The Star Wars Story: how George Lucas and Steven Spielberg held Hollywood hostage for 20 years

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Shadow Knight

Interesting. I imagine a few of the interactive things might either be one of those things that early adopts the internet or dies after awhile and is looked back upon as came a bit too soon. Maybe some are revived after the Internet gets really going.

Also seems prime for an early HGTV and/or Food Network kind of channel. This Old House has been around for a while so could see some similar being stood up. Could start as a Learning Channel shows (how to cook, how to cook Italian, how to do basic home repairs, etc ).
 
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Chapter XII

1986 Lucasfilm releases; Loews Theatres & Doubleday acquisition

It seemed natural to schedule meetings with the likes of Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick, as even if nothing came out of them, LucasArts CEO Michael Eisner would at least get the honor of meeting them. Of course, they weren’t aware Eisner just wanted stories to tell, and naturally as Welles and Kubrick were both consummate professionals, they came to their respective meetings prepared with ideas. In fact, Welles shared a screenplay he had just written, The Cradle Will Rock, an autobiographical drama about the 1937 staging, which Welles himself actually directed, of the eponymous play by Marc Blitzstein. Marcia Lucas, who was also in the meeting, thought the idea had merit, and was especially interested in the possibility of working with an icon of the industry such as Welles.

Welles had somehow come up with a budget of $3 million, which was a fraction of the budgets Lucasfilm had been working with, and Marcia didn’t think a period piece could properly be done on that budget, so she offered the legendary director of Citizen Kane double what he had asked, to both his and Eisner’s surprise. What none of them realized then, Marcia had effectively just saved Welles’ life. Some months later, once production had started up, Welles suffered a heart attack in the middle of directing a scene. He was quickly whisked away by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where staff thankfully saved Welles’ life. It was his first proper film in over a decade, and very nearly had become his last. To the delight of his fans, that was not to be.

The Cradle Will Rock, starring Rupert Everett as a young Orson Welles, surprised industry insiders when it successfully found an audience and did well at the box office, bringing in $30 million. Perhaps Welles’ health scare had motivated audiences to come out in droves to see what could have been the legendary directors last picture, or the glowing early reviews really did have that kind of influence. The film would ultimately be remembered for sparking a late career resurgence, the first in a string of surprising successes.

Kubrick had come to his meeting with a copy of the novel The Short-Timers, proposing a Vietnam War project, along with a host of other material related to various potential projects. Somehow the topic of Kubrick’s cancelled project on Napoleon came up, with Eisner asking the director how he would approach it today. Eisner, Marcia and Kubrick sat for hours getting into the details of the directors vision, picking his brain. By the end of the meeting, Kubrick had signed a three-picture deal, the first due being the long awaited Napoleon.

The film, which once was meant to cover Napoleon’s life from birth to death, evolved to mainly focus on the French emperor’s hundreds day return from exile. It opens with a title screen explaining that Napoleon had been exiled to the island of Elba, and from there follows his escape back to France, the epic battles that resulted, and his subsequent second exile and ultimate death. Cast in the titular role was Jack Nicholson; in fact, he had originally been cast in the role way back when Kubrick was originally developing the project, in the days after the iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The epic war film’s cost came in at between $16.5-30 million, depending on the course, even with many of the cost saving efforts devised by Kubrick. Critics gave glowing reviews, calling it the definitive Napoleon film, hailing it as a comeback for Kubrick after the negatively received The Shining. When all was said and done, the film had made just over $175 million. At the Oscars the next year, it was the project pushed by LucasArts, ultimately winning a few, notably Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor.

Of course, LucasArts wasn’t only in the business of giving industry icons another chance to do great things in said industry, even if that was a special perk of running a successful media company/film studio. The year was definitely one that proved to bear fruit from seeds planted years previous. Terry Gilliam had brought Brazil to LucasArts around the same time executives were holding meetings with the likes of Welles and Kubrick, with the tentative release date being late winter, possibly early spring 1985. Back then the project was still known under the working titles The Ministry and 1984 1/2. Ultimately it was Marcia’s fault that production was pushed, as she asked Gilliam to postpone in order to explore his interest in joining the Dune project, which had been stuck in the very early stages of pre-production since the rights were purchased. Gilliam ultimately passed, at least until Brazil was finished.

