Is The Original Theatrical Print of Star Wars Being Released For Its 50th Anniversary?

The “holy grail” for Star Wars fans, the original, unaltered theatrical cut of the 1977 film may be coming to a galaxy near you.

For decades, Star Wars fans have desired the release of the original, unaltered versions of the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V, and VI) as they were first shown in theaters, but these versions remain unavailable due to alterations made by the legendary director George Lucas.

In late August, it was announced that Disney would be releasing the 50th-anniversary theatrical version of Star Wars, which will take place on April 30, 2027, with tickets expected to go on sale in late 2026 or later. At the time of this writing, there has been no official word on what specific version of the film will be screened, and no confirmation from Disney or Lucasfilm other than what’s on their official social media account. Fan speculation and debate over whether it will be the original 1977 theatrical cut or the controversial 1997 Special Edition (or a subsequent version), which featured digital enhancements and alterations by Lucas have been argued online.

What makes this announcement so intriguing is that the holy grail of all Star Wars films, the original theatrical 1977 print of Star Wars, was screened in June 2025, with a special introduction from Lucasfilm’s own Kathleen Kennedy at the British Film Institute (BFI). Kennedy assured those in attendance that they were privy to a great privilege. Well, “privilege” may not be the most fitting word, but the night was definitely an interesting experience. Clearing up any legal issues, the Lucasfilm chief stated that the rare showing was perfectly legal, driving home the point that this print was the holiest relic of Star Wars fandom.

To add even more mystery, a video was released shortly after that details the restoration of the 1977 Star Wars print used by the BFI National Archive for its presentation. It’s currently available on the BFI’s YouTube channel. The video, titled “Inside the Archive: Star Wars in Technicolor,” shows the BFI’s work to preserve this specific print, which is notable for its original “Star Wars” title crawl. Some of the lucky people who viewed the special screening took to social media and said that the film was in rough shape and looked bad. But keep in mind, this screening may have had minimal work done on it out of the can. Viewers have also had their memories defined by nostalgia and the newer versions, not the primitive, authentic version seen only in summer 1977 — the one enshrined in the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989.

The question is, is this the version of Star Wars being reported as a potential, official 4K restoration of the theatrical cut being worked on by Disney and Lucasfilm? Are The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi being restored professionally as well? Are we going to see the original unaltered Star Wars‘ for its 50th theatrical release? So many questions remain unanswered.

For more than two decades, fans have done incredible work restoring the original cuts of the Star Wars trilogy via projects like Harmy’s Despecialized Edition, a fan-made, high-quality preservation of the original Star Wars trilogy in its pre-1997 theatrical forms, and the more recent 4K77, which takes it a step further and uses scans of the original 35mm Technicolor release print to preserve the film as it was originally shown in cinemas, including original film grain and color timing, before Lucas made changes in later “Special Editions”. These efforts have always been limited by having to work with old film stock and not having access to the original negatives or higher-quality sources, such as the BFI screened print or the one in the Library of Congress.

Interestingly enough, over the last few months, rumors and leaks have been circulating online about Disney working on a remastered and fully restored version of an original theatrical print. A video clip suddenly surfaces online  of a not-yet-officially-announced 4K restoration of the theatrical version. The clips were promptly deleted but screenshots still remain  by the magic of of a few skilled social media operatives showing new, highly detailed scans of A New Hope, and also The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, implying the entire trilogy is being restored. This isn’t just any old restoration, people with knowledge of film restorations claim that these films are being done properly, using the original negatives that attempts to preserve grain and color grading.

Again, there have been no official reports of a potential, official 4K restoration of the theatrical cuts being worked on by Disney and Lucasfilm, and no official announcement has been made. It only adds to the mystery because several film restorations that have been done recently by studios across the globe over the years have announced their restorations; in the case of Star Wars, there has been nothing, not even a hint.

The leaked news is a massive one because the last time Lucasfilm officially released the original theatrical version was sometime in 1978, and recently at the BFI presentation. That’s as far as we know. Currently, the only way to watch the original theatrical cuts of Star Wars, other than bootlegs, is the long out-of-print 2006 DVD versions released as a bonus feature on the Limited Edition 2-disc sets. This set also included The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in theatrical form. The quality of this release was subpar and only DVD-grade at best.

The original theatrical cut of Star Wars is widely recognized as one of the top films of all time and is in AFI’s Top 100 films. It currently sits at #15 on the list. More importantly is it’s historical significance lies in its status as a revolutionary cultural phenomenon that changed cinema by pioneering large-scale special effects, popularizing the science fiction genre, and establishing the modern blockbuster. The original cut also represents a specific point in film history, showcasing the ingenuity of practical effects and capturing the raw, unpolished charm of a groundbreaking movie that had a massive, timeless impact on audiences and storytelling. It’s also the version that myself and many fans grew up with and have a strong emotional connection to, making it a key part of the franchise’s history and a subject of ongoing debate regarding its preservation and release. 

In my humble opinion, Lucasfilm has an obligation to preserve the Star Wars theatrical cut that was released to the theaters and drive-ins in its best form. Let’s just hope the leaks on social media are real and that it’s the first step in the process. Remember, before we get too excited, we’ve been down this road before with the hope of 4K scans of the Star Wars trilogy; could this be it? I’m leaning towards yes. Fans have waited far too long; Disney and Lucasfilm, don’t fail us now. For the record, I do have scans of all the leaked photos; I would love to share them here, but due to copyright infringement, if the leak is true, I cannot post them. You can easily find them only on social media and the links above.

May the Force be with you…