Where to watch Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Trivia & production notes

• George Lucas funded The Empire Strikes Back's $8 million budget using his $12 million profit from Star Wars, which he put toward expanding Industrial Light Magic and establishing Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California.
• The 100-page distribution deal with 20th Century-Fox, signed in September 1977, gave the studio no creative control but entitled it to 50% of gross profits on the first $20 million earned, scaling to 77.5% in the producers' favor if the film exceeded $100 million.
• George Lucas considered replacing producer Gary Kurtz before Kurtz convinced him to stay by invoking their longtime loyalty and his deep knowledge of Star Wars.
• Irvin Kershner was reluctant to direct the sequel and his friends warned him against it, fearing he would be blamed if it failed; Lucas persuaded him by framing it as a chapter in a larger story rather than a direct sequel.
• Leigh Brackett, a science fiction writer hired for $50,000, completed the first draft before dying of cancer in March 1978, just weeks after George Lucas attempted to contact her with detailed notes on her work.
• George Lucas initially conceived that Luke's character would be replaced rather than recast if Mark Hamill had died from an accident he suffered after filming Star Wars.
• James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader but declined a screen credit because he considered his work special effects rather than acting, and was paid $15,000 for half a day's work plus a small profit percentage.
• Anthony Daniels was reluctant to return as C-3PO due to receiving little acknowledgment for his previous work, as the filmmakers deliberately downplayed his involvement to create the illusion that C-3PO was a real robot.
• Alec Guinness negotiated a more limited role in the film in late August 1979 due to failing eyesight that required him to avoid bright lights, and was paid 0.25% of the film's box office gross for his few hours of work.
• Billy Dee Williams became the first black actor with a starring role in the Star Wars series when cast as Lando Calrissian.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Empire Strikes Back, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.