The Empire Strikes remains one of the most iconic films of all time, while many regard it as the best entry in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. With Star Wars day around the corner, fans must be looking to revisit The Empire Strikes, known for its ground-breaking visuals, including one scene where Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker faces a deadly creature, Wampa.
However, filming the Wampa scene was not as straightforward as it seems, because the creature was created practically without the use of CGI. Nonetheless, the original plan of action did not work, forcing the team to improvise and devise an inventive solution. Here is how the Wampa scene in The Empire Strikes was originally intended to be shot and why Lucas replaced it for the special edition.
Mark Hamill’s Wampa Scene in The Empire Strikes Back Had to Be Improvised
In The Empire Strikes Back, Mark Hamill‘s Luke Skywalker is captured by a Wampa on the ice planet Hoth. The Wampa drags an unconscious Luke across the snow, to his cave, where Luke eventually defeats the creature.
According to an article published in Star Wars Insider issue #33, the scene was originally filmed with a real costume made to the scale of the Wampa, with an actor inside the suit with stilts. In the film, Des Webb played the Wampa, and it required him a ladder to get into the suit, which did not turn out to be very practical.
“If you’ve ever tried to drag a real human being behind yourself without stilts on down a smooth hallway, it’s really impossible.”
Howie Weed, a CG modeler, who played the Wampa in the special edition, made the above statement about why the costume wasn’t very practical. Weed explained that the performer’s size, compared to the suit, and the lack of traction for the stilts over snow led the crew to abandoning the idea. As a result, the final scene barely shows the Wampa except for his arms and legs.
George Lucas Wanted an Expanded Wampa Scene For The Empire Strikes Back‘s Special Edition
George Lucas, a perfectionist when it comes to his vision for Star Wars, was unhappy with the result of the original scene. Therefore, while working on The Empire Strikes Back‘s special edition, Lucas wanted to include an extended version of the Wampa scene. However, it was decided earlier on that the creature would be recreated using practical effects and not CGI.
“[George Lucas said] Well, if it’s not a CG animal, then I know we can make it really gory.”
Weed said about Lucas’ desire to rely on practical effects for the reshoot. As a result, ILM’s art department drew up several storyboards for the extended scene. Eventually, it was decided that the scene would be filmed with an actor in a suit, albeit without the stilts and a reduced proportion.
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The crew ultimately ended up wrapping the costume tightly around Weed, while the cave was scaled down to make the creature appear bigger. Moreover, Lucas had blood and goo shooting out of the Wampa’s mouth, to give him a gory and monstrous look. Thus, a few simple tweaks allowed Lucas to improve the scene for the special edition release of The Empire Strikes Back, which fans can watch on May 4, 2024, to celebrate Star Wars day.
The Empire Strikes Back is streaming on Disney+.
