George Lucas Gets Sued Over Star Wars Museum

George Lucas and Lucasfilms have been the main culprits of some lawsuits recently, but this time it’s Lucas himself that’s getting sued.

According to a report from THR, a conservation organization from Chicago called Friends of the Parks has thrown a lawsuit against the famous director, claiming assault against the shores of Lake Michigan. Apparently, Lucas planned on building his Lucas Museum of Narrative Art there, and the locals didn’t approve.

As the president of Friends of the Parks Cassandra Francis explained: “Chicago’s lakefront is the envy of waterfront cities throughout the world. The humongous scale of the museum is … an assault to the shores of Lake Michigan.”

Before it even came to this, George Lucas wanted to set his museum on the San Francisco Bay, but at the last moment Lucas’ wife Melody came up with the idea that they relocate the structure to her hometown of Chicago, thinking that its mayor will surely accept this tourist attraction.

But that’s when the hiccups started – the land around Lake Michigan is public trust property, which means that the government is responsible for maintaining its natural resources. Friends of the Parks claim that this space should be for “access to navigation, fishing and commerce on Lake Michigan.”

In case you’re wondering what exactly is Lucas’ museum supposed to be, it’s basically planned to be a shrine to “Star Wars” fans. From movie memorabilia to remarkable illustrations, to presentations by Lucas’ visual effects company, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is going to be like Disneyland for “Star Wars” geeks.

However, as the battle for the shores of Lake Michigan continues, nobody knows with certainty if this project will actually come to life. George Lucas described it as “organic architecture, connected to the ground. And it will look like a living thing.” We can settle for that, and let’s hope Friends of the Parks can come to terms with it too.