Now it was, the final product 142 minutes long and ending on a dark note. Jeffery Katzenburg, President of LucasArts and Eisner’s second-in-command, did not think that the dark ending tested well with audiences and wanted to change the ending. A great argument ensued between Gilliam and executives, which finally ended when Marcia stepped in and advocated for the original cut being released, believing in siding with the artists vision rather than the executive. As Marcia left more and more of the day-to-day of LucasArts to others, the times she did step in became more and more valuable. Most times, once Marcia did step in, wherever she landed on the particular argument was the ultimate answer. She was known in Hollywood circles for being a major supporter of the “artist,” which no doubt helped to bring in the kind of talent to LucasArts that they would become known for. Against its $15 million budget, Brazil would earn $50 million worldwide, a particular success internationally.

For years, Steven King and George A. Romero had been trying to get an adaptation of King’s novel The Stand made. There were difficulties with King trying to write a good enough screenplay, but those hurtles were mounted when King finally allowed another writer, Respo Pallenberg, to be brought in. For awhile, it looked like the project would be produced at Warner Bros., but at the last minute, the studio backed out. So LucasArts stepped in and committed funds almost immediately, believing the project to be a steal. It took buying Romero out of his deal with United Film Distribution Company, which had one project remaining out of the original three-picture deal. [1] The ensemble cast included the likes of Robert Duvall (Randall Flagg), Whoopi Goldberg (Mother Abagail), and Marshall Crenshaw (Larry Underwood). Against its $16 million budget, the film would bring in just over $92 million, making The Stand by far the biggest film release for either King or Romero.

The final film released by LucasArts in ‘86 was the Michael Mann-helmed Comanche. Written by Eric Roth, the film covered the same true story that the revered 1956 Western film The Searchers did, although without many of the grievous artistic licenses took with the history by the first film. The film did well at the box office, bringing in $37 million against its $10 million budget, and with critics, who praised the historical accuracy and Mann’s direction.

NeXT, Inc., the holding company of LucasArts and NeXT Computers, continued to make strategic acquisitions to grow the business. Marcia Lucas had long preached her vision of controlling as many aspects of the business as possible, going back to the purchase of New World to secure an established distribution pipeline to grow out of. Now, this vision was further pursued with the acquisition of Loews Theatres and the announcement that the company would be doubling its 300 screens over the next year by taking over private theaters and building new sites. After a sale fell through the previous year to a group headed by A. Jerrold Perenchio, LucasArts secured the company at a deal: $150 million.

Also acquired that year was the publishing company Doubleday. By 1986 the firm was a fully integrated international communications company, doing trade and mass-market paperback publishing, book clubs, storefronts, along with ventures in broadcasting and advertising. Notably, Doubleday was the only American publishing company with their own printing presses, which really drew in LucasArts executives. Owning the process from printing to selling in the store was a similar vision to what was being pursued by LucasArts, so it seemed a natural move to acquire the company. As a result of the deal, LucasArts also took ownership of the MLB Mets team, interestingly enough. Admittedly a hefty price tag at a total just under $500 million, the cost to build a similar operation from scratch had to be exponentially higher. Some debt had to be taken on to finance the purchase, but nothing crippling.




Next up: Total Recall and selected 1987 releases

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[1] OTL this final film would be Day of the Dead, so TTL Romero hasn’t yet made his third zombie project. Don’t forget, LucasArts own the rights to the “Living Dead” title.
 
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unclepatrick said:
Kubrick vs Gilliam at the Academy awards?
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Haha, as worthy as i think Brazil is, ultimately i have a feeling the academy would fawn over Kubrick's Napoleon more, especially with it being billed as a "comeback."

TheBalkanizer said:
Is Lucasfilm going to get attacked as a Monopoly like Microsoft was?
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I don't think they would be? They have their hands in several pockets, so to speak, but they dont hold any market hostage. It's actually funny you bring that up though, because an upcoming chapter might include some government interference.

TheBeanieBaron said:
Glad to see Orson Welles living longer in this timeline.
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Got to love Welles, obviously Citizen Kane was hugely impactful but F is for Fake has a very special place in my heart as well.
 
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Chapter XIII

1987 Lucasfilm releases; NeXT Inc expansion suffers growing pains


Indiana Jones and the Monkey King
(dir. Steven Spielberg, writ. Chris Columbus)
Budget: $40 million
Earnings: $425 million

After a year without major adventure or sci-if releases, Lucasfilm returned to form in 1987 with their tent pole release Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, the third film in the franchise. After the mixed reaction to Temple of Doom, director Steven Spielberg and producer Marcia Lucas were determined to knock the next installment out of the park. The team, also including producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, took a round of meetings throughout Hollywood hoping to find the next great idea. Diane Thomas wrote a draft that was basically a ghost story set in a Scottish castle. Marcia liked it well enough but Spielberg didn’t, mainly due to the supernatural elements, which seemed too similar to work he had previously done. It was Spielberg’s idea to go to Chris Columbus, having worked with him on Gremlins.

