STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Gets An Awesome New Poster To Mark Its 40th Anniversary

STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Gets An Awesome New Poster To Mark Its 40th Anniversary

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of what many consider to be the best Star Wars movie, Lucasfilm has debuted a stunning new poster for The Empire Strikes Back from artist Matt Ferguson...

News
By MarkCassidy - May 21, 2020 06:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back, and Lucasfilm has now shared a new poster in celebration of what is widely considered to be the greatest Star Wars movie of all time.

The official poster comes to us from renowned Star Wars and Marvel artist Matt Ferguson, and spotlights several of the most memorable moments from the film, including our first look at the returning Darth Vader in his Meditation Chamber, the AT-AT assault on the Hoth rebel base, and that first confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Vader which lead to the now iconic "no, I am your father" reveal.

"Happy 40th birthday #TheEmpireStrikesBack!," said Ferguson over Twitter. "Here's my new official one sheet poster for the film. It was SUCH a pleasure & an honour making this #StarWars art for Lucasfilm and Disney. I should be able to share more next week as well."

USA Today has also shared some rare behind-the-scenes photos from the middle film in the original Star Wars trilogy, featuring Mark Hamill (Luke), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), and the late Carrie Fisher (Leia).

Is anyone planning on a re-watch to mark the 40th anniversary? Let us know in the commnets section, and feel free to share your favorite moments and memories from The Empire Strikes Back.

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manofillintent1
manofillintent1 - 5/21/2020, 6:19 AM
2nd in the original trilogy- most loved
2nd in prequel trilogy- most hated
2nd in sequel trilogy- most divisive
Oskir
Oskir - 5/21/2020, 6:33 AM
@manofillintent1 - Perfectly balanced as all things should be!
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 5/21/2020, 7:46 AM
@manofillintent1 - I actually think TPM is still the most hated of the prequel trilogy. Lower IMDB and RT score, instantly killed all the hype for the prequels, Jar Jar, bad child actors, huge box office drop off for the next film....ect.
manofillintent1
manofillintent1 - 5/21/2020, 7:54 AM
@Nightwing1015 - It’s close but I still think it has more appeal than AOTC the pod race and duel of the fates are stand outs
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 5/21/2020, 8:22 AM
@manofillintent1 - I thought the Podrace was one of the most boring scenes in Star Wars history. Who cares about Jake Loyd racing CGI speeders in a fake environment lol. Much preferred the Battle of Geonosis and the Republic and CIS forces from Attack of the Clones.
manofillintent1
manofillintent1 - 5/21/2020, 8:26 AM
@Nightwing1015 - to be fair everything in the prequel trilogy was a fake environment lol
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 5/21/2020, 8:30 AM
@manofillintent1 - Haha that's true. I guess I just never cared about the race. To me, it was just Lucas shoving his love of cars and racing into Star Wars where I'm not sure it really belongs. I think it would've made an interesting TV episode or something. But I'm not sure about it in a film. Also, the whole bet with Watto made no sense in the first place. Qui-Gon could've easily just traded republic credits for currency that would be accepted on Tatooine. Or he could've traded the Queen's ship for a very cheap but functioning ship that would get them to Courscant.
manofillintent1
manofillintent1 - 5/21/2020, 8:39 AM
@Nightwing1015 - Yeah I always thought the pod race was a nice little addition and I’m not a car guy or into racing at all but I like that there’s mostly no music and just the reving and roaring of the engines as they pass by but understandably pretty dull for some
Nebula
Nebula - 5/21/2020, 6:26 AM
That is awesome, indeed.
Nebula
Nebula - 5/21/2020, 6:27 AM
Here's hoping they didn't steal any fan designs this time around.
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 5/21/2020, 6:48 AM
@Nebula - They actually had to be creative back then. Maybe that's why these films from this era (not just the SW OT, but others like CE3K, ET, Raiders, Flash Gordon, Blade Runner, Alien, Terminator) were so damn original and bold. It's kind of like, today, they've run out of ideas and need to poach or reboot.
IronGenesis
IronGenesis - 5/21/2020, 6:33 AM
Very pretty. Such a wonderful film. Only behind A NEW HOPE in the SW Pantheon of greatness. ❤️
Oskir
Oskir - 5/21/2020, 6:34 AM
I will always prefer A New Hope, the Star Wars I watched the most when I was a kid but Empire is the masterpiece of the saga!
CplHicks
CplHicks - 5/21/2020, 6:40 AM
I was 6 when I saw this in '80 and I cried walking out of the theater because of Han. My dad asked if I wanted to go to the Toys R Us next door and get a new Star Wars figure and that changed my mood real quick.
FleischerSupes
FleischerSupes - 5/21/2020, 6:41 AM
Mark Hamil always had some boss lightsaber poses. Nobody ever asks him about that in interviews.

Nebula
Nebula - 5/21/2020, 6:44 AM
@FleischerSupes -
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 5/21/2020, 6:45 AM
@FleischerSupes - He really did. I loved his style in Return of the Jedi
FleischerSupes
FleischerSupes - 5/21/2020, 6:54 AM
@Nebula - They both look cool. You can tell Luke's fighting style was more Kendo inspired while Obi Wan's was more Wushu Chinese sword. Also I think Luke's pose has some significance because it's strained and he looks so small compared to Vader, who in contrast is just standing there only using one hand, looking like he's not trying. Brilliant.
FleischerSupes
FleischerSupes - 5/21/2020, 7:01 AM
@Dredd97 - ROTJ is maximum Luke. I'd love it if there was a way for him to have a brief cameo from that era in Mandalorian.
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 5/21/2020, 7:33 AM
@FleischerSupes - I loved that Luke. He was the ultimate Jedi Knight. I love how in that fight he used Yoda's words "a Jedi uses the Force for defense, never attack." Mark Hamill did a great job too. He rarely gets the credit he deserves. I'd love that too. Even if it's Sebastian Stan
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 5/21/2020, 6:45 AM
Not only is this the best Star Wars movie ever made, it's one of the best movies ever made. From directing, to story, to acting, to special fx, it all marries beautifully. It's been getting thrown around a lot lately, but Empire is a perfect movie
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 5/21/2020, 6:45 AM
Carrie was so pretty, what a shame she left us so soon.

Quick Empire Strikes Back story: my mom (God bless her) waited in line Friday morning the day of the nationwide release of the movie (so 40 years ago today, and that's how it was done way back then to ensure you had tickets to a big film on opening day) to get tickets for me and 3 of my friends/classmates while we were still in our 6th grade classroom ... she picked the 4 of us up from school at 2:30 pm in the station wagon, with the tickets in hand, and she drove us to the theater that she was waiting outside in line at all morning, so we could watch a late afternoon screening of Empire. The rumors were already spreading while we waited in line to enter about Vader being Luke's dad, and Luke's hand getting chopped off. None of it could possibly be true, of course. That would be impossible. ;)
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 5/21/2020, 6:46 AM
That's a great poster for a great movie. Really wonder what Ferguson is gonna come up with next
lawndart
lawndart - 5/21/2020, 7:25 AM
This movie, like a lot of odd things (such as determining the contents of Stretch Armstrong) became a fixture of my childhood. I remember seeing the first Star Wars at the drive in but this movie resonated strongly and influenced my interests and artwork for decades afterwards. I remember it much more than A New Hope or even ROTJ.
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/21/2020, 2:22 PM
If I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life I think it would be out of.....

-The Empire Strikes Back
-Avengers:Infinity War
-Pulp Fiction
-Blade Runner
-The Best Of Jayden Jaymes XXX
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