of a family."
Hopefully we can see what these two screen legends have been working on pretty soon.
