Realizing that there are eight entire months between now and the moment another Star Wars movie smashes its way into theaters, leaving fans of the series with nothing but toys, TV shows, DVDs, comics, and video games to provide them with the all-powerful force (nostalgia) that keeps them all alive, the Alamo Drafthouse has announced it’s bringing George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy back to theaters.
The touring, one-night-per-city event will be one of the first times in nearly 19 years that A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi have been available to theater-going audiences (meaning it’ll also be one of the first chances for Star Wars fans under the age of 19 to see the trilogy on a big screen). But there’s a caveat to this Jedi-loving fun: just like in 1997, the films will be shown in their Special Edition forms, meant to celebrate and “gently upgrade” the original film’s then-20-year-long legacy.
Still: Star Wars! The event is being planned as a roadshow, touring around the country and showing all three films as a six-and-a-half hour triple feature. There’ll also apparently be a number of special features appended to the showings, including “specially curated video content,” costume contests, and—in our imaginations, anyway—long, debate-filled panels about sci-fi gun control and why Han wouldn’t have shot first.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on May 4, popularly known as “Star Wars Day” by all the people posting about it on your Facebook wall.
The Return Of The Trilogy Roadshow Schedule:
August 6—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield
August 6—Kansas City, MO—The Midland Theatre
August 6—Washington, D.C.—Warner Theatre
August 6—Los Angeles, CA—The Theatre at the Ace Hotel
August 6—New York, NY—The Town Hall
August 6—Miami, FL—Olympia Theatre
August 6—San Antonio, TX—Majestic Theatre
August 7—New York, NY—Kings Theatre
August 7—Dallas, TX—Majestic Theatre
August 11—Austin, TX—The Long Center for the Performing Arts (Ep. 4-A New Hope)
August 12—Austin, TX—The Long Center for the Performing Arts (Ep. 5-The Empire Strikes Back)
August 13—Austin, TX—The Long Center for the Performing Arts (Ep. 6-Return of the Jedi)
August 13—Philadelphia, PA—The Keswick Theatre
August 13—Louisville, KY—Brown Theatre
August 20—Oakland, CA—Paramount Theatre
August 27—Boston, MA—The Boston Opera House
Date TBD—Houston, TX—Venue TBD
Date TBD—Denver, CO—Venue TBD
Additional Dates / Locations To Be Announced