Blank pixel used during image takedowns
It's hard to keep up with franchises these days. Ever since Marvel Studios changed the game and put dozens of superhero movies into production at one time, the thirst for details, tidbits, and teases has spilled over from just fanboys and grown to dominate the daily pop culture news cycle. Who's rumored to play [spoiler]? Plot details reveal [spoiler] about [spoiler]. Disney reveals release date for [everything], because Disney is literally behind everything these days. It's a steady, exhausting train of information to try and follow, but in an age where films and release dates are announced across time-spans in which people can start and graduate college, sometimes, the info is all there is for sustenance.
Case in point: the new Star Wars film, arguably the most anticipated movie of the decade, is finally upon us. But after all this time, and now across THREE teaser trailers, we still actually barely know anything about the plot of this film lol. Your boy J.J. Abrams is living up to his reputation for mysteries and secrets tenfold on this one. I, for one, am all for it...I'd like to go into it as fresh as possible. It's the rare case that more footage creates more questions, but that's what J.J.'s achieved here. So much is unknown. So much of what we think we know may be an elaborate feint. With just a few weeks left to go, the hype is at a fever pitch. So to tide you over until the Force actually awakens and your thirst is quenched, we've handily collected all the need-to-know facts about the impending Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens in one place. Keep calm—it's almost here.
What We Know: The Setting
The new film takes place 30 years later! And almost as much time has passed as in real life (Return of the Jedi released in 1983). It seems too short, almost, but if anything, it supports the theory that at least one of our new heroes (or even villains) will be the offspring of the original three.
What We Know: These Are Our New Heroes and Villains
After the first trailer dropped, director J.J. Abrams kept the genius rollout er...rolling, with a very cool marketing move that reinforced why he's the man for this very big job. In a direct reference to collector's item original Star Wars cards, Abrams unveiled the names of every character who appears in the first teaser via throwback style trading card images. And so:
Oscar Isaac is Poe Dameron! And he has an X-Wing! (Good Guy):
John Boyega is Finn! He's a reformed Stormtrooper turned Good Guy!
The ball droid is BB-8! (Probably related to R2-D2):
The girl on the speeder, Daisy Ridley, is Rey! (Probably a Skywalker, let's be honest):
The new Sith bad guy who's not really a Sith is Kylo Ren!:
The guy narrating the first teaser is Andy Serkis! He's playing bad guy General Snoke! He sounds pretty ominous!
What We Know: Director J.J. Abrams' New (and Probably Better) Approach
The number one reason everyone is (cautiously) excited about this new Star Wars trilogy despite the last set being an absolute brick: J.J. Abrams' unbridled enthusiasm. Dude is not only one of the most talented filmmakers out there, he's a ride-or-die fan of the franchise, and the hope is that his heartfelt Standom translates into a sequel that's truly worthwhile.
Abrams is already winning over good favor with his most buzzworthy decision—minimizing the green screen. George Lucas' heavy over-reliance on sound stages instead of sets is widely considered the biggest downfall in many of the prequels' wooden performances and overall sterile feeling. Abrams is out here on-location and using practical effects as much as possible when filming a space epic. His cinematographer is even shooting on 35 mm.
Not only is the cast and crew psyched about the hands-on approach (Poe Dameron himself, Oscar Isaac, says even several of the props like his X-Wing were actually built) but succeeding franchise director Rian Johnson, who'll handle Episode VIII duties, waxed poetic on how J.J.'s approach will hopefully signify a industry-wide move back to practical effects.
What We Know: Odds and Ends
—John Williams will return to compose, and he's coming with new scores too.
—That desert landscape may look familiar, but Tatooine it is not. It's actually a new planet, Jakku.
—Carrie Fisher's daughter will have an unspecified role.
—Three actors from The Raid/The Raid 2 are involved with the film, but whether they're starring or just imparting action choreography wisdom (imagine Raid level fights in a Star Wars film?!?!) remains to be seen.