Columbus took the Thomas draft and turned the Scottish haunted castle story into an opening sequence, in the same vein as the Amazon temple in Raiders. The script that follows was outrageous in the best possible way, with dazzling characters and incredible action sequences. [1] After another couple drafts to refine things, the decision to move forward with the script was made, partially because star Harrison Ford’s other commitments required filming to commence sooner rather than later. Filming early actually worked in favor of the production, as it gave ample time for Industrial Light & Magic and Pixar to complete special effects work. The film had its share of practical effects, as all had in the franchise, but it was notable for its early use of digital effects as well, such as when Indiana Jones fights the knightly ghosts in the haunted castle, and towards the end when Indy’s buccaneer ally Kezure steals some immortal peaches and tries to eat them, causing him to age into a skeleton within seconds. Audiences came out in droves, and critics hailed the film as a return to form. In interviews Ford was tight lipped about returning for a fourth film, saying it all depended on the script.

Total Recall
(dir. Richard Donner, writ. Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon, and Chris Columbus)
Budget: $40 million
Earnings: $337 million

Since negotiating the rights away from Dino De Laurentiis, it had been a rocky road to finally releasing Total Recall. To begin with, the script wasn’t perfect, the third act in particular needed a decent amount of work. Marcia reached out to her first choice to do Return of the Jedi, David Cronenberg, and he signed onto the picture on the condition he rewrite the script. This version removed much of the humor and camp that initially drew executives to the project, positioning itself much closer to a spiritual successor of Blade Runner. After battling back and forth for a few months, Cronenberg eventually left the project, although not without leaving a lasting touch in the form of the film’s mutants, such as the prophet Kuato.

The hunt to replace Cronenberg included the likes of Richard Rush and George Miller, but ultimately settled on Richard Donner after he refused to return to the Superman films with Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Executives instead offered him Total Recall, and he agreed after reading both the original drafts from Shusett and O’Bannon as well as Cronenberg’s final draft. Donner, having worked with Monkey King writer Chris Columbus on The Goonies, just so happened to also ask him to complete a draft of Total Recall. Columbus ultimately opted to go with Shusett’s version of the ending, in which lead character Quaid saves the day by giving Mars an atmosphere. [2] He draft also re-added the humor and camp, at some points dialing it up to 11, counterbalanced by fantastic action sequences.

Despite not agreeing to Superman IV, Donner would still reunite with Christopher Reeve, casting him in the lead role of Quaid. Reeve would receive heaps of praise for his physical yet dramatic performance. The film had its own fair share of praise, and dominated the box office alongside Indiana Jones and the Monkey King.

The Jewel of the Nile
(dir. Robert Zemeckis, writ. Diane Thomas)
Budget: $20 million
Earrings: $175 million

The whole gang behind Romancing the Stone reunited for the sequel, including director Robert Zemeckis, producer Marcia Lucas, writer Diane Thomas, and stars Christopher Reeve, Debra Winger, and Danny DeVito. It wasn’t always meant to be. Thomas had previously committed to the third Indiana Jones film, and Zemeckis wasn’t sure he wanted the distraction from Back to the Future Part 2, but it was a passion project for Marcia. Thomas was ultimately released from her responsibilities for the Indiana Jones film, allowing her to focus on Jewel of the Nile. The film built upon its predecessor, both in exciting adventures and box office success. Although some critics dismissed the film as “more of the same,” overall it got a positive reception.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
(dir. Ron Howard, writ. Lawrence Kasdan)
Budget: $18 million
Earnings: $64 million

Once LucasArts had acquired DC Comics, a concerted effort followed to get back any film rights of DC properties that had been optioned. Many audience members felt the third Superman film had went astray, the outcry effectively killing any interest the film’s producers had in following Superman III up with a sequel, despite the film’s strong box office performance. Despite easily securing the rights, it was up in the air whether Christopher Reeve would return, although he finally agreed after being allowed the choice of director and control over story decisions, as well as Marcia personally financing one of Reeve’s passion projects. The Superman actor really had an interest in a story about anti-nuclear proliferation, and Lawrence Kasdan agreed to join as writer based on Reeve’s story notes, doing a personal favor for Marcia. The final story made little reference to the earlier works, existing almost as a stand-alone work. Ron Howard was Reeve’s first choice for director, which was fortunate as Howard was a family friend of Marcia’s, and agreed accordingly.

