The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the most iconic films of all time and arguably the best Star Wars film. As a result, many fans might be surprised to learn that the film was shot simultaneously with another iconic horror film the Stanley Kubrick directed The Shining. However, the latter was responsible for adversely affecting The Empire Strikes Back.
The Empire Strikes Back and The Shining were shot at the same studio, where they shared some studio space. However, after an unforeseen accident caused the decimation of the Kubrick film’s sets, George Lucas had to give up some of the studio space reserved for the production of his much-awaited Star Wars sequel. Here is how The Shining led to troubles for The Empire Strikes Back‘s production.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Messed Up George Lucas’ Schedule For The Empire Strikes Back
In 1979, director Stanley Kubrick was gearing up to start the production of the psychological horror film The Shining, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. For the movie’s interior scenes, depicting the labyrinthian insides of the Overlook Hotel, Kubrick’s team constructed massive sets at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England.
Warner Bros).
Meanwhile, filmmaker George Lucas was working on the follow-up to his 1977 space opera film Star Wars, titled The Empire Strikes Back. Filming of the much-awaited sequel was also expected to take place at Elstree Studios. According to reports, a fire broke out on the sets of The Shining, forcing Kubrick to push the production forward.
After the fire almost completely burned down Stage 3, Lucas had to give up some of the space that was previously reserved for The Empire Strikes Back.
Timewise, it is doubtful the picture will recover.
One crew member reportedly made the above statement addressing the impact of the fire on The Empire Strikes Back. As per reports, production on the Star Wars film was expected to start in March 1979 at Elstree Studios. However, the fire on Stage 3 forced Kubrick to revamp his set on a different soundstage, causing production delays for The Empire Strikes Back.
The Empire Strikes Back Crew Had a Hard Time Filming in Norway
During an interview with the official Star Wars website, associate producer Robert Watts spoke about how the burning down of The Shining‘s set adversely affected the production of The Empire Strikes Back. The film’s crew had settled upon Finse in Norway to film the scenes depicting the extremely low temperatures of the snow planet Hoth.
However, Watts admitted that the delays in the film’s production caused by the fire at Elstree Studios combined with the harsh weather conditions in Finse, resulted in the crew facing severe challenges during production. Watts stated:
If we could get this sequence successfully in Norway, this would obviate us from having to go out to Leeds.
Watts made the above statement regarding an additional sequence the crew tried to film in Norway, because of the the lack of studio space at Elstree Studios and make up for some of the production time lost because of it. Nonetheless, the harsh weather in Norway ended up causing further delays, as it took the crew eight weeks to complete what was initially supposed to be a three-week schedule.
The Empire Strikes Back is streaming on Disney+.
