I’m sorry, but it is. It absolutely is. Maybe J.J. Abrams is only innocently repeating the damned lie that he was told about how we can’t get the original Star Wars cut, but it’s still a damned lie.
According to J.J. Abrams, who you know has some insider knowledge all this recently talked about it in an interview. Abrams says he actually asked about a release of the cuts and was told it was not going to happen.
“I’ve been told that for reasons that I don’t quite understand that that’s not necessarily possible.” The filmmaker adds that the new cuts are “what Geroge Lucas wanted”. While he respects that, he does add, “there’s something about the original theatrical version that…for so many people… was what they loved.”
It’s a damned lie because I own a DVD copy of all three original movies. It exists. No, I’m never selling it. So if it’s not a question of the physical existence of the original movies, then I guess it’s all about ‘what George Lucas wanted.’
…I don’t give a fuck what George Lucas wants. He sold the company, he sold the rights. He doesn’t own this series anymore. His opinion is meaningless. Give me a clean new copy of the trilogy, with only what changes are necessary to repair the ravages of time. Hear that, Disney? See what I’m waving around? This is money. Give me what I want and you can have some of it.
Moe Lane
PS: HAN SHOT FIRST.
Maybe Lucas didn’t give the unedited versions to Disney? IDK, just grasping at straws here.
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Disney seems to be all about making money these days (as evidenced by their making live action versions of virtually every animated property they own), so it seems odd that they haven’t done this already unless there’s some technical or legal roadblock preventing them.
To your reasonable point,I can only say…maclunky.
“Reasons that I don’t quite understand” is avoidance and bullsh!t. It means “stop asking me hard questions, peon”.
This is not an unexpected query.
It is not an 18th century land title complicated by multiple wars and municipal fires.
All the important people involved are still alive.
There is a simple, straightforward answer, JJA just doesn’t respect fans enough to provide it. F Disney. F Star wars. And now F JJA.
That may not be entirely fair. He may not know what the reason is. My guess is, he’s been given a company line and told to parrot it.
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But yes, F Disney and F Star Wars. And JJA too, both for what he did to Star Trek and for what he’s about to do (I presume) to Star Wars.
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Oh, and for Felicity also.
IIRC, it was claimed a while back that the sale to Disney included some provisions around George’s continued tinkering with the original trilogy, such that he could keep doing it and they couldn’t just undo it and release a theatrical cut. Again, IIRC: I doubt I can dig up a decent citation, esp. ~5 years on.
And the quote from Abrams sounds, to me, like he thinks it’s BS, too, but also that he couldn’t change their position with whatever political capital he was willing/able to spend on the matter.
I think it’s most easily explained by the zek filling Feige’s role with respect to Star Wars simply not liking the original trilogy.
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Which sounds ridiculous, but she’s on record saying it.
And also saying that her focus is on moving the franchise from “male-oriented adventure stories” to something “more inclusive”.