Saturday, June 13, 2015

Star Wars: VII The Force Awakens Episode

Star Wars: VII The Force Awakens 

 is an upcoming American epic space opera film directed by 
J. J. Abrams. The seventh installment in the episodic Star Wars film series, it stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow, with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker reprising roles from previous films. The story is set approximately 30 years after the events of  
The Force Awakens will be the first film in the planned third Star Wars trilogy announced after The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012. It is produced by Abrams, his long-time collaborator Bryan Burk, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer of the original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Abrams and Kasdan rewrote an initial script by Michael Arndt, who also wrote the story treatment. John Williams returns to compose the score, and Star Wars creator George Lucas serves as creative consultant.
The Force Awakens is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucasfilm and Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, and will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Second-unit filming began in April 2014 in Abu Dhabi and Iceland, with principal photography taking place between May and November 2014 in Abu Dhabi, Ireland and Pinewood Studios in England. The Force Awakens is scheduled for release on December 18, 2015, which will be over ten years after the premiere of the previous live-action Star Wars film, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

the new characters



Premise

The Force Awakens is set approximately 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and features new leads Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron alongside characters returning from previous Star Wars films.[2]

Cast

Lupita Nyong'o[8] was cast as Maz Kanata, a pirate,[6] while Gwendoline Christie[8] was cast as Captain Phasma, a chrome trooper who is an officer in the First Order.[9] Additionally, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen,[10] Christina Chong,[11] Miltos Yerolemou,[12] Greg Grunberg,[13] Warwick Davis,[14] Billie Lourd,[15] Maisie Richardson-Sellers,[16] Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Cecep Arif Rahman,[17] Amybeth Hargreaves,[18] Leanne Best[19] and Jessica Henwick[20] were cast in unspecified roles.

Production

Development

See also: Star Wars sequel trilogy
George Lucas turned over his story treatment for Episodes VII, VIII, and IX to Disney chairman Bob Iger when Lucasfilm was sold to Disney in October 2012.[21] The first screenplay was written by Michael Arndt.[22][23][24] David Fincher[25] and Brad Bird were approached as directors, but Bird was committed to Tomorrowland.[26] Guillermo del Toro was also considered, but was busy with his own projects.[27]

J. J. Abrams was selected as the director of the film.
In January 2013, J. J. Abrams was announced as the director of Star Wars Episode VII, with Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg as project consultants.[28][29] The production announced the exit of Arndt from the project on October 24, 2013 and Kasdan and Abrams took over script duties.[30] Abrams cited time concerns over the change of writers,[31] and expressed relief that the release date was announced for December 2015 instead of a previously discussed summer release.[32] He said the key for the film was to return to the roots of the first Star Wars film and be based more on emotion than explanation.[33]
As creative consultant on the film, Lucas' involvement included attending early story meetings; according to Lucas, "I mostly say, 'You can't do this. You can do that.' You know, 'The cars don't have wheels. They fly with antigravity.' There's a million little pieces... I know all that stuff."[21] Lucas' son Jett told The Guardian that his father was "very torn" about having sold the rights to the franchise, despite having hand-picked Abrams to direct, and that his father was "there to guide" but that "he wants to let it go and become its new generation."[34] Among the materials turned over to the production team were rough story treatments Lucas developed when he considered creating episodes VII–IX himself years earlier; in January 2015, Lucas stated that Disney had discarded his story ideas.[35][36]
In January 2014, Abrams confirmed that the script was complete.[37] In April 2014, Lucasfilm clarified that episodes VII–IX would not feature storylines from the Expanded Universe, though other elements could be included as with the TV series Star Wars Rebels.[38]

Pre-production

In May 2013, it was confirmed that the production of Episode VII would take place in the United Kingdom.[39] Representatives from Lucasfilm met with Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to agree to produce Episode VII in the UK.[39] Beginning in September 2013, production spaces at the Bad Robot facility were converted for shooting of Episode VII for the benefit of shooting a minor portion of the film in the United States.[40]
The film's costume designer was Michael Kaplan, who had previously worked with Abrams on his Star Trek films.[41] Film editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey, also long-term collaborators with Abrams, were also signed.[42]
In August 2013, it was announced that cinematographer Daniel Mindel would be shooting the film on 35 mm film (specifically Kodak 5219).[43] In October 2013, other crew members were confirmed, including sound designer Ben Burtt, director of photography Daniel Mindel, production designers Rick Carter and Darren Gilford, costume designer Michael Kaplan, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, re-recording mixer Gary Rydstrom, supervising sound editor Matthew Wood, visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett, and executive producers Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin.[44][45][46][47]

