Star Wars 50th Anniversary Brings Original Film and Starfighter to IMAX 70mm

Lucasfilm has confirmed that the original Star Wars will screen in IMAX 70mm for the first time ever on February 19, 2027, kicking off a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration that also includes Shawn Levy's new feature Star Wars: Starfighter arriving on May 28, 2027. The studio announced both releases through StarWars.com, positioning them as complementary bookends to a franchise milestone that spans five decades. For theatrical purists, the chance to see the 1977 classic on 70mm film — not just a digital blow-up — represents the most authentic presentation the film has received since its original roadshow engagements.

The original film's re-release will play across a select number of IMAX 70mm locations as well as standard theaters for a limited window, according to StarWars.com. Lucasfilm has also produced the first-ever Welsh-language dub for the anniversary, expanding the film's accessibility in a way no previous home video or theatrical reissue has attempted. Meanwhile, Starfighter was filmed with IMAX cameras and converted to 70mm film prints for select IMAX venues, meaning both titles share a presentation format that has become increasingly rare in modern exhibition. The dual commitment to photochemical projection signals that Lucasfilm is treating the anniversary as a showcase for the format itself, not just the franchise.

Here's a thinking process:

Directed by Shawn Levy, Star Wars: Starfighter takes place roughly five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker but deliberately avoids the franchise's established icons. The film follows pilot Kade Auberon, played by Ryan Gosling, who teams up with a young character portrayed by newcomer Flynn Gray on an adventure described as focusing on marginalized people from the "wrong side of the galaxy." Levy has cited Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders as a tonal and thematic touchstone, suggesting a grounded, character-driven approach rather than a mythology-heavy spectacle. The first trailer debuted at D23, offering the first glimpse of this post-sequel trilogy era.

Perhaps the most striking creative decision is what Starfighter excludes: no legacy characters from previous films appear, and the score will not incorporate any remixes or variations of John Williams' iconic themes. This represents a clean break from the franchise's recent habit of leaning heavily on nostalgia callbacks and musical quotation. For audiences fatigued by constant references to the Skywalker saga, the absence of familiar faces and leitmotifs could feel like a genuine reset — or it could leave the film feeling untethered from the universe it ostensibly inhabits. The gamble rests entirely on whether new characters and a fresh musical identity can carry a Star Wars story on their own terms.

Here's a thinking process:

The decision to strike 70mm film prints for both titles in 2027 is a notable vote of confidence in a projection format that most major studios have abandoned for cost and logistics reasons. IMAX 70mm requires specialized projectors, trained projectionists, and physical print distribution — infrastructure that has dwindled significantly since the industry's digital transition. By committing to this format for two major releases in the same year, Lucasfilm and Disney are effectively subsidizing the preservation of a theatrical experience that cannot be replicated at home or on standard digital screens. The limited number of equipped venues means most audiences will still see digital presentations, but the 70mm option exists as a statement of intent.

For the original Star Wars, the newly restored version benefits from decades of preservation work on the original camera negative, potentially offering image quality that surpasses any previous home video or theatrical reissue. The Welsh-language dub adds a cultural dimension that acknowledges the franchise's global reach beyond its primary English-speaking markets. Starfighter's IMAX-native photography, meanwhile, means the film was composed for the 1.43:1 aspect ratio from day one, not cropped or opened up in post-production. This distinction matters for viewers who understand the difference between a film shot for IMAX and one merely formatted for it.

Here's a thinking process:

The 50th anniversary strategy reveals a franchise at a crossroads: honoring its origin with the highest-fidelity presentation possible while simultaneously betting its future on a film that refuses to lean on the iconography that made it a cultural monolith. Whether Starfighter's clean-slate approach revitalizes the series or alienates its core audience won't be clear until Memorial Day weekend 2027. Until then, the IMAX 70mm re-release offers a rare chance to see the film that started it all in a format that does justice to its visual ambition — assuming you live near one of the select theaters equipped to show it.