John Landis Claims Disney Will Re-Release The Theatrical Cuts Of The Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy
Fans of the original Star Wars trilogy, take heed. It seems Disney may release the theatrical cuts of all three films in the near future.
According to Empire Magazine‘s Twitter feed, at a Q&A for the 25th annual Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, Animal House director John Landis dropped a little bit of news that is sure to make any Star Wars aficionado twirl their light saber in celebration.
Landis, who was a special guest at the opening night of the event and is a longtime friend of George Lucas, reportedly said during the Q&A that the theatrical cuts of the films would be re-released.
At a Q&A tonight John Landis dropped that Disney are finally going to re-release the theatrical cuts of the original Star Wars trilogy.
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) September 19, 2015
In a follow up Tweet by Empire, the magazine stated that Landis apparently learned about this from Lucas himself, who has sworn previously that he will allow no such thing, despite the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney.
Apparently George mentioned it when last they spoke. Somebody put Yub Nub on. Let the celebrations commence!
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) September 19, 2015
According to Comicbook, if Landis’ remarks turn out to be true, diehard Star Wars fans will soon own their very own copies of the original theatrical cut of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, most likely as a Blu-ray release, which has been the rumor for some time now. However, it could very well mean a theatrical re-release.
Disney To Re-Release Theatrical Cuts Of The Original STAR WARS Trilogy!!! http://t.co/Bq8UXWvQG7 pic.twitter.com/Vx8ZTl1QXY
— Superhero Feed (@SuperheroFeed) September 19, 2015
Of course, it’s all very complicated. Slashgear notes that George Lucas no longer owns Lucasfilm, nor does he necessarily have any say in how any Star Wars films are released. In addition, 20th Century Fox, who distributed the original trilogy, owns the worldwide theatrical, nontheatrical, and home video distribution rights for all six Star Wars films until 2020, according to Screencrush.
John Landis Claims Disney is Releasing the Original Star Wars Trilogy http://t.co/MxgFwrfEK1 pic.twitter.com/PVFsAKgWAJ
— Jeremy Conrad (@ManaByte) September 19, 2015
It’s more likely than not that this is all just rumor and Landis has his facts all wrong, but it does provide a glimmer of hope for those keen on seeing the films that started it all in their original glory.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Early Screening Details – http://t.co/fx9HJTSqBN pic.twitter.com/bGFspD7XfL
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) September 18, 2015
In the meantime, Star Wars fans can content themselves with the anticipation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is set for release in December.
[Image via Cinemablend.com]