Casting

(L–R) Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher all reprise their roles from the original trilogy as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia, respectively.
Casting began around August 2013, with Abrams meeting with potential actors for script readings and screen tests. Open auditions were held in the UK, Ireland and the United States in November 2013 for the roles of "Rachel" and "Thomas".[48][49][50] Casting began in earnest in January 2014, due to changes to the script by Kasdan and Abrams.[51] Screen tests with actors continued until at least three weeks before the official announcement on April 29, 2014, with final casting decisions being made only a few weeks prior. Actors testing had strict non-disclosure agreements, preventing them, their agents or publicists from commenting on their potential involvement.[52]
Though Lucas intimated that previous cast members Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill would return for the new film as early as March 2013,[21] their casting was not confirmed until over a year later.[3] Saoirse Ronan,[53] Michael B. Jordan,[54] and Lupita Nyong'o[55] auditioned for new characters; industry publications reported Jesse Plemons was considered, possibly for Luke Skywalker's son;[56] Adam Driver for an unnamed villain;[57] and Maisie Richardson-Sellers for an unknown character.[58] In March 2014, actor Dominic Monaghan said that Abrams was looking for three unknown actors to play the leads in Episode VII and that rumors of bigger-name stars were untrue.[59]
Daisy Ridley was chosen for the film by February 2014, and by the end of that month a deal had been worked out with Driver, who was able to work around his Girls schedule. By March 2014, talks with Andy Serkis and Oscar Isaac began and continued into April 2014. In April, John Boyega began talks after dropping out of a Jesse Owens biopic.[52] Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy, was asked to reprise his role, but declined, stating that it would have "bored" him.[60]
On April 29, 2014, the cast was announced with a photo of the first table read of the script at Pinewood Studios near London,[3] picturing director Abrams with Ford, Daisy Ridley, Fisher, Peter Mayhew, producer Bryan Burk, Lucasfilm president and producer Kathleen Kennedy, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Hamill, Serkis, Oscar Isaac, Boyega, Driver, and writer Lawrence Kasdan. Not pictured but included in the cast are Max von Sydow and Kenny Baker. The announcement was originally planned for May 4 (Star Wars Day), but announced early due to fears of media leaks. More casting is expected, including a major female role.[61] Variety reported that Driver would play a Darth Vader-type villain, Isaac's role would be like Han Solo, Boyega would play a Jedi, and Ridley could play the daughter of Han and Leia.[62] On June 2, 2014, Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie were announced in the cast.[8]
To prepare for his role, Hamill grew out his beard[63] and was assigned a personal trainer and a nutritionist at the request of the producers, who wanted him to resemble an older Luke.[64] Fisher was also assigned a personal trainer and a nutritionist to prepare for her role.[64] The production team built a new C-3PO suit to accommodate Daniels.[65] In May 2014, Fisher's mother, Debbie Reynolds, stated that Fisher had already lost 40 pounds in preparation for the film.[66]
In May, Abrams announced a donation contest for UNICEF from the Star Wars set in Abu Dhabi; the winner was allowed to visit the set, meet members of the cast and appear in the film.[67]
In October 2014, Warwick Davis, who played Wald and Weazle in The Phantom Menace and Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi, announced that he would appear in The Force Awakens, but did not reveal his role.[68] In November 2014, Reynolds confirmed that Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, is in the film.[15]
Oscar Isaac's uncle, a massive Star Wars fan, was cast as an extra in the film at the invitation of Abrams upon visiting the set.[69]

Filming


Skellig Michael in Ireland, one of the filming locations

RAF Greenham Common filming location in England
In February 2014, Abrams said filming would begin in May and last about three months.[33] Sources told Hitfix that filming would wrap in September 2014.[70] The official announcement came on March 18, when Disney and Lucasfilm announced that principal photography would commence in May and be based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England.[71] In March, it was revealed that pre-production filming would be taking place in Iceland prior to the start of official filming in May, consisting of landscape shots which would be used for scenery in the film.[72] On April 2, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn confirmed that filming had begun,[73] filming in secret in the U.A.E. emirate of Abu Dhabi by a second-unit.[74][75] Later that month, it was revealed that in addition to 35mm film, segments of the film were being shot in the 65mm IMAX format.[76] On July 8, Bad Robot reported on Twitter that the film would be at least partially shot on IMAX cameras.[77]
In early May 2014, the studio posted a selfie taken by Iger with Chewbacca. Iger stated the photo was taken while visiting Pinewood Studios two weeks earlier to discuss the shoot "which was just about to start" with Abrams, Kennedy, and Horn.[78] Principal photography began in Abu Dhabi on May 16, 2014.[79][80][81] Abrams and members of the cast went to Abu Dhabi in early May, where large sets were built at the location, including a shuttle-like spacecraft, a large tower and a big market, and explosives were used to create a "blast crater". Cast members were spotted practicing driving vehicles that would be used during filming.[82] Production moved to Pinewood Studios in June.[83]
On June 12, Harrison Ford fractured his leg while filming at Pinewood after a hydraulic door fell on him, and was taken to a hospital. Production was suspended for two weeks to accommodate Ford's injury.[84] Ford's son Ben stated that Ford's ankle would likely need a plate and screws and that filming could be altered slightly, with the crew needing to shoot Ford from the waist up for a short time until he recovered.[85] Jake Steinfeld, Ford's personal trainer, said in July that Ford was recovering rapidly.[86]
On July 29, 2014, filming took place over three days at Skellig Michael island off the coast of County Kerry in Ireland with a cast including Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley.[87][88] Production was halted for two weeks in early August 2014 so Abrams could rework shooting in Ford's absence, and resumed with a fully healed Ford in mid-August.[89][90] In September 2014, the RAF Greenham Common military base in Berkshire, near Pinewood Studios, was used as a filming location and featured set constructions of several spaceships from the Star Wars Universe.[91][92]
Principal photography ended on November 3, 2014.[93]

