Original 'Star Wars' Heading to IMAX 70mm for First Time

Lucasfilm says the 1977 'Star Wars' will screen in IMAX for the first time ever on February 19, 2027, launching the franchise's 50th anniversary celebration.

starwars.com reports that Lucasfilm and Disney will mark the franchise's 50th anniversary with a yearlong celebration headlined by two IMAX 70mm presentations. The newly restored original 1977 film — later retitled 'Star Wars: A New Hope' — will play in IMAX for the first time ever, in digital or on film, beginning with its anniversary re-release on February 19, 2027. It will screen at a select number of IMAX 70mm film locations as well as in select theaters for a limited time. ICv2's September 14 round-up likewise notes the February 19, 2027 date as the first time the original movie has been presented in the 70mm IMAX format.

Despite nearly five decades of theatrical re-releases, special editions, and anniversary revivals, the film that launched the franchise has never been shown in IMAX — digital or on film — until now, according to starwars.com. space.com frames the announcement as the culmination of the 2027 milestone, noting that George Lucas's space opera first struck theaters on May 25, 1977, and that this restoration is timed just before the anniversary date. For a series that has been endlessly reissued and re-edited, presenting the original feature in the large-format 70mm medium is being positioned by the outlets as the centerpiece of the anniversary rollout.

space.com reports that the restored print being prepared for the re-release is apparently being shown without its 'A New Hope' subtitle, without Special Edition clutter, and without CGI enhancements — which the outlet suggests means Han will once again fire his blaster at Greedo first. That characterization comes from space.com alone and is presented as its read of the restoration rather than an established Lucasfilm specification. starwars.com, by contrast, describes the presentation only as a newly restored version of the original movie, leaving open exactly which cut audiences will see when the lights go down on February 19, 2027.

The details align across outlets: starwars.com and space.com both report the February 19, 2027 re-release date for the original film, and both confirm that 'Star Wars: Starfighter' follows on May 28, 2027 — the 50th anniversary weekend of the original film's premiere. According to starwars.com, 'Starfighter' was filmed for IMAX release with IMAX-certified film cameras and converted to IMAX 70mm film prints for a select number of IMAX film locations. ICv2's round-up independently repeats both dates, giving retailers and fans a consistent picture of the anniversary slate.

starwars.com describes 'Star Wars: Starfighter' as an all-new standalone adventure from director and producer Shawn Levy, starring Ryan Gosling as Kade Auberon, a cynical rogue confronted by his mysterious past and hurled into a dangerous adventure across the galaxy. The outlet lists a cast that also includes Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams, with the film written by Jonathan Tropper and produced by Levy and Kathleen Kennedy. space.com adds its own framing of Gosling's character as a rogue on a crash course with destiny, shot with IMAX-approved cameras framed for IMAX screen ratios.

The anniversary push extends beyond the big screen. Polygon reports that at Lucasfilm Publishing's San Diego Comic-Con panel, the company revealed a slate including 'Star Wars: A New Hope: Triple Take,' a May 2027 graphic novel from Chas! Pangburn and Kim Shearer retelling the original film through the eyes of Luke, Leia, and Han, plus Beth Revis's 'Star Wars: Twin Crossroads' arriving April 6, 2027. space.com points fans to online listings for finding IMAX 70mm locations.