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George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise stands as a cornerstone of modern science fiction. Initially an ambitious space opera project, it has evolved into one of the most successful and beloved franchises in history. Spanning several decades, Star Wars has captivated multiple generations of fans and continues to be revered as one of the greatest fictional universes ever created.

Despite its cult classic status and millions of devoted followers, tales from the production of these films continue to intrigue us. Whether they pertain to the newer installments or the original trilogy, the report we have today hails from the latter.

This story centers around David Prowse, the actor who portrayed the body of Darth Vader in the original trilogy. While Prowse did not provide the voice or the unmasked face of Darth Vader, he embodied the physical presence of the character. This report aims to uncover the reasons behind this casting decision.

George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise is a pillar of modern science fiction. What started out as a relatively ambitious space opera project became one of the most lucrative and popular franchises in history. Being present for several decades now, Star Wars has raised multiple generations of fans and it still remains one of the best fictional universes ever created.

But, while the whole franchise is now a cult classic with millions of followers, there are still stories from the production of these films that intrigue us, regardless of whether they are from the production of the newer films, or the original trilogy. The report we have for you today is from the latter.

It involves the story of David Prowse, the actor who was the body of Darth Vader in the original trilogy; we know that Prowse was neither the voice nor the face of Darth Vader beneath the mask,...

George Lucas’ 1977 sci-fi film Star Wars, edited by his then-wife, Marcia Lucas, was a major critical and commercial success, launching an expansive franchise. On the other hand, the prequels directed by George Lucas did not receive the same amount of appreciation as the original trilogy.

Marcia Lucas co-edited the original Star Wars movie (Credit: Icons Unearthed: Star Wars | YouTube).

However, one entry in the prequel trilogy was so bad it made Lucas’ ex-wife cry. In a book, Marcia Lucas revealed that she was extremely unhappy after watching the first installment of the prequel trilogy. Here is what Marcia Lucas had to say about The Phantom Menace and why it made her cry.

George Lucas’ Ex-Wife Marcia Lucas Cried After Watching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

George Lucas returned to helm the prequels in his epic space opera franchise, almost sixteen years after the original trilogy’s conclusion. The first installment of the prequel trilogy,...

Howard Kazanjian served as a producer on two of the original three Star Wars films. While Kazanjian went uncredited on Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, arguably one of the best in the franchise, he also worked on its sequel Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Having worked on the original trilogy makes Kazanjian a reliable source of critique on the widely divisive and polarizing sequel trilogy of Star Wars films produced under Disney. When asked about the sequels Kazanjian had stern words for the films, and blasted them for their inconsistent storylines. Here is what the veteran producer had to say about the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Original Star Wars Trilogy Producer Howard Kazanjian Slams Sequel Trilogy With a Harsh Remark

A brainchild of George Lucas, the Star...

As Beyoncé continues to relish in the success of Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, her dad is also entering his film era. On Tuesday, the businessman announced that he inked a deal with production company Say Unkel Entertainment to adapt his memoir Racism From the Eyes of a Child into both a film and a limited series, per Variety.

The first half of Knowles’ memoir will be covered in the feature film, recounting his early years growing up in Alabama during the Sixties and the race riots, where he was...

Mathew Knowles, the prolific music manager and father to artists Beyoncé and Solange, is ready to take his life story to the screen.

Knowles has partnered with production company Say Unkel Entertainment to adapt his 2017 memoir “Racism From the Eyes of a Child” into both a feature film and a limited series, Variety can report exclusively.

The film will cover the first half of his book and recount Knowles’ early years growing up at the epicenter of the race riots in early ‘60’s Alabama. He was one of six black students to attend an all-white school and participated in peaceful protests where he was burned with a cattle-prod and, on one occasion, arrested four times in one day.

His early struggles have been referenced and documented in numerous works by daughter Beyoncé, including the watershed music video “Formation” and in her various documentary films – most recently in the theatrical release “Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce.

In 1977, when Darth Vader struck down Sir Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope," audiences new to the rules of this galaxy far, far away figured this was the last we'd see or hear of the old Jedi master. So when he spoke to his mentee, Luke Skywalker, in the cockpit of his X-wing fighter during his incredibly tense trench run, well, it's a wonder the young man didn't freak out and put his spacecraft into the wall like a spacebound Dale Earnhardt. I always thought the old man should've given Luke a heads-up prior to the assault on the Death Star, just to let him know he might drop by with some disembodied pointers if things got a little hairy.

In any event, this stirring moment let a legion of newly-minted "Star Wars" fans know that Jedi of Kenobi's Forceful magnitude are forever...