Post-production

Cinematographer Daniel Mindel stated that The Force Awakens would use real locations and scale models over computer-generated imagery to make it aesthetically similar to the original Star Wars trilogy.[94] Rian Johnson, director of Episode VIII, reiterated that Abrams would use little CGI and more practical, traditional special effects, saying: "I think people are coming back around to [practical effects]. It feels like there is sort of that gravity pulling us back toward it. I think that more and more people are hitting kind of a critical mass in terms of the CG-driven action scene lending itself to a very specific type of action scene, where physics go out the window and it becomes so big so quick.”[95] Abrams' intention in prioritising practical special effects was to recreate the visual realism and authenticity of the original Star Wars.[96] To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop that was created by special effects artist Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors.[97][98]
In February 2014, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) announced plans to open a facility in London, citing Disney's Star Wars films as a catalyst for the expansion. ILM's Vancouver branch will also work on the special effects for the film.[99]

Music

In July 2013, John Williams was confirmed to compose the score.[100] Williams composed original music for the film's first trailer.[101] The score will be recorded by Los Angeles musicians over several months.[102] In May 2015, Williams stated that he would return to themes from the previous films, such as ones for Luke, Leia and Han, in ways that "will seem very natural and right in the moments for which we’ve chosen to do these kinds of quotes. There aren’t many of them, but there are a few that I think are important and will seem very much a part of the fabric of the piece in a positive and constructive way." On returning to the Star War universe, Williams added, "It’s all a continuation of an initial set of ideas. It’s a bit like adding paragraphs to a letter that’s been going on for a number of years. Starting with a completely new film, a story that I don’t know, characters that I haven’t met, my whole approach to writing music is completely different—trying to find an identity, trying to find melodic identifications if that’s needed for the characters, and so on." He also revealed that working with Abrams was very similar to the process he went through with Lucas in the earlier films.[103] The the first section of the recording sessions began in June 2015 on Sony's scoring stage, with William Ross conducting the majority of the music. Williams attended the sessions and conducted the remainder of the recordings.[104]

Release

In November 2013, The Force Awakens was given the release date of December 18, 2015.[105] In March 2014, Disney confirmed that Episode VII will be released in IMAX format.[106] On November 6, 2014, the title of the film was announced as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[107] Though the title does not include "Episode VII", Episode VII will be included in the opening crawl.[108]

Marketing


Official promotional poster of the film's villains featuring Kylo Ren (Adam Driver, left and center), Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie, right), and the newly designed Stormtroopers.
On November 28, 2014, Disney released a 90-second teaser trailer to promote The Force Awakens. It was screened in selected cinemas across the United States and Canada, and in theaters worldwide in December 2014. It was also released on YouTube and the iTunes store,[109] generating a record 58.2 million views on YouTube in its first week.[110] Critics compared the brief footage favourably to the production values of the original trilogy. The Hollywood Reporter called the trailer "perfectly potent nostalgia", praising its mix of old and new.[111] Empire was impressed by the continuity with the first films – "the feel of classic Star Wars" – but noted the absence of Hamill, Ford and Fisher, and speculated about the significance of the new characters.[112] The Guardian wrote that the use of the Star Wars fanfare by John Williams reinforced brand loyalty among fans.[113]
On December 11, 2014, Abrams and Kennedy released a series of eight mock Topps trading cards revealing the names of several characters.[4]
On April 16, 2015, a second teaser trailer, this one lasting two minutes, was shown at the opening panel at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said the reaction to the trailer was "staggering... the entire room of almost eight thousand people just leapt to their feet and roared, I mean I can't think of anything I've ever been to – other than a rock concert – that felt quite like that."[114] The trailer was viewed over 88 million times within the first 24 hours of release, breaking the record of 62 million held by Furious 7 in November 2014.[115][116] The event was broadcast live by Verizon on YouTube, Starwars.com and in movie theaters. The trailer shows many of the new characters and the first footage of Chewbacca and Han Solo. The Huffington Post‍  '​s Graham Milne wrote that the trailer "was an affirmation of something that we'd long been told was never going to happen. This was a gift. This was faith rewarded. About damn time."[117]
Vanity Fair was the first magazine to release an exclusive cover issue devoted to The Force Awakens. The magazine, which was released on May 7, 2015, features all new interviews and brand new photos of the cast members photographed by Annie Leibovitz.[118][119]

Merchandise

The film will be accompanied by numerous books. Disney Publishing Worldwide and Lucasfilm announced that a combination of 20 titles in book and e-book formats, entitled "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with releases starting in late 2015, prior to the film. The collection will include books by Del Rey and Disney-Lucasfilm publishers and comic books from Marvel Comics. All titles under the program are canonical to the Star Wars universe.[120]
The first novel, Star Wars: Aftermath, will be released in September 2015 and is written by Chuck Wendig. The story is set shortly after the film Return of the Jedi and deals with the consequences of the deaths of both the Emperor and Darth Vader, as well as the power vacuum formed in the Empire's rule over the galaxy and the actions of the Rebellion during the following months. It is intended to be the first in a trilogy of novels that will bridge the Star Wars timeline between the original trilogy and The Force Awakens.[121] Alan Dean Foster will write the novelization of the film.[122]
Lucasfilm announced that September 4, 2015 will be deemed "Force Friday" and will be the official launch of all of the merchandise for The Force Awakens. Beginning at 12:01am, fans will be able to buy toys, books, clothing and various other products at Disney Store and retailers throughout the world. Lucasfilm is urging fans to document their experience on social media using the hashtags: #ForceFriday and #MidnightMadness.


