Will the Force Be With Chicago?

PHOTO: Chicago is in the running for a museum to display George Lucas’ memorabilia and art collections. (Courtesy of City of Chicago)

George Lucas, the billionaire mastermind behind the “Star Wars” phenomenon and ground-breaking movie special effects, is looking for a place to house his personal collection of memorabilia and art collection. And Chicago is on the short list, now that officials in San Francisco rejected his plans for a $300 million museum in the Presidio oceanfront park.

“The City of Chicago is honored to be considered by George Lucas as the future home of the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “As George’s adopted hometown, we are excited by the opportunity to host the collection and educational programming of one of the world's most renowned filmmakers.”

Emanuel appointed a task force to review and select a possible site; the panel’s recommendations are expected by mid-May.

The museum will house Lucas’ art collection that includes Norman Rockwell paintings, examples of movie special effects he pioneered at Industrial Light & Magic, and memorabilia such as a scale model of the spacecraft commanded by Han Solo in “Star Wars,” the Chicago Tribune recently reported.

Lucas has been spending more time in Chicago since he married Chicago investment executive Mellody Hobson last summer. Hobson also is chairman of the board of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., which made the “Shrek” movies and other popular family films and will be a partner in the museum. Other partners are Pixar, the creator of the “Toy Story” franchise, and National Geographic, the Chicago Tribune reported.

This would not be the first time the works of George Lucas intersected with the City of Chicago. According to lore, Indiana Jones was supposed to have attended the University of Chicago, and in a bit of art influencing real life, still occasionally gets his mail there.