—Andy Serkis, the motion capture wizard famous for breathing life into CGI characters like Gollum of Lord of the Rings, is in Force Awakens, but as General Snoke, leader of the villainous First Order whom Kylo Ren works for. He's also the baritone you hear in the teaser's ominous voiceover.
—That fearsome, chromed-out Stormtrooper is Captain Phasma, and she'll be played by Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones (Brienne) fame.
—J.J. is not returning for Episode VIII, which instead be helmed by Rian Johnson of Looper and Breaking Bad ("Fly," "Ozymandias") fame.
We Wish We Knew: Why Was the Force asleep?
What a mysterious subtitle. The amount of questions and intrigue it generates is ingenious, really. Why is the Force asleep, exactly? The last we saw in Return of the Jedi, it seemed pretty alert and well rested. And who awakens it? Or rather, who is it awakened in? Rey seems to be the main character, but second lead Finn is the one wielding a lightsaber...
We Wish We Knew: Anything About Poe Dameron
We know his name, that he's a badass fighter pilot, and that he's on a mission for a princess (the Princess?). And that's where it stops. Ostensibly Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron is the third lead and rounds out the crop of new trilogy heroes, but all three trailers have had the most fleeting glimpses of him. I don't even think he's said one line of dialog lmao.
The third trailer briefly but strongly suggests Poe will be captured and tortured by the first order. A photo released by Empire confirms as much, with Rich Poe Slim being escorted by a Stormtrooper.
We Wish We Knew: Who Is Adam Driver Playing?
OK, so we know he's Kylo Ren, the de facto Vader of this shit and an actual Vader groupie (in lieu of being a true Sith.) But who is he? J.J. Abrams divulged this incredibly cryptic and tantalizing detail: "He is a character who came to the name Kylo Ren when he joined a group called the Knights of Ren." Who the fuck are the Knights of Ren? Why is J.J., lover of mysteries and surprises, going out of his way to state that the new character named Kylo Ren isn't actually named Kylo Ren? What's his government name then? A surname we already know?! This is too much.
We Wish We Knew: What Are the Original Three Up To?
Luke Skywalker. Princess Leia. HAN SOLO. They're all coming back, portrayed by the same actors that made them household names (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, HARRISON FORD) and by all accounts, for more than just a two-second cameo. But then, what are they doing? It's 30 years after Return of the Jedi, what the hell are they even up to? Do Han and Leia have a slick space mansion in which they graciously let Luke play eternal third wheel? Are the new heroes in this new trilogy their children? Is Han Solo's swag still on an intergalactic hundred, thousand, trillion? Three trailers later and all we have are more questions. Your boy Han looks type haggard. Leia looks sad. And as for Luke, well...
We Wish We Knew: Where the Hell Is Luke Skywalker?!
This is the only Force Awakens footage of Luke Skywalker that exists across three fucking teaser trailers. Fam is not even on the poster. The whereabouts and activities of the Last Real Jedi Alive seems to be Abrams' most prized secret and he's clutching it close. Meanwhile the main character is a loner on a Tatooine-esque planet (and prime age to be someone's daughter), Han and Leia look sad and forlorn, the main villain doesn't show his face at all and John Boyega's Finn somehow gets his hands on a Luke original. All of this adds up to...something.
We Wish We Knew: Odds and Ends
—Will Jar Jar Binks make a cameo?
—Who is acclaimed thespian Max von Sydow playing?
—Will the film have a trademark J.J. Abrams in media res opening?
—So if Finn is actually a Stormtrooper, how is that? Not that there's anything wrong with casting a black actor (calm down, you racists), but Attack of the Clones strongly implies, if not outright declares, that every Stormtrooper is just a clone of Jango and Boba Fett, portrayed by decidedly not black actors. So what changed?
—The four-part comic series Star Wars: Shattered Empire serves as a prequel to The Force Awakens, set after Return of the Jedi.