As of 2008, the six films had generated box office revenue of over four billion dollars, beaten only by the James Bond and Harry Potter films. The franchise has also spawned books, action figures, comic books, video games and a live action television series is planned for release in 2010.
George Lucas Starts To write Star Wars
In 1973, George Lucas began writing the story behind Star Wars. He had already produced a full length feature film called THX 1138, which had been made by United Artists, but they turned down his second, American Graffiti. Universal created that film but both companies rejected the idea as they thought the high budget that would be required for the film would be too great a risk. Lucas turned to Alan Ladd Jr, head of 20th Century Fox, who believed in Lucas's talents and agreed a deal to create the film which Lucas would write and direct.
Lucas had completed his script of the synopsis by May 1974 but it would take almost two years and a further three drafts before the fourth and final draft was revised into the final pre-production script.
Production Begins On The Film
After discovering that 20th Century Fox's visual effects department had been closed sown, Lucas founded Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) which would produce the effects for the film. The majority of the effects seen were created by using motion controlled photography. This involved using small models and slow moving cameras, giving the illusion of size. Filming began in March 1976 on location in Tunisia, which was used for the scenes on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker's home planet. production was delayed as a rainstorm hit the set and props malfunctioned. Anthony Daniels, who played C3PO, put the outfit on, only for the left leg piece to shatter through the plastic covering on his foot and stabbed him.
Once filming in Tunisia had finished, Elstree Studios in London was the next stop but the problems with the crew surfaced as the film was branded a 'child's film.' Harrison Ford found the film weird and Kenny Baker was convinced it would be a flop. 20th Century Fox's board were concerned over rising costs and the complexity of the screenplay and after the production fell behind schedule again, Lucas was given one week to complete it or face it being shutdown. the crew split into three teams and managed to meet the deadline.
Post production Just As Stressful For Lucas
The release date for the film was set for December 1976 but the post production proved just as stressful as the production itself. Lucas had been diagnosed with hypertension and exhaustion and warned to lower his stress levels, which was almost impossible considering the increasing pressure from Fox. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker had been injured in a car accident which made re0shoots impossible and, unhappy with the editor's first cut of the film, Lucas replaced him. In addition, ILM had not achieved the special effects required and Lucas had to intervene, forcing the employees to complete a year's work in just six months.
Fox Loved The Film Despite Increased Budget
Lucas showed the first cut of the film to Alan Ladd and the rest of 20th Century Fox who loved the film. One executive, Gareth Wigan said it was the best film he'd seen. Despite the budget increasing from eight to eleven million dollars, Star Wars Episode IV was the least expensive of the six made.
