The full theatrical trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which premiered during the halftime show of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” featured familiar faces, new compelling new characters, and the inevitable conflict with the Dark Side.
The teaser lured fans of George Lucas‘ iconic franchise to the New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles game on the sports network, which like Lucasfilm, is owned by Disney.
The thrilling trailer featured Poe (OscarIsaac), Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega), along with sweeping images of dramatic battle scenes and lightsaber action.
In one snippet, Harrison Ford‘s Han Solo and Chewbacca are seen with their hands over their heads, and viewers also got a fleeting glimpse of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia with her famous braids.
While his face wasn’t revealed, a hooded figure with a robotic hand reaching out to R2-D2 is thought to be Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Meanwhile, new villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) makes a chilling appearance as he promises Darth Vader’s crushed mask: “I will finish what you started.” Other scenes showed hundreds of Stormtroopers lined up in formation, and TIE Fighters taking to the skies.
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“There are stories about what happened,” Rey says to Solo, who replies: “It’s true. All of it … the Dark Side, the Jedi, they’re real.”
Monday evening also marked the launch of advance ticket sales for J.J. Abrams‘ “Star Wars” vision online at Fandango and Movietickets.com.
Tickets were not supposed to go on sale until after the new “Force Awakens” trailer aired, however they went live around two hours before the teaser hit small screens with many fans suffering slow response times or flat-out crashes as the platforms were flooded.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will have its world premiere in Los Angeles on Dec. 14 — 38 years after George Lucas‘ original “Star Wars” debuted at Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre in May 1977.
The seventh episode in the beloved science fiction franchise will hit theaters around the world on Dec. 18.
Fandango and MovieTickets.com are expecting record-breaking sales given the immense anticipation from fans. Some industry observers believe that “Force Awakens” could gross $1 billion at the domestic box office alone. “Avatar” holds the domestic record with $760 million.
'Star Wars: Episode VII' Timeline - From Greenlight to J.J. Abrams' Cast Revealed
OCT. 30 2012: Disney buys Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4.05 billion, and announces a new trilogy of "Star Wars" films. Fans rejoice, trim their neck beards.
NOV. 9, 2012: Oscar-winning "Little Miss Sunshine" screenwriter Michael Arndt is announced to write "Star Wars: Episode VII."
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JAN. 25, 2013: Disney announces J.J. Abrams will direct "Star Wars: Episode VII," despite his link to Paramount's "Star Trek" film series.
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JUL. 27, 2013: Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announces to fans at Star Wars Celebration Europe that five-time Oscar-winning composer John Williams will return to score "Episode VII."
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AUG. 22, 2013: "Star Trek" cinematographer Dan Mindel reveals he has been hired to get behind the camera for "Episode VII," and will shoot on 35mm film.
OCT. 24, 2013: Lucasfilm announces that "Empire Strikes Back" screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan will co-write the screenplay for "Episode VII" with J.J. Abrams. The two set to work on a draft originally written by Arndt, who leaves the project.
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NOV. 14, 2013: Bad Robot confirms on Twitter what most fans pretty much already knew: R2-D2 will be back.
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DEC. 3, 2013: Lucasfilm launches the official "Star Wars" Instagram account with Darth Vader showing off a fresh selfie on a smart phone.
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JAN. 19, 2014: J.J. Abrams reveals at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that the script for "Episode VII" is complete.
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FEB. 26, 2014: TheWrap learns that "Girls" star Adam Driver is nearing a deal to play an undisclosed villain role in "Episode VII." Disney, Lucasfilm and Driver's reps would not confirm.
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NOV. 7 2013: Disney announces that "Star Wars: Episode VII" will be released on Dec. 18, 2015.
MAR. 18, 2014: Disney CEO Bob Iger announces that “Episode VII” starts shooting in May, and that it takes place 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi.”
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MAR. 18 2014: Iger also reveals that the film will be shot near London at Pinewood Studios, making "Episode VII" the fifth installment of the franchise to be shot in the United Kingdom.
MAR. 20, 2014: Disney and IMAX announce "Episode VII" will get a release on the biggest movie screen around (as if anybody thought otherwise).
APR. 22, 2014: While speaking at a Tribeca Film Festival panel, Disney Chairman Alan Horn teases that a major casting announcement is coming soon.
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APR. 29, 2014: Disney, Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams have unveiled the cast of “Star Wars: Episode VII." Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow join franchise veterans Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, and Kenny Baker.
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With the cast of ”Episode VII“ finally unveiled, TheWrap looks back at major developments that slowly unfolded since Disney announced a new trilogy in 2012
OCT. 30 2012: Disney buys Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4.05 billion, and announces a new trilogy of "Star Wars" films. Fans rejoice, trim their neck beards.