Even with the epic level of security and secrecy surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens (for all of the chatter, we really know very little about the movie), Disney and Lucasfilm have taken further measures to protect the public from spoilers. Movie novelizations have long been a source of advanced intel, but the novelization of The Force Awakens has been delayed to prevent such an occurrence this time around.
Building up to the movie, Disney has come to an agreement with Del Rey, the publisher handling the novelization of The Force Awakens, and according to the Wall Street Journal they will delay the release. Not only will this preserve the plot integrity of the film, at least until the first wave of fans get out of their opening night screenings and immediately take to the internet, but it also means the publisher will miss out on what could be a lucrative revenue stream around the holidays.
With anticipation for The Force Awakens at a fever pitch, Del Rey stood to make a mint from fans looking for an early peek at the plot (some of us just can’t wait and have no impulse control). They’ll still probably do just fine, especially for those looking for any additional insight that the film may leave out, but that’s a potentially profitable change to make.
Initially slated to hit bookstore shelves on the same day as the movie, December 18, the hardcover version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will now be available a few weeks later, releasing on January 3, 2016. There is a bit of a twist, however. While the physical book will be delayed, you can still apparently get your mitts on a digital copy on December 18. So in theory you could sit in line to see The Force Awakens while reading it on your Nook or Kindle or smartphone. You could even be the jerk who just yells out spoilers to everyone waiting to see the movie if you want to be beaten to death by a horde of people in Jedi robes and Yoda ears.
While we don’t know a ton about The Force Awakens, what we’ve seen so far, in trailers like this one, gets us even more excited to see this damn movie. Set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, we will get to learn important things like how the Rebel Alliance becomes the Resistance, how a fractured Galactic Empire gives rise to The First Order, and what our favorite characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, among others, have been up to for the last few decades. We’ll also meet new and interesting folks like Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren, just to name a few.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18.
