Despite being a "secret," one of the worst-kept factoids of the new movie has been of a big merchandise launch on September 4, or "Force Friday." In an attempt to replicate the free publicity train provided by news reporters, radio stations, and fans in line back in May of 1999, you are once again being asked to line up at midnight to fork over hundreds of dollars on toys which history tends to show being worth nothing on eBay in a couple of years, because the good stuff comes later.
Just debuted at @SW_Celebration: a suspenseful new teaser for #TheForceAwakens. #SWCA https://t.co/IHAQsZHMG7
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 16, 2015
Want to see something new - that's old? Entertainment Weekly posted a bunch of faux Topps trading cards with The Force Awakens character names on them.
Be sure to check these out - unless you consider finding out that the red lightsaber dude doesn't have "Darth" in his name is an Episode VII spoiler, which, let's be honest, would happen at a toy store or somewhere else anyway.
In case you missed the memo, 88 seconds of teaser trailer will be posted to the iTunes tomorrow - or you can go see The Force Awakens' big-screen debut at select theaters. Since you'll probably be working (like me) or shopping (like everyone else), I suggest going the online route while you're in line.
Variety reports that Disney Theme Parks are planning a "far greater Star Wars presence" according to Bob Iger during a conference call with analysts reporting record third quarter results.“When we grow ‘Star Wars” presence, which we will do significantly, you will see better bets being made that will pay off for us than were made in the past,” adding that leveraging the collection of popular franchises and properties that the company owns for rides and experiences will deliver “better returns than we saw in the past.”
"We all look a little melted. It's good to see other melted people." Everyone's favorite Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson guest and space princess is talking about Episode VII! Well, a bit - there are contracts. The Guardian has some choice quotes from the actress/scribe.
I really don't need to say much more than paste in the headline. Total Film posted J.J. Abrams apologises for over-using lens flare, which, well, yeah. There you go. The future Star Wars director received gentle ribbing and total ripping over his love of the camera effect,
A couple of interesting reports popped up this week on Star Wars: Rebels, the new TV show currently expected for a 2014 premiere and, most likely, a Celebration Europe tease. BleedingCool.com has a report in which they describe the show as being teen-heavy, which isn't entirely unexpected given that Luke was pretty young, and it's not like Biggs was all that much older. Supposedly the same is true with Episode VII, also reported by the site with a casting note confirmed by Lucasfilm.
All lens flare diatribes aside, J.J. Abrams seems like the best choice to helm and direct the sequel trilogy. If you think about it, the Star Trek reboot in terms of tone, dialogue, pace, and atmosphere, was closer to a classic Star Wars film. You can easily see the same dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and Uhura as you would with Luke, Han, and Leia.