10 Facts About the 'Star Wars' Universe for May the 4th .
'Star Wars' Day is upon us.
To celebrate, here are 10 facts you may not have known about the franchise.
1.
Orson Welles was almost Darth Vader, but George Lucas thought his voice would be too recognizable.
2.
Robert Englund, AKA Freddy Krueger, encouraged Mark Hamill to audition for the role of Luke Skywalker.
3.
Irvin Kershner initially passed on directing 'The Empire Strikes Back' before being convinced by George Lucas to take it on.
4.
George Lucas originally wanted Jim Henson to voice Yoda, but he was too busy.
5.
Yoda's first name was "Buffy," then "Minch Yoda," and finally just shortened to Yoda.
6.
George Lucas refused 20th Century Fox's request of naming 'Return of the Jedi' to 'Revenge of the Jedi' because Jedi's don't seek revenge.
7.
It took up to seven puppeteers to operate Jabba the Hutt.
8.
Benicio Del Toro was supposed to play Darth Maul but dropped out after most of his lines were cut.
9.
'Revenge of the Sith' was the first non-PG-rated 'Star Wars' film, and was rated PG-13 instead.
10.
Natalie Portman says 'Star Wars' almost ruined her career, but it was saved by late director Mike Nichols vouching for her
