Lucas wanted to fund "Raiders of the Ark" himself, but at the time he had limited cash assets. Lucasfilm financial chief Charles Webber and Lucas' attorney Tom Pollock offered the project to several Hollywood studios. They rejected it, in part because of the proposed $20million budget, but also because of the deal Lucas offered. He wanted the studio to provide the budget, have no creative input and allow him to retain control of the licensing rights and any sequels. Despite believing the project had potential, studios considered this deal unacceptable. The studios were also hesitant because of Spielberg's involvement. Though generally successful as a director, he had delivered a succession of films over schedule and budget. His recent effort, "1941", was both over budget and a critical failure. Lucas refused to do the project without Spielberg.