It's been spoken in Wisconsin for more than 1,000 years. Now, it's the language of 'Star Wars.'

The Ojibwe language, spoken in Wisconsin for more than 1,000 years, will finally make its way onto the big screen in the state this weekend.

The original “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” film that was released in 1977 is being re-released dubbed entirely in the Ojibwe language at Marcus Theatres in Wisconsin.

“We’re thrilled to be able to present this movie, and we’re looking forward to welcoming people in this culture,” Greg Marcus, president and CEO of Milwaukee-based Marcus Corporation, said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.

The film is being shown at four Marcus theatre locations in Wisconsin: Ridge Cinema in New Berlin near Milwaukee; Palace Cinema in Sun Prairie near Madison; Bay Park Cinema in Ashwaubenon near Green Bay; and Cedar Creek Cinema in Rothschild near Wausau, in central Wisconsin. Screenings start Friday and currently run through Thursday at some locations.

Marcus said he’s unsure if the theaters will carry the Ojibwe-dubbed Star Wars film for more than a week, but the decision will depend on how large the audiences are.

“We always respond to demand,” he said.

People who worked on the film at a studio in Canada said their hope was to get it into as many big screens as possible, especially in areas where there are large populations of Ojibwe people.

The film also is being shown at Marcus theatres in other states where there are Ojibwe reservations, including Minnesota and North Dakota.

Star Wars has been translated into more than 50 languages, and Ojibwe is the second Indigenous peoples language. It had previously been dubbed in Navajo in 2013.

Michael Sullivan, an Ojibwe language teacher at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University in Wisconsin, estimates there are only about 300 first-language Ojibwe speakers in the U.S.

But many Ojibwe tribes have had success in teaching Ojibwe as a second language in an effort to revitalize their culture.

The ancestral Ojibwe nation territory spans millions of acres around Lake Superior in parts of what’s now the U.S. and Canada, including much of northern Wisconsin. Today, there are about 320,000 tribal members in the U.S. and Canada, with many living in the Milwaukee and Green Bay areas. There are six Ojibwe reservations in Wisconsin.

Niigaanii-Animikii Kalvin Hartwig, who works as a language-culture coordinator for the Red Cliff Ojibwe Nation in northern Wisconsin, worked as a voice-over actor for the film. He voiced the character Red Leader in the film, who was performed on camera by the late Gordon Drewe Henley.

He hopes the film will inspire many Ojibwe to start or continue learning the language of their ancestors.

“I’m proud that this film is a milestone in our journey to revitalizing Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), and I hope it will inspire many to learn or continue to learn our language, Hartwig said in the Red Cliff tribal newsletter, Miisaninawind.

“I want to see all our communities be fluent again, and if we strive hard today, doing everyday things in Anishinaabemowin like watching Hollywood films recorded in Ojibwe, (it) will be a normal experience for future, fluent generations.”

The movie will be released soon on the Disney + streaming service, but those who worked on the film and Marcus hope people will come out to see it on the big screen while they can.

“Besides seeing it on a big screen, it’s about sharing in the community experience that wouldn’t be the same at home,” Marcus said. “It’s about being with other people.”

More: New Ojibwe-dubbed 'Star Wars: A New Hope' features Wisconsin tribal staffer

Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It's been spoken in Wisconsin for more than 1,000 years. Now, it's the language of 'Star Wars.'