The original title of Star Wars Episode VI was Revenge of the Jedi.
Why did George Lucas change it to Return of the Jedi mere months before the theatrical release?
It’s a long-ish story…
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But in January 1983, the movies title changed toReturn of the Jedi.
This after months of marketing and merchandising work.
New action figure packaging for theRevenge of the Jediline of toys was all set to go over at Kenner.
So, what happened?
Why did the studios decide to make the change so close to release?
Well, as with all making-of tales concerning Lucas andStar Wars, there are several versions of the story.
ButRevengenever sat well with Lucas, who reasoned that seeking revenge was not the Jedi way.
So he changed the title back toReturn of the Jedi.
The title was always intended to beReturn of the Jedi, Lucas explained to Bouzereau forThe Annotated Screenplays.
Blue Harvest even had a fake tagline: Terror Beyond Imagination.
However, the studio eventually decided to rename the filmWrathto avoid confusion withRevenge of the Jedi.