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Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)

 is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas was from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. It was the third film released in the Star Wars saga and the first film to use THX technology. The film is set one year after The Empire Strikes Back[5] and was produced by Howard Kazanjian for Lucasfilm Ltd. The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Frank Oz.
The evil Galactic Empire, under the direction of the ruthless Emperor Palpatine, is constructing a second Death Star in order to crush the Rebel Alliance once and for all. Since Palpatine plans to personally oversee the final stages of its construction, the Rebel Fleet launches a full-scale attack on the Death Star in order to prevent its completion and kill Palpatine, effectively bringing an end to the Empire's hold over the galaxy. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, the Rebel leader and Jedi apprentice, struggles to bring Darth Vader, who is his father Anakin and himself a fallen Jedi, back from the Dark Side of the Force.
David Lynch and David Cronenberg were considered to direct the project before Marquand signed on as director. The production team relied on Lucas' storyboards during pre-production. While writing the shooting script, Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand, and producer Howard Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas to construct it. Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting to begin a few weeks early to allow Industrial Light & Magic more time to work on the film's effects in post-production. Filming took place in England, California, and Arizona from January to March 1982. Strict secrecy surrounded the production and the film used the working title Blue Harvest to prevent price gouging.
The film was released in theaters on May 25, 1983, receiving mostly positive reviews. The film grossed over $572 million worldwide.[4] Several home video and theatrical releases and revisions to the film followed over the next 20 years. Star Wars continued with Episode I: The Phantom Menace as part of the film series' prequel trilogy. A sequel, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was announced on October 30, 2012, and it is set for release on December 18, 2015.


 

Plot

Luke Skywalker initiates a plan to rescue Han Solo from the crime lord Jabba the Hutt with the help of Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. Leia infiltrates Jabba's palace on Tatooine disguised as a bounty hunter with Chewbacca as her prisoner. Lando is already there disguised as a guard. Leia releases Han from his carbonite prison, but she is captured and enslaved. Luke arrives soon afterward but after a tense standoff, he is captured. After Luke survives his battle with Jabba's Rancor, Jabba sentences him and Han to death by feeding them to the sarlacc. Luke frees himself and battles Jabba's guards. During the chaos, Boba Fett, who has been working for Jabba since delivering Han, attempts to attack Luke but Han inadvertently knocks him into the Sarlaac pit. Meanwhile, Leia strangles Jabba to death, and Luke destroys Jabba's sail barge as the group escape. While Han and Leia rendezvous with the Rebel Alliance, Luke returns to Dagobah where he finds that Yoda is dying. As he dies, Yoda confirms that Darth Vader, once known as Anakin Skywalker, is Luke's father and there is "another Skywalker". The spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi confirms that this other Skywalker is Luke's twin sister, Leia. Obi-Wan tells Luke that he must fight Vader again to defeat the Empire.
The Rebel Alliance learns that the Empire has been constructing a new Death Star under the supervision of Vader and his master Emperor Palpatine. In a plan to destroy the new weapon, Han leads a strike team to destroy the battle station's shield generator on the forest moon of Endor, allowing a squadron of starfighters to enter the incomplete infrastructure and destroy the station from within. The strike team, accompanied by Luke, travels to Endor in a stolen Imperial shuttle. On Endor, Luke and his companions encounter a tribe of Ewoks and, after an initial conflict, form a partnership with them. Later, Luke confesses to Leia that she is his sister, Vader is their father, and that he is leaving to confront him. Surrendering to Imperial troops, Luke is brought to Vader and unsuccessfully tries to convince him to turn from the dark side of the Force.
Vader takes Luke to the Death Star to meet the Emperor, intent on turning his son to the dark side. The Emperor reveals that the Death Star is fully operational and set to destroy the Rebellion. On Endor, Han's strike team is captured by Imperial forces, but a surprise counterattack by the Ewoks allows the Rebels to launch an attack. Meanwhile, Lando, piloting the Millennium Falcon, leads the Rebel fleet to the Death Star, only to find that the station's shield is still active and the Imperial fleet is waiting for them. The Emperor tempts Luke to give in to his anger and join the dark side of the Force, and Luke engages Vader in a lightsaber duel. Vader discovers that Luke has a sister, and threatens to turn her to the dark side. Enraged, Luke attacks Vader and severs his father's right hand. The Emperor entreats Luke to kill Vader and take his place, but Luke refuses, declaring himself a Jedi. On Endor, the strike team defeats the Imperial forces and destroys the shield generator, allowing the Rebel fleet to launch their final assault on the Death Star. At the same time, a furious Palpatine tortures Luke with Force lightning. Unwilling to let his son die, Vader becomes Anakin Skywalker again and kills the Emperor, but is mortally wounded in the process. At his father's request, Luke removes Anakin's mask to see his scarred face, allowing Anakin to look on his son with his own eyes before dying in Luke's arms.
Lando leads the remaining ships into the station's core and destroys the main reactor as the Imperial fleet is overwhelmed. Luke escapes on an Imperial shuttle with his father's body, while Lando escapes in the Falcon moments before the Death Star explodes. On Endor, Leia reveals to Han that Luke is her brother, and they share a kiss. Luke returns to Endor and cremates his father's body on a funeral pyre as is the Jedi tradition. As the Rebels celebrate the end of the Empire, Luke sees the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and the redeemed Anakin watching over them.

