It is confirmed that Simon Pegg has joined the cast of the new Star Wars movie, while Adam Driver will portray baddy Kylo Ren.
The popular British actor will play a "creature" in the J J Abrams directed Star Wars: Force Awakens, to be released on December 18. The news was announced at Comic-Con in San Diego, which featured a special appearance by Abrams and Force Awakens stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.
The panel session is also notable for being the first public appearance by Ford since his plane crash in March, which left him hospitalised. Seated next to Hamill, the gruff Ford said it was the film’s script that convinced him to return as Han Solo.
“I was very gratified when I read the script because I read something that I thought was really remarkable, really well-written and with some very intriguing developments,” he said. “I was delighted to be involved and I was very happy to be part of the story and the cast again.”
Also on hand was Adam Driver, who will take on the role of the film’s villain — the mysterious three-pronged lightsaber-wielding Kylo Ren.
When pressed to discuss his character, Driver talked vaguely about the philosophy of evil.
“We didn’t really have a lot of conversations about bad or evil when we were shooting it,” said Driver. “It was more the difference between being bad and being right.”
Gwendoline Christie, who plays the chrome Stormtrooper Captain Phasma, talked about how neat it was to be playing a character in full costume who is “not about the way she looks in the flesh”.
Domhnall Gleeson, whose character’s name was revealed to be General Hux, didn’t hesitate to say that he was evil. While talking about getting the role, Gleeson accidentally “spoiled” the name of his command station — it is called Starkiller Base — much to the dismay of Abrams.
Representing the light side of the force were Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, who had spoken previously about their roles at the annual Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim.
Though not much else was gleaned about Ridley’s scavenger Rey, Boyega’s storm trooper Finn or Isaac’s X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron, all offered anecdotes about their time on set.
To prepare for his role, Isaac asked Ford for some advice about piloting in Star Wars.
Ford just said, “It’s fake.”
While there was no new footage to be seen, Abrams stated is currently editing the film and has a cut, but wants to keep tweaking to make it the film “it wants to be”. He confirmed another trailer will come out in the autumn.
But Abrams did debut a behind-the-scenes reel featuring interviews with Hamill and Ridley and others. The footage also focused on the practical effects used in the film — a recurring theme in all of Abrams’ comments about the film — which hopes to re-create the aesthetic of the original trilogy.
“Everything’s changed but nothing’s changed,” said Hamill in the clip. “That’s the way you want it to be.”
Not to be outdone, Abrams and Kennedy, who had already treated the ravenous Hall H fans to coffee and doughnuts before the panel started, announced that there was one more surprise: An imminent “Star Wars” concert at an adjacent stage. All 6,500 Hall H attendees were invited.
And their escorts? Storm troopers, of course.
artslife@thenational.ae