Lethal Weapon
(dir. George Miller, writ. Shane Black)
Budget: $15 million
Earnings: $160 million

Executives at LucasArts had been eyeing Shane Black since a script of his had been passed around the industry a few years earlier, it had showed a lot of promise but it just wasn’t quite there yet. It was enough to sign him to a first look deal, which came to pay off in the form of Lethal Weapon. Although initially considering James Cameron, executives ultimately reached out to George Miller about directing, having previously worked with him on First Blood. He signed on eyeing frequent collaborator Mel Gibson for the lead role of Martin Riggs. Upon Steven Spielberg’s suggestion (who had joined the production as a producer) Danny Glover was cast as Gibson’s co-star in the role of Roger Murtaugh, the pair having worked together on The Color Purple. The film was a smashing success, and quickly discussions about a sequel started with Black and Miller both, the cast already signed onto multiple pictures.

RoboCop
(dir. Paul Verhoeven, writ. Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner)
Budget: $13.5 million
Box office: $80 million

Production of RoboCop had started at Orion Pictures, but stalled as the studio began a series of reorganizations. LucasArts Chairman David Geffen and Paul Verhoeven met each other for the first time at a party in Los Angeles, with Verhoeven lamenting his anger over RoboCop’s hold up to Geffen, unaware at first he was chairman of a major entertainment company. The following Monday, a call was made to Orion and the rights to RoboCop were secured. Production started soon after, guided by Verhoeven’s steady hand. Rutger Hauer was cast in the title role, although he would spend much of his time behind a mask.

Blue Velvet
(dir. & writ. David Lynch)
Budget: $6 million
Earnings: $24 million

Despite the relative failure of The Absurd Mystery, David Lynch was welcomed back at Lucasfilm with open arms, albeit with a much reduced budget. The film crystallized out of ideas going back to as early as 1973, and actually included autobiographical elements. In some ways another “absurd mystery,” Blue Velvet was nevertheless much more accessible to audiences than his previous outing. After a wide search, Kyle MacLachlan was cast in his first film role, a talent scout finding him in a Seattle theater production. Another unknown, Isabella Rossellini, was cast after Lynch happened to meet her in a restaurant. First choice Michael Ironsides was cast as the main villain, the role reportedly written with him in mind. Finally, Molly Ringwald was cast as MacLachlan’s love interest and partner-in-crime. Upon release, critics were sharply divided, with some hailing it as Lynch’s masterpiece and others panning it. Audiences showed up for the former Star Wars director, the film earning a healthy profit.

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As the team at NeXT continued to search for strategic acquisitions to grow the company, they heard that Marvel, their biggest competitor in the comics industry, was open to offers, a consequence of their parent company Cadence Industries liquidating the year prior. If they were able to purchase Marvel, LucasArts would effectively corner the comics industry. When Marvel announced they had agreed in principle to a deal to become a division of NeXT’s entertainment arm LucasArts, the Reagan administration announced an investigation in light of a letting writing and press campaign by smaller comic companies. Before federal court, NeXT lawyers argued that any company acquiring Marvel, which had claimed 70% of the market, would be effectively taking on a monopoly. Basically, if regulators really cared, Marvel wouldn’t exist to begin with. The ploy didn’t work, the court ultimately ruling against NeXT, putting a stop to their purchase of Marvel, but going nowhere near breaking the company apart.

Perhaps this was just an attempt to get Marvel broken up, as at the same time NeXT was aggressively negotiating with two toy companies, Mattel and Kenner, to secure their acquisition. Both companies had properties that could be utilized in film and television, such as Barbie at Mattel and Clue at Kenner. LucasArts had a long standing relationship with Kenner already, and by owning the company that produced its toys and other merchandise, it would be able to keep all its profits. Mattel had just weathered some tough times, in fact they hadn’t recorded a profit last year and wasn’t on the road to doing so this year, so the feeling was that the company could be acquired at a relative discount. The courts were more favorable to NeXT this go around, and the take over of Mattel and Kenner was approved in a deal worth over $1 billion. It wouldn’t have been possible without the aid of famous businessman Warren Buffet, who put up an undisclosed amount of money for 10% of NeXT.

The company wasn’t only making purchases, a series of strategic divestments proceeded as well to help pay off the debt taken on when NeXT took over Doubleday. First things first, Laidlaw, a publisher of educational materials for kindergarten through high school, was sold to Macmillan for about $25 million, although the official amount remains undisclosed. Next, all three radio stations that were operating under Doubleday Broadcasting were sold off in a package worth about $55 million. Lastly, despite winning the 1986 World Series (or perhaps because of it), the New York Mets were sold off to a consortium in a deal worth close to $100 million according to some sources, although others had it closer to $80 million.




Next up: The Dark Knight Returns and other 1988 releases

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[1] Here’s an article that recounts Christ Columbus’ first draft of Monkey King, and includes a link to the script itself.
[2] To read about O’Bannon’s ending, click here.
 
