He later says, as he wears a flannel on his head in alien costume: “It’s Star Wars“. Abrams did not have any new trailers to show.
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They were joined by actors John Boyega (Finn), Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), the three leads who will fight the dark side, of which actors Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma) represented on Friday.
San Diego’s Comic Con is in full swing, and on Friday comic book nerds, sci-fi geeks, and movie buffs alike were treated to the ultimate surprise during the panel for the upcoming J.J. Nothing’s changed, really. I mean, everything has changed, but nothing’s changed.
Two audience members jointly asked Abrams whether – given his track record of helping build a diverse cast as director of the “Star Trek” reboot films – he could confirm if there will be more Asian characters in the Star Wars universe. “That’s the way you want it to be really”, said Mark Hamill, who is reprising his iconic role of Luke Skywalker.
“It’s still surreal”, she said.
Ford had to rely on a walking stick to move around the stage as the veteran is still recovering after a World War II-era training plane he had been piloting crashed this March. “And yet here I was doing something I did so long ago and I will tell you that it felt great”.
In fact, he adds, the experience of directing the film was essentially a fanboy’s dream come true. “I liked being the only one when I was 19…now, I need some backup”.
Abrams said that while he won’t be casting future films in the franchise, because he’s directing only Episode VII, he did include Asian characters in “The Force Awakens“, which opens December 18.
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Once the panel concluded, there was one more treat awaiting the audience of more than 6,000 fans: a surprise Star Wars concert of John Williams’ music at Embarcadero Marina Park South, according to the YouTube page.
