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| 'Vader in flames' is born! |
With the original film's international success continuing by early 1978, any news on the soon-confirmed sequel to Star Wars was eagerly awaited by press and fans. In Paris, producer Gary Kurtz, when put on the spot by journalists asking what the title might be to the all-important first sequel, improvised The Empire Strikes Back as a possibility - the kind of fun title homage to the likes of Flash Gordon and the old B/W cliffhanger serials of which the saga, and later Indiana Jones, was so heavily influenced by. Kurtz's excellent title idea soon stuck once put on the lists of potential names for Star Wars II, soon recognised as being the actual title by Variety newspaper, and then officially confirmed by Lucasfilm by 4th August, 1978.
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| Early concept by Ralph McQuarrie for the now classic Vader/TESB character logo. |
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| McQuarrie's unused logo, used for some lovely art of his showcasing Luke Skywalker atop a Tauntaun. |
With a title, a film needs a logo, and SW conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie was soon on the case providing numerous ideas, all of which were visually exciting. Darth Vader would be at the forefront of the new movie, as leader of the Empire's hunt for our heroes, so he was the obvious icon choice to use. Soon enough, 'Vader in Flames' was born, with logo patches adorning all kinds of cast and crew apparel and the art being a key ingredient of the film's press launch campaign by May 1980...
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