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What other company might pick up Marvel? I suppose Disney could early, but that doesn't seem very fun. Might Ted Turner be interested? He's been busy building his media empire in the background, although keeping an eye on LucasArts' development, he would see their purchase of DC Comics.

I was considering doing a chapter on what The Games Group has been up to. I would hate to lose the classic adventure games OTL LucasArts released, but what other directions might you guys be interested in? I've considered TTL Games Group overseeing a few different labels, including one dedicated to making games for Star Wars and other Lucasfilm properties, maybe called Skywalker Games?

There will also be a chapter on what Millennium has been up to soon. Besides whatever Corman is up to, if you guys have ideas for interesting smaller projects I would be happy to include them. Maybe we bring the guy doing the Re-Animator remake on board like someone brought up before?

I think TTL '87 would go down in the history books as a bookmark year for LucasArts, with the films released and the Mattel-Kenner purchase is going to open up some fun opportunities. I initially wanted to include a TTL Cobra that was pretty different, more dystopian sci-fi elements, different bad guys, but the year started to fill a bit crowded. Leonard Nimoy was my first choice for Lethal Weapon, but I thought having George Miller, and showing how things could still end up similar despite all the differences would be interesting. Same for Blue Velvet, it didn't feel right butterflying away Kyle MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini completely, although TTL she hasnt done any modeling yet. But if these things don't add up in yalls estimation, I'm happy to make changes for the betterment of the timeline. I could always cast Christopher Reeve as Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon lol, really make 1987 "the year of Reeve."

Any ideas as to who we should cast as Batman for The Dark Knight Returns? Who might be an interesting choice for director / writer? As always, thank you guys for reading along so far!
 

Shadow Knight

Ha e Marvel be bought out by WB.

I'd love a section on the gaming section. It would make sense to have a section dedicated to Star Wars games. Though I could see them also doing partner deals with other companies to make Star Wars games too.
 
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Over the weekend, I thought long and hard about where this TL was at and how it could be better. I weighed an alternate POD I had originally considered, and honestly I think the TL would be better, and more interesting, with it. It wasn't necessarily easy to decide to start over, but I would rather do that than continue on with a project I am not sure of anymore. If I don't get the new Part 1 done and posted today, things should be back on schedule on Saturday.

The only question I have is whether I should start a new thread? I am unsure of the proper etiquette
 
Introduction
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    The Star Wars Story ​

    Chapter I — Introduction

    George Lucas found himself in an odd situation. In many ways, he was the envy of Hollywood. His films had been so successful as of late he was sure no major studio would dare reject his call. At the moment, he was already deep into pre-production on Revenge of the Jedi, the third installment in his Star Wars Saga, but he couldn’t find a director. Truth be told, he hadn’t expected it to be as difficult as it had turned out to be. Sure, he had considered over a hundred names the last go around, but once he settled on eventual Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner, that was pretty much it. This time? He wasn’t nearly as lucky.

    His first choice, in fact his best friend, Steven Spielberg, had been banned from directing the film due to their separate feuds with the Director’s Guild. His other top choices, David Lynch and David Cronenberg, had simply said no, and so had several others since then, including Lamont Jackson and Richard Marquand. Lucas was perplexed. Despite not yet having a completed script, his vision for the film seemed so clear. It just so happened to include someone else directing. He had thoroughly enjoyed stepping back into the producer role for Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it had done wonders for his marriage. It was clear he couldn’t rejoin the director’s chair without risking divorce.

    Yet, something Lynch said at their meeting stuck in his head. The director of Eraserhead and The Elephant Man was resolute in his belief that Lucas should direct Revenge himself. In the three conversations the pair had, Lynch brought it up each time, adamantly trying to get through to Lucas. At least, that’s according to Lucas. In the few interviews that Lynch has actually answered questions about Revenge, he tells a very different story. To his recollection, Lynch only spoke with Lucas on one occasion, a meeting they had at Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, in which Lucas paraded him around and showed him action figures. Lynch did in fact tell Lucas that he ought to direct his own movie, but it wasn’t some kind of mission of his. After that, all correspondence related to Revenge was handled by his agent.

    Never mind the differing recollections, the end result was the same. Despite his long list of reservations, Lucas decided he would indeed direct Revenge. Although he wouldn’t have a heart attack from stress on set, he was right about his marriage. Before the film even released, he and his wife Marcia would divorce. As the walls of their marriage came crumbling down, Lucas found he was actually glad to have something to throw himself into. Much to the displeasure of his lead actors, who were quoted calling him a “disciplinarian and perfectionist,” in stark comparison to his “lackadaisical” performance the first time around.

