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George Lucas established himself as a blockbuster filmmaker with 1977’sStar Wars, which has had an enduring legacy in cinema. However, before undertaking the epic space opera saga, Lucas was once considering directing a war drama film focusing on the Vietnam War, which Francis Ford Coppola eventually directed.
The 1979 war dramaApocalypse Nowwas initially going to be helmed by Lucas, who was involved in the project since the writing stage. Moreover, Lucas and writer John Milius had an extremely outrageous idea for the film’s production as the duo intended to shoot on actual locations where the war was still taking place. Here is everything you need to know about what could’ve been George Lucas’Apocalypse Now.
George Lucas Almost DirectedApocalypse NowBefore CreatingStar Wars
Directed byFrancis Ford Coppola,Apocalypse Nowis a critically acclaimed film released in 1979. Coppola co-wrote the film’s screenplay alongside John Milius, who originally came up with the concept. However, during the initial stages of development,George Lucaswas attached to the project as director.
According toreports, Milius picked Lucas to direct the film in 1969 and the latter helped the writer workshop the screenplay over the next few years. After the success ofAmerican Graffiti, Lucas was preparing to start work onApocalypse Nowand even had some locations scouted in the Philippines.
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However, Lucas would eventually become preoccupied with some of his other projects, including his plans for the 1977 space operaStar Wars, which would become a cultural juggernaut. Ultimately, Lucas abandoned the project, and Coppola, who co-founded the production company American Zoetrope alongside Lucas took the director’s chair instead.
George Lucas And Writer John Milius Proposed FilmingApocalypse Nowin Vietnam During the War
While Lucas was attached toApocalypse Nowas director, he intended the film to be a black-and-white documentary-style output made on a low budget. Presumably, it was this documentary approach that led to Lucas and Milius proposing the idea of shooting the movie on location in parts of Vietnam where the war was still ongoing during the early 70s.
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Lucas had sent futureStar Warsproducer Gary Kurtz to scout locations in Vietnam. He revealed in aninterviewthat provisions had been madeto shoot the movie in Vietnam. However, Kurtz noted that the crew wanted to go to Vietnam without any protection, which raised the studio’s concerns over safety.
Why are we sending those hippies over there? They’re a bunch of nuts. Some of them will be killed. There’s a real war over there.
Kurtz made the above statement highlighting how the studio intervened in the proposed plan to shoot the movie during the war. He noted that the atmosphere in Vietnam was tense at the time, particularly because riots were taking place. Therefore, it would have been a poor choice to go ahead with the idea of shooting during the war.
Apocalypse Nowis streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Pratik Handore
Content Writer
Articles Published :1775
With a keen interest in comic book movies and blockbuster franchises, Pratik usually covers news and updates on the DCU, MCU, Star Wars, and more.A die-hard fan of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Pratik spends most of his time exploring different storytelling mediums that invoke a sense of wonder and adventure. Other filmmakers whose works have deeply influenced him include Alfred Hitchcock, James Gunn, and Guillermo del Toro.
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Francis Ford CoppolaGeorge Lucas
