Lucas’ Initial Casting Plan
Lucas played with the idea of various casting differences at several points during pre-production. He flirted with the idea of having an all-black cast, then possibly using only Japanese actors (such as Toshiro Mifune as Obi-Wan Kenobi).
In an interview, Lucas addressed this and said that he thinks the idea he had was a little influenced by “The Lord of the Rings.”
Luke Almost Had a Girlfriend
Once Mark Hamill understood Lucas's grand plan with Vader as Luke's father and Leia as his sister, the actor proposed that Lucas create a potential romantic interest for Luke to enter the "Return of the Jedi."
Hamill even sent Lucas a coffee table book of sci-fi art as a gift with his request to choose what she could look like from the book's designs. Hamill got his wish, and Luke eventually got a girlfriend and future wife, a fan-favorite warrior named Mara Jade.
Luke and Leia's Swing Across the Death Star
The comparably small production of "Star Wars" at England's Elstree Studios meant that a few corners had to be cut, even when it came to the main actors. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher had to do their own stunts for the iconic swing over the Death Star chasm because the production couldn't afford stunt doubles.
The actors were fastened with safety harnesses as they swung across the platform 30 feet above the studio floor, which is what you see in the final movie, and it was all done in one take!
Lucas's Initial Draft Was Too Long
When 20th Century Fox gave Lucas a preliminary deal back in 1974 to eventually make the movie, Lucas turned in his "final" screenplay, which was more than 200 pages long! The average length of a screenplay is half of that! So Lucas removed the final two acts and presented the screenplay's first act as a complete story.
The script was fashioned into "Star Wars," and the final two acts of the original screenplay were eventually developed and elaborated into what would become "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Luckily he kept the rest of his screenplay!
Lucas Relied on Akira Kurosawa for Inspiration
Lucas grappled with just how to tell this massive sci-fi space opera on a relatable and personal scale, and he found the answer in director Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film "The Hidden Fortress." It tells the story of a roguish general protecting a gorgeous princess from an evil clan behind enemy lines.
Lucas then decided that it would be a nice way to tell the "Star Wars" story. Lucas followed Kurosawa's lead as he took the two lowliest characters and told the story from their point of view. In the "Star Wars" case, those would be the two droids.