Howard Kazanjian served as a producer on two of the original three Star Wars films. While Kazanjian went uncredited on Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, arguably one of the best in the franchise, he also worked on its sequel Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
Having worked on the original trilogy makes Kazanjian a reliable source of critique on the widely divisive and polarizing sequel trilogy of Star Wars films produced under Disney. When asked about the sequels Kazanjian had stern words for the films, and blasted them for their inconsistent storylines. Here is what the veteran producer had to say about the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Original Star Wars Trilogy Producer Howard Kazanjian Slams Sequel Trilogy With a Harsh Remark
A brainchild of George Lucas, the Star...
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
Having worked on the original trilogy makes Kazanjian a reliable source of critique on the widely divisive and polarizing sequel trilogy of Star Wars films produced under Disney. When asked about the sequels Kazanjian had stern words for the films, and blasted them for their inconsistent storylines. Here is what the veteran producer had to say about the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Original Star Wars Trilogy Producer Howard Kazanjian Slams Sequel Trilogy With a Harsh Remark
A brainchild of George Lucas, the Star...
- 4/8/2024
- by Pratik Handore
- FandomWire
In 1977, when Darth Vader struck down Sir Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope," audiences new to the rules of this galaxy far, far away figured this was the last we'd see or hear of the old Jedi master. So when he spoke to his mentee, Luke Skywalker, in the cockpit of his X-wing fighter during his incredibly tense trench run, well, it's a wonder the young man didn't freak out and put his spacecraft into the wall like a spacebound Dale Earnhardt. I always thought the old man should've given Luke a heads-up prior to the assault on the Death Star, just to let him know he might drop by with some disembodied pointers if things got a little hairy.
In any event, this stirring moment let a legion of newly-minted "Star Wars" fans know that Jedi of Kenobi's Forceful magnitude are forever...
In any event, this stirring moment let a legion of newly-minted "Star Wars" fans know that Jedi of Kenobi's Forceful magnitude are forever...
- 9/17/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
It is, by almost any measure, impossible to quantify just how much of an impact "Star Wars" had on popular culture when George Lucas introduced his galaxy to the masses in 1977. I myself have a mother who saw the original 17 times in a theater that summer. It was the biggest movie of all time and took people by absolute surprise. Sequels were no guarantee back then but, in this case, Lucas had the chance to finish what he started, releasing "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, which left audiences with a pretty massive cliffhanger. All would be resolved in the summer of '83 when "Return of the Jedi" brought the original trilogy to a close.
"Episode VI" had a lot to accomplish, resolving...
It is, by almost any measure, impossible to quantify just how much of an impact "Star Wars" had on popular culture when George Lucas introduced his galaxy to the masses in 1977. I myself have a mother who saw the original 17 times in a theater that summer. It was the biggest movie of all time and took people by absolute surprise. Sequels were no guarantee back then but, in this case, Lucas had the chance to finish what he started, releasing "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, which left audiences with a pretty massive cliffhanger. All would be resolved in the summer of '83 when "Return of the Jedi" brought the original trilogy to a close.
"Episode VI" had a lot to accomplish, resolving...
- 5/27/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Tentpole filmmaking is a feat that requires the clicking together of many moving pieces. All of the departments — set design, costumes, locations, etc. — must blend together in pre-production to ensure the rest of the production runs as smoothly as possible. This becomes quite a challenge when there isn't a finished screenplay.
Contrary to the current posturing of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, screenwriters are the most essential element of every movie. Without them, there is no dialogue and no story. This is a stupefyingly obvious fact, but every time studios, networks and, now, streamers have to reckon with fairly compensating the people who generate their precious "content," they plead poverty and downplay the contributions of their most essential workers.
You shouldn't need an example to drive this home, but film history is riddled with them. Take, for instance, "Star Wars: Episode VI — The Return of the Jedi,...
Contrary to the current posturing of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, screenwriters are the most essential element of every movie. Without them, there is no dialogue and no story. This is a stupefyingly obvious fact, but every time studios, networks and, now, streamers have to reckon with fairly compensating the people who generate their precious "content," they plead poverty and downplay the contributions of their most essential workers.
You shouldn't need an example to drive this home, but film history is riddled with them. Take, for instance, "Star Wars: Episode VI — The Return of the Jedi,...
- 5/25/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
You know the laugh. You know the beady little eyes and floppy ears. The little Kowakian monkey-lizard Salacious B. Crumb may have been on the wrong side of things in 1983's "Star Wars: Episode IV — Return of the Jedi," but somehow Jabba the Hutt's tiny jester has become a fan favorite over the years. To be fair, he always was. The diminutive cackler was the talk of the playground when I was little, and rightly so.
In case you have somehow managed to exist in the world without seeing this film (and I know there are some of you out there), Salacious B. Crumb is perched at Jabba's side in the film as the crime lord baits a mostly blind Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and captures Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), chaining her to his side. Crumb helps with the mockery by repeating things Jabba says, and his laugh is ... well,...
In case you have somehow managed to exist in the world without seeing this film (and I know there are some of you out there), Salacious B. Crumb is perched at Jabba's side in the film as the crime lord baits a mostly blind Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and captures Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), chaining her to his side. Crumb helps with the mockery by repeating things Jabba says, and his laugh is ... well,...
- 5/25/2023
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Though "The Empire Strikes Back" is often regarded now as the best "Star Wars" film, the surprising runner-up in our poll two years ago was "Return of the Jedi," which is celebrating its 40th anniversary today. That "Jedi" should make such a strong showing was surprising if only because the film tends to take a slight critical drubbing in comparison to "Empire" and the first "Star Wars" movie, now known as "A New Hope."
With "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back," directors George Lucas and Irvin Kershner each carved out a distinct tone and vision for what the original "Star Wars" trilogy could be. Still, the contemporary love for "Empire" doesn't necessarily align with the immediate reaction audiences had to it back in the day. Last year, the Vice TV docuseries "Icons Unearthed: Star Wars" spliced in footage of one '80s fan exiting the theater, saying, "It could've been a better ending,...
With "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back," directors George Lucas and Irvin Kershner each carved out a distinct tone and vision for what the original "Star Wars" trilogy could be. Still, the contemporary love for "Empire" doesn't necessarily align with the immediate reaction audiences had to it back in the day. Last year, the Vice TV docuseries "Icons Unearthed: Star Wars" spliced in footage of one '80s fan exiting the theater, saying, "It could've been a better ending,...
- 5/25/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
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