It's been years since George Lucas decided to limit the Star Wars franchise with the controversial Special Editions of the original trilogy, but now, speculation says that fans may very well be able to see the unaltered version of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope soon enough.
According to a new speculative piece by Inverse, the likelihood of seeing Lucasfilm release the unaltered version of A New Hope has grown much stronger this year than any other year before it.
Sure, back in 2017 before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy might have promised that she "wouldn't touch" the original versions of the original trilogy, but times have changed.
Last month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented a back-to-back screening of A New Hope and of Rogue One, and according to fans present at the event, the Academy presented the original, unaltered version of the very first Star Wars movie.
For this to happen, the Academy would have to have gotten Lucas' express consent. Does this mean that Lucas is finally letting up on using the unaltered versions of the original trilogy?
Not only that, but Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox and its film and television assets also dismantles the movie rights hurdles that Lucasfilm had to face. Now that Disney owns Fox, Lucasfilm can finally connect to the company that distributed and produced the original Star Wars trilogy, making it easier to get the rights to the unaltered versions of the film.
The Skywalker Saga is coming to an end with the release of The Rise of Skywalker this December. It would definitely make sense for Lucasfilm to celebrate this kind of culmination by releasing the original, unaltered versions of the classic Star Wars trilogy, wouldn't it now?
Of course, we'll just have to wait and see.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres December 20, 2019.
Read:Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Will 'Melt Your Mind', Says Kevin Smith
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