Irvin Kershner passes away at 87
Kershner is best known for his work directing Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, the second and most well received of the six movie franchise. He also helmed the James Bond adventure Never Say Never Again starring Sean Connery, and the often maligned sequel Robocop 2.
Irvin was a graduate of the University of Southern California film school, and he was one of the first directors to be mentored under Roger Corman with his 1958 directorial debut Stakeout on Dope Street. Social alienation and human weakness were two themes important to Kershner and his body of work. And that is what attracted George Lucas to hire the man for the all-too-important follow-up to the hugely successful blockbuster Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
Eyes of Laura Mars, a horror thriller which Irvin Kershner directed in 1978, also played a role in helping the director nab the greatest job of his lifetime. Kershner's main goal in bringing The Empire Strikes Back to life was to give it more depth than the original. In an October interview with Vanity Fair, the director stated, "When I finally accepted the assignment, I knew that it was going to be a dark film, with more depth to the characters than in the first film. It took a few years for the critics to catch up with the film and to see it as a fairy tale rather than a comic book."
In the same interview, Kershner revealed that he would have directed one of the three Star Wars prequels, but was never given that opportunity.
1990's Robocop 2 was Irvin Kershner's last feature film. He did go onto direct episodes of the Steven Spielberg produced television series SeaQuest DSV. In 1988, he stepped on the other side of the camera to play Zebedee in Martin Scorsese's The Passion of the Christ. Irvin also appeared as an actor in Steven Seagal's 1994 action drama On Deadly Ground, and more recently as a Statistics Professor in the 2005 indie comedy Berkeley.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back was released May 21st, 1980 and stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker. The film is directed by Irvin Kershner.
Never Say Never Again was released October 7th, 1983 and stars Sean Connery, Kim Basinger, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Barbara Carrera, Max von Sydow, Bernie Casey, Alec McCowen, Edward Fox. The film is directed by Irvin Kershner.
Robocop 2 was released June 22nd, 1990 and stars Belinda Bauer, John Glover, Mario Machado, Leeza Gibbons, John Ingle, Tom Noonan, Roger Aaron Brown, Gabriel Damon. The film is directed by Irvin Kershner.
Eyes of Laura Mars was released August 2nd, 1978 and stars Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif, Rene Auberjonois, Raul Julia, Frank Adonis, Lisa Taylor, Darlanne Fluegel. The film is directed by Irvin Kershner.
Comments (29)
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SAGR8-ONE
RIP Kersh! Empire one of the best sequels ever made!
2 years agoby @moviespace1Flag
slysnide
@Skywise: Lucas wanted to do "Empire" & "Jedi," but was too busy setting up Lucasfilm's 4 subsidiary companies "THX," "Skywalker Sound," "Industrial Light & Magic," and "Lucas Arts" to afford any extra time to be on the set every day with the duties of a director AND excecutive producer. So he remained the latter, for it was too much of a juggling act. So thank our lucky stars that was the case for the first two sequels. lolz
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
skywise
@slysnide i could not agree with you more. That would have been very interesting to see but i think ol Lucas had nothing but action action and more action on his mind. Maybe Empre was just to talky for him.
2 years agoby @skywiseFlag
slysnide
Lucas should've taken him up on his wish to direct one of the prequels. Preferably "Episode II." Given the parrallels with "Episode V," Kershner coulda done wonders for it.
@TheMovieWebTeam: The Scoresese film you're thinking of is "The Last Temptation of Christ."
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
skywise
A true genius and i even loved Robocop 2. I think he is the reason Star Wars reached new levels of depth and action. I mean, i know there were a lot involved but i really think he helped breathe soul into the SW trilogy. A sad day indeed.
2 years agoby @skywiseFlag
JonSpidey07
one of the best filmmakers out there
glad he gave us 'Empire' reminding us how sequels are done right
RIP Kershner
2 years agoby @jonspidey07Flag
Daveactor7
Empire Strikes Back is the best Star wars film ever made. A brilliant director. Rest In Peace for you have given us true scifi
2 years agoby @daveactor7Flag
Worth5Bucks
R.I.P. And im noticing quite a bit of yoda talk in these comments
2 years agoby @mattbierwagenFlag
T.Clark
Nielsen AND Kershner. Wow. R.I.P.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
UNoLazyboy
Truly a day of sadness, this is.
2 years agoby @unolazyboyFlag
MovieWiz001
RIP
2 years agoby @moviewiz001Flag
sylar
I AM SO SAD
2 years agoby @sylarFlag
MovieManiac
R.I.P Irvin. He will always be remembered as the man who made one of the greatest sequels of all time.
2 years agoby @moviemaniac66Flag
Tronticon
The Force will be with you... Always!
RIP
2 years agoby @tronticonFlag
slysnide
Rest in Peace to the director of one of the greatest sequels of all time. You are missed by Star Wars fans everywhere. The Empire will never be the same. :(
Words of wisdom from Irvin Kershner. Read them you must:
"I'm afraid of patriotism. The world has gotten very small and cosmic awareness makes patriotism seem an adolescent notion, which is why immature minds are easily manipulated by it. I really believe that patriotism in its generally accepted sense means accepting social prejudices, and the fewer we have of them the freer we shall be."-{4/29/23-11/27/10}
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Space101
Wow! He already looks pretty old on that picture....
2 years agoby @space101Flag
cyberrblob
thanks for one of my all time favorite movies R.I.P. X
2 years agoby @cyberrblobFlag
Diaigma
Another legend taken from us. I'm watching Empire tonight in your honor, Kershner.
2 years agoby @diaigmaFlag
Mutant
This bites,
RIP Mr. Kershner
2 years agoby @zenderFlag
CelluloidDreams
Sad day in Hollywood!
Do not grieve at the passing of mortality, for life's but a thing of terrible gravity. And the planets gravitate around you,and the stars shall dance about you,and the angels in heaven adore you, and the saints all stand and applaud you. So faraway, so faraway and yet so close.
Nick Cave, "Far Away, So Close"
2 years agoby @2movieguysFlag
Dan
May the force be with you, good sir :(
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
Draktyr
I am crushed about this! :(
R.I.P. Mr Kershner.
2 years agoby @draktyrFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
R.I.P. man. You helped give us the best Star Wars film to date.
There's two, where's the third celebrity?
2 years agoby @narratorFlag
Emmytt
well this sucks
R.I.P.
2 years agoby @emmyttFlag
JaysonB190
Forgotten, you will not be. In Peace, May You Rest.
2 years agoby @jaysonb190Flag
OhTheFilmNerd
R.I.P
2 years agoby @ohthefilmnerdFlag
Cripple
This is very sad to hear. R.I.P.
2 years agoby @crippleFlag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
Aww Damn It, not another one...RIP
2 years agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag
Chappy422
R.I.P
2 years agoby @chappy422Flag