George Lucas, the legendary mind behind Star Wars, has made headlines with his acquisition of a spectacular £40 million mansion in London. This move aligns Lucas with a growing list of American liberal celebrities seeking refuge outside the United States.
This purchase, likely to be one of the year’s most significant residential transactions in the UK, sees Lucas settling in the prestigious area of St John’s Wood. The mansion, previously owned by a city lawyer, was discreetly acquired in September, according to a report by Bloomberg.
At 81, Lucas appears discontented with the political landscape under Donald Trump’s leadership in the US, prompting his desire to spend increasing periods across the pond. His political leanings have been evident, notably when he hosted a star-studded event for Joe Biden and other Democratic supporters leading up to the recent election.
Lucas’s new London abode is part of a trend where prominent figures in tech and entertainment, like Silicon Valley investor Matt Cohler, who recently purchased a £22 million property in Notting Hill, are choosing to invest in the UK real estate market.
Last year, the filmmaker hosted an A-list party for Joe Biden and fellow Democratic supporters ahead of the election.
The sale of the home comes after Silicon Valley investor Matt Cohler recently bought a £22 million house in Notting Hill.
It is the largest purchase since fashion designer Tom Ford bought an £80 million mansion in Chelsea last year.
While Lucas has never publicly criticised the President, he has joined a growing list of liberal A-listers deciding to make the move to the UK.
Star Wars creator George Lucas has bought a £40 million mansion in London as he plots a move away from Trump’s America
Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi made a quick exit after Trump’s election victory and vowed to never return.
Ryan Gosling and his wife Eva Mendes also made the move alongside America Ferrera, who fled the US in search of the ‘best opportunities’ for her children in the UK.
The so-called ‘Donald Dash’ has been backed up by Home Office figures this week which revealed that applications for UK citizenship soared in the last quarter of 2024, rising 40 per cent year on year.
In fact more than 6,100 US citizens applied last year, the most since records began two decades ago and 26 per cent more than in 2023.
One Notting Hill estate agent, who revealed the amount of wealthy American families they are moving in has ‘skyrocketed’ since Trump, previously said: ‘We moved a Marvel actress into a house very near here in the last week.’
Courtney Love and Minnie Driver have also made the move across the Atlantic since the election last year.
The newest deal was brokered by Savills, who advised the vendor and Aylesford International, who advised the director.
Lucas has left behind his 2,500-acre ranch in Northern California dubbed ‘Skywalker Ranch’, which he purchased for $28 million in 2019.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi made a swift exit out of the US for The Cotswolds in Britain
Ryan Gosling and his wife Eva Mendes are among those who have left the US for the UK
The ranch includes a massive main house, a man-made lake dubbed Lake Ewok and Skywalker Sound, a 153,000-square-foot facility that includes a 300-seat movie theater.
The purchase has come as a rare high point in the luxury property market after stamp duty increases and the abolition of the non-dom tax status caused a slump.
Transactions of more than £5 million were down by 41 per cent from the same time last year.
The luxury market could face more problems in the near future as Rachel Reeves plots more tax rises.
Lucas famously sold the rights to Stars Wars to Disney for a staggering $4billion in 2012.
At the time of the monumental Lucasfilm sale, also including his company’s Industrial Light & Magic and the rights to Indiana Jones, Lucas compared parting with Star Wars to losing a family member.
However, after selling the Star Wars rights to Disney, Lucas didn’t hold back in expressing his dissatisfaction with The Force Awakens, the first film in the franchise following the sale.
In a 2015 interview with Empire Magazine, Lucas admitted he wasn’t happy with the film, stating that Disney ‘wanted to make a retro movie’ and didn’t follow his planned direction for the series.
He also mentioned that he felt the film was too similar to the original trilogy, saying, ‘They wanted to make a movie for the fans. They decided they didn’t want to use the stories I created.’
