George Lucas may have parted ways with Star Wars when Disney purchased the property back in 2012, but now he's joining the evil Empire--as an action figure. Hasbro announced today that a George Lucas Stormtrooper is joining the ranks of its Black Series line of 6-inch Star Wars figures (via The Hollywood Reporter).

　　The toy, titled "George Lucas (in Stormtrooper Disguise)," features the Star Wars creator in full Stormtrooper armor from the original trilogy, as well as an accompanying helmet and blaster. This isn't the first time Lucas has appeared as a Stormtrooper action figure, either. As noted in the official post on the Star Wars website, Hasbro released a 3.75-inch George Lucas Stormtrooper back in 2006. He's also been immortalized in the past as Rebel Alliance pilot Jorg Sacul in 2002, and as his Revenge of the Sith character, Baron Papanoida, also in 2006.

　　“As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I have both the honor and privilege to bring characters from the franchise to life in product form every single day,” said Vickie Stratford, sr. director of product design at Hasbro, in an official announcement. “When the opportunity came to design the George Lucas figure, we were especially excited for this project. This figure is just one of the many ways we can honor his legacy for years to come and we hope fans cherish it as much as we did!”

　　With George Lucas himself coming in at 5'6", he's not quite as tall as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy. Indeed, the franchise creator is a little short for a Stormtrooper. George Lucas (in Stormtrooper Disguise) will release in 2022, but goes up for pre-order tomorrow, September 29, at 1 pm ET, over on Amazon.

　　Eric Frederiksen on Google+