LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar as editor of the original 1977 “Star Wars" and was part of a group of women whose editing was essential to film's New Hollywood era, has died, a lawyer for her family said Friday. She was 80.
Lucas, who was married to “Star Wars” creator George Lucas from 1969 to 1983, died Wednesday from metastatic cancer, attorney Deidre Von Rock said in an email to The Associated Press. She died in Rancho Mirage, California, surrounded by loved ones, Von Rock said.
Marcia Lucas was the editor on 1983's “Return of the Jedi” and the pre-“Star Wars” George Lucas-directed films “THX 1138” and “American Graffiti.”
She was also part of the editing team for director Martin Scorsese's 1970s films “Taxi Driver,” “Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore” and “New York, New York.”
Editor was a rare senior creative position where a woman could find a foothold in Hollywood. Marcia Lucas became one of several women whose work in the editing chair made sense of the work of the overwhelmingly male directors of the New Hollywood of the late 1960s through the early 1980s, including Dede Allen, editor of “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Dog Day Afternoon”; Verna Fields, editor of “Paper Moon” and “Jaws"; and Thelma Schoonmaker, editor of most of Scorsese's films starting with 1980's “Raging Bull.”
Lucas was often called the unsung hero of “Star Wars,” the original film that after sequels, prequels and spinoffs has come to be known by its subtitle, “A New Hope.”
She convinced her then-husband that he should have Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Alec Guinness, die in his lightsaber battle with Darth Vader and become a spirit guide to Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker.
And she had to make sense of raw footage that could have been a mess in the wrong hands, including the climactic rebel attack on the Death Star.
“It was extremely complex and we had 40,000 feet of dialogue footage of pilots saying this and that. And she had to cull through all that, and put in all the fighting as well,” George Lucas told Rolling Stone in an interview a few months after the film came out. “Nobody really has ever tried to interweave an actual plot story into a dogfight, and we were trying to do that."
Lucas was born Marcia Griffin in Modesto, California shortly after the end of World War II. She moved to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents divorced when she was a small child.
She began working as a film librarian and moved into working as an editor on commercials, trailers and promotional films. She was an assistant editor on the documentary “Journey to the Pacific” for Fields, who also hired George Lucas, then a film student at the University of Southern California.
The couple became engaged soon after. Their marriage would essentially end in 1982, but they kept their divorce under wraps until after the release of “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. Marcia Lucas was then married to Tom Rodrigues, a production manager at the Skywalker Ranch production center, from 1983 to 1993.
She is survived by her daughters, Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper, and grandchildren Felix Hallikainen, Aeliana Hallikainen and Knox Soper.
"Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love,” a family statement said. “Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity — a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen.”
FILE - Marcia Lucas, wife of director George Lucas, right, carries her Oscar statuette as they arrive at a post Academy Awards party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, April 4, 1978. (AP Photo, File)
Alphonso Davies was named to Canada's World Cup squad on Friday night although it's too soon to tell whether he'll be ready for the team's opener because of a hamstring injury.
The defender, who plays for Bayern Munich, was injured earlier this month in the loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals.
Davies is Canada's captain and among the most prominent players named to the team, along with Juventus forward Jonathan David, Southampton forward Cyle Larin and Villarreal midfielder Tajon Buchanan.
Coach Jesse Marsch named nine defenders, 10 midfielders, four forwards and three goalkeepers to the 26-player roster for the World Cup, which opens on June 11.
Marsch included Davies on the team’s latest 32-player training camp roster earlier this week, but he did not immediately join the team, instead remaining in Germany to continue his recovery.
The team trained this past week in Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of a pair of preparation matches against Uzbekistan on Monday in Edmonton and against Ireland on June 5 in Montreal.
“He (Davies) is already on the pitch running, and so we’ve got to just kind of see where he’s at in his overall progression, and then we’ve got to try to find ways to accelerate him, but he’s super excited to get here,” Marsch said. “I’m really hopeful that he has a few days to get away, and that he can come here and be fresh.”
Canada is co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Mexico. The Canadians are in Group B along with Switzerland, Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which eliminated Italy in the European playoffs.
The Canadians will have all three of their group-stage matches on home soil. Ranked No. 30 in the world, Canada opens against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto. Earlier this week Marsch suggested Davies may not quite be ready for the the opener.
Canada has been to the World Cup twice before, in Mexico 1986 and 2022, but the team has never advanced past the group stage. The team finished at the bottom of its group in Qatar four years ago, but Davies scored the nation’s first World Cup goal in a 4-1 loss to Croatia.
Other players coming off injuries with their club teams included forward Promise David, who just had hip surgery for a ruptured tendon in February, and defender Moise Bombito, who has not played for the national team since breaking his leg in a 2-2 draw with Monaco in October.
Midfielder Jacob Shaffelburg also made the roster although he also injured his hamstring earlier this month. Marsch said Shaffelburg has progressed faster than expected.
“I think we’ve had a pretty good idea of who our core group is for a while. The real X factor in all these decisions was just trying to determine a month ago, two weeks ago, a week ago, last night, which players are going to be healthy, and who can we project to be really ready to be close to 100% and in the form of their life going into this tournament. So, luckily, we’re on track with a lot of guys," Marsch said.
"Will everyone be 100% for the Bosnia match? No, that won’t be the case, but we will have a really strong core that will be ready for that match, and we believe we can get stronger as the tournament goes on.”
Marsch has not named a starter between goalkeepers Maxime Crépeau and Dayne St. Clair. Both will play in the upcoming friendlies before Marsch makes a decision.
“We know what's coming in terms of a decision and we're both mature enough to understand our role for the team, whatever the decision is,” Crépeau said on the Canadian television broadcast announcing the squad. “We understand that we'll be here for one another and for the team on and off the field.”
Canadian Squad:
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City), Owen Goodman (Barnsley), Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami).
Defenders: Moïse Bombito (Nice), Derek Cornelius (Rangers), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Luc de Fougerolles (Dender EH), Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough), Richie Laryea (Toronto), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Mathieu Choinière (LAFC), Stephen Eustáquio (LAFC), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Ismaël Koné (Sassuolo), Liam Millar (Hull City), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto), Nathan-Dylan Saliba (Anderlecht), Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC).
Forwards: Jonathan David (Juventus), Promise David (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Cyle Larin (Southampton), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal).
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau makes a save during the selection camp for Canada’s national soccer team, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C., ahead of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE - Canada head coach Jesse Marsch reacts to a play during a Copa America quarterfinal soccer match between Venezuela and Canada in Arlington, Texas, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
FILE - Canada's Tajon Buchanan controls the ball during an international friendly soccer match between Romania and Canada at the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - Canada defender Alphonso Davies during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against the United States, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
