Disney said it will return George Lucas’s original 1977 film “Star Wars: A New Hope” to theaters on 30 April 2027, positioning the re-release as the kickoff to the movie’s 50th-anniversary festivities. The date falls several weeks before the actual anniversary on 25 May and precedes the planned debut of the new franchise installment, “Star Wars: Starfighter,” later that month. The company did not disclose which version of the film—Lucas’s 1997 Special Edition or the unaltered 1977 cut—will screen. Marketing is expected to ramp up at Star Wars Celebration in Los Angeles, scheduled for 1–4 April 2027, as Disney and Lucasfilm aim to leverage nostalgia to draw audiences back to cinemas and sustain momentum for the long-running space saga.