Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney

Forty years on from the movie's cinema release, Anton van Beek ponders what might have been if things had gone a little diff erently during the making of Return of the Jedi…

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IT IS PERHAPS telling that comparatively little contemporaneous interview material exists for the final part of George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy compared to the two films that preceded it. After all, while Return of the Jedi was the most hotly anticipated film of 1983 (if not all time, at that point), its production was anything but smooth. And although it cleaned up at the box office, it remains one of the more audience-splitting instalments in the entire Star Wars saga; some claiming it to be an exciting and emotional climax to the Luke/Leia/Vader story, others seeing it as little more than a glorified toy commercial.

'The movies are so popular and successful. George [Lucas] knew what he wanted, and he got what he wanted,' reflected co-writer Lawrence Kasdan on the cast and crew commentary track for Return of the Jedi. 'Could they have been different and also successful? Yes, obviously. Could they have been as successful? Who knows? But does it matter when you've been that successful?'

Happy endings

It's an interesting question to ponder, especially given the production stories that have slowly emerged in the four decades since the film hit cinemas. For example, would Return of the Jedi have been better if Han Solo had died? This was an idea promoted by both Kasdan and star Harrison Ford during the writing process.