It may seem like a long, long time ago, but it’s been exactly 40 years since “Star Wars” opened in cinemas across the United States, sparking a cultural phenomenon as strong as ever today.
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At the time the film starred relatively unknown actors, but it became so wildly popular it played in cinemas for over a year. The trio of lead actors in the original film – Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill – became Hollywood icons.
Nobody could imagine the saga would be such a hit, not even its creator George Lucas, now one of the world’s richest men.
John Williams composed what remains perhaps the most famous theme for a movie in history. And Luke Skywalker, his faithful droids, Princess Leia and Darth Vader are now all part of pop culture.
The franchise’s eighth film, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, is set to be released in December.
Leading up to
StarWars</a>'s 40th anniversary, Vanity Fair introduces the next chapter in its saga: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheLastJedi?src=hash">#TheLastJedi</a> <a href="https://t.co/jLLif1n8L4">https://t.co/jLLif1n8L4</a> <a href="https://t.co/41Yb5GVMES">pic.twitter.com/41Yb5GVMES</a></p>— VANITY FAIR (VanityFair) May 23, 2017