The king of the nerds is finally coming to Comic-Con.
George Lucas, whose Star Wars movies helped create many of the ideas of modern fandoms, is coming to San Diego Comic-Con for his first-ever panel.
Lucas will be joined by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and artist and Star Wars prequels production designer Doug Chiang for a panel that will explore the power of illustrated story and offer a sneak peek at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Queen Latifah, the Grammy- Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress and recording artist, will moderate the panel, which will take place Sunday in Hall H, the cavernous and storied arena in the San Diego Convention Centre.
The panel of creators will discuss the role of narrative art in society while tracing humanity’s innate desire to draw, animate and bring to life stories across the millennia.
“We are beyond thrilled to welcome George Lucas to Comic-Con for the very first time,” said David Glanzer, chief communications and strategy officer of Comic-Con. “Nearly five decades ago, Star Wars made one of its earliest public appearances at our convention, along with a booth featuring Howard Chaykin’s now legendary Star Wars poster as a promotional item.
“Now, to have Mr. Lucas return, this time to debut the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, is a true full-circle moment. His lifelong dedication to visual storytelling and world-building resonates deeply with us and our community, and the museum’s mission to celebrate narrative art in all its forms perfectly reflects what Comic-Con has championed from the very beginning.”
Star Wars has been tied to Comic Con since its earliest days although surprisingly Lucas has not made a pilgrimage to the geek mecca himself, preferring to let creatives or fan outreach executives make appearance.
A Star Wars panel was held in 1976, a year before the original movie was released, but the panelists included the makers of the not-yet launched Star Wars comic from Marvel, writer Roy Thomas and artist Chaykin.
And there have been many a panel on many aspects of Star Wars, although most were not of the headline-making variety. One exception was a panel in 2004 where Lucasfilm revealed Revenge as the Sith as the title for Star Wars: Episode III. Another was when Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill shared the stage in 2015 to unveil a peek at the first Star Wars: The Force Awakens, although that was now in the Disney era and Lucas was not part of that.
The Lucas Museum is dedicated to illustrated storytelling across time, cultures, and media and its collection will include works by Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Jessie Willcox Smith, N. C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Judy Baca, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish. There will also be showcases for work by comic artists, including Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, and R. Crumb; and photographers Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange.
The museum also houses the Lucas Archive, containing models, props, concept art, and costumes from Lucas’s filmmaking career.
Co-founded by Lucas and Mellody Hobson and to be located in LA’s Exposition Park, the museum is slated to open in 2026.
Lucas Museum Rendering
Courtesy of Lucas Museum