    Around the same time he started to reconcile the fact he would be directing Revenge, he and best friend Spielberg were scheduled for a summit in Hawaii. Well, a vacation with both of their wives, but they were celebrating the success of Raiders and would certainly be talking shop, even if it was while drinking Coronas on the beach. It was while they were all hiking one of the volcanic trails he thought of something that could possibly ease some of the strain on his marriage. That night, during one of those sessions on the beach, Lucas pitched the idea to Spielberg. The two of them were already working hand-in-hand on movies, even their business interests were already intertwined, why not take it a step further and merge their businesses?

    The end result, their companies joining forces under the new parent company Amblin-Lucasfilm Partners, brought Kathleen Kennedy, who had worked on Raiders as an associate producer, to Lucasfilm and a host of other changes that for the moment removed Lucas himself from many of the day-to-day decisions. As soon as filming wrapped on Revenge, Lucas would force himself back into that decision structure, complicating things, but while he was shooting all his concentration was on the film. Once he was back at Skywalker Ranch, working on the extensive special effects, that would change, but until then…

    Upcoming chapters:
    • (1983) Revenge of the Jedi
    • (1984) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death
    • (1985) Ronnie Rocket
     
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    • 1983
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    Chapter II
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    Revenge of the Jedi​

    Synopsis

    The galaxy remains under the oppressive rule of the Galactic Empire, led by the evil Emperor and his pet Darth Vader. Unbeknownst to them, Luke Skywalker has embraced his destiny as a Jedi Knight and returned to the swamps of Dagobah to complete his training under Master Yoda. The film opens as Luke runs through the swamps with Yoda clung to his neck, unaware they are being stalked by a giant spider. The creature swoops down and attacks Luke and Yoda, finally struck down by Luke’s new green lightsaber after Yoda used the Force to stop it in its tracks and hold it in a stasis. The next morning, as Yoda loudly rummages through his and Luke’s possessions both, despite R2D2 voicing his protests, Luke gets a call from Princess Leia who announces that Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca have found Han Solo.

    Darth Vader watches on as Moff Jerjerrod kneels before the Emperor’s hologram. The Emperor is appointing Jerjerrod to the position of Grand Moff, formally above Vader. As Vader steps forward to address the Emperor, the hologram shuts off. The pair then walk and talk, with Vader warning Jerjerrod not to interfere with his hunt of Luke Skywalker. As they pass by a window, the camera pans out to reveal several Death Stars in various stages of construction.

    Luke and R2 fly to Nar’Shada, into the underbelly of a worldwide metropolis, and meets up with the rest of the crew including Leia, Lando, Chewie, and C-3PO. Imagine the Mos Eisley cantina on steroids and acid, then you have the smugglers moon. It is filled with nasty monsters and hedonistic characters. Han is being held on display inside the courtyard of Jabba’s headquarters on the moon, as message to all who come for business and otherwise. Do not cross Jabba the Hutt. Lando explains all the major crime lords have some kind of operation on Nar’Shada. He also explains the problem isn’t necessarily getting to Han, but escaping with him. Jabba’s thugs guard the entrance, the courtyard, and who knows how many are inside. A hologram of the building is shown on a table.

    A costumed/disguised Leia guides a chained up Chewbacca, as C3PO follows behind, into Jabba’s headquarters. She tells the Gamoran guards to take her to Bib Fortuna, she’s here to sell Chewie to Jabba. They enter a den of debauchery, filled to the brim with nameless monsters, On stage a band of peculiar creatures jams in a foreign language and culture. In the center, surrounded by lieutenants, is Bib Fortuna. As they make their way through the crowd, Leia makes eye contact with a similarly disguised Lando. He welcomes them, assures that Jabba will be interested. A hologram of Jabba the Hutt appears, using a special communication device. He is a specially hideous creature.

    C3PO begins translating Jabba’s Hutteese, and the negotiations go poorly after Leia asks for a ridiculous sum of 100,000 credits. Eventually Jabba asks why doesn’t he just kill her, and take Chewbacca for free? Leia fires into the communication device, destroying it, as Chewie throws off his chains and rips Bib’s arm off. Leia wraps the chain around Bib’s throat, and Lando reveals himself, blasting two of the Gamoran guards at the door. He throws Chewie his bowcaster and they aim their weapons. Bib shouts for no one to make a move.