Cast and characters

Main cast

A rebel commander who, after a year since his encounter with Darth Vader in Cloud City, has nearly completed his Jedi training.
A smuggler captain who, after being frozen in carbonite by Darth Vader in Cloud City and taken to Jabba the Hutt, is freed by Princess Leia, who helps him escape after Luke arrives at Jabba's palace. He is later named a general in the Rebel Alliance and is tasked with leading an attack on the Imperial shield fortress on Endor.
A princess of Alderaan and rebel leader who is later revealed to be Luke's twin sister.
The former Baron Administrator of Cloud City, who joins the Rebel Alliance after his city is attacked by the Galactic Empire. He pilots the Millennium Falcon, Han's ship, to lead an attack on the Death Star.
Luke's protocol droid for human–non-human communication and translations, who is instrumental in establishing friendly relations between the rebels and the Ewoks on Endor, who mistakenly believe him to be a god.
Luke's Jedi father, who was seduced by the dark side of the Force and has been relentlessly continuing his search for Luke, but is set off course when the Emperor sends him to Endor to oversee the construction of the new Death Star and to prepare for the Rebel strike. Vader was portrayed by Prowse's stunt double, Bob Anderson in many of his scenes; primarily those involving lightsaber combat.
Luke's blue-and-white astromech droid (Baker also portrayed Paploo, an ewok).
Han's wookiee co-pilot.
Luke's self-exiled Jedi master who, after living for 900 years, finally prepares to become one with the Force and tells Luke that Vader is truly his father.
The supreme ruler of the Galactic Empire and Vader's Sith master, who now plans to destroy the Alliance with the new Death Star and turn Luke to the dark side of the Force.
Vader's self-exiled Jedi master who, after being struck down by Vader in A New Hope, continues to offer guidance to Luke as a Jedi spirit and tells Luke the truth about Leia being his sister.

Supporting cast

the leader of Rogue Squadron, who prepares to aid (now General) Lando Calrissian in the fighter attack on the Death Star.
Commander overseeing the construction of the Second Death Star
One of the few officers under Vader's command to survive his wrath, who commands the Imperial Fleet at Endor from the Executor.
An Ewok who leads Leia and eventually her friends to the ewok tribe. Kenny Baker was originally cast as Wicket, but was replaced by 11-year-old Warwick Davis after falling ill with food poisoning on the morning of the shoot. Davis had no previous acting experience and was cast only after his grandmother had discovered an open call for dwarfs for the new Star Wars film.[7]
A Mandalorian bounty hunter who, after capturing and delivering Han to Jabba the Hutt, stays at the crime lord's palace and engages in the battle above the Sarlacc.
A co-founder and leader of the Rebel Alliance.
She explains the mission of destroying the Death Star to the Alliance.
An evil crimelord, who is holding Leia and Han hostage. Jabba was operated by puppeteers David Barclay, Mike Edmonds and Toby Philpott
Jabba's personal aid.
The unfortunate slave dancer in Jabba's palace, who is fed to the Rancor after attempting to break free.
a fat slave dancer in Jabba's palace.
The Rancor's sobbing keeper
To portray the numerous alien species featured in the film a multitude of puppeteers, voice actors, and stunt performers were employed. They included:
Additional voices were provided by; Annie Arbogast (Sy Snootles), Erik Bauersfeld (Ackbar/Bib Fortuna - uncredited), Ben Burtt (Droid/R2D2), Denny Delk (Ewoks - uncredited), Ernie Fosselius (Malakili/Giran - uncredited), Richard Marquand (EV-9D9), Kipsang Rotich (Nien Nunb - uncredited) and Pat Welsh (Boushh - uncredited)

Production

Development

As with the previous film, Lucas personally financed Return of the Jedi.[7] Lucas approached David Lynch, who had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for The Elephant Man in 1980, to helm Return of the Jedi, but Lynch declined in order to direct Dune.[8] David Cronenberg was also offered the chance to direct the film, but he declined the offer to make Videodrome and The Dead Zone.[9] Lucas eventually chose Richard Marquand. Lucas may have directed some of the second unit work personally as the shooting threatened to go over schedule; this is a function Lucas had willingly performed on previous occasions when he had only officially been producing a film (e.g. More American Graffiti, Raiders of the Lost Ark). Lucas did operate a B camera on the set a few times.[10] Lucas himself has admitted to being on the set frequently due to Marquand's relative inexperience with special effects.[7] Lucas praised Marquand as a "very nice person who worked well with actors".[11] Marquand did note that Lucas kept a conspicuous presence on set, joking, "It is rather like trying to direct King Lear – with Shakespeare in the next room!"[12]
Sebastian Shaw as the unmasked Darth Vader.
The screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Lucas (with uncredited contributions by David Peoples and Marquand), based on Lucas' story. Kasdan claims he told Lucas that Return of the Jedi was "a weak title", and Lucas later decided to name the film Revenge of the Jedi.[7] The screenplay itself was not finished until rather late in pre-production, well after a production schedule and budget had been created by Kazanjian and Marquand had been hired, which was unusual for a film. Instead, the production team relied on Lucas' story and rough draft in order to commence work with the art department. When it came time to formally write a shooting script, Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand and Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas; Kasdan used tape transcripts of these meetings to then construct the script.[13] The issue of whether Harrison Ford would return for the final film arose during pre-production. Unlike the other stars of the first film, Ford had not contracted to do two sequels, and Raiders of the Lost Ark had made him an even bigger star. Ford suggested that Han Solo be killed through self-sacrifice. Kasdan concurred, saying it should happen near the beginning of the film to instill doubt as to whether the others would survive, but Lucas was vehemently against it and rejected the concept.[7] Yoda was originally not meant to appear in the film, but Marquand strongly felt that returning to Dagobah was essential to resolve the dilemma raised by the previous film.[13] The inclusion led Lucas to insert a scene in which Yoda confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father because, after a discussion with a children's psychologist, he did not want younger moviegoers to dismiss Vader's claim as a lie.[11] Many ideas from the original script were left out or changed. For instance, the Ewoks were going to be Wookiees,[14] the Millennium Falcon would be used in the arrival at the forest moon of Endor, and Obi-Wan Kenobi would return to life from his spectral existence in the Force.[15]
Gary Kurtz, who produced Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back but was replaced as producer for Return of the Jedi, claimed in 2010 that the ongoing success with Star Wars merchandise and toys led George Lucas to reconsider the idea of killing off Han Solo in the middle part of the film during a raid on an Imperial base. Luke Skywalker was also to have walked off alone and exhausted like the hero in a Spaghetti Western, but Lucas opted for a happier ending to encourage higher merchandise sales.[16]

