Here’s a rumor that you’ve no doubt heard before: The original, un-altered, non-Special Edition Star Wars Trilogy will soon see a re-release. If you haven’t heard said rumor, go ahead and jump on Google – it surfaces a couple times a month, and it’s been going on for years. This is the “hope” that eventually, we will see a restored version of the original films from 1977, 1980 and 1983 as they appeared in theaters. That means all mistakes and limitations of technology at the time are left intact – whether for the sake of history and film preservation, or simply to allow old folks (like myself) to enjoy the films as they originally saw them (no modern updates). In the past, these rumors have been just that – pure vapor. Thing is, in recent months, there have been some rumblings, and there just might be some legitimacy to them this time around. The folks over at Making Star Wars (who have a really good track record when it comes to accuracy in rumors) have heard some things… but the thing is, I’ve heard things, too.
If ever this were gonna happen, this is the year to do it. It’s the 40th Anniversary of 1977’s Star Wars (eventually re-titled, “A New Hope”), and just last year, Rogue One director Gareth Edwards mentioned seeing a restored print of the first film. Even if we’re not talking a major in-home release (which we probably are), a limited theatrical engagement around the anniversary (May 25, 2017) just seems right, doesn’t it?
But this is still a rumor. Perhaps one with some truth in it. One that’s been reported thousands of times, especially since Disney acquired Lucasfilm some years back. And, if you were to have the desire to present a beautifully-restored version of George Lucas’ classic, wouldn’t a massive fan event be a great place to do it? All RUMOR.
No matter what happens, it’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan. Stay tuned…
