Originally posted by: CO
"I am done with Star Wars, I am going to make small, independent movies that really don't make any money."
-George Lucas, April 2005 - 60 Minutes Interview

He has said that since after the first movie, in 1977!

"Also, I figured the merchandising along with the sequels would give me enough income over a period of time so that I could retire from professional filmmaking and go into making my own kind of movies, my own sort of abstract, weird, experimental stuff."
- George Lucas, May 1977 - Rolling Stone Interview. (link)