Everyone assumed that Disney’s big fan celebration D23 was going to have a Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, myself included. Well, everyone was wrong: According to J.J. Abrams, there won’t be a new trailer or behind-the-scenes footage at D23. But he does promise a new trailer in the fall. So, when will we see it? At a guess… September 14.
Why September 14? Because that’s when ESPN will start airing Monday Night Football, and considering what they’ve got to air, they can probably use all the viewership they can get. For those who don’t follow the Mouse’s backroom dealings, Disney happens to own the Worldwide Leader, and they are more than happy to cross-promote it with their other properties, even when that makes absolutely no sense. This is why we had the Punisher promoting college football, and why ESPN has to make embarrassing videos wondering which Yankees could possibly be Jedi.
Besides, Disney wants maximum exposure and to get people who wouldn’t normally watch something to sit through it for their candy. Their two big film releases aside from Star Wars are Bridge of Spies and The Good Dinosaur. They could also roll it out during ABC’s sitcom block, but that doesn’t seem very likely when Star Wars has mainstream appeal, and ESPN has the bigger audience.
So, if you want to watch the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer as it broadcasts, you’ll have to rest your dial on ESPN for a bit. Don’t worry, if nothing else, you can be amused by the gridlock that stretches for miles around Atlanta as ESPN swoops a helicopter across the Georgia Dome.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
