The main characters of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” have graced the cover of Vanity Fair, courtesy of the great photographer Annie Leibovitz. But there’s more. Apart from the cover, which features Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew as Han Solo and Chewbacca, and newcomers John Boyega (“Attack The Block”) and Daisy Ridley as a rogue Stormtrooper and a desert scavenger respectively, the magazine has also unveiled the first looks and never-before-seen footage of characters played by Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong’o.
Yes, the layers of secrecy are finally being pulled back, and that’s probably because today is Star Wars Day (yes, that’s a thing). Many rumors have been confirmed in the newly released video and photos. Adam Driver (“Girls”) plays some sort of shrouded dressed-in-black Sith figure (Kylo Ren, aka a bad guy), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years A Slave”) is playing a purely animated character (a smuggling pirate named Maz Kanata) in the film, which means she’s in motion-capture gear.
Update: "Game Of Thrones" swordswoman Gwendoline Christie is revealed to play a StormTrooper named Captain Phasma. Still hidden from view is Domhnall Gleeson, the young “Ex Machina” actor that fans speculate could be Luke Skywalker’s son. If there are fans worried about what J.J. Abrams did with the “Star Trek” series, they should at least know his feelings on the prequels: he wanted to kill the universally-loathed “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” character Jar Jar Binks.
“I have a thought about putting Jar Jar Binks’s bones in the desert there. I’m serious! Only three people will notice, but they’ll love it,” he told Vanity Fair. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” arrives on December 18. Check out the new photos and behind-the-scenes video below.
Also, @VanityFair introduces Gwendoline Christie (@lovegwendoline) as Captain Phasma!
#MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/BPpaASR0DP
— The Force Awakens (@EpisodeVII) May 4, 2015
Some behind-the-scenes shots of Rey and Poe Dameron
#MayThe4thBeWithYou
#StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/37mbZHyoG4
— The Force Awakens (@EpisodeVII) May 4, 2015
Galactic travelers, smugglers, and others fill the main hall of pirate Maz Kanata’s castle.
#MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/bQVgVvCi80
— The Force Awakens (@EpisodeVII) May 4, 2015
And Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, a new CGI character
#MayThe4thBeWithYou
#StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/vERk2Co8AI
— The Force Awakens (@EpisodeVII) May 4, 2015
Introducing Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, next-generation bad guy.
#MayThe4thBeWithYou
#StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/pIZ9NRHft0
— The Force Awakens (@EpisodeVII) May 4, 2015
And another? pic.twitter.com/H8rAjVZcwA
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 4, 2015
Mark – I agree, I\’ve grown weary of the Jar Jar bashing… of course, the people that complained about the Ewoks for 16 years finally let that go and switched to Jar Jar and Young Anakin complaints.
I for one think Jar Jar was fine. He served his purpose, and we\’re moving along now. Time to let things go. =)
I\’m surprised that everyone isn\’t bad-mouthing Lucas\’s work. The prequels are so objectively bad in every possible way that I\’m amazed Disney\’s whole pitch isn\’t, "We\’re here to repair the damage!" Nope, in the interest of diplomacy, they just have to grin and pretend like the prequels didn\’t almost kill Star Wars forever.
It\’s pretty clear that George Lucas is emotionally retarded so he can\’t portray interesting characters. His draw has always been the visuals and the sweeping epic story. JJ Abrams is just filling in the gaps.
Any idea when we\’re going to see the first full trailer? I thought today was the day
Let\’s not forget to bury Hayden Christensen\’s acting right next to Jar.
Mark – How did Abrams badmouth Lucas\’s work? All he said was that he wanted to kill Jar Jar Binks, which is pretty much inline with the majority of Star Wars fans (both casual and hardcore).
Pretty classy of Abrams to badmouth Lucas\’ work. We\’ll see how his effort stacks up against the original Star Wars.