Lawrence Kasdan (or Larry Kasdan as he’s often called) has been a part of the Star Wars universe for many years now, having written the scripts for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and co-authoring Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the writer promised some exciting things coming from J.J. Abrams’ latest entry into the Star Wars series.
“It’s turned out really great,” he said. “J.J. directed it so beautifully, and it’s so exhilarating.”
Kasdan also revealed that the runtime of the movie will not be like most modern blockbusters. “One of the things that we always refocus on from the get-go was that it not be one of these very long, bloated blockbusters,” he says. “A lot of very entertaining movies lately are too long. In the last 20 minutes, you think, ‘why isn’t this over?’ We didn’t want to make a movie like that”.
One character that was missing from the returning cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was Lando Calrissian, but Kasdan doesn’t think he’ll be gone for long. “Right now, there’s no Lando Calrissian in this movie”, Kasdan confirmed. “But Lando I don’t think is finished in any way, shape, or form”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set for release on December 18th and sees J.J. Abrams directing returning stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) in addition to Adam Driver (Girls), Oscar Isaac (A Most Violent Year), Andy Serkis (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Silent Witness), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Miltos Yerolemou (Game of Thrones), Max von Sydow (The Exorcist), Jessica Henwick (Spirit Warriors), Christina Chong (24: Live Another Day) and newcomers Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen.
Originally published May 19, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
