Kayla Oaddams/FilmMagic; Jerod Harris/Getty for Warner Bros. Discovery The newNational GeographicdocumentaryJaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Storybegins with a bit of a self-defeating joke. The director, Laurent Bouzereau, is heard askingSteven Spielbergif there's anything he hasn't yet said about making his enormously successful shark picture. He does not give a definitive "yes!" Indeed, theJawsproduction was already legendaryas it was happening, what with going 100 days over schedule and ballooning its budget amid a tidal wave of technical difficulties. As such, there's plenty of behind-the-scenes footage in the archive, which is helpful for a project like this. And there are stray remarks that will be of interest to cinephiles. One such moment came when Spielberg visited Rolly Harper's Motion Picture & Equipment Rental in Sun Valley, Calif., where production designer Joe Alves and his team were building the mechanical sharks that would be used in the movie. (They were collectively nicknamed Bruce, after Spielberg's "shark-like" lawyer, Bruce Ramer.) Courtesy Everett Collection Spielberg's chumsGeorge Lucas(with whom he'd later makeRaiders of the Lost Ark) andJohn Milius(who aided on theJawsscreenplay) tagged along to see the artificial ichthyology, which led to some shenanigans like when Milius put his head in a shark's mouth. But it was something the pre-Star WarsLucas said that stuck out. Gazing at the enormous fake sharks, Lucas told Spielberg thatJawswas going to be the most successful move ever made. Spielberg kinda rolled his eyes and said, "From your lips..." Valerie Macon/Getty Then cut to some months later when Spielberg was bobbing around on boats in Martha's Vineyard, churning through Universal's money, receiving a talking-to from studio chiefSid Sheinberg, certain that he'd never work in Hollywood again. But then cutagainseveral months, when, in fact, Lucas' premonition proved accurate, andJawsessentially invented the modern summer blockbuster and became the biggest moneymaker ever. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more Jawswas (and is!) a phenomenon, and gave Spielberg the clout to pick his own projects and retain final cut. He's continued on this path making box office hits (and critically acclaimed personal films) for 50 years. But Spielberg never forgets his friends. A few years later, whenStar WarspassedJawsin the money-making department, he took outan adorable adinVariety. It featured R2-D2 "fishing" and hooking Bruce the Shark next to a message to Lucas, congratulating "the Cantina crowd and all the forces of your imagination" from "your pal, Steven." Lucasfilm Then the story gets better. Five or so years later, Spielberg'sE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialbecame the top grosser in history. Returning the favor, Lucas took outa reciprocal ad, this one with the gang fromStar Warslifting E.T. up on their shoulders. Lucas congratulated Spielberg and his "Extra-Terrestrial buddy" and also signed it "your pal." Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection The back-and-forth continued into the late 1990s. When Lucas re-releasedStar Wars(at this point calledStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) in theaters, it put that movie back on top. Spielberg took out another ad —an illustration of E.T.putting the crown back on R2-D2's head. (At this point, though, Spielberg could pay for these ads out of his profits from theIndiana Jonesfilms that were made with Lucas.) The following year, though, both directors would give up possession of the top spot.James Cameron(who appears in the newJawsdocumentary) madeTitanic, and Lucas was beat this time for good.Lucas' congratulations ad to Cameronis perhaps the funniest of all, as it includes everyone from theStar Warsuniverse (including Jabba the Hutt holding a martini) on a sinking ship. Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres July 10 at 9/8c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
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