"Star Wars" creator George Lucas has broken ground on his new museum dedicated to visual storytelling. The billion-dollar project will include onsite movie theaters as well as paintings from Degas and Renoir.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/D. Dovarganes
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Filmmaker George Lucas broke ground on the site of his new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday.
The 73-year-old director and producer, known for Hollywood franchise hits like "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones," said he wanted to create a museum to honor visual storytelling and that it will embrace a diverse range of art forms.
"I believe in all kinds of art. And I believe all kinds of art have a right to exist. I think it's important to have a museum that I used to jokingly say, supports all the orphan arts that nobody else wants to see, but everybody loves. So that's my dream for this," Lucas said at Wednesday's ceremony.
He was joined by his wife Mellody Hobson, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and directors Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola.
Lucas was joined by his wife Mellody Hobson and fellow directors Francis Ford Coppola and Steven SpielbergImage: picture-alliance/AP/D. Dovarganes
Movies, Degas and lightsabers
The futuristic-looking, five-story museum was designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong and should be completed by 2021. The Associated Press reported that the building is supposed to resemble the iconic Millennium Falcon spaceship used in the "Star Wars" franchise.
The 100,000-square-foot (9290-square-meter) museum will have plenty of room for gallery space, underground parking, a restaurant, a research library, classrooms and movie theaters.
Although he is adamant that the space is not a "Star Wars" museum, the collection will include illustrations, digital art and paintings from the popular science-fiction franchise.
The museum will be located near the University of Southern California, where Lucas studied filmImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/D. Dovarganes
"Star Wars" fans will be able to glimpse Luke Skywalker's first lightsaber and Darth Vader's helmet while classic film junkies will be able to view pieces from "Casablanca," "The Ten Commandments" and "The Wizard of Oz," entertainment magazine Variety reported.
Alongside popular art, film art and comics, Lucas' museum will also display traditional artwork as well — including paintings from Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Norman Rockwell.
Lucas and his wife are footing the construction and operating endowment bill for the museum, which is expected to exceed $1 billion.
Brief guide to the Star Wars universe
The Star Wars universe just keeps getting bigger with spin-offs focusing on different aspects of the space saga. Consult this guide to get the background story straight.
Image: 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.
The new spin-off: Solo: A Star Wars Story
The latest film tells the story of a young Han Solo. Actor Alen Ehrenreich plays the renegade space pilot with humor and respect for the original character, portrayed by Harrison Ford. Taking place before Episode IV, the film explains how Solo got to know his Wookie pal Chewbacca.
Image: 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.
The dream team from the original trilogy
In 1977, the smuggler Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker appeared for the first time on the silver screen. The trio was central to episodes IV-VI, (Star Wars, 1977; The Empire Strikes Back, 1980; Return of the Jedi, 1983), and met again decades later in Episode VII - The Force Awakens, from 2015.
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Traveling in time
Since 1977, Star Wars enthusiasts have been regularly celebrating the release of a new episode. They don't mind the jumps in the timeline. A real Star Wars fan knows exactly "when" each episode is set. The events in Rogue One take place between Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV - A New Hope, the new title for the original Star Wars movie.
Image: Lucasfilm 2016/J. Olley
The Jedi Knights
In the Star Wars universe, members of the Jedi Order use their power to do good. The Force gives them superhuman abilities. For example, they can move objects using their mind. Their strongest weapon is the lightsaber. The most famous Jedi Knights are Luke and Anakin Skywalker (the latter is shown right in the picture), Obi-Wan Kenobi (left) and Master Yoda.
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Grand master Yoda
Yoda is the most powerful Jedi Knight of all time; he knows how to use the Force like no other. For over 800 years, he has been training young disciples, known as Padawan learners, to become Jedi Knights. His language is strange; his words are wise. He is only 66 cm (26 inches) tall, but even his largest opponents know the Jedi Master should not be judged by his size.
In Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda trains the young Luke Skywalker. Luke is very insecure and does not believe in his powers. Yoda teaches him the Jedi philosophy and new mental skills. He also warns him not to let negative feelings take over: "Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."
