Disney Might Be Releasing the Original Unaltered Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray After All

Posted by on August 18th, 2014   Filed under: Action, DVD and Blu-ray, Rumours, Sci-fi
Source: ComicBook.com

starwarsoriginaltrilogy

Back in 2012 when the news first broke that Disney had acquired Lucasfilm, one of the first things that fans began asking about was the possibility of getting a proper high-def release of the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy (ie. without the Special Edition changes and enhancements). At the time, it seemed unlikely because it was revealed that 20th Century Fox still owned the worldwide distribution rights to the Star Wars films up until the year 2020. Only after that would all of the rights finally revert to Disney, except for Star Wars: A New Hope which Fox owns in perpetuity. Clearly any type of re-release would require co-operation between the two studios, which greatly complicates the matter. Nevertheless, this week we are hearing reports that the original cuts of Episodes 4, 5 and 6 might be coming to Blu-ray sooner than anticipated. Could it actually be true?

According to ComicBook.com, two reliable independent sources have confirmed that Disney is indeed working on bringing the original, unaltered Star Wars trilogy to Blu-ray in the near future. The project has been underway for a while now, but they are encountering some setbacks due to the condition of the original negatives. A release timeline has not yet been established, but they are supposedly hoping to have it ready before Star Wars: Episode VII hits theatres.

Now, while this report is something a lot of fans desperately want to believe, there are a few problems with it. For one, the article does not mention anything about Fox being involved in the process at all, and as we already established, Disney would need to work out a deal with them in order to release it. Secondly, George Lucas himself has been resistant to this from the start and he would probably still have some say in the matter. In an interview back in 2004, he said that the Special Edition is the only version he is interested in preserving, telling fans “I’m sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it.” What do you think, will we eventually see the true original trilogy on Blu-ray? Will you buy it or are you happy with the current Blu-ray release?



  • Lori Cerny

    Of course, some deal will be brokered between Fox & Disney to get the original trilogy released. Both companies know how lucrative the franchise is and the potential to capitalize on it by drawing in the stalwart fans that abide by the early films. The marketing for VII will be enormous and every niche will be exploited.

    Will Lucas have any say? Depends on how whether he has any input, has understood the negative reaction to his alterations, and how much money they throw at him.

    Will I buy it? Nope.

  • Damon Titus

    I would like a blu-ray release provided they don’t have to DNR the film into oblivion..

  • Indianamcclain

    Now I’m glad I held out on the blu-ray release.

  • Junker

    I’m surprised they still have the original negatives, Lucas didn’t burn them?

  • Stinker

    The problem of Star Wars is that the “Creator” and the Fans have a different opinion of the Star Wars series, esp. the first episode (or Number 4). The Fans loved the 1977 movie, which the creator alway considered only half finished, possible even now, after the xx Version and “Improvement” of it.

    And since the creator was not so “Fan” friendly as many believed, and had the money and guts to aliente many of the “pure” fans of the first hour, he created something that is still and will alway be a work in progress.

    And who knows, maybe there is a clause in the contract between Disney and Lucas that the “only” version is the “latest” version, even if that means that they did´nt make a fertilizer load of money with a “special Edition Blu Ray” in a nice expensive packing (which fits into any Blu Ray Collection) and some juicy extras (not some “Promotion” waste of time), limited to say 200.000 world wide. And charge it for more than 200 Bucks.

    The Fans of the first hour have now the money (most of them..) to buy it for 200 Buck and most of them would buy it. Add to it a donation to a good cause like Amnesty or Greenpeace, and sell it only in brick and mortar stores, this would be the dream of any marketing depeartment and could change the way Movies are sold.

    Hope for a happy ending for the creator and the fans.

  • Mrespony

    George Lucas has proven to be a bit of a cantankerous dick when it comes to Star Wars. I was thrilled when he sold Star Wars to Disney, finally we can get something people want to see. The prequels were abysmal but the TV series, both the Clone Wars and the promising Rebels are starting to redeem that ridiculous storyline, even if I’m loathe to accept Lucas’ interpretation of events leading up to the original trilogy. I don’t see much of a difference between Star Wars and other hugely popular entertainment properties. Bob Kane didn’t try to tell people how to write Batman scripts, Gene Roddenberry is dead but Star Trek continues to thrive, Ridley Scott had little to do with Aliens, without which that franchise probably would not exist, etc. etc… There’s no reason Lucas needs to be involved in Star Wars for it to be Stars Wars. As for Fox, unless they are allergic to a shitload of money, they should make this happen.

    I own the current blu-rays and wince through almost all of the changes. Digitally re-touching or completely re-creating special effects that are some of the most amazing examples of practical effects and filmmaker ingenuity is tantamount to pissing on cinematic history.

  • poo_dragon

    Agreed, and I feel your pain. I bought the Limited Edition dvd’s. People said the transfers were bad, but I thought, “It’s still not video..can it really be THAT bad?”…it was worse…far worse. I totally felt, and still feel, robbed. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough that a friend gave me a copy of the Harmy’s Star Wars Despecialized Editions of the original trilogy.

    George needs to pull his finger out and give the fans who made him a billionaire some respect. Cause that Limited Edition event was an insult of the highest order to those who paid for his creative freedom in the first place…I guess he’s turned to the dark side/forgot that fact.