George Lucas wants you to know he's sorry. In a recent interview with Charlie Rose, director George Lucas said, "All those Star Wars films ... I loved them, I created them, I'm very intimately involved in them, and I sold them to the white slavers that take these things and uh, and ... [laughs]." The nasty analogy comes at the tail of an extended tear about Lucas' anxieties pertaining to the selling of his beloved franchise to Disney, and what the company has gone on to create. Today, Lucas has issued a formal apology, both for the analogy and corporate sleights.

According to Variety, the statement reads as follows:

"I want to clarify my interview on the Charlie Rose Show. It was for the Kennedy Center Honors and conducted prior to the premiere of the film. I misspoke and used a very inappropriate analogy and for that I apologize. I have been working with Disney for 40 years and chose them as the custodians of Star Wars because of my great respect for the company and Bob Iger’s leadership. Disney is doing an incredible job of taking care of and expanding the franchise. I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks. Most of all I’m blown away with the record breaking blockbuster success of the new movie and am very proud of JJ and Kathy.

Here's proof that even a man who made $4 billion off the world's biggest franchise can't be too critical of the empire that Mickey built. Anyway, Lucas need not regret the sale to Disney. The deal netted him serious bank, most of which the director pledged in 2010 will go to education charity.