A long time ago (March last year), in a desert not so far away, rumours starting circulating that the movie event of 2015 – Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – might be filming among Abu Dhabi's sand dunes.
At first we thought it was just speculation, or a cruel joke, and that we were being over-optimistic. After all, although Abu Dhabi’s Film Commission and twofour54 have been making great strides in attracting more local and international production to the emirate, this was one of the biggest films of all time. Could it really be true?
As the rumours refused to die and more and more sources began to suggest we were onto something, we began to realise that, yes, this was really happening.
When The National photographer Mona Al Marzooqi captured what appeared to be the very first photos of the set in April – an image of what was widely presumed to be the foot of an AT-AT (All Terrain Armoured Transort) being wheeled out of storage in the Western Desert, it seemed pretty conclusive.
It took about two weeks for Disney to finally confirm the Abu Dhabi shoot, but chairman Alan Horn did so on April 23. His initial claim that “some second unit work” had taken place began to look increasingly like an understatement when we learnt that filming was likely to continue until about the end of May.
As we discovered the use of multiple large sets in the desert, mock-up crash sites and a host of extras and crew gagged by non-disclosure agreements, it became clear that Abu Dhabi was going to play a major role in the eagerly anticipated movie.
As time went on and leaked and official photographs and videos from the set featuring big names, including director J J Abrams and franchise newcomer Daisy Ridley, began to surface online, the theory was confirmed.
Fast forward 18 months to today and rarely, if ever, has a movie attracted so much hype for such a sustained period. Finally, the moment of truth is almost upon us, with the film due to have its regional premiere in Abu Dhabi on December 16 and go on general release the following day, following its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 14.
Will it live up to the hype? How big a role will Abu Dhabi play? We’ll know for sure very soon, but here’s a round up of what we know so far.
The premiere
The rumour mill went into hyperdrive this year when movie website IMDB listed the worldwide release dates for Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. While its debut in most territories was listed as the previously announced December 18, the date in a few territories, including Italy and the United Kingdom, was December 16. Ahead of the pack, though, was the UAE, with a reported release date of December 15. Did that mean the movie would have its world premiere here? The date was quickly and quietly removed from the site, but the speculation had started. Would the UAE be hosting the movie event of the decade? Could a collaboration involving the Star Wars team, Abu Dhabi and the Dubai International Film Festival, which is running that week, be possible? Would that mean J J Abrams and the cast might walk the red carpet at Yas Mall or Emirates Palace?
Alas, the world premiere was eventually announced for Los Angeles on December 14. And although we understand that preliminary conversations did take place about the possibility of hosting it in the capital, in the end, it was revealed that an invitation-only regional premiere would take place at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, two days after the film’s LA debut.
The trailers
The first teaser was screened in December last year and, in true Abrams style, he has been teasing fans with trailers ever since. That first preview didn’t give too much away. Fans were impressed (though not without technical doubts) by a glimpse of villain Kylo Ren’s new-look crossbar lightsaber. We learnt there had been “an awakening”, Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber appeared to be at the centre of some sort of galactic quest, and John Boyega’s rogue stormtrooper, Finn, seemed to be very scared of something. Regular updates since, usually timed to coincide with major American holidays and events, including the Super Bowl and Thanksgiving, have revealed a few more details.
The baddies
We have learnt that the character providing the voice-over on the first trailer was Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). He is leader of the First Order, which appears to be a new, updated version of the Empire from the original movies. He seems to be aided in his evil plans for galactic domination by Darth Vader fanboy Ren (Adam Driver), who is not a Sith lord, but rather a member of the Knights of Ren, whose mission is to finish the work Vader started. Snoke and Ren may not be Sith lords, but their relationship harks back to the Vader/Palpatine dynamic of the earlier movies. Ren even gets John Williams's doom-laden Darth Vader theme tune when he's on screen in the latest trailer. The pair are ably supported by legions of stormtroopers and Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie's chrome-armoured Captain Phasma. It seems that 35 years after the defeat of the Empire in Return of the Jedi, things are still not all sweetness and light in the galaxy far, far away.
The merchandise
The original, 1977, movie Star Wars: A New Hope, virtually created the modern concept of movie tie-in merchandising. Lucas had the foresight to spot a huge cash cow in the form of action figures, models and more. Over the years, the merchandising operation around the films has grown ever slicker, with toys and action figures for younger viewers, high-end replicas and costumes for serious collectors, and cross-marketing deals with companies such as Lego to keep the receipts rolling in long after opening weekends. There has also been an "Extended Universe" range of books and graphic novels delving deeper into the franchise's characters and worlds.
When Force Friday was announced for September 4 – the day on which the toys and collectables linked to The Force Awakens hit stores – it should have come as no surprise that lines of eager fans queued up for hours to get their hands on the latest goodies. But it seems to have come as a surprise to retailers though, who were accused of underestimating demand. Items featuring popular newcomers Kylo Ren and the spherical droid BB-8 sold out in seconds, and the internet was predictably aflame with disappointed fans bemoaning the bare shelves at their local shops.
