Here’s one from the vaults. Literally.
Star Wars fans take note: Apparently, George Lucas commissioned a short film to be shown before the epic film The Empire Strikes Back. Called Black Angel, it was a fantastical medieval film following a knight in battle against the undead over a little girl’s soul.
It was made by Roger Christian, then a set designer for Star Wars, who was given £25,000 to shoot the thing in Scotland. Back then, it was only shown as a precursor to Empire in screenings in England, Scotland and Australia. Christian says it even inspired John Boorman’s Excalibur and one slow-mo fight scene in Empire.
Now there’s an Indiegogo campaign to turn the 25-minute short into a full-length feature. So far, Christian has raised close to $93,000 of its $100,000 goal to do so. And still has 37 days to go. A contribution of $25 will get you the digital bundle upon release.
He writes on Indiegogo about the new film: “Think Game of Thrones meets Valhalla Rising, Excalibur meets Lord of the Rings. A powerful tale of ancient Celtic magic and Nordic Paganism, it’ll be gritty, dirty and heroic – everything great fantasy should be.”
Watch the original short film for yourself on YouTube below, but, as Christian warns, be prepared to “turn your clocks back 34 years.”
