Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, marking half a century since A New Hope (1977) was released in theaters and created one of the biggest entertainment franchises in history.
Star Wars quickly evolved into a multimedia giant, spawning sequels, prequels, comic books, novels, video games, theme park attractions, animation, live-action television, and more.
Now, the franchise is tapping into some of those different corners of storytelling to celebrate its huge milestone.
A Welsh redub of the original 1977 film premieres on Christmas Day, and February 2027 will see the launch of Star Wars: The Experience – A Journey Through the Galaxy, a behind-the-scenes exhibition that offers a look back across the entire saga.
A Star Wars Remake Is Coming, With a Huge Twist
Recently, Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm Publishing unveiled Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles, the first-ever in-universe crossover between both of these iconic franchises.
“On April 12th, 1977, Marvel Comics introduced readers to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars #1. Now, 50 years later, it’s only fitting that the Star Wars galaxy collides with the Marvel Universe to celebrate the 50th anniversary of A New Hope,” says Michael Siglain, Creative Director of Lucasfilm Publishing via Marvel.com.
“With Hope Assembles, Kevin Smith has written a true love letter to Star Wars, to Marvel, and to comics in general. And combined with David Marquez’s incredible art, we’ll see the heroes and villains of Star Wars team up and battle with the heroes and villains of Earth-616,” he continues.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Officially Remaking Disney+ Series Instead of Moving Forward With New Season
So, characters from the Star Wars franchise (heroes and villains) will be teaming up with characters from the Marvel Universe.
According to Marvel.com, readers can expect to see Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Obi-Wan Kenobi join forces with Spider-Man and the Avengers, as they take on Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire, who have formed an alliance with the Marvel villain Doctor Doom, who also serves as the main antagonist of the upcoming MCU film Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
Related: Disney Issues Notice for ‘The Mandalorian’ Series Remake
The name of the limited five-part comic book series, Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles, is, of course, a mix of A New Hope and the iconic phrase “Avengers, assemble.”
Taking into account the title, some of the artwork reveals, and the synopsis, it sounds like it’s a retelling of the original 1977 Star Wars, but with a big Marvel twist. According to Empire, “Details on the story are scarce, but it’s set in the Earth-616 universe, with a spell causing the events of A New Hope to crash into reality.”
“Marvel and Star Wars’ histories have been intertwined for 50 years and continue to set the standard for storytelling across the world… and across the media landscape,” says Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Stephen Wacker. “Lifelong lovers of both Star Wars and Marvel have a lot to look forward to as we finally bring the characters together in ways fans have been dreaming about for decades!”
Writer Kevin Smith talks about his love for both franchises, saying, “Back in the early ‘80s, I had a subscription to Marvel’s Star Wars comics. And as fun as it was to follow the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han, I always wished that Spider-Man or Doctor Doom could cross over into their cinematic saga. So when the opportunity arose to actually tell that story, nobody had to Force my hand! I’m ecstatic to be writing Hope Assembles for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars! Many thanks to Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm for trusting me to fly the Falcon and the Quinjet!”
Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles #1 releases in January 2027.
What do you think of Marvel and Star Wars finally crossing over? Which characters would you most like to see face off? Let us know in the comments below!