Filming

The heavy forest of Redwood National Park was used to film the forests of Endor in Return of the Jedi.
Filming began on January 11, 1982 and lasted through May 20, 1982, a schedule six weeks shorter than The Empire Strikes Back. Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting as early as possible in order to give Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as much time as possible to work on effects, and left some crew members dubious of their ability to be fully prepared for the shoot.[17] Working on a budget of $32.5 million,[18] Lucas was determined to avoid going over budget as had happened with The Empire Strikes Back. Producer Howard Kazanjian estimated that using ILM (owned wholly by Lucasfilm) for special effects saved the production approximately $18 million.[18] However, the fact that Lucasfilm was a non-union company made acquiring shooting locations more difficult and more expensive, even though Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back had been big hits.[7] The project was given the working title Blue Harvest with a tagline of "Horror Beyond Imagination." This disguised what the production crew was really filming from fans and the press, and also prevented price gouging by service providers.[7]
The first stage of production started with 78 days at Elstree Studios in England,[17] where the film occupied all nine stages. The shoot commenced with a scene later deleted from the finished film where the heroes get caught in a sandstorm as they leave Tatooine.[12] (This was the only major sequence cut from the film during editing.)[13] While attempting to film Luke Skywalker's battle with the rancor beast, Lucas insisted on trying to create the scene in the same style as Toho's Godzilla films by using a stunt performer inside a suit. The production team made several attempts, but were unable to create an adequate result. Lucas eventually relented and decided to film the rancor as a high-speed puppet.[7] In April, the crew moved to the Yuma Desert in Arizona for two weeks of Tatooine exteriors.[12] Production then moved to the redwood forests of northern California near Crescent City where two weeks were spent shooting the Endor forest exteriors, and then concluded at ILM in San Rafael, California for about ten days of bluescreen shots. One of two "skeletal" post-production units shooting background matte plates spent a day in Death Valley.[17] The other was a special Steadicam unit shooting forest backgrounds from June 15–17, 1982 for the speeder chase near the middle of the film.[19] Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown personally operated these shots as he walked through a disguised path inside the forest shooting at less than one frame per second. By walking at about 5 mph (8 km/h) and projecting the footage at 24 frame/s, the motion seen in the film appeared as if it were moving at around 120 mph (190 km/h).[7]

Music

Main article: Return of the Jedi (soundtrack)
John Williams composed and conducted the film's musical score with performances by the London Symphony Orchestra. Orchestration credits also include Thomas Newman. The initial release of the film's soundtrack was on the RSO Records label in the United States. Sony Classical Records acquired the rights to the classic trilogy scores in 2004 after gaining the rights to release the second trilogy soundtracks (The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones). In the same year, Sony Classical re-pressed the 1997 RCA Victor release of Return of the Jedi along with the other two films in the trilogy. The set was released with the new artwork mirroring the first DVD release of the film. Despite the Sony digital re-mastering, which minimally improved the sound heard only on high-end stereos, this 2004 release is essentially the same as the 1997 RCA Victor release.[20]

Post-production

Meanwhile, special effects work at ILM quickly stretched the company to its operational limits. While the R&D work and experience gained from the previous two films in the trilogy allowed for increased efficiency, this was offset by the desire to have the closing film raise the bar set by each of these films.[18] A compounding factor was the intention of several departments of ILM to either take on other film work or decrease staff during slow cycles. Instead, as soon as production began, the entire company found it necessary to remain running 20 hours a day on six-day weeks in order to meet their goals by April 1, 1983. Of about 900 special effects shots,[17] all VistaVision optical effects remained in-house, since ILM was the only company capable of using the format, while about 400 4-perf opticals were subcontracted to outside effects houses.[21] Progress on the opticals was severely retarded for a time due to ILM rejecting about 100,000 feet (30,000 m) of film when the film perforations failed image registration and steadiness tests.[17]

Release

The teaser poster titled Revenge of the Jedi by Drew Struzan
Return of the Jedi‍ '​s theatrical release took place on May 25, 1983. It was originally slated to be May 27, but was subsequently changed to coincide with the date of the 1977 release of the original Star Wars film.[18] With a massive worldwide marketing campaign, illustrator Tim Reamer created the image for the movie poster and other advertising. At the time of its release, the film was advertised on posters and merchandise as simply Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, despite its on-screen "Episode VI" distinction. The original film was later re-released to theaters in 1985.
In 1997, for the 20th anniversary of the release of Star Wars (retitled Episode IV: A New Hope), Lucas released The Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition. Along with the two other films in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi was re-released on March 14, 1997 with a number of changes and additions, which included the insertion of several alien band members in Jabba's throne room, the modification of the Sarlacc to include a beak, the replacement of music at the closing scene, and a montage of different alien worlds celebrating the fall of the Empire.[22] According to Lucas, Return of the Jedi required fewer changes than the previous two films because it is more emotionally driven than the others.[11] The changes have caused controversy among the fans as some believe that they detract from the films.[23]

