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“We have several opportunities to build the production stages in communities that see us as a creative asset, not as an evil empire, and if we are to stay on schedule we must act on those opportunities,” Lucasfilm said in a statement. Today’s decision by George Lucas to back out of the Grady Ranch project reportedly caught Marin County officials by surprise, according to the AP. The filmmaker long planned to build a digital studio near his Skywalker Ranch but the project ran into many years of objections and legal action from neighborhood groups. Local homeowners had voiced opposition to the project, which they said was inappropriate for their suburban community. The studio was going to house production facilities for Lucasfilm’s advanced media projects and now will find a new location instead.
Lucasfilm has spend more than 25 years trying to get the so-called Grady Ranch project underway, long before most of the digital technologies that would be employed at the studio were even conceived. But it always faced objections from local homeowners.
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“…to build the production stages in communities that see us as a creative asset, not as an evil empire…” Translation- “F. U., Marin!” Ha!
Close, Gil.
The acutal F.U. moment came when Lucas said they will sell the property to a developer specifically for low income housing.
If the residents screamed about a production facility you couldn’t see from the road, think about how much the residents will love 125 low income houses that you can.
idiots.
they are idiots because they don’t want a movie studio in their backyard?
As ye sow, so shall ye reap, George.
The Empire does indeed strike back!
Kudos to a film company informing the Nimby’s that they can look forward to a reduced tax and jobs base.
I live in N California and I applaud Marin for doing this. You realize that his facilities in SF took away parkland? Jerk. And I’m glad his last movie bombed. I hate these HW jerks that have zero respect for the environment but always mouth leftwing platitudes.
From what I’ve seen, Lucas has been a great neighbor to these people. It’s not like they’re strip mining. California is in a very big tax hole and the citizenry of Marin is no doubt going to be very sorry to see the accepted replacement of Lucasfilm.
F.u. Gil Brooks. Signed, Marin
Most of us adore Lucas. Some in a specific area stood by nature over commerce. It was their home/backyard…not yours. Most of us see both sides. And I doubt George says fuck you to all of Marin for this decision.
As someone who’s from the Bay Area and who went to high school in Marin, believe me when I say that the residents couldn’t care less about Lucas.
silicon valley has the space and the talent/people to house you george
If the prequels were great Marin would have backed down. Content = king.
And short-sighted NIMBY a-holes kill a few more jobs in California… What else is new? I’m no fan of Lucas, but 25 years of opposition? He’s got patience, that’s for sure.
The people of Marin will lose out on jobs, not the entire state. Lucas still will be building it in California, just a different location.
Hey George–
On the serious, bring your digital studio to POMONA, CALIFORNIA. There is a huge General Dynamics facility, completely vacant, twenty-eight miles west of Los Angeles.
Just Google 1675 WEST MISSION BLVD to see how vast it is…
No “bitterness or anger,” just cool people who would appreciate the opportunity.
Part of the appeal of Skywalker Ranch is the beautiful setting. No offense, but Pomona is kind of depressing.
Hey Pomona Tom,
Nice try, but the drop off from Marin to Pomona is to steep a drop for George. From the current ranch facilities to ILM in the Presiidio, George does it with class and expense in wonderful environments.
I am sure the Pomona people are cool, and I admire your pitch.
Pomona is now 28 miles West of Los Angeles? Pomona has been relocated to the Pacific Ocean?
This is why Marin always succeeds in being boring… Hope they love their cultural black hole of car dealers and strip malls….
Every cloud has a silver lining. Now the site’s available for heavy industry.
Why doesn’t he just build a mountaintop fortress, hire henchmen, dress in eccentric costumes, caress a small digital animal, and threaten the world from outer space like all the other boys?
Smooth move Bay area your employment rate is so great you can afford to drive off jobs, George would be smart to pack up all his operations and his family and move to somewhere he and his business would be appreciated
What’s hilarious is that Lucas is now looking to sell the land to developers for low income housing. The neighbors will be caught looking even worse when they fight this.
It’s well known Lucas prefers living in the Bay Area and houses his headquarters in Marin. If he wanted to start a studio in southern california he would of done it years ago.
Being from Marin, I am disappointed that people there wouldn’t welcome another opportunity for more good jobs in the area.
Good on Marin. There are plenty of other places in Marin and elsewhere to build this sort of thing rather than blemishing the beautiful west Marin landscape with crap to make crap like lucas does.
Tragic for the local community.
I guess they don’t need jobs in Marin, is right.
I believe Marin has the lowest unemployment in the state.
Not that I have anything against Marin, I love it.
But there are many close-by communities that would probably love to have the facility there, which would keep it close to the Skywalker Ranch.
Petaluma, and Santa Rosa, just to name a few. And the cost of land and housing is far lower in those locations than the originally proposed site.
Why did it take them 25 years of roadblocks to get the message from the community ?
And then the whiny we’re taking our toys and leaving missive.
Bizarre.
I always wondered what it must have been like when certain “undesirables” tried to move into areas they weren’t wanted in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Looking at this and the response – bet I have a pretty good idea.
“get the message from the community” ….
Cheerio