The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Enhanced Edition)

by Rinzler, J. W.

  Lucas may have been feeling ornery about writing in general at that time. On January 8, his lawyer Robert J. Heil wrote to Leonard Chassman, executive director of the Writers Guild of America, West, Inc., to officially resign Lucas from that organization. Lucas had already resigned from the Directors Guild over a dispute concerning the placement of the director’s credit after the film on Empire. The dispute had concerned the nature of the “Lucasfilm” credit at the head of the film: The guild maintained it signified Lucas’s name; Lucas felt it was simply the name of a company, not himself. If it was considered a company name, then it was okay for the credit to appear at the head of the film, before Kershner’s director credit.

  “George was fined $250,000 for various infractions due to credits on Empire,” says Kazanjian. “When they went to court, it came down to $25,000. In fact it was Kershner, a Director’s Guild member, who was fined, not Lucasfilm. The Guild could put nothing against Lucasfilm, but George paid that $25,000. The issue is you can’t put the director’s name at the end of the picture if you have George Lucas’s name up front. We don’t have George Lucas’s name up front. We have his company’s name.” (The issue would finally be settled in Lucas’s favor in November 2011.)

  “When the DGA threatened to fine Kershner $25,000 we paid his fine,” says Lucas. “I consider it extortion. The day after I settled with the Director’s Guild, the Writer’s Guild called up. At least their fine didn’t all go into the business agents’ pockets. Two thirds went to writers.”

  Lucas’s resignation from both guilds meant that his search for a director and writer, which intensified at this time, became political. On January 22, John Glen was considered, on paper, as a possibility. Like Lucas, he was a film editor—on The Wild Geese (1978) and The Sea Wolves (1980)—and on his way to being a director, having been the assistant director on many films, including The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). He was also English, which meant that he would be simpler to hire than an American, because he was not a signatory to the DGA.

  The feud with the DGA meant that Kershner would have been difficult to rehire, if not impossible, though Lucas had evidently asked during principal photography on Empire—before the legal wrangling had begun after the film’s release—and Kershner had refused (which didn’t rule out his reconsidering later). “I couldn’t use Kersh,” Lucas would say. “He wasn’t going to come and work for a nonsignatory. He’d already gone through that drama. Basically it was the Director’s Guild that kept him from working on the next movie. He wasn’t even considered, because we knew that the second we hired him, they would sue us, so we just didn’t bother.”

  “George’s personal problem with the Director’s Guild was very heavy on our mind,” Kazanjian adds. “So we emphasized looking for nonunion or non-DGA directors. Most of them were English; some of them were Australian; some of them were American. There were also quite a few American members of the Director’s Guild who were willing to withdraw from the guild to do this picture—or to just take their chances and be fired.”

  In Screen International, journalist B. J. Franklin hypothesized that Lucasfilm would have to return to the DGA fold because Spielberg was “very interested” in directing the next Star Wars film.

  Scaly guard concepts by McQuarrie, summer 1980 (001 and unnumbered).

  Scaly guard concepts by Johnston (unnumbered), fall 1980.

  Jabba palace guard concepts by McQuarrie.

  CHANGING OF THE PRESIDENT

  A decision had been made to move Lucasfilm South up north—which came as more than a surprise to many. On January 15, Robert Greber issued a memo to “All Division Department Heads about Lucasfilm Consolidation: severance packages and employee counseling for those who move or stay behind.”

  “It was shocking to people, because the company couldn’t have been happier down there,” would say legal counsel Howard Roffman, who had started the previous June. “It was this little group of people in this very special, beautiful environment, great working conditions, generous company, cool, cool, cool; you were on top of the world with Empire and Star Wars, and you felt like you were part of this exclusive fraternity. Everybody loved coming to work. You felt insulated and invulnerable—and then all of a sudden, boom, George wants his company consolidated. A good decision, by the way, but it meant shutting down this office and letting go of half the people.”

  “It was a bunch of spoiled people,” Greber would say of Lucasfilm South. “Secretaries had BMWs, company cars, things like that. Now of course I didn’t say ‘no’ when I got one. There were also a lot of people in charge of things who didn’t have the ability to do those things, but I don’t think that’s unusual in small, creative teams.”

  Greber was now executive vice president/chief operating officer of Lucasfilm, with Weber having been let go (on December 15, 1980, officially). “Charlie was asked to leave and did so,” says Lucasfilm attorney Doug Ferguson. “He was much liked, a very affable, pleasant, and bright guy. When Charlie left, we gave some thought to doing another search for president, but it seemed like a worthwhile endeavor to let Bob have an opportunity at running the company.”

  “I had a breakfast meeting with Charlie and he told me that he was leaving, which was a shock—I mean, really a shock,” Greber would say. “The guy that had brought me into the company was no longer gonna be there. I never anticipated that. So I flew up the next day to meet with George and said, ‘Well, what’s happening here?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’d like you to stay until I can find a new president.’ I said, ‘No, I’d like to be the new president. And if I don’t work out, I will stay until you replace me. How’s that for a deal?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, okay.’ ”

  “George had really decided early on, ‘I wanna get everybody up north, I want everybody under one roof,’ ” Weber would say. “It happened two or three years earlier than I anticipated. It was sudden and somewhat abrupt.”

