These Are the ‘Star Wars’ Special Editions Facts You’re Looking For
You definitely know that James Earl Jones provided the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films. But did you know when Star Wars was first released in 1977, Jones was not listed in the closing credits? Over the years he’s claimed that the reason for the omission was his belief that he hadn’t done enough work to deserve billing, and later Jones confessed that he worried that if he was credited he would be typecast as a bad guy for the rest of his career. Jones’ name was added to the credits of the film when it was released in 1997 in its “Special Edition.” That’s just one of the Star Wars Special Edition facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!
George Lucas has changed Star Wars numerous times since its original release, including the 1997 Special Editions and the 2004 DVDs. A lot of those changes were made to make the old Star Wars films match the prequels more closely. One example: When Return of the Jedi was released on DVD in 2004, old Anakin Skywalker actor Sebastian Shaw had his eyebrows digitally removed so that his scarred face more closely matched young Anakin actor Hayden Christensen in Revenge of the Sith, which was in production at the time.
You Think You Know Movies? is a ScreenCrush original series that dives deep into the cinematic worlds of your favorite movies and freeze frames a few tidbits you might not have known. We’ve already tackled Star Wars, The Avengers and Spider-Man, but this time we’re going back to the galaxy far, far away to look at the Star Wars Special Editions. Watch more installments of ‘You Think You Know Movies?’ below and let us know in the comments what movies we should cover next.