The merchandise hype hasn't stopped with toys either. We've also seen an Episode VII prequel novel, Imperial-branded laptop computers, coin collections, a set of commemorative postage stamps from the Royal Mail in the UK, and even Google got in on the act, with X-Wings appearing on Google Maps and the Gmail loading bar replaced with a lightsaber.
The goodies
Boyega’s Finn and Ridley’s Rey are the heroes of the new films. Finn appears to be a force-sensitive stormtrooper who has deserted the First Order. He is seen wielding a lightsaber in trailers and on the official poster. Rey is a nomadic scavenger who collects scrap from the war-ravaged deserts of Jakku (the scenes for which were filmed in Abu Dhabi). It seems likely that Rey (and possibly Finn) is the child of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and/or Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) – who is now General Leia. Abrams has admitted that there is a very good reason why Rey’s and Finn’s surnames have not yet been revealed. Several other old favourites from the original trilogy also make a return, including R2-D2, Chewbacca and C-3P0.
The lack of Luke
We know that the last surviving Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), appears in the new movie (and also Episode VIII, judging by the actor's Twitter feed). But so far he has been conspicuous by his absence in the trailers and poster. He seemed to provide the voice-over for the second trailer, released in April, which also included what looked like a glimpse of his gloved hand resting on R2-D2. But that's all we have seen or heard of him so far. The accepted wisdom is that Luke has gone into hiding (much like Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars when Luke found him), perhaps in fear of the incredible power he now possesses, and that much of the movie will be dedicated to finding him and enlisting his help in the battle against the First Order. Hamill addressed the issue in an interview with Empire magazine following the release of the Thanksgiving trailer, though he didn't give much away: "Obviously you're seeing him in a very different time in his life. There are lots of surprises in this movie. You're going to love it."
The expectations
Star Wars fans could be forgiven for feeling apprehensive every time a new instalment is announced. Creator George Lucas's prequel trilogy was widely scorned by diehard fans of the franchise for a variety reasons: from the inclusion of Jar Jar Binks to over-reliance on green-screen CGI filming and unusually wooden acting from Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen, who played Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader respectively. Then Disney bought the rights to the franchise and promptly announced a host of sequels, prequels and spin-offs over the next few years.
So far there seems to be a lot of goodwill towards the new movies and hopes among fans remain high (at times, perhaps impossibly high, but that's par for the course with such a beloved series). Abrams, who previously revitalised the ageing Star Trek franchise, was a popular choice of director, and the news that The Empire Strikes Back co-writer Lawrence Kasdan would be back on scripting duties was well-received (Empire is regarded by many fans as the best of the films to date). The trailers look genuinely stunning, and the fact that Abrams has remained respectful to the original trilogy and successfully reunited all the main cast, has won him much respect from the Star Wars fan community.
The Millennium Falcon returns
The trailers have revealed that many of the iconic spacecrafts from the earlier movies will be back in Episode VII, including TIE Fighters, X-wings, Imperial Cruisers and even something that looks a bit Death Star-like. The biggest cheer, however, was saved for the return of Han Solo and Chewbecca's smuggling ship, Millennium Falcon, the old favourite that can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
Abrams had teased fans not to get their hopes up, most notably by posting a note on Twitter saying the Falcon would not be in the new movie. Eagle-eyed fans, however, spotted that the note was sitting on top of the Falcon's holochess desk. When Han and Chewie were seen on board the Falcon in the second trailer, accompanied by Han's line: "Chewie, we're home", fans were ecstatic. It seems Rey will be a go at the helm, too. She told German YouTube channel Movie Maniacs last week: "Flying the gimble was quite difficult, when I'm piloting the Falcon. That was difficult because it's weird being alone in a space and then trying to make it look like you're flying a spaceship. But I always felt very safe and encouraged and supported by everyone around me."
The future
Episode VII is likely to break global box-office records – it is already the most heavily advance-booked film in history, having taken more US$50million (Dh183.65m) in the United States alone. But that is most likely just the beginning. Episode VIII has already been on a location shoot on the island of Skellig Michael in Ireland. Writer and director Rian Johnson (Looper) takes over at the helm, and several cast members have been confirmed, including a return for Mark Hamill and new baddie Benicio Del Toro.
As with previous films, the bulk of filming will take place at London's Pinewood Studios. Part of The Force Awakens was also shot on Skellig Michael, believed to be the location for scenes featuring Luke's hiding place. Episode VIII will be released in May 2017.
Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow has been confirmed as director of Episode IX, which will also be written by Johnson. Disney has also announced a series of self-contained spin-off films that will be released in the years between the main sagas. The spin-offs will focus on specific characters, their origins or important events. The first, Rogue One, tells the story of the mission to steal the plans to the first Death Star, which were hidden in R2-D2 in the original film. It will be released in December next year, with a film telling the story of young Han Solo due in 2018 and another featuring bounty hunter Boba Fett reportedly planned for 2020.
Of course, it’s possible the new movie could flop and cause a massive rethink, but on a scale of “don’t be ridiculous” to “no, really, don’t be ridiculous”, that seems very unlikely.
cnewbould@thenational.ae
