For the 50th-anniversary campaign, Star Wars gets a new piece of music-backed branding in front of it. On November 12, Lucasfilm announced that the original 1977 film returns to theaters on February 19, 2027, restored and booked on thousands of screens worldwide 1. A celebratory logo will play before the film, and Lucasfilm credits its music this way:
“a newly orchestrated score by John Williams”
The re-release is booked into IMAX 70mm, Digital IMAX, 4DX and D-BOX, alongside standard digital and film presentations 1.
What we know, and what we don't
Lucasfilm's announcement confirms the logo, the Williams score credit and the date 1. It doesn't say whether the logo music is a new piece or a fresh orchestration of existing Star Wars material, how long it runs, or whether it will be released as a single or on an album 1. We'll update this story when Lucasfilm or a label says more.
The logo is one piece of a larger anniversary plan. The Hero Awakens, a documentary directed by R.J. Cutler, premieres on Disney+ on May 4, Star Wars Day, and Star Wars in Concert: The Skywalker Saga plays the Hollywood Bowl during the first weekend in April 1. Lucasfilm's post gives no year for either date.
Why it matters
The original score collected the top film-music prizes of its year. Williams won the Academy Award for Original Score for Star Wars at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978 2, and the Grammy for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special the same year 3.
For composers studying the craft, the anniversary is a reminder of how much of a franchise's identity lives in its music. If you're new to how scores like this get made, start with our guide to what film scoring is, and for how old music keeps finding new audiences, see our Tradition piece on The Rite of Spring.