  “Charlie and George were just on different planets in terms of the future direction of the company,” Roffman would say. “It wasn’t a good match and I think George finally realized that. George had a very distinct vision of what he wanted. George was focused on building the ranch, making Jedi, creating this kind of filmmaker’s community, while Charlie was looking at diversifying into other businesses to invest George’s money. But George had no interest in diversifying into any businesses other than those that would support his filmmaking and filmmaking in general.”

  Weber left the company, so “things were stirring and the complexion of the company changed,” would say Maureen Forster, who became Greber’s secretary after being Weber’s. “After that they made the announcement that we’re all moving to Northern California. There was a definite move to make sure that everybody was in the same room at the exact same time that the press release was going out the door. Most, 95 percent of the people, were stunned. It was a hard time ’cause a lot of people that really thought they were moving were just plain not invited.”

  “We were very close, so it was like breaking up a family,” Weber adds. “I went out of my way to make sure that the people were taken care of. But it was disappointing to everybody.”

  “George basically said to Bob, ‘You’re the president now,’ ” says Roffman. “And Greber got together a small team of the executives and said, ‘We’ve got to plan how we’re going to do this.’ And there was all kinds of drama, because we didn’t know who was going to go and who was going to stay.”

  SCOUT’S HONOR

  Production designer Norman Reynolds traveled from London to Los Angeles for discussions with Kazanjian, Watts (who had been vacationing in the United States), Bloom, and Lucas later that January. Watts, Bloom, and Reynolds then set off in search of a location that could stand in for Tatooine, as Lucas was not necessarily interested in returning to Tunisia, though it was still an option. After spending the night at the Death Valley Motel, they traveled to parks north of Las Vegas and then to Utah, where they spent three days looking at national
park locations from helicopters.

  “Once we were out in the middle of nowhere, when the helicopter wouldn’t start,” Bloom would say. “There was an oil rig a mile away, so we walked over, broke into this shack, and found a phone inside. We were able to have a four-wheel-drive vehicle come out and fix the helicopter. But traveling with Norman and Robert was a hoot. It was like a high-school road trip: three guys, a rental car, flying around the Western U.S., with a bank account. We were like the Three Stooges. But we were reasonable. Most of the time, I had the State Film Commissions pay for everything.”

  Next was Arizona and the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, and Glen Canyon Dam; then on to Santa Fe, where it was extremely cold.

  “By this time I was beginning to despair of finding our desert location in the U.S.—until we arrived at Yuma, Arizona,” says Reynolds. “After a bumpy scout in a sand buggy (my skull will never be quite the same shape as it once was), we finally returned to San Francisco for further discussions with our executive producer.”

  The Yuma desert and Tunisia became the front-runners. Meanwhile, after locking himself in a hotel to write, Lucas finished his rough draft on February 24 (see sidebar). Running to 97 typed pages, it was distributed four days later to only two individuals: Kazanjian and Bloom.

  “I would go to Hawaii and I would go on vacations,” Lucas would say. “And basically while everybody else was having fun on the beach, I would sit and write.”

  As one might expect, the rough draft tells a more convoluted story than the final film’s. In its general parts it is similar to the movie. In its details, however, the rough draft differs and in some ways excels. Luke’s plan to rescue Han, though overly complicated perhaps, is more logical than in its final form: It’s clear that his goal is to trick Jabba into the open, where it will be easier for Luke to do battle as a trained Jedi.

  The rough draft’s locales are also more varied, with a grass planet, now named Sicemon, which serves as a rebel base, and Had Abbadon, a city-planet, where the Emperor has his underground volcanic lair. It has two Death Stars, which are always better than one. Moreover, in its characterizations, it is more faithful to the story started in Empire. Leia reprises her role as a soldier-ambassador, as seen in the first Star Wars, leading a group of rebel commandos on the forest moon—by herself—at the outset of the story, showcasing her queenlike characteristics. Darth Vader is a formidable figure, actively trying to recruit and preserve Luke in order to defeat the Emperor—his motivation consistent with the Vader of Empire. Han Solo takes another poke at Lando, his character’s anger and arc also carrying over from Empire; he is also once more at the controls of the Falcon. Yoda and Ben Kenobi have larger parts, as they advise and protect Luke. Their ability to merge with and reemerge from the netherworld raises interesting questions about life and death, as, in the end, Yoda and Obi-Wan join Luke in the flesh for a final celebration.

  Co-producer Robert Watts aboard a small plane during one leg of a recce to find locations to stand in for the desert planet of Tatooine and for a jungle planet.

  Co-producer Jim Bloom on a location scout in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, early 1981.

  Production designer Norman Reynolds during the same recce, in Goblin Valley State Park, Utah.

  Reynolds and Watts in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado.

