Original Star Wars Films Tipped for Re-Release
posted Saturday Sep 19, 2015 by Scott Ertz
It has been a long time since the original Star Wars films were available to the public. Because Lucas cannot leave a good thing alone, it seems like every few years he releases another special edition, with changes to the graphics, the characters, the environments and, in one annoying case, the story of the film. Well, it appears that Lucas, or possibly Disney, in their infinite wisdom, are considering re-releasing the original theatrical cuts of the films.
Director John Landis, a friend of George Lucas, has apparently suggested the importance of re-releasing the films before the next film releases. This would give a new generation of fans the ability to experience the films the way they were originally intended to be seen, not in their remastered, or bastardized depending on your views, versions.
Let's be clear - there is no official confirmation from either company about this topic. There is, however, a Q&A with Landis himself, speaking at the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort. Oblivious of the importance of the words being spoken, Landis discusses his conversation with George Lucas, documented on Twitter by Empire Magazine.
There will be issues before this potential becomes reality. First, George Lucas no longer owns Lucasfilm, the company that is responsible for the franchise. Disney would be responsible for approving the rerelease. However, Disney isn't the only company involved. Like with several portions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 20th Century Fox would have to be involved as well, as they have the distribution rights to Episode IV: A New Hope. Unfortunately, the two companies have not been working well together, with Fox preventing the inclusion of the X-Men and Fantastic Four from joining the primary storyline, so it is a longshot to get them onboard, assuming Disney is event interested.
As this rumor is beyond shaky, it is completely probable that absolutely nothing will come of this. However, the possibility of seeing Han shoot first on Blu-Ray is enough to get the Star Wars fans excited.
