Despite closing the book on his career-defining Star Wars franchise some time ago and finally bringing the long-gestating Red Tails to fruition earlier this year, George Lucas’ passion for his craft burns bright as ever. In fact, he’s looking to take his work in a fresh, “experimental” direction. The good news for anyone who hasn’t really dug his post-Return of the Jedi work: you won’t have to see it. Empire Magazine had a quick chat with the producer/director for their latest print issue, during which they posed the standard “So, what’s next?” query. Lucas’ unexpected answer: he’s leaving Lucasfilm behind to make movies in his garage…using a hammer and saw, apparently. Hit the jump to read what the filmmaker has planned for himself in his own words.

Opening this weekend is director Anthony Hemingway‘s World War II action-drama Red Tails.  Produced by George Lucas and Rick McCallum, the movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible. Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelly, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, Daniela Ruah, and Michael B. Jordan.

Last week I did an exclusive phone interview with McCallum. During our wide ranging conversation we talked about LucasFilm’s two decade quest to make Red Tails, how advances in technology helped make the film possible, the 11.1 sound mix, and what being a producer really means.  In addition, with McCallum producing the live-action Star Wars TV series (Star Wars: Underworld), he talked about what fans can look forward to, why it’s still not filming, and revealed “It’s Empire on steroids.”  Finally, we also talked about Lucas’ future as a director, what props he owns, whether or not the 3D release of The Phantom Menace is the same cut that’s on the Blu-ray, if we’ll ever see the original trilogy on Blu-ray without any corrections, and so much more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to what he had to say.

I have to say that I can’t wait to check out Steven Soderbergh‘s actioner Haywire. Everything I’ve seen from it thus far has looked great and the positivity pouring out from early reviews only supports my belief that the entire pic will deliver. Whether it be the stellar cast, the proclaimed breakout performance from Gina Carano, or Soderbergh’s top-notch action sequences, I fully expect to be talking about Haywire right here again next week in a little “Before & After” discussion. In the meantime…

…This week’s “Top 5″ brings you some new details regarding the long-gestating Star Wars live-action television series, Contraband interviews with Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and more, the first official images from Jonathan Levine‘s (50/50) Warm Bodies, a “Cinemath” feature that analyzes the 2011 box office, and all of our coverage from the 2011 Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour. Hit the jump for brief recaps and links to each.

Everybody knows the name George Lucas. Whether you love or hate the guy, his name is instantly recognizable and sends off the first few notes of John Williams’ Star Wars score in your head. Another name you may or may not know is Rick McCallum. McCallum’s relationship with Lucas began on the early 1990s TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, after which Lucas tapped McCallum to produce the three Star Wars prequels. Steve recently talked with McCallum to discuss the World War II action-adventure pic Red Tails (which Lucas and McCallum produced), and while we’ll have the full interview up closer to the film’s release, we wanted to share a few tidbits with you today.

McCallum talked at length about the long-in-the-works live-action Star Wars TV series, discussing the show’s tone, the logistics of doing an effects-heavy series on television, how soon the show might come to fruition, and a lot more. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

With George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace set to be the first of the 3D re-releases in little more than a month, you might be thinking to yourself, “Gee, there really isn’t anything more they can do in the Star Wars universe that I haven’t already seen.” Well, your self would be wrong. The long-developing Star Wars TV series may be no closer to production but it does at least have a working title: Star Wars: Underworld. This fits in with the previous plot details having to do with a Godfather-like storyline set in the Star Wars universe.  Unfortunately, prequels producer Rick McCallum confirmed that they’re still at the mercy of financial constraints and the inefficiency of ratings standards on network television. However, we do have a few tidbits of information on the series that Star Wars fans might find interesting. Hit the jump to see what they are.