Star Wars Bits: What if Lucas did Flash Gordon Instead of Star Wars? Warwick Davis Talks About his ROTJ Experience.

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Two really cool stories that some of you probably know. Warwick Davis talks about his huge paycheck for playing the Ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi. Also check out how George Lucas first wanted to do Flash Gordon but eventually ended up making Star Wars…


From badassdigest:

“In an alternate universe George Lucas never made Star Wars because he was able to get the rights to Flash Gordon. See, that was Lucas’ original intention, and he even went to meet with King Features Syndicate, who held the rights, to talk with them about making a movie based on the classic comic strip and movie serial space adventurer. Lucas says that King Features wanted 80% of the profits, and that they wanted Fellini to direct. Francis Ford Coppola, Lucas’ best bud at the time, thinks that they just didn’t take the movie brat seriously. 

Whatever the case, George Lucas was unable to make a Flash Gordon film, and so he instead filtered what he loved about Flash Gordon through other influences, including Joseph Campbell and 2001 and came up with a brand new concept that forever changed our pop culture. Could his Flash Gordon have been as seismically important? Perhaps, but it’s the synthesis of other influences that makes Star Wars special.”


So thank you King Features Syndicate for your greediness. 🙂 


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From mirror:

Warwick Davis has revealed he was paid just £60 a day to appear in Star Wars. The short star was only 11 years old when he bagged the part as Wicket the Ewok.

The break came after his grandmother heard a radio commercial appealing for short people to audition for Return of the Jedi.Davis, who co-manages the world’s biggest talent agency for performers of restricted growth, told The Telegraph he was pad £60 a day for the role, but that money ‘didn’t even enter his head.’He added: “I was paid £60 a day for being able to live out my dream.

“My mum and dad were my agents and we were dealing with Lucasfilm, a very respectable company, so if there was any negotiating to be done, I was looked after properly.“Looking back, £60 was an absolute fortune, but it wasn’t as important as the thrill of meeting Luke Skywalker. Money didn’t even enter my head, as I’d have done it without being paid.”The star went on to bag two other Ewok roles after Star Wars and played a goblin in Labyrinth.He has since starred in more than 40 different parts, including playing Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter.

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

7 thoughts on “Star Wars Bits: What if Lucas did Flash Gordon Instead of Star Wars? Warwick Davis Talks About his ROTJ Experience.

  • December 30, 2013 at 1:59 pm
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    Just watched Willow yesterday. The Blu-Ray’s picture quality was amazing. While it certainly drags in places it shines so wonderfully in others. I kept thinking with todays CGI how much it would have been reminiscent of PJs Hobbit or LotR.

  • December 30, 2013 at 2:38 pm
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    Pretty sure the Ewok’s name was Wicket.

    • December 30, 2013 at 2:47 pm
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      “The short star was only 11 years old when he bagged the part as Wicket the Ewok.”
      (direct quote from the article)
      Not sure what you’re referencing…

    • December 30, 2013 at 4:55 pm
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      He was referring to my “Wicked” in the beginning. Fixed.

  • December 30, 2013 at 8:41 pm
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    £60 a day was not all he got. Mark Hamill offered to get the young actor any Star Wars toys that he wanted and Warwick presented him with a list full of the figures and ships that he wanted, and to his surprise Hamill gladly obliged and got him everything on it.

  • December 31, 2013 at 8:19 am
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    I hope there’s an Eps7/8/9 part for Warwick Davis. He rules!

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