The TCM Classic Film Festival 2025 was off to a fantastic start of the popular Hollywood festival opened with film legend George Lucas and anniversary showing of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” A Q&A was held with Lucas and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz as Lucas talked about the legacy of the film and of the impact Star Wars has had on filmmaking in general.

In regard to making the original Star Wars trilogy, Lucas shared his plan with FOX, the studio who made to the film at the time. Lucas got licensing to make toys to help advertise the movie. “I said, but I do want the sequels, because I’ve already got them… In order for you to get your film off the ground, they say, Well, you have to sign for two or three other movies, right? And, and I didn’t want that to happen, because it didn’t happen on “American Graffiti.” And, you know, I said, I’m not going to do that. I said, I want the rights to the things, because I’m going to make those movies no matter what happens to this movie. And besides that, I’d like licensing they said, What’s licensing? They said, What? I never heard of that. And I said, Well, it’s, you know, posters and T-shirts and things like that. And they said, whatever. Well, we can’t, they won’t. You’re not going to. Oh, they talked to themselves, look, he’s never going to be able to do that the toy companies and the things they don’t, they will. It takes him a billion dollars and a year to make a toy or make anything. So, yeah, he’s going to make a few posters, and, you know, but there’s no money in that at all. But I was doing it to get the kids to walk around Disneyland and the comic cons and all that kind of stuff to advertise the movie, and that’s why fuck was so shocked when the first day the lines were all around the block, where these people come from, because they hadn’t really done a campaign.”

“Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” starred Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels. The movie introduced new character Lando Calrissian played by Williams, who was featured at last year’s festival.

For Williams, playing Lando fulfilled his lifelong dream as a child to play character like his favorite actor Errol Flynn. “I saw the caped and it sort of solidified everything,” Williams said. “It’s just with the whole thing with me to bring and Errol Flynn quality to the character.” Although Lucas would not say which of the new Empire characters were his favorite, Yoda or Lando, his did share a quip about Yoda.

One touching moment of the Q&A was when Lucas was asked about Yoda speaking. “Yoda had a very distinctive way of speaking, and that was done purposely,” Lucas said when asked why the lovable character talked backwards. “If you’re speaking regular English, people don’t listen that much. But if it’s hard to understand what someone is saying, people focus on it. Yoda was basically the philosopher of the movie, and I had to figure out a way to get people to actually listen to these long talking scenes, especially 12-year olds.”

The TCM Classic Film Festival continues through Sunday, April 27 with more in-person appearances, Rob Reiner and Kathy Bates with “Misery” and “The American President,” and Al Pacino and Michael Mann with “Heat.” The TCM Film Festival 2026 will be announced shortly.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 24: (L-R) George Lucas and TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz speak onstage during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night Screening of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 24, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM)

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