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George Lucas to again revise Star Wars films
Friday, 1 April 2005 - AF News Service
George Lucas announced today that he will once again revise the first trilogy of Star Wars films, this time to include the computer-animated character Jar-Jar Binks.
In 1997, Lucas updated the first three Star Wars movies--Star Wars (now often called A New Hope), The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi--to include new, computer-assisted artwork and animation. The "Special Edition" trilogy was released theatrically that year and on DVD in 2004.
At the time, Lucas claimed that his revised releases reflected his original vision of the movies. In reponse to suggestions that long-time fans might feel slighted by yet another series of changes, Lucas maintained a similar stance.
"In the early 1970's, when Star Wars was just a pipe-dream of mine, I envisioned Jar-Jar Binks as one of the main characters," said Lucas. "Due to technological constraints of the time, I was forced to make a lesser version of that film and its sequels."
His efforts to update his original films met with controversy, and some fans are not too pleased he plans further changes.
"I grew up on these films, and he keeps changing them," complains Star Wars fan Kevin Pilar. "The first trilogy was great as it was, but then he altered it beyond recognition and won't make the original movies available on DVD."
Lucas stands by his decision.
"If I listened to fans' wishes, I never would have updated the original films or made the prequel trilogy," he says. "People were dreading [the first prequel episode] The Phantom Menace because of their unfounded fears of computer-generated characters, but Jar-Jar Binks quickly became the most beloved of Star Wars characters since the Ewoks."
The Ewoks were small, fuzzy teddy-bear-like creatures that appeared in the third Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi.
But at least one fan won't be buying the new DVDs, set for a September release.
"The new movies may be great eye-candy, but they're not Star Wars," insists Pilar. "The only real Star Wars movies are the original, untouched films and the Star Wars Holiday Special (a TV film that only aired once). The Force is with those movies, but not with the prequels!"