  * * *

  STAR WARS: EPISODE SIX REVENGE OF THE JEDI, WRITTEN BY GEORGE LUCAS, FEBRUARY 24, 1981—ROUGH DRAFT SUMMARY

  The rough draft begins with the traditional roll-up:

  —The rebellion is doomed. Spies loyal to the Old Republic have sent word of two new armored space stations under construction.

  A desperate plan to destroy the dreaded Death Stars, and end the tyranny of the Empire, has been put into effect.

  A group of commandos, led by Princess Leia, has made its way into the very heart of the Galactic Empire in an attempt to land on a moon orbiting the dreaded Imperial Capitol of Had Abbadon …

  The camera then reveals the planet Had Abbadon, capital of the Galactic Empire.

  The gray planet’s surface is completely covered with cities and is shrouded in a sickly brown haze. Orbiting the polluted planet is a small, green moon, a sparkling contrast to the foreboding sphere beyond.

  A huge super Star Destroyer moves toward the planet system, followed by several Star Destroyers, and many Imperial TIE fighters. The Imperial fleet approaches the moon passing behind the web-like structure of a half-completed Death Star. From the surface of the gray-brown planet an Imperial Shuttle Craft approaches the Star Fleet and docks in the main bay of the Super Star Destroyer.

  The docking bay door slides open, revealing the Dark Lord of the Sith, DARTH VADER. He is greeted by ADMIRAL PIETT and several Star Captains. From the shuttle emerges a bevy of colorful Imperial guards and GRAND MOFF JERJERROD, who takes Vader into the shuttle; they pass by the nearby lush moon, TARASAND. Jerjerrod explains that it will soon be turned into a city-planet as the capital needs more space. Vader remarks that there is probably a rebel base on the moon.

  Cut to PRINCESS LEIA and her team of rebel troopers in an Imperial transport. Using fake Imperial codes, they are given permission to land on the moon. On Had Abbadon, Vader and Moff Jerjerrod …

  … walk down an ever-narrowing set of stairs that winds around in a circle. Steam obscures most of the environment; but finally they enter a very low ceilinged chamber, which looks out over a fuming lake of red-hot lava. It is a vision of hell. They walk out on a narrow causeway and approach a small, shrouded figure sitting on an island in the middle of the volcanic lake. This is the EMPEROR. Supreme Ruler of the Galactic Empire and Master of the dark side of the Force.

  From a sheet of rocket bike concepts for rebels and Imperial troopers (detail) by Rodis-Jamero, circa December 1980.

  Rocket bike concepts by Rodis-Jamero, December 1980.

  A huge shadow of the malevolent despot is cast across one wall. Both Vader and Jerjerrod kneel before him.

  THE EMPEROR

  Lord Vader, you have been away from us far too long. You seem … much weaker. I’m afraid that prolonged stay in the outer systems did not agree with you.

  VADER

  Yes, my Master.

  THE EMPEROR

  But we ask impossible things of you, don’t we? Perhaps it is time for a task less demanding.

  VADER

  No, my Master. I beg you. I have all but turned him to the dark side of the Force.

  THE EMPEROR

  Have you? We don’t think so. Young Skywalker is more powerful now, than before your feeble attempts to convert him. He must be destroyed … destroyed, do you hear?

  VADER

  Master, you must give me …

  The Emperor raises his hand, and Vader’s breathing suddenly stops. The Dark Lord struggles at his controls, attempting to regain his air supply … He chokes.

  Early rancor concepts by Johnston, late 1980 (nos. 12, 13, 14, and 15. Note: Some sheets contained multiple images).

  Rancor concepts by Johnston.

  Johnston rancor concept deemed “too Muppet like”!

  A Rodis-Jamero rancor concept.

  A rancor concept by McQuarrie, undated.

  THE EMPEROR

  You are weak, more machine than man. You should be thankful we don’t destroy you along with your troublesome offspring.

  Vader collapses on the floor and the Emperor lowers his hand.

  THE EMPEROR (continued)

  Your son has become stronger with the Force than you. It is as we have foreseen, only we can destroy him now.

  Vader starts breathing again. Moff Jerjerrod looks very nervous. Vader grabs his throat and rises to a kneeling position, struggling to catch his breath.

  THE EMPEROR (continued)

  We want you here. We will tolerate no more discussion on the subject. The boy is ours.

  VADER

  Yes, yes … forgive me, Master.

  THE EMPEROR

  Leave us …
we have other matters to attend to.

  Vader exits the throne room and the elevator door silently closes behind. As he passes the guards, they snap to attention. Vader doesn’t notice.

  Moff Jerjerrod is beckoned closer to the Emperor. He kneels on a step of the throne.

  JERJERROD

  Yes, Master.

  THE EMPEROR

  Watch him closely. Lord Vader is still strong enough to cloud his thoughts. We suspect his motives in trying to convert the boy, but, in time, young Skywalker will embrace the dark side of the Force.

  Vader makes mental contact with Luke, warning him about the Emperor’s plans and reemphasizing their need to join forces and defeat him. But Yoda enters the dream and warns Luke to not be confused by Vader. Ben Kenobi then appears over Yoda’s face.