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Howard G. Kazanjian

Howard G. Kazanjian is known as the former Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd.. He also served as the producer for Return of the Jedi. In addition, Kazanjian worked as a producer for George Lucas on Raiders of the Lost Ark, and he held an uncredited producer role in The Empire Strikes Back.

Biography

Alongside George Lucas, Howard Kazanjian was a student at the University of Southern California. Their bond extended beyond being cinema fraternity brothers in Delta Kappa Alpha, developing into a lasting friendship. During their university years, both Kazanjian and Lucas encountered their future spouses, often going on double dates together. Kazanjian proceeded to collaborate with prominent filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock, Elia Kazan, Sam Peckinpah, and Robert Wise.

Following the release of Lucas' initial Star Wars movie in 1977, which led to the establishment of Lucasfilm, Kazanjian played a key role in the company's practical and strategic operations as its Vice President of Production. He held this position until approximately 1984-1985. Because Lucas had resigned from the Directors Guild of America because of a dispute over Star Wars' opening credits and was reluctant to direct again, he needed to find directors from outside the established Hollywood system for the rest of the original trilogy. Consequently, most American directors were not considered, including friends of Lucas such as Steven Spielberg. Lucas asked Irvin Kershner to helm The Empire Strikes Back, and later approached David Lynch and David Cronenberg regarding Return of the Jedi.

Cronenberg turned down the offer, and Lynch initially accepted the role for a single day. However, he withdrew from the project after realizing he struggled to grasp the narrative, suggesting that Lucas should direct the movie himself. Kazanjian remembered that Lynch wanted to exclude both John Williams and Ben Burtt from the music and sound design if he were to direct. Lynch wanted to concentrate on his Dune film, which was ultimately produced and released in 1984. Despite Lynch being his primary choice, Lucas instead brought in [Richard Marquand](/article/richard_marquand], his second choice, to direct Return of the Jedi, while Kazanjian took on the role of producer.

Sources

  • Star Wars in 100 Scenes
  • Jedi at 40 | ILM Legend Thomas G. Smith on the Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

Appearances

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