20 facts you might not know about 'Return of the Jedi'

Due to how stressful directing Star Wars was, Lucas had declined to direct The Empire Strikes Back, and he did not want to direct Return of the Jedi either. Instead, he wanted his buddy Steven Spielberg to handle it. However, Lucas had quit the Directors Guild over Empire, and Spielberg was having a feud with the DGA as well. This led to Spielberg being effectively banned from directing the movie.

Can you imagine David Lynch directing a Star Wars movie? Or David Cronenberg? These are two directors who make films awash in violence and body horror. And yet, both were indeed offered the opportunity to direct Return of the Jedi. Both also declined to do so. This led to Richard Marquand getting the role.

Lucas had originally titled the movie Return of the Jedi, but his screenwriting partner Lawrence Kasdan didn’t like the title, thinking it was “weak.” This led to the title being changed to Revenge of the Jedi. Eventually, the title would be changed back to Return of the Jedi, but not until production had already begun under the title Revenge of the Jedi.

Ford has never been as enthusiastic about his role in Star Wars as others. He also was not contracted for another sequel, unlike Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. That’s partially why he had been frozen in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. Even Lucas was skeptical that Ford would return. However, eventually, he was talked into returning.

Ford was up to return, but he wanted Han to die through sacrificing himself. Kasdan also liked the idea of having Han die early in the movie, so filmgoers wouldn’t be sure who else may not survive. Lucas, though, hated the idea. The rumor is that Lucas didn’t want Han to die because it would hurt merchandise sales. Ford even told ABC News in 2010 that Lucas, “didn’t see any future in dead Han toys.”

The Ewoks are synonymous with Return of the Jedi, having been added into the mix for the climax of the movie. Originally, though, the battle was supposed to happen on the Wookiee planet. This was even in the script, though it was changed to Ewoks and Endor later.

Baker, of course, played R2-D2 in Return of the Jedi, a role he played in the two previous movies as well. On top of that, Baker played Paploo, one of the Ewoks.

In The Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor was played by Rick Baker’s wife in a mask with chimp eyes superimposed with another actor doing the voice work. For Return of the Jedi, where we see more of the Emperor, that wouldn’t work. Lindsay Anderson was offered the role but had a scheduling conflict. Alan Webb got the role, but then he had to drop out due to an illness. Ian McDiarmid ended up with the role.

For the first two films, David Prowse played Darth Vader, while James Earl Jones provided the voice. In Return of the Jedi, Vader is unmasked, giving us our first look at Anakin Skywalker. This version of Anakin is played by Sebastian Shaw. Shaw also plays the force ghost version of Anakin.

Michael Pennington plays Moff Jerjerrod, the commander of the new Death Star. It’s a nice role for a character actor, but an unknown actor also auditioned for the role. Alan Rickman tried out to play Moff Jerjerrod, but he didn’t get the role. His first movie role ended up being a little film called Die Hard.

Star Wars was a phenomenon beyond anything that had happened in movies previously, and expectations for Return of the Jedi were high. As such, the production was done under the working title “Blue Harvest” with the tagline “Horror Beyond Imagination.” This was to keep fans and the press away, but it was also to avoid being gouged by businesses.

There are a lot of puppets in Return of the Jedi, including Yoda and Jabba the Hutt. Also, the rancor is a puppet filmed at high speed. This wasn’t what Lucas wanted. He was hoping to use a performer in a suit, a la Godzilla. That simply wasn’t working, unfortunately, so Lucas relented to using a puppet.

Jabba the Hutt is a pretty big puppet. Sure, he doesn’t move as much Yoda, but there is some movement required. To puppeteer Jabba, a whopping six people were required.

Warwick Davis was all of 11 years old when he got to play Wicket, one of the Ewoks. Fisher was looking out for the young kid, as the Ewok costumes were quite hot. The actress gave him cookies and chocolate milk between takes, and Davis remembered it fondly in April 2010, writing for the Daily Mail, “She was everything an 11-year-old Ewok could possibly wish for.”

Sound effects artists and sound designers are known for getting creative to get the sounds they want for a film. For example, those sounds of Jabba the Hutt slithering around? They were made by sound designer Ben Burtt running his hands through cheese casserole.

We are used to TIE Fighters by now as Star Wars fans, and the spacecraft are seen in all three movies. However, it’s not until Lando mentions them by name in this movie that we actually hear “TIE Fighter” said. By the way, “TIE” stands for “Twin Ion Engines.”

It’s a trick! Doesn’t sound familiar? How about, “It’s a trap!?” Yeah, that might sound familiar. This is Admiral Ackbar’s iconic line. In the script, it was written as, “It’s a trick.” However, they changed it after a test screening — giving us the famous line we all remember.

Movies are traditionally released on a Friday, though blockbusters are a different story these days. The original release for Return of the Jedi was set for May 27, 1983. Then, it was moved up two days to May 25. Why? Because that was the day that Star Wars had been released in 1977.

Star Wars became the highest-grossing movie ever, and while its sequels couldn’t match that, they were both super successful. Like the two films that came before it, Return of the Jedi was the highest-grossing movie of its release year. It made $309.3 million in the United States and Canada, plus $475.3 million worldwide.

Return of the Jedi was nominated for four technical Oscars, but it did not win in any of those categories. That being said, it did win a Special Achievement Academy Award. All three Star Wars movies from the original trilogy were actually given Special Achievement Oscars.