    We shift perspectives to infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett, set up atop a warehouse across the thoroughfare, as he watches as Luke’s lightsaber goes flying at the remaining Gamoran guarding the entrance, and then watches Luke and R2 run inside. Once inside the courtyard, Luke force flips and takes out a Gamoran with a swipe of his lightsaber, using the force to throw it at the other guard like a boomerang. He peaks in, and sees Leia holding Bib hostage, and hurries up R2. Finally, Han emerges from the carbonite. Suddenly, Boba Fett comes flying to the attack. Han tells Luke he can’t see, so he’s entirely defenseless.

    Luke leads the bounty hunter away, exchanging blaster fire and jumping miraculous heights out of the courtyard and onto higher platforms. Luke deflects Fett’s blaster fire with his lightsaber, and pulls Fett to him with the force and takes a strike, but the bounty hunters armor proves resistant. Fett strikes Luke, knocking him to the ground. As he walks forward, Luke uses the force to push him off the platform. Breathing heavily, to Luke’s exasperation, Fett comes flying back up. He deploys the missile atop his jet pack, only to have Luke use the force to turn them away and into nearby buildings. As Fett tries to fly around, Luke throws his lightsaber one last time, clipping Fett’s jet pack and causing him to chaotically fly off-screen.

    Luke gets back as Leia and Lando pick up Han, Chewie close behind and returning fire through the entrance with his iconic bowcaster. A wipe transition to Han suspended in a bacta tank. Han climbs out as Lando and Chewie watch on, and almost immediately begins questioning why Lando betrayed him. Lando has a lot of excuses, Vader terrified him, he was selfish, but ultimately he helped Chewie and the rest find you, which wasn’t as easy as initially thought. Han tells Chewie to grab Lando, but Chewie denies. Lando says, I just saved your ass. Han says, yeah I guess you did do that.

    With everyone back aboard the Millennium Falcon, Leia announces that leader of the rebellion Mon Mothma has requested they join the Rebel fleet. Once assembled, Mothma tells the assembled generals, admirals, and representatives that Rebel agents have reliable intelligence that the Empire is in the process of building an entire fleet of Death Stars. For a moment everyone is shocked, but Admiral Ackbar gives a rousing speech and they begin planning an assault on the Death Star fleet, hoping to deal a decisive blow against the Empire.

    Meanwhile, we transition back to Nar’Shada for a moment. Darth Vader is interrogating Bib Fortuna, who is missing an arm. Jabba’s majordomo tells him it isn’t his fault, he was ambushed by the Wookiee and they had help. Vader doesn’t particularly like that answer, and demonstrates his anger by force choking Bib to death.

    Luke and his companions lead a forward reconnaissance mission on the moon Endor, which housed a powerful shield generator that was protecting the Death Star fleet. In order to conceal arrival, they arrive in the system with several other ships, meant to be disguised as a pirate flotilla. Several of the pilots sacrificed themselves in the course of the mission. To their surprise, almost as soon as they land, exit the Millennium Falcon and begin to explore the forested moon, they are entrapped. With sacks over their heads, Luke and his companions are marched into a village, although R2 and 3PO are free from such restraints. Once at the village, everyone is freed and their captures are revealed to be half-bear creatures called Ewoks. 3PO announces he was able to negotiate their release on a conditional basis. When asked what the condition was, 3PO replies “We can’t eat them.”

    The Ewoks show them the Imperial shield generator facilities on the moon. A wipe transition to Darth Vader and Grand Moff Jerjerrod aboard one of the Death Stars. Vader informs Jerjerrod he can sense Luke Skywalker and his companions have landed on Endor. The Grand Moff demands Vader accompany him down to the surface to root out the rebels, but Vader refuses. On the surface, Luke hears Vader’s voice in his head, telling him that the Empire knows where he and his friends are, and that soon Luke will be in Vader’s clutches.

    Luke and his companions scramble to make a plan, enlisting the help of the native Ewoks through 3PO translating. Luke will surrender himself to Jerjerrod and his men, while Leia, Han, Lando, Chewie and the droids will join the Ewoks in battle in order to take down the Imperial shield generator. Leia sends an emergency message to Mon Mothma. As the Rebel Alliance rallies its forces, Luke embarks on a perilous mission to confront his father and put an end to the Empire's plans. Jerjerrod stays on the surface to hunt the rest of Luke’s companions, sending him up to Vader with a token force.

    The Rebel Navy arrives in full force, facing formidable challenges as they navigate treacherous space in dangerous enemy territory. They engage in intense dogfights against Imperial TIE-fighters. Admiral Ackbar leads the Rebel forces, but their ultimate success depends on the destruction of the shield generator. The Ewoks are surprisingly fierce creatures, and with heroics from Han they are indeed able to destroy the shield generator. Meanwhile, Luke uses the force to take his lightsaber back from one of the guards, cutting them down in a dazzlingly choreographed scene. (Likely directed by Spielberg.)

