Remember when everyone used to loathe the Star Wars prequels? Yeah, me too. Oh boy, how the tides seem to have finally changed in the last few years, right?

Whether it’s the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, or some form of collective revisionist history, or simply just an evolution of our growing appreciation for George Lucas’ Star Wars flicks circa 1999-2005, it’s fair to say that the majority of fans have begun to look back pretty fondly on some of the most critically maligned entries in the entire sci-fi franchise.

Now, with the recent release of The Rise Of Skywalker, which bookended the nine-part, 42-year-old Skywalker Saga in a dazzling-yet-slightly-unfulfilling fashion, we’re hearing that the original writer-director and brainchild of the Star Wars brand – George Lucas – may well be returning to the epic space opera franchise that he helped build.

According to sources close to We Got This Covered – the same ones who told us [SPOILERS] would die in The Rise of Skywalker and that [SPOILERS] would be revealed as a traitor in the film, both of which turned out to be true – the studio want him back, but want him to work in a more official capacity and more “on the record” this time around. It’s likely this new role will give Lucas significant creative control over the direction of the newer Star Wars films that he oversees, unlike his work on Rise of Skywalker, which Lucas allegedly did as a favor to director J. J. Abrams.

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That all being said, our sources – who also told us about the Palpatine twist in Rise months before the movie premiered, and that Ewan McGregor would return as Obi-Wan back in May – say that Lucas’ new duties will likely not be a hands-on job per se, but more of a flexible executive producer role. Specifically, the studio really want Lucas to work with Kevin Feige and help steer the franchise back onto the right track.

Of course, this won’t be a writing or a directorial role for Lucas, but it will instead give him the opportunity to oversee, guide and shepherd the uber-popular sci-fi series into the future. Clearly, this is likely a move from Lucasfilm to placate fans after the recent Sequel Trilogy’s mixed reception. Whether it’s a good idea or not though, well, only time will tell.

But tell us, how do you feel about this Star Wars news? Would you be happy for George Lucas to return and take the reins again? Or would you prefer him to leave that galaxy far, far away well alone? Let us know in the usual place down below.