George Lucas Museum Reportedly Coming To Chicago

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 24, 2014 10:30PM

George Lucas and wife Mellody Hobson seen earlier this month at the Sundance Institute Vanguard Leadership Awards. (Robin Marchant/Getty images)

The force, or at least some deft politicking, is with Chicago. Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed is reporting will be the home to a new interactive museum spearheaded by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas that will also house his sizable art collection and "Star Wars" memorabilia, which some of us purists includes a pristine copy of "Star Wars: Chapter IV" where Han Solo shot first.

The announcement is expected to be made official when the museum's board of directors meets Wednesday. they're also expected to change the name of the museum from the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Chicago was in heavy competition with San Francisco and Los Angeles for the museum in recent weeks and for a while it looked as though San Francisco was had as strong a chance as Chicago to win the museum. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, according to Sneed, was able to convince Lucas the museum would be a welcome addition to the Museum Campus.

Once the announcement is made official the Chicago Plan Commission is expected to approve a proposal to allocate space located between Soldier Field and McCormick Place currently used as parking lots as the site for the Lucas Museum.

It's also worth mentioning Lucas' ties to the Chicago area. His wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson, was born and raised in Chicago and the two had their wedding reception at Promontory Point last year.