‘Star Wars’ Will Skip Awards Shows to Keep Plot Under Wraps
Disney won’t rush to enter “The Force Awakens” into National Board of Review competition or screen it for critics groups
Todd Cunningham | November 11, 2015 @ 4:00 PM
Last Updated: November 11, 2015 @ 9:29 PM
“Stars Wars: The Force Awakens” isn’t going to win the National Board of Review’s Best Film honors when the organization reveals its top ten list on Dec. 1, officially opening the Hollywood awards season.
That’s because it won’t be entered in that competition, and will likely sit out the other early awards shows, too. Disney and Lucasfilm believe keeping a lid on plot details of its blockbuster-to-be is more important than accumulating awards prior to its December 18 rollout in the U.S. and most of the world.
Consequently, it won’t be in the running for the New York Film Critics Circle awards on Dec. 2, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association honors on Dec. 6 or the Screen Actors Guild Awards, for which nominations are announced on Dec. 9.
Disney declined comment for this story. But studio marketers have been carefully releasing details on the film in trailer drops and ads that have seeped out slowly. The videos have been devoured by click-hungry entertainment sites and fascinated super fans, fueling the already intense interest in the film. So it’s not hard to see why keeping that secrecy up — and foiling potential film pirates in the process — makes sense for Disney, even if it means missing out on some trophies.
“No one who is thinking about seeing ‘Star Wars’ is waiting for the critics to weigh in on this film, whether with awards or with reviews, to decide whether to buy a ticket,” said Marshall Fine, chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle. “This movie won’t need awards to draw a crowd.”
To be clear, “Star Wars” was not a lock, or even a favorite, to win the top honors. The National Board’s choices are often off the grid — last year’s was “A Most Violent Year,” which was a hit with critics groups, but not with the big awards shows. And effects-laden tentpole movies seldom get awards love anyway. Generally speaking, the critics groups tend to champion more obscure films than popular hits.
But the first new chapter in the iconic series in more than a decade is one of the year’s biggest film stories, and will make a run at being the highest-grossing film ever. Awards often help smaller movies seize mainstream attention and can boost a film’s box office; Disney and Lucasfilm’s “The Force Awakens” doesn’t need help on either of those fronts.
It’s not unprecedented for holiday films to skip the early awards shows, often because they’re still being worked on.
For example, it’s uncertain whether Fox will get two of its awards hopefuls — David O. Russell‘s “Joy” and “The Revenant” — in front of critics before their Christmas Day debuts.
For years, Warner Bros. hustled to get Peter Jackson‘s “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” movies in front of critics prior to their mid-December U.S. openings. But the popular sci-fi epics didn’t make much of a splash.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will be out in time for consideration for the Academy Awards. The nominees for the Oscars will be announced on Jan. 14, 2016.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': 9 Galaxy-Shaking Revelations From New Trailer (Photos)
1. "Who are you?" This is our first glimpse is of Rey (Daisy Ridley) dressed in heavy-duty sand planet gear, fitted with repurposed lenses from a Stormtrooper helmet. The Force is strong with this one!
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2. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is the ultimate fanboy -- he styles his look after the Dark Lord of the Sith and keeps Darth Vader's charred helmet on a plinth. Ren is clearly in hero-worshipping mode.
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3. "I've got nothing to fight for," says Finn (John Boyega), which should put to rest any theories he's not a real Stormtrooper. The trailer paints him as a soldier of the New Order who no longer believes in the cause.
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4. An epic battle over a lush green planet with temple ruins lead some fans to have a new hope for a return to Yavin 4, the location of the first Rebel Base from the original film. (P.S. pay attention to Finn's jacket; it's important later.)
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5. We finally see our first glimpse of Leia Organa Solo (Carrie Fisher), being consoled by her husband, Han (Harrison Ford). Is Luke's mysterious absence from the film's promotional materials the reason she's sad?
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6. The closest lead we have on the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is this shot of a robotic hand resting on R2-D2. Other than that, your guess is as good as ours.
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7. Many believe that the mysterious voice bookending the trailer ("Just let it in") belongs to Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o), who was possibly featured on the film's poster.
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8. Originally a skeptic in "hokey religions and ancient weapons," Han Solo (Harrison Ford) seems to be teaching Rey and Finn about how all the stories about Jedi and The Dark Side are true. (Remember, the jacket is important.)
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9. Is Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron under mind control? Bear with us as we piece together the evidence for our first crazy theory.
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An earlier teaser showed Resistance fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) sporting a familiar worn jacket.
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Comic-Con footage let us view a shot of a captured Poe being led by a Stormtrooper to an uncertain fate. Could that possibly be Finn holding Poe at blaster point?
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In the new trailer, Ren subjects Poe to a new kind of Force torture (not a Force choke as some fans think, as that particular move makes it impossible to do anything other than gag).
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Finn later crashes down on a desert planet, now in possession of Poe's jacket which he seems to wear through the rest of the film.
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When Poe encounters Finn again, he doesn't seem to recognize his jacket. In fact, the look on his face seems menacing. Finn, meanwhile, seems to know something's up. Is the Force telling him something?
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From a first glimpse at Princess Leia to speculation about Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, TheWrap details the biggest takeaways from new teaser for J.J. Abrams’ eagerly awaited movie
1. "Who are you?" This is our first glimpse is of Rey (Daisy Ridley) dressed in heavy-duty sand planet gear, fitted with repurposed lenses from a Stormtrooper helmet. The Force is strong with this one!