George Lucas’ Tuskegee Airmen

George Lucas is stepping out of his fantasy adventure milieu towards Red Tails, telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen - the first all-black military pilot squad that flew during World War II. A movie Lucas has wanted to make for years, it’s finally moved into pre-production.

The last non-Star Wars film Lucas directed was American Graffiti back in 1973, starring Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfuss. There’s nothing official yet saying that Lucas is actually going to direct it, but it remains a possibility. Perhaps freed from the trappings of rabid fans and weighty expectations, Lucas might rediscover his creative roots.

UPDATE: George Lucas will not be directing this movie. Just executive producing.

Watch the trailer for The Tuskegee Airmen, a 1995 TV-movie starring Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Andre Braugher, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Allen Payne, Courtney B. Vance, John Lithgow and Christopher McDonald.