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

It is, by almost any measure, impossible to quantify just how much of an impact "Star Wars" had on popular culture when George Lucas introduced his galaxy to the masses in 1977. I myself have a mother who saw the original 17 times in a theater that summer. It was the biggest movie of all time and took people by absolute surprise. Sequels were no guarantee back then but, in this case, Lucas had the chance to finish what he started, releasing "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, which left audiences with a pretty massive cliffhanger. All would be resolved in the summer of '83 when "Return of the Jedi" brought the original trilogy to a close.

"Episode VI" had a lot to accomplish, resolving...

Tentpole filmmaking is a feat that requires the clicking together of many moving pieces. All of the departments — set design, costumes, locations, etc. — must blend together in pre-production to ensure the rest of the production runs as smoothly as possible. This becomes quite a challenge when there isn't a finished screenplay.

Contrary to the current posturing of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, screenwriters are the most essential element of every movie. Without them, there is no dialogue and no story. This is a stupefyingly obvious fact, but every time studios, networks and, now, streamers have to reckon with fairly compensating the people who generate their precious "content," they plead poverty and downplay the contributions of their most essential workers.

You shouldn't need an example to drive this home, but film history is riddled with them. Take, for instance, "Star Wars: Episode VI — The Return of the Jedi,...

You know the laugh. You know the beady little eyes and floppy ears. The little Kowakian monkey-lizard Salacious B. Crumb may have been on the wrong side of things in 1983's "Star Wars: Episode IV — Return of the Jedi," but somehow Jabba the Hutt's tiny jester has become a fan favorite over the years. To be fair, he always was. The diminutive cackler was the talk of the playground when I was little, and rightly so.

In case you have somehow managed to exist in the world without seeing this film (and I know there are some of you out there), Salacious B. Crumb is perched at Jabba's side in the film as the crime lord baits a mostly blind Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and captures Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), chaining her to his side. Crumb helps with the mockery by repeating things Jabba says, and his laugh is ... well,...

Though "The Empire Strikes Back" is often regarded now as the best "Star Wars" film, the surprising runner-up in our poll two years ago was "Return of the Jedi," which is celebrating its 40th anniversary today. That "Jedi" should make such a strong showing was surprising if only because the film tends to take a slight critical drubbing in comparison to "Empire" and the first "Star Wars" movie, now known as "A New Hope."

With "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back," directors George Lucas and Irvin Kershner each carved out a distinct tone and vision for what the original "Star Wars" trilogy could be. Still, the contemporary love for "Empire" doesn't necessarily align with the immediate reaction audiences had to it back in the day. Last year, the Vice TV docuseries "Icons Unearthed: Star Wars" spliced in footage of one '80s fan exiting the theater, saying, "It could've been a better ending,...

It's astonishing to consider how quickly "Star Wars" rose to prominence in the pop culture consciousness. George Lucas, the director of the 1977 original, merely wanted to make a high-octane version of classical space opera stories like the ones seen in "Flash Gordon" serials of the 1940s. One could not have predicted the overwhelming response from young audiences, or their thirst for toys and tie-in products, a relative novelty at the time. Fast-forward to 1983, and there had already been one beloved sequel, a TV special, and more toys than the Earth's landfills knew what to do with. When the time came to make "Return of the Jedi," Lucas had become a mere executive producer and story writer, hoping to farm out the directing gig to ... well, to anyone who fit two certain criteria.

Many might know that several soon-to-be-prominent directors were approached to direct "Return of the Jedi." David Cronenberg had...

Exclusive: Amazon Freevee has picked up Icons Unearthed: Star Wars for the UK, the doc series that features the first tell-all on-camera interview with George Lucas’ former wife Marcia Lucas.

The landmark series aired over the summer in the U.S. on Vice TV and has since been renewed for a second season, which will showcase The Simpsons.

Icons Unearthed takes a deep dive into the Star Wars universe and features the first on-camera interview with the creator’s former wife and the original trilogy’s Oscar-winning editor.

Produced by the Nacelle Company and directed by Brian Volk-Weiss (The Toys That Made Us), Icons Unearthed travels to all 50 U.S. states along with Tunisia, England, Canada and Italy, featuring interviews with others involved with the series including Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Paul Hirsch, Phil Tippett, Rick Baker, Ken Ralston, John Dykstra, Howard Kazanjian, Julian Glover, Ian McDiarmid, Gus Lopez,...

The Nacelle Company’s “Icons Unearthed” has been renewed for Season 2 by Vice TV, Variety has learned exclusively.

In Season 2, the six-part documentary series will focus on long-running animated sitcom “The Simpsons.” Directed by Nacelle Company CEO Brian Volk-Weiss, “Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons” will reveal previously unknown and surprising details about the beloved animated series. The second season also features exclusive interviews with several writers, directors, actors and network executives, including Bill Oakley, Rich Moore, Jon Vitti, Mimi Pond, Doug Benson, Todd McFarlane, Garth Ancier, Phil Roman and Jennifer Howell.

