George Lucas Asked Three People To Direct The Star Wars Prequels (Why Did They Turn Him Down?)

George Lucas offered three directors the opportunity to helm the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but was turned by each for the same reason. Having had a miserable experience directing A New Hope, Lucas handed the reins to Irvin Kershner for The Empire Strikes Back and Richard Marquand for Return of the Jedi. He initially planned to do the same for the prequels, serving as an Executive Producer for the movies and overseeing the story and production while others took the director’s chair.