Ahead of the much-anticipated release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 17, the UK government's GREAT Britain campaign have announced a collaboration with leading names from the sports, business and entertainment world.
Heavyweights involved in celebrating British creativity and the innovation behind the latest Star Wars movie - produced by Disney and Lucasfilm – include entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill and chef Jamie Oliver.
The trio feature in a series of videos which focus on the UK film industry’s landmark achievements, its nurturing of young talent and the legacy of its iconic releases. Almost forty years ago,Star Wars: A New Hope was filmed at London’s Elsetree Studios and the story continues with the latest adventure filmed in UK locations, in addition to Abu Dhabi and Iceland.
Homegrown stars to appear on-screen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens include actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Gwendoline Christie who play Rey, Finn and Captain Phasma respectively.
"Britain is the home of Star Wars." said Lucasfilm president and Star Wars: The Force Awakens producer, Kathleen Kennedy. "Returning to the UK and setting up at Pinewood felt like a kind of homecoming, especially with the generations of crew members who go back to the early days of the Star Wars saga. It's been wonderful to see this new generation drafting off that classic sensibility while working on these new films."
Speaking ahead of the upcoming release, UK Chancellor George Osborne said: "Just as this film represents another chapter in the extraordinary Star Wars story - so it also represents a new chapter in British film making.
“I was determined that the UK would be the home of this great production, and together we fought hard to bring it here. Two years later we see the results: more jobs, skills and investment. May the force be with us.”
artslife@thenational.ae
