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"People go to these movies because they want to see Steven do his brilliant turn as a director. If anyone else did the story it wouldn't be as good. He can do anything — Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan... But this is the kind of movie he can do in his sleep. Not that he does it in his sleep — he actually gets a kick out of it!"
―George Lucas, Total Film magazine, May 2008 issue, p. 137
Rumors persist that Spielberg was Lucas's first choice to direct Return of the Jedi, but was unable to do so due to Lucas's departure from the Directors Guild of America.
Being friends for years, Spielberg and Lucas have often traded references to each other's previous works in their films. For example, Indiana Jones is seen fleeing a nightclub named "Club Obi-Wan" in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In Spielberg's film E. T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Elliot showed some action figures, including Lando Calrissian, to the alien of the film's title; later, E.T. met a child dressed as Yoda on the street on Halloween. In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, several members of E.T.'s species were visible in one of the floating pods in the Senate room, and the SenatorGrebleips was named for Spielberg.