Willard Huyck

Willard Miller Huyck, Jr. (born September 8, 1945) is an American retired screenwriter, director and producer, best known for his association with George Lucas. Career Huyck and Lucas met as students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and became members of Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope group of filmmakers. Along with his wife Gloria Katz, Huyck wrote screenplays for films including American Graffiti, Lucky Lady, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Radioland Murders,. They also performed uncredited work on the original Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope. In a 2022 interview, Marcia Lucas credits Huyck with an additional major contribution to other Star Wars films. She claims that when George Lucas was having trouble coming up with a dramatic finale to the second film, The Empire Strikes Back, Huyck jokingly suggested that Lucas could make a shocking reveal that Darth Vader was actually Luke's Father. Ryan Britt comments on inverse.com that "...if Willard Huyck did invent the story of Anakin Skywalker, then suddenly he becomes the most pivotal writer in the entire history of Lucasfilm." Huyck also directed four films, which he co-wrote with Gloria Katz: Messiah of Evil, French Postcards, Best Defense, and Howard the Duck. The latter film received universally negative reviews at its release, but in subsequent years has become a cult classic. Katz and Huyck also wrote and produced the NBC television films "A Father's Homecoming" and "American River." Willard Huyck is a current member of the Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America.