Star Wars Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, created by George Lucas and centered around a film series that began with the eponymous 1977 movie. The saga quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The first film was followed by two successful sequels, "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983); these three films constitute the original "Star Wars" trilogy. A prequel trilogy was released between 1999 and 2005, albeit to mixed reactions from critics and fans. Finally, a sequel trilogy to conclude the nine-episode saga began in 2015 with "". The first eight
Star Wars directing "American Graffiti" (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis titled "Journal of the Whills", which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in. By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay, and continued writing more polished drafts. Lucas negotiated to retain the sequel rights, and was offered an initial $150,000 to write, produce, and direct the film. "Star Wars" was released on May 25, 1977. Its success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial. With the backstory he created for the sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a