This year’s May the 4th Star Wars celebrations have the droid you’re looking for, as Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in eleven different Star Wars movies, comes to the Castro for an Empire Strikes Back screening.  

SFFILM's annual San Francisco International Film Festival is a San Francisco rite of spring that still feels a long ways off (April 24–May 4, 2026, if you’re counting the days). And the film festival is not even planning to announce their schedule until April 1.

But there was a great exuberance in the force Tuesday morning. SFFILM made a surprise announcement of their Closing Night program for Monday, May 4. That is of course the famed Star Wars holiday May the 4th, and in honor, the festival announced they’re bringing actor Anthony Daniels, who’s played C-3PO in every canonical Star Wars film, for a special screening of The Empire Strikes Back.

Image: TOKYO, JAPAN - DECEMBER 11: Anthony Daniels attends the special fan event for 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' at Roppongi Hills on December 11, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)

Daniels, a mime actor, appeared as C-3PO in all three Star Wars movies, all three prequels, all three sequels, plus the spin-offs Rogue One and Solo, as well as a slew of animated TV specials and series.

“No other movie has had more global, cultural, and generational influence than Star Wars, and it all started right here in the Bay Area,” SFFILM executive director Anne Lai said in a Tuesday morning announcement. “We are thrilled to close the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival with The Empire Strikes Back in the beautifully renovated Castro Theatre.”

Anthony Daniels, now 79, has a perfect record appearing as C-3PO in all eleven canonical Star Wars films, inside various versions of the iconic gold costume. So is he in the next film coming out, The Mandalorian and Grogu (trailer seen above) which comes out on May 22? Maybe you can ask him the night of May 4 at the Castro Theatre!

Either way, tickets for the May 4 Anthony Daniels appearance and The Empire Strikes Back screening go on sale Friday, February 6 at 10 am SFFilm.org and TheCastro.com. They’re $45 ($40 for SFFILM members), tickets here.

Below, hear Daniels discussing being cast in the original film, how the android was inspired by Fritz Lang's Metropolis, and the different versions of the C-3PO costume that he's donned for the part.

Related: Video: Bay Area Man Turns Christmas Decorations Into Massive Star Wars Tribute [SFist]

Image: Twentieth Century-Fox