    Amidst the chaos of battle, Luke confronts Darth Vader aboard one of the partially constructed Death Stars. Their lightsabers clash in a duel that symbolizes the struggle between the light and dark sides of the Force. Luke fights with determination, hoping to bring his father back to the light and restore balance to the galaxy, while Vader battles his own conflicted emotions and loyalty to the Empire. As the Rebel forces engage the Empire's defenses in a massive assault, the conflict between Luke and Vader escalates. The father and son grapple with their shared history, conflicting loyalties, and the consequences of their choices. The weight of their duel reverberates throughout the galaxy, as the fate of countless lives hangs in the balance. In a climactic moment, Luke delivers a decisive blow, mortally wounding Vader. As the Dark Lord of the Sith lies defeated, Luke is confronted with a profound realization—that the path to redemption for his father may be forever closed. With a heavy heart, Luke bids farewell to his fallen father, acknowledging the complex legacy he leaves behind.

    After the battle is won, celebrations are held on Endor, attended by the Ewoks, Rebels, and Luke and his companions. 3PO is paraded around by the Ewoks, who seemingly revere the protocol droid. Luke is alone, far away from the partying, staring into a fire. For the first time in the entire movie, the Force Ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears. Luke solemnly says, he really was my father, wasn’t he? Obi-Wan says, you knew he was as soon as he told you. And that’s not all, Luke. You have a sister, too…

    Behind the scenes

    The shooting schedule was set in stone before even the script was. Gary Kurtz had left Lucasfilm over disputes about the direction Star Wars should take; well, on top of going massively over budget on Empire Strikes Back. In the days leading up to the start of filming, no one was even sure whether or not Harrison Ford would return as Han Solo. It was new producer Howard Kazanjian that was finally able to negotiate a deal with Ford’s agent to get him aboard. Finally, a script could be finalized, which Lawrence Kasdan was nice enough to rush based on earlier work and Lucas’ extensive notes.

    Steven Spielberg, best friends with Lucas, was a constant presence on set. He was still basking in the success of Night Skies, which had very nearly overtaken Star Wars as the #1 box office return. Lucas would later freely admit that Spielberg practically served as co-director for certain sequences, especially some of the action scenes. Spielberg later answered questions about his “co-director status,” telling reporters that Lucas led the project from start to finish, and his vision shines in the final product, but all films are collaborative projects.

    As the first test reels were being watched a problem, which was first noticed after Star Wars released and then persisted with Empire Strike Back’s release, rose again. While testing commenced in a commercial theater, Sprocket Systems employees noticed that many of the sound effects that had been mixed in could not be heard. To fix this, THX was developed by Tomlinson Holman, who described it as a quality assurance system. It was made to ensure Revenge of the Jedi’s soundtrack would be accurately reproduced in throughout venues, so that what was heard in studio by engineers was faithfully recreated in every theater.

    Meanwhile, the special effects work required by Revenge of the Jedi pushed ILM to its operational limits, where there was an unspoken pledge that each new film should outdo the previous by leaps and bounds. Dozens of new roles opened up at the studio, filled up by later Hollywood heroes such as Joe Johnston, Dan O’Bannon, and Tom Savini, working in various departments. In years past it was policy to let go of staff members when between Lucasfilm pictures, and later open positions back up when required. Lucas would reverse this policy, partially made easier by the merger with Amblin and the resulting increased work load.

    There were three specific models built by The Graphics Group: first the carbonite melting away as Han is freed, and second Jabba the Hutt’s hologram and the giant swamp spider (using stop-motion cgi). These were crude, stylistic models that in later years would be replaced by stunning lifelike models, but they effectively did their job and showed what promise the field had. Creature puppets and models were designed by ILM, some directly based on Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art for the film. The advancements in computer graphics didn’t leave the practical effect department slacking for its own share of innovative work. Jabba’s band and in particular its performance would later be singled out for its mastery puppetry work.

    On the business front, Lucas and Spielberg’s Amblin-Lucasfilm Partners successfully negotiated with the Avco Corporation for the purchase of Embassy Films, which secured them a distribution pipeline without having to start one from scratch. The two iconic filmmakers were preparing to embark on new adventures…




    Upcoming chapters:
    (1984) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death
    (1985) Ronnie Rocket
    (1986) Star Wars: Episode 7 — Heirs of Alderaan

    * Full disclosure: I used ChatGPT to help get started on the synopsis, then adapted some of the first version and wrote new material. Ultimately only a paragraph and a few odd sentences remain. It was my first time using it and I’ll be sure to include an asterisk if I use it again.
     
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