The Mandalorian creator and longtime Star Wars fan Jon Favreau believes that fans of the iconic space opera franchise would likely not be interested in a re-release of the original film trilogy's theatrical cut.
When asked in a Moovy TV interview about the potential for the first three Star Wars movies to have their original theatrical cuts released in the present day, Favreau expressed doubt that there would be enough demand. "Do you think anybody but us, like, the people who grew up with it ... would care? Because ... what I figured out [is] that the younger people have a whole different perception of what Star Wars is."
A Different Star Wars Centerpiece for Each Generation
Favreau said that he saw the Star Wars fandom as constantly evolving, with each different generation having an entirely different perception on the series. Millennials, he opined, saw it as the prequel trilogy, while Generation Z were largely inducted to it via the animated series The Clone Wars. He added that this mindset influenced his own work on The Mandalorian. "We were trying to say, 'Hey, let's do something that's good for us -- the people who have been around, watching these movies since they were 10 years old," Favreau said, "but also, let's make it for people who have never seen Star Wars."
There have been many re-releases of the original Star Wars trilogy over the years, and each has come with its own changes. The last major new edition was a 2011 Blu-ray release of the first two trilogies, including several changes to each film. The following year, Disney purchased Lucasfilm, and by 2019, Disney+ had launched. The streaming service gave the original six Star Wars films greater 4K resolution and several minor color, compositing and small effects adjustments.
Many fans have expressed an interest in watching the original trilogy theatrical cut, if for no other reason than to view it as an "interesting artifact," as franchise creator George Lucas put it. Although there has never been an official release of the unaltered original trilogy, several DVD releases in the past have included them in the special features.
Apart from The Mandalorian, Favreau has worked on a number of Star Wars related projects, most notably The Book of Boba Fett, a 7 episode-long Mandalorian spinoff miniseries released on Disney+ in late 2021 and early 2022. He also played a recurring role as the voice of Pre Vizsla, the head of the Mandalorian Death Watch, in Cartoon Network's The Clone Wars series, as well as the voice of Rio Durant, a pilot in Solo: A Star Wars Story, in 2018.
All Star Wars movies and series, including The Mandalorian and the original trilogy (though not in its original theatrical release) are currently available to stream on Disney+.
Source: YouTube