GEORGE LUCAS

At once a biography, a business manual, and a film history, George Lucas will, for the first time, explore the life and work of a fiercely independent writer/director/producer who became one of the world’s most influential filmmakers and cultural icons—a true game changer. This is going to be a major book and the first biography on George Lucas in fifteen years.

On May 25, 1977, a problem-plagued, budget-straining, independent science fiction film opened in a mere thirty-two American movie theatres. Conceived, written and directed by a little-known filmmaker named George Lucas, Star Wars reinvented the cinematic landscape, ushering in a new way for movies to be made, marketed, and merchandised. And if that wasn’t game-changing enough, Lucas went on to create another blockbuster series (Indiana Jones), completely revolutionized the world of special effects, not to mention sound systems (THX). His team also created Photo Shop, founded the company that would later become Pixar, and spearheaded the drive to digitization on film, which has led to a rash of innovation and democratization in film and television.

Simply put, George Lucas is one of the most influential filmmakers of the past fifty years. He is an icon, and it’s time he gets a biography deserving of his achievements. Of course, the market for this book is tremendous, from the millions and millions of Star Wars fans around the world (sales of Star Wars-related merchandise total more than $27 billion), to more general pop culture readers, to cinema devotees, and more.

Brian Jay Jones is a fan boy at heart. He excels at weaving together disparate resource material into a cogent whole, as evident from his New York Times bestselling work JIM HENSON: THE BIOGRAPHY. He gets interviews with people who almost never speak on the record and unearths documents in places no one has bothered to look before.