On May 21, 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back made its theatrical debut. To celebrate the classic film’s landmark 40th anniversary, StarWars.com presents “Empire at 40,” a special series of interviews, editorial features, and listicles.
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the film that made Star Wars a franchise and launched a decades-long legacy, it’s only fitting that we honor the people who were involved in giving life to that film back in 1980. However, it would be a mistake to not also look back on the many incarnations that film has taken over the years.
Unsurprisingly, there have been numerous adaptations over the past four decades. There was the original novelization by Donald F. Glut, which was followed by several comic book (and manga) adaptations, a