Writer/director J.J. Abrams' highly-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens is still about ten months out of reach... a tough pill to swallow for any fan of the long-running saga. The good news is, like with the release the franchise's previous films, the months leading up to the predictably insane theater release are sure to be packed with Star Wars-related mayhem and hysteria, beginning with the upcoming Star Wars Celebration event planned for this April, which promises big things.
The semi-regular event, set to all but take over the Anaheim Convention Center on Thursday, April 16, will most certainly be one for the books. The celebratory occasion will feature appearances by Abrams as well as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, both who will reportedly "kick off the show in a big way." What that means exactly, is anybody's guess but, according to StarWars.com, the event has promised:
This will be a day long remembered.
Details for the four-day event are largely being kept under wraps, which leads us to believe there's the distinct possibility that more footage may be revealed over the course of the long weekend. By the time the event is upon us, a second trailer would absolutely be appropriate. Other feasible happenings to help make the event one to remember: show reels, sizzle reels, cast member appearances? Maybe a first looks at an in-costume Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill? A Q&A directed at revealing more details about the plot of the film or its first spin-off? Opportunities at a hands-on test drive of the controversial crossguard lightsaber? A roast of Star Wars creator George Lucas led by the new Episode VII director? Roastmaster J.J. Abrams kind of has a ring to it, no? Alright, maybe I got a little off track there toward the end... but really anything can happen.
What we do know is this event, the ninth of its kind, will certainly deliver fans a weekend to remember. Past events have included behind the scenes footage, access to film props, actor/actress appearances and autograph sessions, actor panels, costume contests, appearances by the above-mentioned Hamill, Fisher and Anthony Daniels, and Q&A's with Lucas, among other things. So, yeah, it should be pretty insane!
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, co-starring John Boyega, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac (unfortunately not Billy Dee Williams), hits theaters Dec. 18, 2015. Although it looks like we won't see as much as we hoped of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, the upcoming seventh Star Wars installment will certainly still be something to see. Word on the street says it will also tie in closely with book one, A New Dawn, of the novel series Disney created after its purchase of Lucasfilm.
