FIRST OFF . . .

The saga of Britain’s Elstree Studios continues. Just one day after the true identity of the buyer of Elstree became known--a consortium headed by British financier Peter Earl--producer George Lucas, who has worked often at the facility, said Thursday he is thinking of taking it off Earl’s hands. Speaking during a break in the filming of the third “Indiana Jones” film at Elstree, Lucas said to Reuters: “If the people who have just bought it ended up having a hard time developing it, and they were looking for alternatives . . . I would be willing to buy at a reasonable price because I definitely would love to be able to continue making films here.” Lucas tried to buy Elstree three years ago, he said, adding, “I have made nine films over the last 12 years at Elstree, and we have spent well over 100 million ($170 million).” Financially strapped Cannon Films previously owned the 62-year-old, 28-acre facility. According to industry reports, the studio is scheduled to be closed Oct. 28.