By now, it’s common folklore knowledge that the second “Star Wars” sequel wasn’t always called ‘Return of the Jedi.’ Sometime before the third film went into production in 1982, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan suggested it was a “weak title” for the once-final chapter, and George Lucas went ahead and renamed it ‘Revenge of the Jedi,’ hoping it would sound more enticing, ominous and menacing. Somewhere in the process, however, things went back to their regular scheduled programming, and we now know the trilogy-capper under the title Lucas wrote in the first place. However, this vintage U.K. trailer for the sci-fantasy adventure — which debuted in May 1982 at double bill screenings of “Star Wars” and ‘The Empire Strikes Back‘ — was cut with the ‘Revenge’ still intact.
Dropped online by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences in celebration of the 39th anniversary of the release of “Star Wars,” the trailer might not promise much, but in our teaser-for-teasers society these days, we’re fairly used to such minimalized sneak peeks. Even by our standards, however, this trailer is remarkably pretty thin. Hardly a slice of footage can be found here, as some mere stills from the once-upcoming film are what tease the appetites of hungry moviegoers and fans. Though it should be noted that while a Christmas release date is proposed, the movie hit theaters much earlier on May 25, 1983 to coincide with the first film.
Of course, it’s hard to resist the rousing, iconic music by John Williams. But now, of course, it’s up-for-debate if the “next exciting chapter” from the saga truly lived up to the high-standards posed by ‘The Empire Strikes Back‘ a few years prior. It does, however, manage to stir up some excitement — even with its former title boldly intact.
Of course, revenge would come in the series when the prequel-conclusion, ‘Revenge of the Sith,’ came out in 2005. And I kinda agree with Kasdan here: ‘Revenge’ is far more striking than ‘Return,’ and that’s evident from the original posters for the film — which aren’t too hard to find these days. To get a glimpse at what once was, check out the 35 second teaser for yourself up above.
