TV - Movies
This Is How
Raiders Of The
Lost Ark Saved
The Empire
Strikes Back
By TIM LAMMERS
Writer and director Lawrence Kasdan was once a struggling filmmaker trying to sell his scripts in Hollywood. One of these scripts caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, and little did Kasdan know that meeting with the director would set the stage for Kasdan’s crucial involvement in "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back."
Spielberg and George Lucas, who were prepping "Raiders of the Lost Ark,” gave Kasdan a shot at writing the screenplay for that film. Even before he read the script, Lucas asked Kasdan if he'd help him work out the kinks on "The Empire Strikes Back," the hotly anticipated sequel to his 1977 blockbuster "Star Wars."
Kasdan was brought aboard to rewrite "Empire" after renowned science fiction writer Leigh Brackett, who penned the first draft, died of cancer in March 1978. Released in 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back" served as Kasdan's launching pad with Lucasfilm, with the release of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" coming a year later.