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The Sith
The Sith are an Order on the dark side of the Force. Sith are mostly former Jedi Knights who have left the light side hoping to obtain more power. Famous Siths include Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Darth Sidious. Pictured here is Darth Tyranus, who was known as Count Dooku when he was a Jedi.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Tischler
'Luke, I am your father'
Darth Vader used to be Jedi Anakin Skywalker. Wanting to save the life of his wife and unborn children, he was pulled into the dark force by the Galactic Emperor himself. Anakin then became Darth Vader, while his children Luke and Leia were rescued and hidden. Twenty years later, Luke and Vader met again in a climatic confrontation, where the son discovered that the grim figure was his father.
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Emperor of the Galactic Empire
He is actually a charismatic member of the Senate governing a large planetary republic. But secretly, Sheev Palpatine is a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. He calls for an uprising against the Republic. He rises to the position of Supreme Chancellor and then Emperor, aiming to rule on the entire universe. He is responsible for the worst of all weapons...
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The Death Star
The Death Star is the Imperial super-weapon. It's the size of the moon and is devastatingly destructive. Princess Leia witnessed a cruel demonstration of its power, as a blast from its superlaser destroyed her home planet, Alderaan. The Death Star had a weak point, allowing the rebels to strike back and destroy it — but the next Death Star was already under construction.
Controlled by the dark side of the Force, hundreds of thousands of soldiers — the stormtroopers — are the main ground force of the Galactic Empire. They have always been loyal to the supreme commander, the Galactic Emperor, and follow their superiors — such as here, Kylo Ren — without questioning them. In Episode VII, stormtrooper Finn breaks with this tradition and joins the good guys.
Along with humanoids, the Star Wars universe features a few inhuman creatures, such as the powerful criminal Jabba the Hutt, a disgusting monster who has unfinished business with the ex-smuggler Han Solo. In order to reinforce his demands, he enslaves Princess Leia. The bikini worn by actress Carrie Fischer in that scene has become legendary.
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All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT)
The Imperial weapons' massive size alone is already meant to frighten opponents. The four-legged AT-AT walkers are combat vehicles that can move quickly on any terrain while transporting troops. Their heads contain tons of the destructive projectiles. A similarly evil combat device is the two-legged All Terrain Scout Transport, or AT-ST.
While the Death Star was still being built, the ships of the Imperial fleet were holding the fort. Pictured here is a gigantic Star Destroyer, flanked by small and maneuverable starfighters that combat the Rebels in their own rapid ships, leading to fast-paced duels. In 1977, Star Wars creator George Lucas established new standards in special effects with these spectacular scenes.
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The music
Composer John Williams wrote the soundtrack to all Star Wars films. The main theme and the dark march accompanying Darth Vader are world famous. The song "Cantina Song" from Episode IV also became instantly cult. It is played by the alien band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes in the original 1977 film.
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Han Solo's sidekick: Chewbacca
Smuggling belongs to Han Solo's past by Episode VII, and his relation with Princess Leia is also over — even though they are married. After many years, they meet again, and once again, their goal is to fight against the Empire. They're all older — except Han Solo's loyal friend, the Wookie Chewbacca, who accompanies Han until the end. His growl is legendary.
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The droids
Already present in the first films, the golden know-it-all droid C3PO and his small beeping counterpart, R2D2, make up one of the most iconic twosome of film history. In Episode VII, another cute robot joined them: BB-8 (left). These three droids are loyal to the main characters and have already saved them from perilous situations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A.Poole
A new heroine
Introduced in Episode VII, Rey is a new heroine whose origin still hasn't been explained. Is she the daughter of Leia and Han Solo? Or Luke Skywalker's? No one knows what happened in the 30 years after Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Rogue One invited audiences to go back in time to find out.
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Rogue One
This stand-alone spin-off movie is set in the period between Episode III and IV. The Empire is building its first Death Star and wants to test its destructive power. As Star Wars fans know, it can destroy a whole planet with a single blast. The Rebels want to steal the design plans for the weapon. The whole story runs parallel to the original Star Wars narrative.
Rey's journey continues in Star Wars: The last Jedi
Just before Christmas 2017, the eighth part of the Star Wars saga was released. In Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Rey tries to win over Jedi recluse Luke Skywalker and bring him back into the Resistance. Meanwhile, the "First Order" wants to completely annihilate the rebel army led by Leia Organa. Poe and Finn do their best to prevent this.