A 'REVENGE' IN '82!

A great preview/behind the scenes spread for REVENGE OF THE JEDI, from a Lucasfilm Yearbook of 1982, recently sold in auction via the Prop Store website.

CLASSIC ART: THE CREATURES OF ENDOR!

From 1981, when RETURN was REVENGE OF THE JEDI, an interesting shot of an early Ewok (or Ewak as it was first known) riding one of the second originally planned races of Endor- the long stilted leg creatures the Yuzzum, very near to being seen on screen but ultimately abandoned, before reconceptualized to a shorter, singular creature, for the Jabba's Palace monster menagerie by January 1982. We presume the art is by either Joe Johnston or Phil Tippett.

Image: via PROP STORE website auctions.

A 'REVENGE' FOR THE IMPERIALS!

Image: via STAR WARS ARCHIVES website.

Han Solo and the Rebel Commandos have fallen into the Emperor's trap and are now herded out into an area outside the shield generator bunker, in a terrific image used for early REVENGE OF THE JEDI promotion, as seen here in a spread FOR the FANTASTIC FILMS magazine.

Han Solo was to have fought against the Empire in a raid on a critical Imperial facility during REVENGE's original story ideas, according to Gary Kurtz, and would have been killed off halfway through the film. Lucas changed his mind about killing lead heroes off by the time he began his own storylining process going into 1981, and against the strong-willed requests of Harrison Ford.

BACK IN BLACK!

Another early poster concept design for REVENGE OF THE JEDI, I believe by Lawrence Noble, with the emphasis on Darth Vader after the revelations of EMPIRE- a clear design brief from Lucasfilm, given how a similar idea was brought to the fore for the now classic Struzan poster.