“We’re ecstatic to have the second season of our ‘Icons Unearthed’ documentary series officially picked up by Vice TV. It’s an honor to be able to tell the little known history behind one of the most historic franchises in television, ‘The Simpsons,’” Volk-Weiss said in a statement.

In the first season of “Icons Unearthed,” the show explored the...

Collecting movie memorabilia has grown into a huge business, with fans eager to pay top dollar for some of the rarest movie props out there. One of the best places to find some of these rare props is a place known as Prop Store L.A., which is run by Brandon Alinger, who invited Star Wars icon Mark Hamill to visit his shop in a new episode of Pop Culture Quest, debuting on Comic-Con HQ Tuesday, January 17. A video has debuted that shows Brandon Alinger reuniting Mark Hamill with a very special prop from Return of the Jedi.

The clip, which comes courtesy of Geek Tyrant, shows Brandon Alinger pulling out a special prop from his personal collection, the real lightsaber Mark Hamill used in Return of the Jedi. Brandon Alinger also has quite a story behind the prop, revealing that this same lightsaber was used by Alec Guinness in...

The force will be strong on devices across the nation today as Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest comes to Comic–Con HQ. Mark Hamill has been collecting comic books, original artwork, toys and other mementos since the early 1970s and now he gets to share his passion and enthusiasm for collecting in his new web series.

“I’ve been a collector all my life,” said Hamill. “This show is a natural outgrowth of that passion. Now I have an opportunity to collect other people’s collections! I can’t wait to see what’s out there and share it with the world. Collectibles are a living history of who and what we are, so we just might learn something…but there’s no doubt we’re going to have fun!”

This series kicks off at the DC Comics headquarters with the legendary Jim Lee, as the co-publisher and Mark...

Comic-Con HQ, the new subscription video on-demand (Svod) service from Comic-Con and Lionsgate, has announced an original series that will excite Star Wars fans. It’s called Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest, and it will star the titular actor as he tracks down collectors and discusses their passions with them.

Hamill, best known for portraying Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker, is himself a big geek and an avid collection. On his journey to find kindred spirits, he’ll team up with Howard Kazanjian, best known as the producer of Return of the Jedi.

“I’ve been a collector all my life,” said Hamill in a press release. “This show is a natural outgrowth of that passion. Now I have an opportunity to collect other people's collections! I can't wait to see what's out there and share it with the world. Collectibles are a living history of who and what we are,...

Star Wars icon Mark Hamill is no stranger to Comic Con, having attended the massive convention for several years both as a fan and to promote his movies. The actor will be teaming up with Comic Con once again for a new reality TV series entitled Pop Culture Quest, which is set to debut this fall on Comic Con HQ, the organization's new streaming service. The actor will be hosting and executive producing the series, while will explore the culture of the collector.

Production begins in June, after Mark Hamill wraps production on Star Wars: Episode VIII. The documentary-style series will feature authentic stories about fans and their collections. Hamill is an avid collector himself, collecting comic books, toys, lunch boxes, records, puppets, original artwork, and much more since the early 1970s. Here's what Hamill had to say in a statement about the series.

"I've been a collector all my life.

This past weekend, Disney chairman Alan Horn was audibly booed by fans at Disney’s D23 expo for saying nothing about “Star Wars: Episode VII" other than that he has nothing to say about "Star Wars: Episode VII." Now, most "Star Wars" fans know that it’s pretty early in the game to expect any real details, but, for those in attendance, something, anything would have been nice. (Maybe Nien Nunb could have said “hi.”) It appears, however, that what most fans wanted was to learn the title of the movie.

We are a little under two years away from the release of “Star Wars Episode VII” (assuming that “Episode VII” keeps its summer 2015 release date) and we still don’t know the official title of the movie. Is this normal for a "Star Wars" movie? Combing through the last 36 years, let’s take a look at how each of...

George Lucas likes to plan ahead. Way ahead. In fact, he was barely done putting "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" together when he was already planning for life after his famed Star Wars trilogy -- putting together what would become known as the prequel films. In a story conference held in 1981, Lucas sat down with writer Lawrence Kasdan, director Richard Marquand and producer Howard Kazanjian to discuss the background of all the favorite characters in the franchise, most specifically the boy who would become Darth Vader. A lot of what Lucas said would actually come to pass, according to the new book from J.W. Rinzler, "The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." But there were some changes as well. The first major change? The Force. There were no midi-chlorians in ...

Believe it or not, “Return of the Jedi” turns 30 this year. Now before you start to think about how old you are, why not enjoy this interesting little nugget? Author J.W. Rinzler’s book “The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” comes out later this year and The Huffington Post has gotten their hands on a little excerpt that will definitely perk the interest of any "Star Wars" fan. The excerpt is from a “Revenge of the Jedi Story Conference” that was attended by George Lucas, writer Lawrence Kasdan, director Richard Marquand, and producer Howard Kazanjian. In discussion story details regarding the third film of the original trilogy, Lucas unearths the backstory of Darth Vader as well as Luke and Leia Skywalker and it’s pretty fascinating to see how much of the story winds up in the prequels. Even more fascinating, perhaps, is what didn’t wind up in the prequel.

