George Lucas Had Perfect Response To Someone Thinking He Made E.T.

George Lucas was once mistaken for having directed Steven Spielberg’s iconic E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and had the perfect response to this mix-up.

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars and executive producer of 1988’s Willow, was once mistaken for having also directed another classic family blockbuster: E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. With a sequel television series now debuting on Disney+, returning cast members from the original Willow have been sharing anecdotes from its production. Although Lucas is credited with having devised Willow‘s story, the screenplay was written by Bob Doleman, and the film was directed by Ron Howard. E.T. was directed (and devised) by Steven Spielberg.

Lucas is best known for his involvement in numerous beloved works of ’80s cinema, but it has emerged that he was once erroneously praised for directing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. With the arrival of the Willow TV series on Disney+, itself a direct continuation of the original movie’s story, the awkward episode was shared by returning actor Kevin Pollak. Speaking with ComicBook.com, Pollak (who reprises his character Rool in the series) details how it was his father who made the faux pas when meeting Lucas in person. He says:

And also when my dad met George Lucas, he said… well, shaking his hand, ‘I really loved ET.’ And to George’s credit, George said, ‘Oh, me too.'”

Related: How The Willow TV Show Is Reusing Val Kilmer’s Story (But Not His Character)

How Willow & E.T. Share Similar Tones

Lucas’ response was fittingly understated for the famously soft-spoken director. The confusion is certainly understandable when considering how not only have Lucas and Spielberg collaborated extensively in their careers, but their most iconic works have generally remained within family-friendly adventure storytelling territory. Most famously of all was their collaboration on the Indiana Jones franchise, with Spielberg in the director’s chair and Lucas devising the story for each of the four installments. Beyond Willow, Lucas also has ample experience and a reputation of his own when it comes to stories featuring fantastical creatures, serving as a producer on films like Labyrinth and The Land Before Time.

Pollak’s tidbit from his experience of making the original Willow holds a certain poetic irony, in that the tone and narrative stakes of both Willow and E.T. have commonalities. Both movies are ultimately centered on the effort to protect a helpless dependent from the power of a cold and uncaring regime and shepherd them to safety. In Willow, this was the quest of the eponymous wannabe sorcerer to safeguard a baby against an evil sorceress queen, whereas in E.T., it was the Taylor family shielding an alien from the US government. The childlike wonder present in both movies can make them feel spiritually connected somehow.

Lucas himself is not involved with the new Disney+ Willow series, having semi-retired from larger productions in 2012. Memories such as those shared by Pollak are welcome injections of the kind of modest charm which Lucas brought to his work, all the more striking given his creation of one of the biggest franchises in history. Despite his absence, however, the Willow series features several familiar faces on both sides of the camera, with Howard returning to executive produce the show, and Warwick Davis stepping back into his old shoes as Willow himself.

Next: Why Val Kilmer Isn’t In The Willow TV Show

Source: ComicBook.com