Title change

The original teaser trailer for the film carried the name Revenge of the Jedi.[24] In December 1982, Lucas decided that "Revenge" was not appropriate (as Jedi should not seek revenge) and returned to his original title. By that time thousands of "Revenge" teaser posters (with artwork by Drew Struzan) had been printed and distributed. Note that the poster changes the correct color of the light sabers; Luke is seen wielding a red lightsaber while Vader wields a blue one,[25] while in the movie Luke's saber is green and Vader's red. Lucasfilm stopped the shipping of the posters and sold the remaining stock of 6,800 posters to Star Wars fan club members for $9.50.[26]
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, released in 2005 as part of the prequel trilogy, later alluded to the dismissed title of Jedi, Revenge of the Jedi.[27]

Home media

The 1997 theatrical release poster of the new Special Edition version of the film (art by Drew Struzan)
The original theatrical version of Return of the Jedi was released on VHS and Laserdisc several times between 1986 and 1995,[28] followed by releases of the Special Edition in the same formats between 1997 and 2000. Some of these releases contained featurettes; some were individual releases of just this film, while others were boxed sets of all three original films.
On September 21, 2004, the Special Editions of all three original films were released in a boxed set on DVD (along with a bonus disc). It was digitally restored and remastered, with additional changes made by George Lucas. The DVD also featured English subtitles, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX surround sound, and commentaries by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher. The bonus disc included documentaries including Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy and several featurettes including "The Characters of Star Wars", "The Birth of the Lightsaber", and "The Legacy of Star Wars". Also included were teasers, trailers, TV spots, still galleries, and a demo for Star Wars: Battlefront.
With the release of Revenge of the Sith, which depicts how and why Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side of the Force, Lucas once again altered Return of the Jedi to bolster the relationship between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. The original and 1997 Special Edition versions of Return of the Jedi featured British theatre actor Sebastian Shaw playing both the dying Anakin Skywalker and his ghost. In the 2004 DVD and 2011 Blu-ray release, Shaw's portrayal of Anakin's ghost is replaced by Hayden Christensen, who portrayed Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The change drew further fan criticism directed toward Lucas. All three films in the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy were later released, individually, on DVD on September 12, 2006. These versions were originally slated to only be available until December 31, 2006, although they remained in print until May 2011 and were packaged with the 2004 versions again in a new box set on November 4, 2008.[29] Although the 2004 versions in these sets each feature an audio commentary, no other extra special features were included to commemorate the original cuts.
A Blu-ray Disc version of the Star Wars saga (Special Edition versions only) was announced for release in 2011 during Star Wars Celebration V. Several deleted scenes from Return of the Jedi were included for the Blu-ray version, including a sandstorm sequence following the Battle at the Sarlacc Pit, a scene featuring Moff Jerjerrod and Death Star officers during the Battle of Endor, and a scene where Darth Vader communicates with Luke via the Force as Skywalker is assembling his new lightsaber before he infiltrates Jabba's palace.[30] On January 6, 2011, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment announced the Blu-ray release for September 2011 in three different editions and the cover art was unveiled in May. Although selling well, the Blu-ray caused yet more criticism towards Lucas as the set featured further alterations and the original versions were not included.[31]
Although unconfirmed, it was reported on August 16, 2014 that Disney/Lucasfilm plan to release the unaltered original trilogy on Blu-ray in 2015 prior to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which will be released to theaters on December 18, 2015.[32]

Digital release

On April 7, 2015, the Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released Star Wars films. As Lucasfilm had retained digital distribution rights to all Episodes sans IV, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Return of the Jedi for digital download on April 10, 2015.[33][34]

