George Lucas Almost Sold Star Wars Before Empire Strikes Back, Here’s Why He Didn’t

Lucas ultimately bet on himself, and he bet on himself in a really big way. Rather than let a studio finance the sequel itself, in this case FOX, he instead took out a $15 million loan and only worked in FOX for distribution, at least initially. Unfortunately, not everything goes to plan when you’re in Hollywood. Empire Strikes Back went way over budget. The original $15M ballooned into $25M, which later ballooned into $33M. The banks got so nervous Lucas had to bring in FOX to help secure the loan. It’s unclear what he had to give up in exchange for their help, but once the film was finished and released, there was no concern about paying anyone back.

Article source: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2546832/george-lucas-almost-sold-star-wars-before-empire-strikes-back-heres-why-he-didnt