As part of Entertainment Weekly’s cover story on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy have offered up a few plot teases for the hotly-anticipated film.
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Lucasfilm and Disney have maintained a brash anonymity with regards what they choose to release, keeping much of the plot still unconfirmed merely months away from its upcoming arrival in December. However, in EW’s feature, more facts have been revealed regarding which characters might serve as central to the plot.
It was revealed that “the amount of screen time the Skywalker twins may get is still unclear, although Luke’s fate is obviously a key factor,” with J.J. Abrams announcing that the upcoming film will showcase Harrison Ford’s Han Solo as one of their main characters, stating that, “Ford’s Han Solo, however, will be one of the leads, piloting the Millennium Falcon alongside his old pal Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew.)” This supports speculation that although Luke will obviously play an important role to the structure of the film, out of the original cast members, Han will appear as one of the most integral.
Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy’s talk with EW further details how the obvious conflict between the light and dark side of the Force provides the fundamental allure that Star Wars first presented to its fans. Abrams argues that these themes and ideas were “inherent in the original movie” and would transgress over to the newest instalment, saying “any good story has conflict,” with Kennedy adding “we’re looking, obviously, for aspiration, for characters who are conflicted between good and evil, dark and light.”
Mark Hamill was quoted last February in an interview with the LA Times to promote Kingsman: The Secret Service, saying that:“I would have been completely okay with it not including us, but I do think having the original cast members there gives it a sense of continuity and scope. But mind you, it’s really about the new generation, it’s not about us.”
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), Ken Leung (Lost), Miltos Yerolemou (Game of Thrones), Max von Sydow (The Exorcist), Jessica Henwick (Spirit Warriors), Christina Chong (24: Live Another Day), Simon Pegg (Star Trek) and newcomers Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen.
Joshua Gill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=8k_v0cVxqEY
Originally published August 13, 2015. Updated March 1, 2020.