"No, there is another." This one line spoken by Yoda during "The Empire Strikes Back" set off three years of speculation before it was revealed in "Return of the Jedi" that Leia was Luke Skywalker's twin sister and, therefore, the "other" hope to defeat the Dark Side. Yet there was no Internet to post every hare-brained theory like there is today, so where did self-respecting nerds go for their dose of rumors? There's where the great "Starlog" magazine came in.

J.W. Rinzler's wonderful "The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (to be released Oct. 1) recounts a disagreement between George Lucas and his collaborators over Luke Skywalker's new lightsaber -- basically, "how did he get it?" In the end, Lucas shrugged off the need an explanation, pointing out that the worst that could happen is that someone would write a letter to "Starlog."

Back in December, I went...

Reverberations are still being felt in the geekosphere from an auspicious meeting of the minds that took place at George Lucas' Park Way house in San Anselmo, California in July of 1981, when he, director Richard Marquand, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and producer Howard Kazanjian held court for a "Return of the Jedi" story conference.

With J.W. Rinzler's exhaustive "The Making of Return of the Jedi" hitting bookshelves in October, Huffington Post got ahold of a tantalizing transcript of said 1981 meeting included in the book, which fans will surely line up for once they hear how closely Lucas stuck to his guns on the Skywalker backstory… as well as the nutty ideas that changed before cameras rolled on the prequels.

"Anakin gets worse and worse," Lucas explained to his team, according to the transcript, "and finally Ben has to fight him and he throws him down into a volcano and Vader is all beat up.

A book promo for J.W. Rinzler's upcoming The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi reveals a transcript of George Lucas’ 1980s story conference with Star Wars alums Richard Marquand, Lawrence Kasdan, and Howard Kazanjian. The outline is basically Lucas' original idea for a series of Star Wars prequel films, and while the overall character arcs for Anakin and Obi Wan are pretty much the same and they both end up where they did in the movies we got, how they get there is a little different. Might the prequels have been stronger if Lucas had stuck to his original plan? Have a read and sound off in the usual place. “Well, anyway, Luke’s father gets subverted by the Emperor. He gets a little weird at home and his wife begins to figure out that things are going wrong and she confides in Ben, who is his mentor.

Here's some cool behind the scenes Star Wars information that you might want to know! Back in 1981, George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Richard Marquand, and Howard Kazanjian mapped out the Star Wars prequel story and the fall of Anakin Skywalker during a story conference for what was then titled Revenge of the Jedi.

Return of the Jedi turns 30 years old soon, and a transcript from that meeting was posted on the Huffington Post, which is an excerpt from J.W. Rinzler's upcoming book The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

There's a lot of great little details here. There's stuff we saw brought to life in the prequels and other things that ended up being changed. For example, Lucas goes through and breaks down the relationship between the Emperor and Vader, which is essentially beat-for-beat from what we saw in the prequels.

He also explains how Yoda is not...

A new book, "The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" by J.W. Rinzler, is hitting shelves just in time for the 30th anniversary of "Episode VI," and in the lead-up to the book's release, the Huffington Post has posted a fascinating excerpt.

The passage comes from a transcript taken from a 1981 story meeting held by George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, director Richard Marquand and producer Howard Kazanjian. During the conversation, Lucas fills in the backstory of Darth Vader in order to help the rest of the team craft an appropriate ending for the fallen Jedi.

What's so interesting about the conversation is how closely it matches the story from the prequel films, decades before they reached theaters, and how Lucas' explanation differs in other respect. For example, Lucas breaks down the relationship between the Emperor and Vader, essentially beat-for-beat from the prequels, but he explains how Yoda...

On May 25, the third film in the original Star Wars trilogy, "Return of the Jedi," will turn 30 years old. To celebrate, HuffPost Entertainment is publishing this exclusive excerpt from J.W. Rinzler's excellent "The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi," due to be released on October 1.

Die-hard "Star Wars" fans should appreciate this transcript of a July 1981 story conference for the franchise's third installment, then titled "Revenge of the Jedi." In attendance were series creator George Lucas, writer Lawrence Kasdan, director Richard Marquand and producer Howard Kazanjian.

To give the others a better idea of who Darth Vader is, George Lucas maps out the character's pre-Dark Side life as Anakin Skywalker. Lucas' words here, in 1981, offer a startlingly accurate preview of what would eventually become the "Star Wars" prequels, released between 1999 and 2005. And yet there are notable exceptions, as well. For instance, Lucas compares The Force to...