Pull a Lucas

When one feels the incessant need to go back and tinker with anything finished long ago to modernize it or make it fit better with one’s own modern sensibilities, even if those sensibilities now fall outside of the original intent of what one set out to do in the first place.

Origins: George Lucas’ need to first return to Star Wars Episodes 4–6 to not only modernize the special effects so they fit better with the look in the prequels, but also to decide that Greedo needed to shoot first. He again pulled a Lucas when he decided that, for the Blu-ray release, Darth Vader needed to scream, “Nooooooo!” at the end of the climactic fight between Luke and the Emperor in Return of the Jedi.

Usage: Steven Spielberg pulled a Lucas when he decided the cops needed to be holding walkie talkies instead of guns in the re-release of E.T., but smartly decided to change back to the original version for the films Blu-ray release.

First used: Raiders of the Lost Ark


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