That Crazy Ball Droid In ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Was Created Thanks To Practical Effects

Since the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered online, it has been broken down and analyzed by pretty much everyone on the internet. Recently, several character names were revealed to Entertainment Weekly via a set of retro style Topps trading cards. Now, according to Mark Hamill, we know a bit more about the ball droid now known as “BB-8” and how it was created for the screen. From Yahoo Movies:

They never cease to amaze me with what they’re able to come up with, you know? I said, “How are you ever gonna top R2-D2, the most adorable droid in movie history?” And then they have this new one. I can’t even tell you his name, but you saw it in the trailer.

And when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set — because it’s not CGI, that’s a live prop — I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. [Laughs] I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. I’m telling you, it’s an absolute delight. And not having thought that I’d ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just – I get the chills. It’s just so much fun.

Look, we’re all pretty intrigued and excited to see what JJ Abrams will bring to the table with this new Star Wars film, but I bet that guy that got the tattoo of the ball droid is pretty stoked about this news. Hell, the emphasis on practical effects being used in The Force Awakens gives me A New Hope. See what I did there?

(Via: Yahoo Movies/ Polygon)

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