Now that this old news is resurfacing once more, I find myself reading the same thing: “the negatives for the originals are gone! no chance for the theatrical cuts!”
As we head into another endless round of that nonsense, it’s worth pointing out that Robert Harris has once again (just in the last few days on Home Theater Forum) reiterated that this is not an issue.
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/the-first-hints-of-star-wars-in-4k.350571/