Simon Pegg thinks the new 'Star Wars' movies are "missing" George Lucas.
Simon Pegg
The 48-year-old actor - who appeared in 'The Force Awakens' as Unkar Plutt - has insisted the current sequel trilogy would benefit by having the saga's creator involved in some capacity.
Speaking on 'The Adam Buxton Podcast', he said: "I must admit, watching the last 'Star Wars' film ['The Last Jedi'], the overriding feeling I got when I came out was, 'I miss George Lucas.'
"For all the complaining that I'd done about him in the prequels, there was something amazing about his imagination... I do feel like his voice is missing from the current ones."
Pegg has been vocal in the past about his hatred for alien character Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy - which included 'The Phantom Menace', 'The Clone Wars' and 'Revenge of the Sith'.
Although he later admitted the fandom could be too critical, he said in 2015 that the trio of films were "[like] George Lucas killing his kid", adding that "Jar Jar Binks made the Ewoks look like f**king 'Shaft.' "
However, he has now revealed the advice Lucas - who sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 - gave him when they met at the premiere for the third prequel movie.
He told him: "Don't be making the same film that you made thirty years ago thirty years from now."
Pegg added about their meeting: "I sort of went to say 'Hello!' to him. He turned around and I saw the weariness in his eyes like, 'Here's another thirty-something fanboy who's going to tell me how much I changed his life'...
"He was talking to Ron Howard and I think he'd seen 'Shaun of the Dead' 'cos he immediately went, 'Oh hey, 'Shaun of the Dead!'' and shook my hand. And George Lucas immediately changed his demeanour."
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