It may not have been a “long” time ago in a galaxy far, far, away, but its been almost fifty years since the original “Star Wars“ hit movie theaters. It was 1977, and the world was not ready for what director George Lucas was bringing. The franchise took the world by storm, and the merchandising alone helped change the notion of what a cinematic success was. But that original theatrical version has been lost to time thanks to numerous revisions from Lucas. But, the dream of a re-release of that version will happen in 2027!
Various parts of the franchise have seen re-releases over time, including the prequel trilogy. “Episode IV: A New Hope” saw a major re-release in 1997 for the film’s 20th anniversary, but that was the special edition version. The original theatrical (or “de-specialized version”) edition was rumored to never see the light of day again. Lucas has been on the record throughout the decades about the imperfections of the original, and how the special edition is truer to the vision he had planned.
This has been a sticking point for fans who could do without a lot of what the special edition changed or included. There’s the addition of Jabba the Hutt, the infamous “Han shot first” fiasco, and various other touches that debatably take the magic out of the effort put into that original version. The sequel films also received alterations for their re-releases, but none so extensive as that of Episode IV.
This is huge news for fans and we look forward to reporting more about this upcoming theatrical event as it draws closer. The film will re-release in theaters on February 19th, 2027.
You can read more about it on the official “Star Wars” website here.
