A new campaign on Reddit calls for a Snyder Cut-like campaign to get Disney to release every version of the original Star Wars trilogy. The original Star Wars trilogy, consisting of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, changed Hollywood forever. The blockbusters made the idea of sci-fi-tinged adventure movies mainstream, and also changed the way studios released and marketed films, including the now-required toy and merchandising tie-ins.
The trilogy also launched the most-beloved and argued over movie franchise of all time. In the years since, three prequels, three sequels, and two spin-off live-action movies have been released in the Star Wars universe, along with several animated and live-action TV shows. While quality has varied across all the titles, one thing has remained contact - the passionate fan base. There are constant debates around each film, and one of the oldest and most contested surrounds the differing versions of the original trilogy. George Lucas tinkered with the original movies at various points since their release, leading to the current versions that are available on Disney+ looking very different from the originals released in theaters.
Now, Drew Stewart, a writer and Star Wars fan going by the username doubleofive on Reddit, has called for his fellow Star Wars fans to rise up and start a campaign to convince Disney to release every available version of the original Star Wars trilogy. Stewart compares the campaign to the fan-led Snyder Cut movement, which was so vocal that it convinced Warner Bros. to announce the original version of Justice League would get a release on HBO Max.
In addition to his Reddit campaign, Stewart had previously written an article on Wired, which made a detailed and convincing case for why Disney should release all versions of the original trilogy. Stewart has also created a website where he compares all of the different versions of the original trilogy in detail, proving just how passionate he is about the cause.
The Snyder Cut situation has clearly inspired the campaign, but they may end up disappointed. Warner Bros.' move was a shrewdly calculated one, allowing them to both retroactively fix a deeply flawed film while simultaneously gaining new subscribers for HBO Max. For Disney, there is little benefit to release all of the different versions of the original trilogy.
The most recent versions of the three films are already available on Disney+ and look phenomenal on modern TVs, regardless of how different they may be from the theatrical versions. And, to be frank, for the casual fan, analyzing the differences between the releases would be a tedious process. As such, Disney would only be serving a niche market, who likely already subscribe to Disney+ to have access to the full saga. However, Star Wars fans are nothing if not persistent, and they may well get their wish if enough of them make a noise on social media.
Source: Reddit