Guess who's back?
Under the veil of great secrecy and more security than I've ever seen at any junket, Disney/Lucasfilm held the press days for the highly anticipated “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” this weekend.
In an unusual move, the press in attendance weren't allowed to see the film prior to conducting interviews, so we're still not entirely sure what the story holds in store for these characters. One big hint was dropped at this afternoon's press conference, however.
Warning: POSSIBLE spoilers follow, though still within the realm of speculation…
Those who have been watching the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” marketing campaign unfold have assumed that the new “big three” John Boyega (Finn), Daisy Ridley (Rey), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) will carry the torch forward where Carrie Fisher (General Leia), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) leave off.
However, it hasn't been confirmed that all three newcomers will make it out of “The Force Awakens” alive. At this afternoon's press conference head of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy certainly made it seem as if at least Finn would. When asked how far ahead they'd planned, Kennedy said some key story elements were already decided on, while others are left to the individual filmmakers. Adding that, “these guys (patting Boyega on the back) are about to begin production on Episode 8” with “Looper” director Rian Johnson at the helm.
The actors beside Boyega were Isaac (Dameron) and Gwendoline Christie, who plays the villain Captain Phasma. So, it appears as if at least Boyega, and possibly all three, will make a return visit in the next “Star Wars” Saga film. Interestingly, Ford sat beside Kennedy on the other side of the stage.
That”s not all, though. At least as far as Boyega is concerned, there”s going to be plenty of Finn story left to tell in the follow-up films.
It took a trilogy to fully explore who Luke and Leia were in the grander scheme of the story, and who they were to each other. It appears as if these new batch of “Star Wars” films will follow a similar trajectory when it comes to Finn and Rey.
Previously, “The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams confirmed that Finn and Rey's last names had been purposefully held back, leading many fans to wonder if one or the other, or both are either Skywalkers or Solos. Well Boyega himself may not know for certain yet.
When asked about the backstory for Finn, the actor recalled a final screen test with Daisy Ridley where he said to her, “There”s no way their stories can be this simple!”
“And I still don”t know!” Boyega enthused. “I still have some conspiracy theories myself as a fan.”
So do we all, John. And it looks like all of “Star Wars” fandom will be waiting longer than expected for the mystery to fully play itself out.