Original Star Wars trilogy to debut on iTunes this week

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/07/star-wars-available-itunes-first-time-george-lucas-apple

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The original Star Wars trilogy will be available to buy for the first time on iTunes and other digital services in a matter of days, Disney has announced.

The studio, which bought all rights to George Lucas’s long-running space saga in October 2012 as part of its $4.05bn purchase of Lucasfilm, said 1977’s Star Wars would be available to purchase from Friday, 10 April alongside sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi from 1980 and 1983. Oft-derided prequel films The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, which told the story of Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into the evil Darth Vader, are also getting the digital treatment.

“We’re thrilled that fans will be able to enjoy the Star Wars saga on their digital devices wherever they go,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists — the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life.”

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It was not immediately clear from Disney’s press release which versions of the original trilogy of Star Wars films are due to hit iTunes. Lucas’s decision to revisit the movies for his Special Edition cuts in 1997 proved hugely controversial with fans, many of whom complained vociferously about the introduction of incongruous CGI monsters and aliens into films shot before digital techniques became commonplace in Hollywood.

It has been announced that the films will arrive with never before seen bonus footage although there is no confirmation on what this will be.

The arrival of the Star Wars movies on iTunes and other services comes as Disney prepares to release new instalment The Force Awakens this December. JJ Abrams’ film will see Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford returning to the classic roles of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo from the original Star Wars trilogy, with Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Max von Sydow, John Boyega and Andy Serkis also joining the cast along with British newcomers Daisy Ridley and Pip Andersen. The Force Awakens has been voted 2015’s most highly-anticipated movie and is bookmakers’ runaway favourite to be the year’s highest-grossing movie.

Disney plans to release a new trilogy of Star Wars films between now and 2019, with spin-off movie Rogue One also due to debut in 2016.

The films can now be pre-ordered digitally here.