The Empire Strikes Back

The other day we got a brief (but very effective) new teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which featured John Boyega’s Finn wielding the lightsaber that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker (and later, to Luke). In keeping with the spirit of the marketing for The Force Awakens, one fan has cut a new trailer for The Empire Strikes Back in the style of the second trailer for the latest Star Wars film. The results are more nuanced than you might expect.

ScreenCrush’s WookieeLeaks is a weekly roundup of everything Star Wars! From The Force Awakens, to the upcoming spinoffs and the TV shows, if it pertains to that long ago, far away galaxy, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, learn a big (possible) The Force Awakens spoiler, learn the future of how the saga will be shot, and take a look at C-3PO’s new arm.

The timeline of Star Wars history is filled with all kinds of odd corners, left turns, and wild diversions, but there’s nothing quite as strange as Black Angel. A 25-minute medieval fantasy short that was attached to the earliest screenings of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, the film was considered lost for decades until its rediscovery in 2013. Now, this long-lost object of curiosity is getting the feature treatment and original writer/writer Roger Christian is set to return.

ScreenCrush’s WookieeLeaks is a weekly roundup of everything ‘Star Wars’! From ‘Star Wars: Episode 7,’ to the upcoming spinoffs and the TV shows, if it pertains to that long ago, far away galaxy, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, the ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ trailer inspires a bunch of rumors, a few huge spoilers appear online, and details about this year’s ‘Star Wars’ Celebration are revealed.

Getting angry or annoyed at a list on the internet is the silliest thing you could possibly do. But 'The Empire Strikes Back' being called the greatest movie of all time in Empire Magazine's latest reader's poll? That's gonna' test our ability to remain reasonable.

Last week, at least a partial cast was revealed for 'Star Wars: Episode 7'. Almost immediately, speculation began on who the new actors would be playing. Will John Boyega be a young Jedi? Will Adam Driver be a Sith Lord? Will Daisy Ridley (who is strongly rumored to be the daughter of Han and Leia) be a Jedi, too? Good grief, I hope not. As I’ve written before, Jedi are boring.

George Lucas had a backup plan. It might not seem like such a bold move today – in the era of blockbuster franchises – to be planning for a sequel before the first movie has even been released. But, in the 1970s, this was downright revolutionary thinking. Especially considering that we’re talking about a movie set in another galaxy in an era where such films were considered inane. (Granted, some p