‘Star Wars’ Is Coming to IMAX in 2027, but Will it Be the Original 1977 Print?

The stunning resurrection of George Lucas’s sci-fi blockbuster Star Wars to its epic 1977 original cut, a version believed to be forever lost, is reportedly being restored in a workshop since the summer of 2025. What is unknown is whether or not the print being used is the one screened at the recent British Film Institute (BFI) event in front of a few lucky people, with Lucasfilm’s own Kathleen Kennedy in attendance back in July or the one that was leaked in a Reddit post earlier this year?

Chances are very strong (with this one) that the print being used for the workshop leaked restoration is the (BFI) ultra-rare, perfectly preserved print that will hopefully premier for Disney’s upcoming 2027 50th Anniversary theatrical re-release. The BFI screening showcased a pristine 35mm film that was stored for decades at a cold temperature to ensure its quality.

At the time of this publishing, we don’t really know if it’s the same print that was shown at BFI or the leaked screenshots of the workshop restoration. Time will tell.

For many fans, the resent report from StarWars.com, that the film will be re-released in 2027 on its 50th anniversary and will appear in regular theaters and IMAX theaters, is the news they’ve been waiting decades for.

_{Courtesy of Lucasfilm}


Following its 1977 release, George Lucas tinkered with the film, making small edits for subsequent re-releases in the 1980s, such as adding the title “EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE” to the opening crawl in 1981. These early alterations were minor and often went unnoticed compared to the larger additions in the 1997 release of the Special Edition of the film, which ignited a cascade of changes and edits, from upgraded special effects to the addition of entirely new scenes. In the new book Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005, Lucas explained why he felt compelled to go back and take a second look at his original 1977 movie. A text from the book explains his reasons for going rogue and revealed his major complaints with the original:

There were “two or three shots that are really bad,” and he felt that the film was always “going to be judged on that.”

_{Courtesy of Lucasfilm}


For decades, Star Wars fans have wanted to see the original theatrical cut of the classic film, which wasn’t heavily altered. It’s lead to several fanrestoration projects and bootlegs that’ve emerged because official versions were unavailable or unataneable. The long-standing desire for the original films stems from a combination of nostalgia, artistic integrity, and specific changes that altered beloved scenes. One of the scenes that’s caused the most tension is the “Han shoots first” scene referring to the original 1977 version of the Mos Eisley cantina scene in Star Wars, where Han Solo shoots and kills Greedo. Many fans believed the change diminished Han’s character development. 

Before we all get to excited. There’s been no official announcement from Disney’s Lucasfilm as of yet with regards to the release of the original theatrical 77’ print. What we do know is that Star Wars will be returning to theaters worldwide in 2027 for a limited time.

_{Courtesy of Lucasfilm}


Now, the question is which version will hit screens? Will it be the George Lucas’s approved 1997 Special Edition or the 1977 original theatrical cut that’s reportedly being restored in an unknown and undisclosed workshop.

Nevertheless, the reason why many fans think the ’77 cut is being released in all its glory in 27’ is the recent rumors in a simple Reddit post, which claimed to have screenshots that detail imagery from a workshop restoration. Mind you, this was all taking place shortly around the time the BFI print was shown.

_{Courtesy of Lucasfilm}

What’s interesting is that these screenshots, from July, consisted of clips from the ’77 release and the other two sequels as internal documents. The clips put the 4K UHD/Disney+ versions to shame in terms of both detail and color. When compared to a project like 4K77 or Despecialized or other fan editions, you can visually see that the clips have fine detail simply unavailable to the average restorer. The cropping and damage were also notably different, showing they are not just fan doctored from pre-existing fan projects. These clips were taken from high-quality masters. Not many of these original theatrical prints exist, so this print/ BFI has to be the one Lucasfilm is using.

Due to copyright, the original evidence has been taken down. A recent Reddit follow up post, explains what happened:

As some of you may be aware, a few months ago it was leaked that Disney were restoring the theatrical cuts of the OT. Basically, a malfunctioning automatic upload script resulted in clips of an official restoration of the theatrical OT being publicly uploaded to YouTube. To my knowledge, the clips were meant to be saved to an unlisted playlist as a fallback for their internal file sharing system, but an error in the script made it so the videos were posted to a publicly viewable playlist which meant anyone could view/download them.

The multiple rumors and speculations toward the holy grail of Star Wars showing up on the big screen as being true, in my humble opinion. The leaked images that surfaced online show that Lucasfilm is working on a full restoration of the ORIGINAL, unaltered Star Wars trilogy — before the 1997 Special Editions changed everything; that, along with the fact that Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy allowed the special BFI screening of an original print, hyping it as something so rare, is simply too much pointing in the direction of an original print release.

_{Courtesy of Forbes}

Kennedy emphasized how special this screening was.

“When I came into the company, there was endless conversation about where everything was, and what was, in fact, the first print,” she said. “And it’s quite remarkable— what you are going to see is, in fact, the first print.” she also added. “I’m not even sure there’s another one quite like it. To be able to experience this exactly how it was in 1977 is really special.”

This specific BFI print for Star Wars was created for the first UK release of Star Wars in December 1977, some seven months later than its May debut in the USA.

You can check out more on the BFI Star Wars restoration here.

If the rumors end up being true, and they truly end up releasing the original theatrical cut, “it will be a day long remembered”. Nevertheless, whatever cut they show, StarWars.com has officially said that it will take place on April 30th, 2027, where fans will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Wars with a re-release of the 1977 classic back for a limited time, in theaters everywhere.

Definitely what they posted on the official site of specifically stating that the “1977 Classic (is) back” in theatres for a limited time adds a little more hope for us all. What would be the point of having a 50th Anniversary of a film, hyping it up so much for a release that isn’t the one that was projected onto the big screens in 1977?

 

Part of Lucasfilm’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration, Star Wars: A New Hope will play in theaters over the May the 4th holiday, also known asStar Wars Day.

So if the infamous Reddit and other rumors are true, then on April 30th, we will see a cleaned up visual treat, experiencing the original film in sparkling 4K IMAX.

I really wonder what the reaction in the community will be once they see it.

Until that magical moment. May the Force be with you…

One personal thing I’d like to share before I close this article out, I first seen Star Wars after Young Frankenstein had played on the big screen in February of 1978, inside the back seat of an old yellow Chevy Nova with my parents at the now-demolished 100 Twin Drive-In in Fridley, Minnesota. I specifically remember holding my two Target purchases, Hasbro’s Chewbacca and C-3PO action figures, in my hands as I watched the entire film. If I close my eyes hard enough, even today, I can still see my six-year-old self watching the scroll being projected on the drive-in screen, with my parents being visible out of the corners of my eyes in front of me. I even remember the single speaker hanging on my dad’s window that played the good old one-speaker mono sound of drive-ins. That was a magical moment in my life, one that I’ve never forgotten and one that brings tears to my eyes to this day. I share more of my experiences with seeing Star Wars here in a past article. Give it a read!

100 Twin Drive-In, Fridley, Minnesota.