To celebrate the 50th anniversary of 1977’s Star Wars (or A New Hope, as it was retitled four years after its premiere) Lucasfilm will re-release George Lucas’ space opera that started all in theaters in April 2027. But in its announcement on Aug. 1, Lucasfilm played coy: Which version of Star Wars would actually be hitting theaters? Disney isn’t ready to say, but did actually return our emails with a comment.
Over the years, Lucas has become infamous for going back and tinkering with the edits and special effects throughout the original Star Wars trilogy. For the 20th anniversary, Lucasfilm primed the pump for the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace with a monthly theatrical re-release of the Star Wars “Special Edition” trilogy, which saw robust changes and even additional scenes rendered with then-state-of-the-art computer graphics. In Lucas’ mind, Star Wars 1977 needed a Jabba the Hutt scene, even if longtime fans thought his movie was fine just the way it is. The filmmaker continued to futz with Star Wars for the next three decades, which is how we wound up with the “Maclunkey Cut” on Disney Plus.
So “Star Wars: A New Hope Returns to Theaters for 50th Anniversary,” as Lucasfilm put it on the official StarWars.com blog, could mean a lot of things — including a stripped-down, back-to-basics version that recently reentered circulation after collecting dust in the archives.
In June, Kathleen Kennedy teamed with the British Film Institute to screen a film print that, to her understanding, was the earliest cut of Star Wars that existed, untouched by its creator’s impulses to tinker and update. The BFI even went an extra step in preparing the film reels for projection, finding an old, complete version of the original crawl, before A New Hope was added to the title, to run in front of the film. Introducing the film, even Kennedy was at a loss for how momentous the occasion felt as a fan of the series.
“Even when I came into the company, there was endless conversation about where everything was and what was in fact the ‘first print,’” she said before the screening. “And it’s quite remarkable. What you’re going to see is in fact the first print, and I’m not even sure there’s another one quite like it. It’s that rare.”
After the BFI screening, there was obvious wonder if Lucasfilm would strike prints of this cut of the film and reissue a sanctioned “Despecialized” edition for release. Nearly a month and a half later, the company announced re-release plans in 2027. Makes you think.
Polygon reached out to Lucasfilm and Disney for clarification on the announcement. Lucasfilm did not return requests for comment. A representative for Disney said the companies were “not confirming the format of the film at this time.”
Now that’s a new hope.
