A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: Episode VII wasn't always called "The Force Awakens." In fact, as Lucasfilm STory Group creative executive Pablo Hidalgo revealed, The Force Awakens "for the longest time" was known as Shadow of the Empire.
@justinlasalata for longest time, the TFA title was the same as an old novel. Thankfully it changed. 🙂 With so many books, it's inevitable
— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) December 25, 2015
@VegaArts_ @justinlasalata it was Shadow (singular) of the Empire for a while.
— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) December 25, 2015
If the name sounds familiar, that's because it's awfully similar to the title of a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel by Steven Perry. Shadows of the Empire (with an S) was actually released in 1996 as part of a multimedia campaign that also featured a video game, comic book, and set of action figures. The story, however, was set in between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Of course, The Force Awakens is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, so you can understand how the original name might have caused some confusion with fans — especially since Disney, after acquiring Lucasfilm, declared that all previous Expanded Universe content would no longer be considered official canon. Leading up to The Force Awakens, Disney launched an ambitious publishing program that saw the release of more than 20 print and digital books/comics to help build a new expanded universe.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted on December 18th and has already gone on to smash box office records, including becoming the fastest film to hit $1 billion globally.
