The good news is that the original Star Wars is now scheduled to return to theaters. The bad news is that, like the galaxy it takes place in, it is far far away.
Disney announced today it is rereleasing Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary. Don’t grab the keys just yet. Typically when we get announcements like this the screenings are happening in a month or less…but not this time. Star Wars doesn’t turn 50 for another two years. This announcement is for a release in May of 2027.
“On April 30th, 2027, we’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Wars with a re-release of the 1977 classic back for a limited time, in theaters everywhere,” states the brief blurb provided by Disney this morning. “Part of Lucasfilm’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration, Star Wars: A New Hope will play in theaters over the May the 4th holiday, also known as Star Wars Day.”
As for which version will play, we don’t know just yet. We guess that depends on how much of a grip Mr. Lucas still has on the brand. An untouched 35mm film reel dating back to 1977 was recently screened in the UK to a sold-out crowd. Emperor Kathleen Kennedy was there to personally give the screening her approval so…it doesn’t look like a rerelease of the “Han Shot First” cut is impossible.
Star Wars was a landmark moment in Hollywood history that changed a lot of things, but the birth of the summer blockbuster as we know it happened with Jaws two years prior, and you don’t have to wait to celebrate that one — it’s 50 years old right now. Jaws and Star Wars brought its directors Spielberg and Lucas to the forefront of the industry, and they would define it for the next two decades. Believe it or not, prior to Jaws the summer was a quiet period for movies!
More on the release of A New Hope as we hear about it which…may not be for a while.
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