It’s like a primer before Comic-Con. This weekend, Star Wars Celebration will take over London giving fans unrelenting tidbits and inside looks into future Star Wars films. To kick off this yearly event, they went big by bringing Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, up to the main stage to talk about his return to the galaxy far, far away. Well…talk without inadvertently dropping any major spoilers.
During his Q&A session, Hamill talked about the security measures being used for Episode VIII. While there’s way more security then was used in the original trilogy, he did mention how all the steps taken by the studio benefit the fans in the end.
“They’re not doing it to annoy you, they just want the surprise to be in the movie theater, not the internet. It’s for your viewing pleasure that we do this.”
Still, that didn’t stop Hamill from throwing out a complaint here or there, mainly in regards to how he typically prepares for a movie, and how the lockdown nature of Episode VIII changed his preparation.
“I need a script you can write on and take home and read! So they let me have a scene I can keep. It can be annoying and intrusive. You get the call sheets and there are no names only numbers! I really loved number eleven’s work on their previous film.”
Still, when he got to throw on the Jedi robe once again, everything seemed to come together. Although he did jokingly have some issues with how he was used in The Force Awakens. Hamill talked about the training he went through (not to mention the beard-growing he perfected)… all for that payoff.
“I thought it was really a great surprise, but I don’t think they prepared me correctly.”
Still, the script really spoke to him and brought him back to a time when he was leading the rebellion against The Empire. There were moments he found especially enlightening. But not everything was perfect; in fact, he jokingly criticized a key scene during the lightsaber duel on Starkiller Base when Rey overpowered Kylo Ren to grab hold of Luke’s old lightsaber.
“What? Rey caught it? She hasn’t even been to Dagobah for training! You didn’t finish your training either. You have no room to talk. I was a Jedi School Dropout.” He continued, “It’s really not a story about me anymore, it’s the story of Rey, Finn and everyone.”
Now, Episode VIII isn’t the only Star Wars feature separating itself from the Skywalker tree. Star Wars Celebration also brought out the cast and minds behind the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Industrial Light & Magic Chief Creative Officer John Knoll described the movie as Mission Impossible-style and said the main story is about “a small group of complementary people, who come together to do great things.”
A panel was then held that included Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Alan Trudyk, Forest Whitaker and others (did I forget to mention the panel was led by Gwendoline Christie, a.k.a Captain Phasma?). Ben Mendelsohn even arrived in full Orson Krennic garb, led by a duo of Shadow Troopers.
Rogue One has a huge presence at Star Wars Celebration. Throughout the venue, images of the costumes and new vehicles were spotted all over. A new poster was already revealed, as well as a new behind the scenes feature for those in attendance (it is included at the top of this article). Also shown, a new story-based trailer that was an exclusive for those in attendance (no word on when it will be officially released online; perhaps after The Star Wars Celebration concludes on Sunday). However, the word did get out regarding one mystery character… the full debut of Mads Mikkelsen’s Galen Erso.
While new trailers and behind the scene features will hold many fans over, juicier details will still remain hidden. The cast of Rogue One walked on egg shells the entire time they were speaking, trying their best, just like Mark Hamill, to avoid any spoilers for the fans. Still, expect some more bombshells to drop before the Star Wars Celebration concludes this weekend. Trust The Source to bring you the breakdowns of all the amazing revelations.
