“It’s worth remembering, too, that Lucas wouldn’t have made his paradigm-shifting film in the first place if he had secured the rights to Flash Gordon. Similarly, he and Steven Spielberg wouldn’t have made Raiders of the Lost Ark if Spielberg had been hired to direct a Bond movie. It was only because he was compelled to develop fresh characters and settings, rather than tweaking established ones, that he revolutionised mainstream cinema. Who knows what other characters and settings he might have dreamt up if Star Wars hadn’t gone on to consume his life?”.