When it was announced last summer that J.J. Abrams would be shooting in IMAX for portions of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," there was considerable excitement. And why not? Christopher Nolan has proved to be a big advocate of the large format, showing how it can add even more visual pizzaz than 3D. And returning to the world of "Star Wars" in IMAX sounds like a dream come true for fans. But don’t get too excited: Abrams has revealed that IMAX only plays a very small role in his upcoming movie.
“It’s really one sequence, so it’s not a ton [of IMAX footage], but it’s a good sequence,” he told Collider.
In his brief chat with the site, he gently addressed the great trident lightsaber controversy, saying he’s aware of it and that the design "was not done without a lot of conversation and it’s fun to see people have the conversation that we had, but in reverse.”
But perhaps most significantly, Abrams reveals that while he won’t be directing the next two chapters in the new "Star Wars" saga, he will be involved. “I wouldn’t say 8 and 9 are my baby, Rian [Johnson] will be working at least on 8, but I’m executive producing those films,” he said.
As per usual, the exact plot details of ‘Force Awakens’ are under wraps, but to those worried it might focus too heavily on the old gang of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia, Mark Hamill says not to worry. "I would have been completely OK with it not including us, but I do think having the original cast members there gives it a sense of continuity and scope. But mind you, it’s really about the new generation, it’s not about us," he told Hero Complex.
However, Hammill is more wary of those who are already beside themselves with excitement. "These people that build it up in their minds like it’s going to be the second coming of, I don’t know what —they’re bound to be disappointed," Hamill said. "It’s exciting from the standpoint that it’s the first of the movies in that universe that’s conceived and directed by the fan generation. We’ve never had that before. Now Larry Kasdan is one of the old-timers like us, but the captain of the ship is J.J. Abrams and he was a fan of the series, which I find very interesting. They’re going to have an input into how things are done in a way that was impossible in the more autonomous period of George’s [Lucas] reign. I hope it’s a hit!"
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" arrives on December 18th. Here’s the Bad Robot tweet from last summer —any guesses what that IMAX scene will be?
#bestformatever pic.twitter.com/fs6JcTALmZ
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) July 8, 2014