by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 11:35 AM ET, Thu March 15, 2018
It's not a galaxy far, far away, but the planned Lucas Museum of Narrative Art may be as close as you can get.
Famed Star Wars creator George Lucas broke ground on Wednesday on his long-awaited $1.5 billion museum in Los Angeles, which is being built in Exposition Park near the city's downtown area.
The project will be entirely funded by Lucas, his wife and their foundation, which according to the Associated Press, makes it the largest public gift ever given to a municipality.
The sprawling facility of at least 100,000 square feet will not only showcase Star Wars memorabilia, but also other forms of visual storytelling including paintings, drawings, comic strips and digital and traditional films.
But Star Wars fans need not worry, there will be plenty of items from Lucas' legendary movie series on display, among them Luke Skywalker's first lightsaber and Darth Vader's helmet, the Associated Press reported.
In addition to these items, the museum will house paintings from such renowned artists as Normal Rockwell, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
There will also be comic strips by "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, and displays showcasing animation from high-profile films like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
"The idea is that it's popular art, it's art that appeals to people emotionally and tells you something about who you are," Lucas said.
The futuristic facility bears more than a passing resemblance to Han Solo's Millennium Falcon spacecraft. The design was developed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, according to The New York Times.
"It's a 21st-century building designed by a young architect who is very forward-thinking," Museum Director Don Bacigalupi said. "It's a building that could not be realized as recently as 10 years ago because of the tools utilized."
Construction is expected to take about four years with the museum opening in 2021.
Lucas' ode to visual storytelling is located near three other Los Angeles museums and close to the University of Southern California. The site was chosen over a proposed island site in San Francisco. A park-like setting is being created for the building, which will include about 11 acres of green space.
The filmmaker has said he also intends to host programs for children at the museum to introduce them to the art of narrative storytelling and perhaps inspire the next generation's George Lucas
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