George Lucas Releases Apology After Comparing Disney to 'White Slavers'

George Lucas has just apologized to Disney after comparing the entertainment giant to "white slavers" in the controversial Charlie Rose interview where the director spoke about the Star Wars franchise.

In his apology, Lucas addressed that the comparison was "very inappropriate" and explained that he was happy with the direction Disney is taking his beloved franchise.

Lucas' statement reads as follows:

"I want to clarify my interview on the Charlie Rose Show. It was for the Kennedy Center Honors and conducted prior to the premiere of the film. I misspoke and used a very inappropriate analogy and for that I apologize.

"I have been working with Disney for 40 years and chose them as the custodians of Star Wars because of my great respect for the company and Bob Iger's leadership. Disney is doing an incredible job of taking care of and expanding the franchise. I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks. Most of all I'm blown away with the record breaking blockbuster success of the new movie and am very proud of J.J. Abrams [The Force Awakens director] and Kathy [Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president]."

The Charlie Rose interview had started off with Lucas talking about the Star Wars legacy, but it was much later when he made the comparison with a line that may have revealed that he is still a bit sore about losing the franchise.

"I love [the movies], I created them, I'm very intimately involved in them, and I sold them to the white slavers that take these things and ..." Lucas trailed off with a nervous laugh.

Lucas also confirmed that Disney was not interested in following the stories he presented and had wanted to "make something for the fans."

Nevertheless, it looks like Disney had the right idea. Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues to win at the box office, earning $88 million in the last week. This brings the film's grand total to $1.51 billion worldwide, threatening to dethrone Avatar as the biggest grossing film of all time.