George Lucas: Irvin Kershner,'Empire Strikes Back'director, was my mentor

Though he's been seemingly a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away removed from his last film, 1990's"RoboCop 2,""Star Wars"fans are mourning the loss of"Empire Strikes Back"directorIrvin Kershner, who died Saturday at the age of 87.
 
And that includes"Star Wars"creatorGeorge Lucas.
 
"The world has lost a great director and one of the most genuine people I've had the pleasure of knowing,"Lucas said in a statement."Irvin Kershner was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.
 
"I knew him from USC -- I attended his lectures and he was actually on the festival panel that gave the prize to my 'THX' short. I considered him a mentor."
 
After feeling burnt out directing the first"Star Wars"himself, Lucas desperately wanted another person to direct the sequel, fast-tracked after the enormous success of the 1977 blockbuster.
 
"Following Star Wars, I knew one thing for sure: I didn't want to direct the second movie myself,"said Lucas."I needed someone I could trust, someone I really admired and whose work had maturity and humor. That was Kersh all over."
 
ThePhiladelphia-born Kershner, who had cut his teeth as a TV director in the '50s, broke into film aunder producerRoger Cormanwith 1958's"Stakeout on Dope Street."He enjoyed moderate success in the '60s and '70s, directingSean Conneryin"A Fine Madness"and earning anEmmy nominationfor the 1976 television movie,"Raid onEntebbe."
 
"I didn't want Empire to turn into just another sequel, another episode in a series of space adventures,"Lucas said in the statement."I was trying to build something, and I knew Kersh was the guy to help me do it."
 
The box office success of"Empire Strikes Back,"could have launched him into a different stratosphere, but Kershner turned down the chance to direct the final film in the"Star Wars"trilogy,"Return of the Jedi."
 
The film had proved to be a physically grueling shoot for Kershner, who told starwars.com he had to wear a gas mask filming the swamp scenes onYoda's planet of Dagobah.
 
"After working for two years and nine months doing Empire, and having it take so much out of my life and having given me so much, I felt that it was a complete experience and it was time to move on,"Kershner toldVanity Fairin October.
 
Instead, he directed just two more films after that, the 1983James Bondfilm,"Never Say Never Again"and"RoboCop 2"seven years later.
 
Kershner, who died inLos Angelesafter battling a long illness, is survived by two sons, a family friend, actressAdriana Santini, told theAssociated Press.

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