Credit: LucasfilmDisney and Lucasfilm have unveiled a brand-new take on the original Star Wars (1977), complete with a first look that fans didn’t see coming.
Star Wars: A New Hope Is Being Redubbed in Welsh
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Star Wars: A New Hope is being redubbed in Welsh, as Disney, Lucasfilm, Welsh broadcaster S4C, and Creative Wales announced the first-ever Welsh-language version of George Lucas’ original 1977 film, which will be titled Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd.
This project comes as both a celebration of Welsh culture — which, as Pembrokeshire-born Lucasfilm Co-President Lynwen Brennan puts it, “has such a rich history of storytelling and a beautiful lyrical language” — and as part of the film’s 50th anniversary in 2027.
Next year marks the official 50th anniversary of Star Wars — five decades since that original film was released in theaters. Since then, Star Wars has become a massive multimedia franchise spanning comics, novels, film, TV, animation, gaming, theme parks, merchandise, and more.
Watch the official teaser for Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd shared by S4C, which features the Welsh translation of “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” and the opening text crawl:
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The redub includes an all-new voice cast with Welsh actors, making it the first time Star Wars characters will be heard speaking this ancient language in an official Lucasfilm release.
The cast includes Osian Morgan as Luke Skywalker, Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Princess Leia, Matthew Rhys as Han Solo, Rhys Ifans as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mark Lewis Jones as Darth Vader, and Llŷr Ifans as C-3PO.
Other roles include Nia Roberts as Aunt Beru, Richard Harrington as Grand Moff Tarkin, Owain Arthur as Red Leader, and Rhodri Meilir as Gold Leader.
The upcoming release does not alter the events of the original film, but it does offer fans a version of Star Wars they have never experienced before.
From the iconic opening crawl to some of the franchise’s most recognizable phrases and character names, nearly every element of the movie has been reimagined through a new linguistic lens.
The dubbed version of A New Hope will premiere on S4C and its streaming platforms on Christmas Day.
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