Dark Horse Comics to adapt George Lucas’ original screenplay titled The Star Wars

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It is difficult to tell whether some stories are April Fool’s pranks or the real deal. I was toying with whether this was legit and as more and more sources are sharing it, I figured what the hell. If it turns out to be bullshit, shame on us for reporting it, but here you go.

Dark Horse Comics will be losing the STAR WARS franchise to Disney and Marvel in the near future, but they are not going out without a bang. At WonderCon this past weekend, the company announced plans to release an adaptation of George Lucas‘ rough draft version of STAR WARS. The screenplay, entitled THE STAR WARS, features characters named General Darth Vader, General Luke Skywalker, and Jedi Annikin Starkiller. Han Solo makes an appearance as an old man. Much of the elements in this original draft made their way into the final product we know as STAR WARS, but this will be an interesting voyage into what could have been.

From STAR WARS editor Randy Stradley:

“I’m not sure where I first read about The Star Wars—it was years and years ago—but the idea of Luke Skywalker being an older Jedi General, and Han Solo being a six-foot-tall lizard, turned my Star Wars fan brain on its side. I always assumed this would be one of those stories that would be ‘lost to history,’ so getting to work on bringing it to life is kinda like a dream come true.”

More updates from writer J.W. Rinzler:

“While researching in the Lucasfilm Archives I’ve found many treasures—but one which truly astounded me was George’s rough draft for The Star Wars. His first complete imaginings were hallucinating to read—mind blowing. While working with George on another book project, I once asked if we could adapt his rough draft. He was hesitant. Years later, with Dark Horse’s invaluable help, we showed him a few drawn and colored pages of what it might look like. He gave us the okay.”

Dark Horse released the first page of the new comic, which will get an eight issue run this September. Count me intrigued!