Over the weekend at Disney's D23 Expo, an event-exclusive poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was revealed, cluing us in on some potential key plot points (and possibly more regarding the mystery of Finn, Rey, and Han Solo).
For the poster of The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm turned once again to veteran artist Drew Struzan, famous for his iconic work with the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future film series (and much more). Having been tasked with creating the poster for the latest Star Wars film, Struzan revealed in an interview with Movie Weekly that he has in fact read the script and "seen half" of the movie. And his takeaway?
"I can tell you and the fans this," he teased during the interview, "honest to god, it is far and away probably going to be the best Star Wars you've ever seen."
Whoa, whoa, whoa, better than the originals!?
I have no doubt The Force Awakens will be a much better film than anything we saw in the prequel trilogy, but to claim it's "the best" we've seen? Those are some pretty bold words. Sure, he tempered the bold statement with the "probably" modifier, but still — the original trilogy is a classic for a reason. To suggest the new film could be better is sacrilege in many parts of the world.
"Well it's beautifully made and it's a wonderful story," he added. "I read the script and I saw the film, I got to know the maker and I know Star Wars. I had feelings for it and I paint how I feel about it," he said when asked if seeing The Force Awakens helped with the creative process of the poster.
"Having seen the film I know what it is about. I got familiar with the characters, so I know what they're portraying in their feelings. So I paint the situation and I paint the feelings. Not to tell the story, but to tell you how you're going to feel when you see the film."
While I have my own theories about what the poster suggests, the obvious standout is Finn holding a lightsaber, suggesting he might have some connection to the Force. Asked if J.J. or hte studio had a problem with him revealing such a big thing (even though many of us had already suspected such), he responded "Ah, none what so ever."
"To me it represents the film," he said of the poster. "The spirit of the film, the new characters, the battle again to find the truth, to grow up, to find the purpose in life. It's all those things that Star Wars had to be and is still. And I hope to represent that again to a new generation.."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters on December 18, 2015.
