An unlikely film time capsule has been unearthed: Robin Williams' short-lived Audible series features an episode with George Lucas. Therein, several gems – and a bizarre takedown of Ewan McGregor's Scottish accent – are found, including Lucas's plans for Howard the Duck.
As posted to Twitter by Todd Spence, the 2002 conversation kicks off with Lucas spitballing some of his pitches.
In June 2000, Robin Williams sat down for a conversation with George Lucas for Robin's brief weekly interview show on audible. The episode was originally thirty minutes but below you'll find the entire raw recording from two different sessions, with discussions ranging from… pic.twitter.com/9o4oxcQfQSJune 9, 2026
"One of my brilliant ideas was to take Howard the Duck and redo Howard as a digital character, then get a better voice such as yourself," Lucas said to Williams. "Do the same movie… pull [Howard] out and, with a better voice, bring him back."
Lucas joked, "Howard the Duck – Special Edition. You hated it before, you'll loathe it now."
Regarded as one of the earliest comic book movie disasters and one of the worst movies ever made, Howard the Duck opened in 1986 to a critical panning and audience dissatisfaction, grossing only $37 million in theatres.
Thankfully, Howard got a revival-of-sorts in the MCU. The character first appeared as a cheeky Easter egg in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, before also starring in an episode of the animated anthology series What If…? Perhaps mercifully, there's been no standalone big-screen return for the character since. We're still not over the 1980s version's dead eyes and lifeless voice.
Almost certainly Robin Williams, famous for his hyperactive performances including the likes of Aladdin's Genie, would have done a better job – even if George Lucas, who executive produced the Howard the Duck movie – has a spotty history with special editions. We're looking at you, Greedo.
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