Lucasfilm Makes Huge Digital Changes To ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ After Nearly 50 Years
Lucasfilm is preparing a version of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977) that will require one of the franchise’s most familiar sequences to be recreated, and fans have already been given a first look at the result.
The upcoming Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd will be the first official Welsh-language version of the movie. Rather than simply replacing dialogue, some written material must also be adapted.
That’s particularly obvious during the opening moments. The opening crawl is presented as part of the movie itself, so a Welsh-language release cannot leave the English text in place and still provide a completely Welsh viewing experience.
The official teaser shows that Lucasfilm has created a Welsh version of the crawl, beginning with the translated phrase “Amser maith yn ôl, mewn galaeth bell, bell i ffwrdd.”
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It’s an unusual update to a movie that has been repeatedly revisited. This time, however, the alteration isn’t about changing a special effect or modifying the story — it makes the film’s language match the new version being presented to audiences.
Disney’s official announcement confirms that Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd was produced by Lucasfilm and Disney with S4C and Creative Wales.
Matthew Rhys voices Han Solo, Rhys Ifans voices Obi-Wan Kenobi, Aimee-Ffion Edwards voices Princess Leia, Mark Lewis Jones takes on Darth Vader, and Osian Morgan voices Luke Skywalker. The wider cast includes Llyr Ifans as C-3PO, Nia Roberts as Aunt Beru, Richard Harrington as Grand Moff Tarkin, Owain Arthur as Red Leader, and Rhodri Meilir as Gold Leader.
The opening crawl isn’t the only written material that could require attention. The end credits contain extensive text, but Lucasfilm has not confirmed how those credits will appear in the Welsh version. For now, the crawl is the clearest evidence of the visual changes being made alongside the new dialogue.
Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd will premiere on S4C and across its platforms from Christmas Day, December 25, 2026, ahead of A New Hope‘s 50th anniversary in 2027.
More Star Wars: A New Hope Retellings Coming
Fans wanting to see more changes to A New Hope can also check out the upcoming comic book crossover event Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles, which unites characters from both franchises, and the graphic novel Star Wars: A New Hope — Triple Take, which retells the events of the 1977 film from Luke, Han, and Leia’s perspectives. For those wanting a traditional experience, the original film is being re-released in theaters for a limited time only in February.
Would you like to see more Star Wars movies receive official versions in different languages? Let us know in the comments below!
