Return of the Jedi (Exclusive Series) (Disney Plus)

Initial release date: May 25, 1983

Studios: 20th Century Fox/Lucasfilm

Tagline: The Saga Continues …

The Empire Falls …

Plot: Luke Skywalker battles horrible Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader to save his comrades in the Rebel Alliance and trump over the Galactic Empire. Han Solo and Princess Leia reaffirm their love and team with Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, the Ewoks and the androids C-3PO and R2-D2 in the disruption of the Dark Side and the defeat of the evil emperor.

Cast

Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker

Harrison Ford - Han Solo

Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia

Billy Dee Williams - Lando Calrissian

Anthony Daniels - C-3PO

Peter Mayhew - Chewbacca

Sebastian Shaw - Anakin Skywalker

Ian McDiarmid - The Emperor

Frank Oz - Yoda

James Earl Jones - voice of Vader

David Prowse - Vader

Alec Guiness - Obi-Wan

Kenny Baker - R2-D2

Michael Pennington - Moff Jerjerrod

Kenneth Colley - Admiral Piett

Denis Lawson - Wedge

Tim Rose - Admiral Ackbar

Warwick Davis - Wicket

Jeremy Bulloch - Boba Fett

Writer(s): Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas

Director: Richard Marquand

Rated PG for sci-fi action violence (131 min)

‘Return of the Jedi’ marks the conclusion of the renowned original trilogy. The trilogy capper features the usual incredible action and visuals that the ‘Star Wars’ franchise is known for.

The 1983 film may not be the best in the series, but it is very close. It also features many memorable sequences, including the final Luke-Vader duel, which leads to the villain’s redemption towards the end of the film.

You can catch ‘Return of the Jedi’ and the rest of the entire series right on Disney Plus!

Here are some interesting tidbits for ‘Return of the Jedi’:

• It took six people to work the full-sized animatronic Jabba the Hutt.

• Fake scripts were distributed to some cast members that were considered likely to leak info to the media. Some of the phony story elements were indeed leaked.

• This was originally to be titled ‘Revenge of the Jedi,’ but producers thought the Jedi wouldn’t seek revenge, due to their ethical code. Some poster and theater stand-ups were made early, but then quickly pulled when the title changed names. Also ‘Star Trek: Wrath of Khan’ was originally to be called ‘Revenge of Khan,’ but the title for that movie was changed to avoid confusion with this movie back when ‘Revenge of the Jedi’ was being considered.

• Ian McDiarmid, a prolific stage actor, based his character’s unusual voice on the Japanese method of using your stomach to project yourself. The result was a strange, guttural croak that Lucas decided was perfect for the Palpatine character.

• Takes place five years before the Disney Plus series ‘The Mandalorian.’

• Shooting the scene of Darth Vader’s unmasking was handled with so much secrecy that actor Sebastian Shaw wasn’t even told what he would be doing until he arrived on set.

• Filming began on January 11, 1982 and lasted through May 20, 1982, a schedule six weeks shorter than ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’

• Theatrical release took place on May 25, 1983. It was originally scheduled to be May 27, but was subsequently changed to coincide with the date of the 1977 release of the original film.

• ‘Return of the Jedi’ grossed $309.3 million in the US and Canada, and $166 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $475.3 million, against a production budget of about $32.5 million.

• The film made $23 million from 1.002 theaters in its opening weekend and grossed a record $45.3 million in its opening week. It finished first at the box office for six of its first seven weeks of release, only coming in second behind ‘Superman II’ in its fourth weekend.

• In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

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