Lucas revelou em várias entrevistas na época que ele estava farto de dirigir.
Em 1977, no set de Star Wars , ele contou American Film :
"I come from the filmmaker's school of doing movies, which means I do everything myself...If I left anything for a day, it would fall apart...Whenever there is a leak in the dam, I have to stick my finger in it. I should learn to say, 'Somebody else go plug it up.'"
George Lucas: Interviews Edited by Sally Fine
Em 1983, ele disse:
"I dislike directing. I hate the constant dealing with volatile personalities. Directing is emotional frustration, anger, and tremendously hard work - seven days a week, twelve to sixteen hours a day. For years my wife would ask why we couldn't go out to dinner like other people. But I couldn't turn it off. Eventually, I realized that directing simply wasn't healthy for me."
George Lucas: Interviews Edited by Sally Fine
Aparentemente, ele ficou nostálgico por isso, depois de uma longa ausência; em 1990, ele disse que queria voltar a dirigir:
"It's not that I prefer producing, that's just where I find myself these days. It wasn't something I did by choice. I was just more effective in the producing area, which is where the opportunities have presented themselves in the last few years...Ultimately, I'm a director. I've done many things, but that's where my heart is...I just want to get back to what I started doing.
George Lucas: Interviews Edited by Sally Fine