Summary
- George Lucas faced numerous challenges and setbacks while making A New Hope, including uncooperative crew and technology that fell short.
- Lucas discovered that the special effects team at ILM had only completed seven shots, putting him in a major financial hole and causing extreme stress and health issues.
- Despite believing that Star Wars was doomed, Lucas took matters into his own hands, making changes to the editing team and personally overseeing the visual effects to ensure the film met audience expectations.
The making of A New Hope was such a disastrous experience for George Lucas that it almost ended Star Wars before it began. What it took to make the original Star Wars film has been well documented; equally explored is the horrific set of circumstances Lucas dealt with as he struggled to get the picture made. From impatient executives at 20th Century Fox to an uncooperative crew and technology that wasn't up to par, each day of production and post on A New Hope was more challenging than the last for Lucas.
There was one particular point where Lucas was at his lowest, struggling to get the performances and effects needed out of his cast and crew in London. ILM, stationed in California, was tasked with overseeing the ambitious VFX for the film, and the team was known to be relaxed on their work. For a director running short on time to deliver his film, Lucas was put in an untenable situation upon returning home to complete post-production. A visit with his editor and brief venture out to ILM was nearly the nail in the coffin for Star Wars, as Lucas found himself in the hospital.
Your browser does not support the video tag. ILM's Star Wars Work Sent Lucas To The Hospital 
During his visit to ILM, Lucas discovered that the motley crew had only completed seven special effects shots – one of which he deemed acceptable. The shot of the escape pod ejecting from the Tantive IV remains in the finished cut of the film, though even its quality is lackluster compared to the rest of A New Hope. What's worse, ILM had spent over $1 million on those seven shots, putting Lucas in a massive hole on a film budgeted at just $11 million. After a spat with ILM lead John Dykstra, Lucas began experiencing severe chest pain and was admitted to a local hospital.
Doctors at the hospital informed Lucas he was exhibiting symptoms of hypertension and extreme stress. Though he had avoided a heart attack, the director was cautioned to reduce stress levels significantly, lest he find himself in a worse medical state. Lucas couldn't do that, however, as the release date for Star Wars was just around the corner. The young director described the experience as a low point, with nearly everything going wrong and taking a toll on his physical health.