Reception

Return of the Jedi showing at the University Theatre in Toronto, with the marquee stating "The Smash of 83"
Although a critical and commercial hit, grossing more than $475 million worldwide,[4] Return of the Jedi has, in the decades that followed, been considered by many critics and fans to be a slightly lesser achievement than its predecessors,[35][36][37] but is still overall considered superior to the prequels. At Rotten Tomatoes, Return of the Jedi's 79% approval rating is surpassed by The Empire Strikes Back (96%), A New Hope (93%), and the final film of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith (80%).[35] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 52% based on 14 reviews from mainstream critics,[38] and The Empire Strikes Back received a score of 78% based on 15 reviews.[39]
Contemporary critics were largely complimentary. In 1983, movie critic Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out of four,[40] and James Kendrick of Q Network Film Desk described Return of the Jedi as "a magnificent experience."[41] The film was also featured on the May 23, 1983 TIME magazine cover issue (where it was labeled "Star Wars III"),[42] with the reviewer Gerald Clarke saying that while it was not as exciting as the first Star Wars film, it was "better and more satisfying" than The Empire Strikes Back, now considered by many as the best of the original trilogy.[43] Vincent Canby, who enjoyed the first film and despised the second, felt that Return of the Jedi was the worst of all three.[44] ReelViews.net's James Berardinelli noted for the 1997 special edition re-release that "Although it was great fun re-watching Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back again on the big screen, Return of the Jedi doesn't generate the same sense of enjoyment. And, while Lucas worked diligently to re-invigorate each entry into the trilogy, Jedi needs more than the patches of improved sound, cleaned-up visuals, and a few new scenes. Still, despite the flaws, this is still Star Wars, and, as such, represents a couple of lightly-entertaining hours spent with characters we have gotten to know and love over the years. Return of the Jedi is easily the weakest of the series, but its position as the conclusion makes it a must-see for anyone who has enjoyed its predecessor."[45]
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune was somewhat critical of the film during the 1997 re-release, stating that it "Lack[s] the humanity and richly drawn characters that brighten Star Wars."[citation needed][35][not in citation given] Siskel later gave Return of the Jedi thumbs up on the television show Siskel & Ebert during the release of The Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition, saying: "This is my least favorite of the three episodes. That doesn't make it bad, the others are just a lot better." Siskel went on to praise the opening sequence at the Sarlacc pit and the chase sequence involving speeder bikes, but he states his dislike for the closing scenes involving the Ewoks.[46] The New York Post's Rex Reed gave the film a negative review, stating "Let's not pretend we're watching art!"[citation needed][35] Writing in The New Yorker, Pauline Kael (who had praised The Empire Strikes Back after dismissing Star Wars) called it "an impersonal and rather junky piece of filmmaking."
While the action set pieces – particularly the Sarlacc battle sequence, the speeder bike chase on the Endor moon, the space battle between Rebel and Imperial pilots, and Luke Skywalker's duel against Darth Vader – are well-regarded, the ground battle between the Ewoks and Imperial stormtroopers remains a bone of contention.[47] Fans are also divided on the likelihood of Ewoks (being an extremely primitive race of small creatures armed with sticks and rocks) defeating an armed ground force comprising the Empire's "best troops". Lucas has defended the scenario, saying that the Ewoks' purpose was to distract the Imperial troops and that the Ewoks did not really win.[11]

Accolades

At the 56th Academy Awards in 1984, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, and Phil Tippett received the "Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects." Norman Reynolds, Fred Hole, James L. Schoppe, and Michael Ford were nominated for "Best Art Direction/Set Decoration". Ben Burtt received a nomination for "Best Sound Effects Editing". John Williams received the nomination for "Best Music, Original Score". Burtt, Gary Summers, Randy Thom and Tony Dawe all received the nominations for "Best Sound".[48] At the 1984 BAFTA Awards, Edlund, Muren, Ralston, and Kit West won for "Best Special Visual Effects". Tippett and Stuart Freeborn were also nominated for "Best Makeup". Reynolds received a nomination for "Best Production Design/Art Direction". Burtt, Dawe, and Summers also received nominations for "Best Sound". Williams was also nominated "Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special". The film also won for "Best Dramatic Presentation", the older award for science fiction and fantasy in film, at the 1984 Hugo Awards.[49]

Marketing

Novelization

Main article: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (novel)
The novelization of Return of the Jedi was written by James Kahn and was released on May 12, 1983, thirteen days before the film's release.[52] It contains many scenes that were deleted from the final cut as well as certain assertions which have since been superseded by the prequel trilogy. For example, Kahn writes that Owen Lars is the brother of Obi-Wan Kenobi, while in Attack of the Clones he is instead shown to be the stepbrother of Anakin Skywalker. When Leia is captured by Jabba, instead of him saying "I'm sure" to her warning of her powerful friends, he says, "I'm sure, but in the meantime, I shall thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of your company." Additionally, instead of simply licking his lips as seen in the movie, he is described as planting "a beastly kiss squarely on the Princess's lips." Later, the Force spirit of Obi-Wan reveals that he was able to hide Luke and Leia from Anakin because he did not know that his wife was pregnant when he "left," presumably when he became Vader. This is partly contradicted by Revenge of the Sith, in which Anakin is unaware his wife was expecting twins and believes their child died with her. A facet of the story which was made more clear in the novel was the confusion which overtook the Imperial forces upon the death of Palpatine, who ceased to be the guiding will animating the Empire. It also further supports the events depicted in all post-Return of the Jedi fiction.

Radio drama

Main article: Star Wars (radio)
A radio drama adaptation of the film was written by Brian Daley with additional material contributed by John Whitman and was produced for and broadcast on National Public Radio in 1996. It was based on characters and situations created by George Lucas and on the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The first two Star Wars films were similarly adapted for National Public Radio in the early 1980s, but it was not until 1996 that a radio version of Return of the Jedi was heard. Anthony Daniels returned as C-3PO, but Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams did not reprise their roles as they had for the first two radio dramas. They were replaced by newcomer Joshua Fardon as Luke Skywalker and character actor Arye Gross as Lando Calrissian. John Lithgow voiced Yoda, whose voice actor in the films has always been Frank Oz. Bernard Behrens returned as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Brock Peters reprised his role as Darth Vader. Veteran character actor Ed Begley, Jr. played Boba Fett. Edward Asner also guest-starred speaking only in grunts as the voice of Jabba the Hutt. The radio drama had a running time of three hours.[53]
Principal production of the show was completed on February 11, 1996. Only hours after celebrating its completion with the cast and crew of the show, Daley died of pancreatic cancer. The show is dedicated to his memory.
The cast and crew recorded a get-well message for Daley, but the author never got the chance to hear it. The message is included as part of the Star Wars Trilogy 
collector's edition box set.





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