‘Star Wars’ Heads Back to the Big Screen for 50th Anniversary

To mark the 50th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope, the film will return to theaters in select cities on April 30, 2027. Disney, which acquired Lucasfilm — and the rights to the Star Wars franchise — in a $4 billion deal back in 2012, revealed plans for the re-release in an announcement made Friday, August 1.

The year 2027 is slated to be a big one for George Lucas's iconic saga, with Star Wars: Starfighter set to hit theaters on May 28, 2027. The re-release of A New Hope also comes just a few weeks after "Star Wars Celebration" takes place in Los Angeles, CA.

Star Wars fans on Reddit and other forums have long voiced a desire to watch the original theatrical cut.

"I’ll buy tickets right now if it’s the original edition," one commenter said. Another fan seemed hopeful, stating, "Announcing this so far off makes me think that it's going to be a bigger deal than this brief press release makes it seem. If they're really gearing up this far in advance for the 50th anniversary then I really think it might be the original print."

Star Wars: A New Hope is a space opera film in which Luke Skywalker joins forces with a band of rebels to battle the evil Galactic Empire and destroy the Death Star. Along the way, he discovers the power of the Force and begins his journey toward becoming a Jedi.

Originally released in theaters on May 25, 1977, the film was the first installment in the Star Wars saga. The franchise is one of the most iconic and commercially successful franchises in entertainment history, and has since spawned 11 live-action movies, multiple animated series and live-action shows, video games, novels, comics, and the immersive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney World.