George Lucas calls his just-approved LA museum a new hope for young Angelenos

The Force appears to have grown stronger in Los Angeles.

Filmmaker George Lucas’ museum paying tribute to the narrative arts cleared a key hurdle, with the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approving the $1.5 billion project in Exposition Park.

It was a long road to the City of Angels for Lucas. San Francisco and Chicago were the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” creator’s first choices. But Mayor Eric Garcetti and others lobbied hard to woo the reluctant Lucas to bring his museum to Los Angeles.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will focus on artwork with storytelling elements. The five-story, 300,000-square-foot building will house his extensive collection of paintings, illustrations and movie memorabilia.

With the council’s 14-0 vote on Tuesday and the expected approval from Garcetti, the project is anticipated to break ground at the end of this year, with construction of the museum itself beginning in early 2018. Completion of the whole project is set for 2021.