George Lucas Says He Was Going to Make 3 More ‘Star Wars’ Movies But “Decided to Retire” From Directing

Los Angeles welcomed a grand opening of George Lucas’s Museum of Narrative Art yesterday, drawing both Star Wars enthusiasts and art aficionados. The 82-year-old creator of the franchise, along with his wife and business partner Mellody Hobson, built the biomorphic structure intended to be a "people's temple of art." Upon entering the museum, the first 100 visitors were greeted by its creators, who shook hands with each of them.

Visitors like Eric Cheung, a dentist and realtor dressed in a Star Wars X-wing pilot costume, expressed their enthusiasm for the museum, stating that each art piece tells a unique story. The $450 million museum sits on the site of a former parking lot adjacent to the University of Southern California, Lucas's alma mater. For local resident Brenda Chambliss, the presence of the museum in her South Los Angeles neighborhood signifies a positive change, breaking away from the area's often associated stigma of crime and poverty.

The museum houses more than 9,300 square meters of exhibition space, featuring over 30 galleries showcasing works by renowned artists such as Banksy, Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, and Robert Colescott, as well as comic books by Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, and Frank Frazetta, and illustrations by Norman Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith, and N.C. Wyeth.