LOS ANGELES – Though he says he appreciates The Force Awakens “for what it is,” George Lucas reiterated Thursday that he still harbors ill feelings toward his deal with Disney due to the company’s refusal to let him keep his Ewok coffee mug.
“We were there at the ranch, and they were stripping Jar Jar decals off walls, prying up Death Star floor tiles – they even took the Salacious Crumb throw pillows,” Lucas said. “And I looked at [Disney CEO] Bob Iger and said, ‘Please, let me keep Wicket.’”
“And he just…he just said, ‘As is,’ and ripped it from my hand,” Lucas continued, holding back tears.
Cast members of the original trilogy confirmed the event. “Yeah, that was pretty rough,” Harrison Ford said.
C-3PO performer Anthony Daniels elaborated. “Oh, it was dreadful. They really took everything. I think George was wearing a Qui-Gon Jinn tie at the time. A Disney aide came up, untied it, and walked off with it, never saying a thing. I remember George just crumpled into a heap on the floor after that.”
Though he admits negotiations were “tough,” Iger denied that any ill-will was intended by the company and that he and George Lucas remain “very close.”
“It’s just business,” Iger said, taking a sip of coffee.
