# In 1988, nobody wanted to make George Lucas’ next movie. 24 years later, he paid for the $58 million budget himself

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1988-nobody-wanted-to-make-george-lucas-next-movie-24-years-later-he-paid-for-the-58-million-budget-himself/
- Published: 2026-10-27T18:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T19:21:11+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/nobody-wanted-to-make-george-lucas-next-movie-paid-for-it-himself/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Lucas personally funded *Red Tails* with $58 million.
- Studios doubted its all-Black cast and overseas prospects.
- The 2012 film failed to recoup its budget.

## Summary

George Lucas financed the $58 million film *Red Tails* himself after failing to find a studio willing to back it. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen had been a project he pursued since 1988, and he said Hollywood’s reluctance reflected doubts about an all-Black cast and the film’s prospects abroad.

Released in January 2012, the drama did not earn back its budget, and 99% of its box-office takings came from the United States and Canada. Critics faulted its formulaic storytelling, though Lucas said he wanted to make an inspirational film portraying Black teenagers as heroes.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.