Now fully in control of the "Star Wars" enterprise, Lucas chose not to direct the sequel because of his other production roles, including overseeing ILM and handling the financing. Lucas offered the role of director to Irvin Kershner, one of his former professors at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Kershner was known for smaller character-driven films, but had more recently directed the true-life drama "Raid on Entebbe" (1977) and the thriller "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978). Kershner initially turned Lucas down, citing his belief that a sequel would never meet the quality or originality of "Star Wars". He called his agent, who immediately demanded that he take the job. In November 1977, Lucas hired science-fiction author Leigh Brackett to write the screenplay. Lucas had written the original "Star Wars" only out of necessity, which had been challenging since he had to create the world. Since the "Star Wars" universe had been established, he chose to collaborate with Brackett and give her ideas for the script.