Irvin Kershner, director of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back has died, Agence France-Presse reported. Kershner, an American director best known for his work on Empire, as well as Never Say Never Again and RoboCop II, was suffering from “a long illness” according to his family and died in Los Angeles.
(More on Techland: Is Empire Strikes Back The Best Star Wars Film?)
Kershner, called “Kersh” by friends, was born in Philadelphia in 1923 and studied music and art before his directorial career began, first as a documentary filmmaker in the 19050s, before working his way to television and film. Handpicked by George Lucas to direct the 1980 blockbuster, Kershner already had a dozen film credits to his name, but with Empire, he fostered on of the most successful, most beloved films of all time. May marked the 30th anniversary of the film, which has placed itself so deep inside our culture lexicon that even the most casual of Star Wars fans can reference it. Ask anyone to name five scenes from any Star Wars film and you can bet that at least three will have Kershner’s fingerprints on them. But, hen he was first approached by Lucas to direct, he was hesitant, he told The Star Wars fan publication in 1990.
“I had a phone call from Gary Kurtz who asked me if I would be interested and I said I would think about it,” he said. “I talked about it with my agent and I said, “Oh, what a hard act to follow! Star Wars! I don’t know.” I was kind of put off by the enormity of the job and having to not top it. I never believe in topping, I believe in just making something which stands on its own terms. I thought, “What a difficult job!” I met with George Lucas at Universal over lunch and he began talking about what he wanted to do and how important the second film was, because if the second one worked, then he could make more. If the second one didn’t work, then that would be the end of Star Wars. So I thought about it and said, “Well, why do you want me? Of all the younger guys around, all the hot-shots, why me?” And I remember he said to me, “Well, because you know everything a Hollywood director is supposed to know but you’re not Hollywood.” I liked that.”
More on Time.com:
First-Grade Girl Bullied for Loving “Star Wars,” Internet Responds
How George Lucas Changed Special Effects in Filmmaking Forever