The film industry and pop culture today cannot be understood without mentioning the overwhelming success of two films that defined an era: Superman (1978) and Star Wars (1977). By the late 1970s, both films marked a before and after in the history of entertainment, not only for the quality of their production, but for the cultural impact they generated. They were global blockbusters that transformed cinema into a mass phenomenon. Despite their success, as they say on The Simpsons, “nobody gets rich signing checks.” Because despite their million-dollar budgets, these films cut costs by reusing some elements from the shooting.
Even though Hollywood invests a lot of money in big productions, they also know how to save by reusing elements from one project to another. In fact, if we closely observe both films, we can discover details that reveal this less glamorous side of the industry. Superman and Star Wars not only share the epic musical score of John Williams, but also set elements, objects that jump from a galaxy far, far away to the metropolis of a caped superhero. Curious, right?
Recycling in Hollywood
Some of the great films of the 20th century not only amazed with their special effects, but also with the creativity of their production teams when it came to saving money. And if you thought that both productions only shared John Williams’ musical magic, there’s a detail that will surprise you even more. If you pause the movie Superman at minute 00:57:28, you will see Lex Luthor, “the world’s greatest criminal mind,” using a curious computer. But look closely at the scene. Do you recognize the console panel that Luthor is using? If you’re a fan of Star Wars, you surely do.
The control panel that Lex Luthor uses is the same one that appears in Star Wars during the scene where Luke Skywalker and Han Solo decide to rescue Princess Leia on the Death Star, in the security room. If you pause George Lucas’ movie at minute 1:11:21, the security team of the most feared Imperial space station also use this panel. Coincidence? No. It is a reuse of set elements, a common technique in cinema to cut costs, even in multimillion-dollar productions like these two.
It’s not the only set element that Superman used from Star Wars. The box in which Lex Luthor keeps the kryptonite is the same box in which Ben Kenobi keeps Anakin’s lightsaber that he handed to Luke in his house on Tatooine. The reason? The set designer was the same man, John Barry, a professional with an extensive career in Hollywood, having worked on productions like Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
Barry was responsible for designing a large part of the sets for Star Wars, and then, when called upon for Superman, he decided to reuse some of the elements he had already created for Lucas’ movie. So, even though Star Wars and Superman take place in completely different worlds, both cinematic universes are more connected than you might have imagined.
If you want to verify these details for yourself, you can watch Star Wars on Disney+ and Superman on Max. Do you think you’ll be able to locate any more set elements that connect these two cinema classics?
In 3Djuegos | Harley Quinn was Joker’s daughter in Jack Nicholson’s version and sought revenge against Batman in the sequel to Batman & Robin that we never saw due to its failure
In 3Djuegos | After years of speculation, the Thunderbolts movie can finally explain who has taken over the Avengers Tower in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
In 3Djuegos | An animated sci-fi series was years ahead of Return of the Jedi and left us with a Star Wars mystery that has remained unanswered for 40 years
