Lucasfilm has announced that in 2027 the original 1977 Star Wars movie and its latest project, Star Wars: Starfighter , will both be released in IMAX 70mm format.

As has already been announced, the original Star Wars film is returning to theatres on February 19, 2027, for the 50 th anniversary of its original release — as in the very first version of the film, without any of the digital additions added in with the 1997 Special Edition and even before it was renamed Star Wars: A New Hope in 1980.

The re-release of the original film is long-awaited by fans, especially as Disney is taking the time to restore and remaster it fully so it will look better than ever. While the original film stock was 35mm, a blow-up to IMAX 70mm film will allow us to see the details revealed by this work.

I was fortunate to see this original 1977 version of Star Wars , projected from a dye transfer IB Technicolor 35mm strip last year at the BFI Southbank. While it was a unique experience, the age of the print was very clear at times, so it will be exciting to see it cleaned up and looking better than ever on IMAX 70mm.

For the avoidance of doubt, Disney has not said that the film will expand to use the IMAX 1.43:1 ratio; so, it’s safe to assume that, quite sensibly, it will maintain its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio at all times,

Star Wars: Starfighter , however, set for release on May 28, 2027, has been shot on IMAX-certified digital cameras, so it will likely offer a 1.43:1 sequence in the 70mm film version and the IMAX digital version for dual-laser-equipped auditoriums with 1.43:1 aspect ratio screens. However, it is too early to know what percentage of the film will do so, and if these will be exclusive to the IMAX 70mm showings.

Both films will be getting a wide re-release in all formats, including IMAX digital (1.90:1 aspect ratio), other premium large formats and standard.

Previously, on Star Wars in IMAX

While exciting news, this isn’t the first time that Star Wars has been presented on IMAX film. Curiously, in 2002, Lucasfilm released a version of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones in IMAX film, with 22 minutes sliced off to fit the IMAX film platter limit.

In 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens , which was shot on 35mm, received a blow-up to IMAX 70mm, with one sequence, the Millennium Falcon being chased through a downed Star Destroyer on Jakku, created natively with an IMAX camera enabling the image to expand to fill a 1.43:1 screen.

Lastly, in 2016, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story also received a short run in IMAX 70mm, with no expanded aspect ratios.

With the huge success of The Odyssey on IMAX 70mm and the upcoming Dune Part Three, it’s no surprise then to see that Disney is looking to IMAX to give the franchise a boost after the box-office disappointment of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu . With the feel-good factor of the original film, and the reliable Ryan Gosling starring as “rogue” Kade Auberon, demand for the film and these highly exclusive IMAX 70mm versions is likely to be high.

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