The internet is basically just one big network of Star Wars theories at this point. The ideas are flying all over the place so quickly is nearly impossible to keep up. We know, we’ve tried. For fans, this is actually part of the entire experience of getting ready for The Force Awakens. It turns out the same is true for director J.J. Abrams. He’s looking forward to his new movies reception, but until then, he’s having a blast watching everybody voice their theories.
Extra tried to get Abrams on the record regarding the current "Luke Skywalker goes dark side" and while the director masterfully sidestepped any sort of official statement, he did sing the praises of the theories in general.
I saw that, too [the theory of Luke going to the Dark Side]. I’m always interested in seeing people’s theories. What’ll be cool [is] when people finally see the movie and see what it really is. Hopefully some people will say, ‘I was right!’ Other people will be like, ‘Ah-rah!’ You want people to be debating things even before the movie comes out. It’s a dream!
Getting people talking isn’t just J.J. Abrams' dream, it’s his stock in trade. The director is well known for what he calls his "mystery box" style of filmmaking. The idea that there needs to be something hidden from the audience, and that finding the solution is the thing that drives them into the theater. Whether we’re talking about the initial marketing for Cloverfield where it wasn’t even clear what was being advertised, or the identity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s character in Star Trek: Into Darkness, Abrams simply doesn’t make movies that don’t get audiences talking. Of course he loves it, it’s the only way he knows to do it.
The problem with the mystery is that it often doesn’t live up to the hype. Cloverfield’s marketing was great. The movie, not so much. The Into Darkness twist wasn’t particularly impressive for a lot of people. It’s great to have a surprise or a shock that the audience doesn’t expect, but that moment alone doesn’t make a movie good. Check out the full segment below for more on J.J.'s Star Wars process:
For the new Star Wars film, the thing inside the mystery box is Luke Skywalker. His character is being intentionally held back in the film’s marketing leading fans to wonder why. Does he go bad? Does he die? Does he just look really fat in those robes? Ok, it’s probably not that last one. This time around, the director hasn’t seemed to have kept quite the stranglehold that he normally does on information. Part of that may just be that with the reality of Star Wars, he knows that isn’t really possible. If anything that has helped with the current mystery because fans aren’t starving for any information, so they’re beginning to focus on the little bits they don’t have.
The mystery box will be opened December 18, and Luke Skywalker will jump out. What he will look like when he does? Well, I’ve got a theory.
