DETROIT — Multiple time Academy Award-nominated director Lawrence Kasdan is giving back to his alma mater and has donated his filmmaking archives to University of Michigan, the university has announced.

Kasdan, whose Hollywood career included writing scripts for "The Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Bodyguard," in addition to writing and directing "The Big Chill" — the 1983 baby boomer classic that centered on a group of friends who attended UM — and "Body Heat," attended UM in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He earned a bachelor's degree from the university in 1970 and a master's degree in education in 1972.

Included in Kasdan's collection are drafts of his scripts, audio tapes of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" story conversations with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, props, photographs, Kasdan's personal collection of movie posters, various story notes and personal documentations from his projects, and more.

"I couldn’t be happier to have this mass of stuff available to anybody who is interested," Kasdan told the Associated Press. "I've always considered myself a director and a writer. And if you are really interested in any particular movie, you can follow the evolution of that movie in the archive."

The bounty of materials — some 150 boxes worth — will be kept at the UM Library's Screen Arts Mavericks and Makers Collection, which was started in 2005 and includes works from (non-UM alums) Orson Welles, Robert Altman, Jonathan Demme and more. Kasdan is the first UM alum to have his works in the collection.

The first third of the materials — including photos of Kevin Costner's role in "The Big Chill," which was cut from the final film — has been archived, with the rest due to be processed by the end of 2026, according to a release.

Kasdan, 76, was born in Miami Beach, Florida, and grew up in West Virginia. He came to UM after hearing about the school's Hopwood Awards Program, and was enticed by the possibility of earning prize money for his writings. Which he did, several times over, while he was a student in Ann Arbor.

Phil Hallman, who is curating the collection, told the AP he hopes to have Kasdan visit the archive and participate in a symposium, possibly in fall 2026.

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