Gary Kurtz talks original Return of The Jedi ending.

[Nutso]

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2010/08/star ... _kurtz.php

Ready to reignite the George Lucas fury that's been slowly dwindling since whenever it was you last saw one of the Star Wars prequels? Then read this LA Times interview with Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back producer Gary Kurtz. In it, he basically labels Lucas a toy salesman first, filmmaker second, and calls him out on the bullshit of acting like the whole thing was always planned as some massive franchise. That's all fairly common knowledge, but of particular note is Kurtz's description of the original talked-about ending of Return of the Jedi--a rejected finale George Lucas didn't think had enough cute animal characters in it:

"We had an outline [for RotJ] and George changed everything in it," Kurtz said. "Instead of bittersweet and poignant he wanted a euphoric ending with everybody happy. The original idea was that they would recover [the kidnapped] Han Solo in the early part of the story and that he would then die in the middle part of the film in a raid on an Imperial base. George then decided he didn't want any of the principals killed. By that time there were really big toy sales and that was a reason."

The discussed ending of the film that Kurtz favored presented the rebel forces in tatters, Leia grappling with her new duties as queen and Luke walking off alone "like Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti westerns," as Kurtz put it.

Kurtz said that ending would have been a more emotionally nuanced finale to an epic adventure than the forest celebration of the Ewoks that essentially ended the trilogy with a teddy bear luau.

True, that does sound more emotionally nuanced, Kurtz, but what of Yub Nub? What of Yub Nub???

[kostmayer]

Gotta say, if I was Luke I'd be buggering off too.

His guardians were toasted. Most of his childhood friends had been killed in combat. He got his father back only for him to die on him, and the only girl he's ever wanted turned out a) to be his sister and b) in love with his best mate.

[Captain Seafort]

He got his father back only for him to die on him, and the only girl he's ever wanted turned out a) to be his sister

That assumes both that Vader died in the original and that Leia was Luke's sister - neither or which were definite parts of the script until quite late on.

[kostmayer]

Didn't know that.

Am glad they made the script, Vader revealing himself as Lukes father is one of the all time great moments in cinema (imo)

[Captain Seafort]

Am glad they made the script, Vader revealing himself as Lukes father is one of the all time great moments in cinema (imo)

It also wasn't in RotJ. Wakey wakey, kost.

[kostmayer]

Ah, misread the first part of your sentence for some reason.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I... think I rather like the original ending compared to this one.

[Tsukiyumi]

As much as I favor neutral or bad endings... That's just not the way I would've wanted to see the SW films end.

Talk about a crappy day at work. Imagine working the theater, packed with kids... And then Han Solo dies, and then the sad ending. You'd probably get slapped by the parents.

Hell, no one would've been able to hear the ending over all of the crying.

[Tyyr]

I might not have gone all the way to that ending but something sans Ewoks wouldn't have been awful.

that essentially ended the trilogy with a teddy bear luau

[Praeothmin]

I had read somewhere that the original ending also had Lando not making it out of the DS after the explosion, and as he died, Han (still alive) looked up and called out his name...
would have been nice too...

[Reliant121]

...Personally, I think that would be corny in a sort of star wars brokeback mountain way.


but thats just me.

[Sionnach Glic]

I'd heard that the Ewoks were originaly meant to be Wookiees. If they'd gone with that, then I'd have been quite happy with RotJ.

While I like dark or ambiguous endings, I don't think it would really suit Star Wars all that well.

[Tyyr]

...Personally, I think that would be corny in a sort of star wars brokeback mountain way.

but thats just me.

No, it's not just you. First thing I thought was, "Well that would be pretty gay."

While I like dark or ambiguous endings, I don't think it would really suit Star Wars all that well.

Gotta agree there, it just doesn't mesh with the tone of the rest of the series.

[Nutso]

I'd like to know who was responsible for the Leia slave-girl outfit. So I could shake his hand.