Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens

Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, marketed simply as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is the first film of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The film is directed by J.J. Abrams; written by Lawrence Kasdan, Abrams and Michael Arndt; and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Bad Robot Productions. The film was released on December 18, 2015 in North America and December 17 in the UK, Mexico, Latin America & Asian countries. Some North American theaters offered special limited advance showings on the evening of December 17 rather than the traditional midnight showing.

Despite initially claiming that the Star Wars story ended in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and spending years refuting speculation that there would be another film, George Lucas began work on the story of Episode VII in 2011 in order to increase the value of Lucasfilm Ltd. before he sold it to The Walt Disney Company, although Disney would later elect to not use Lucas's story. The acquisition was finalized on October 30, 2012, and Disney and Lucasfilm officially announced Episode VII the same day.

The Episode VII story features the forces of the First Order, a remnant of the fallen Galactic Empire, aligned against the Resistance, sprung from the Rebel Alliance and supported by the New Republic. The story material will not be based on Star Wars Legends, formerly known as the Expanded Universe, rather, it will be an original story set after Return of the Jedi. The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker reprising their original roles. The original actors are joined by a host of new actors including Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac, amongst many others. The film will be presented in RealD 3D and IMAX 3D where available. It will be able to be streamed on Netflix in Canada in 2016.

Synopsis
"We wanted to tell a story that had its own self-contained beginning, middle, and end but at the same time, like A New Hope, implied a history that preceded it and also hinted at a future to follow."

- Director J.J. Abrams

Thirty years after the Rebel Alliance's victory over the second Death Star, the galaxy is still at war. A New Republic has arisen, but the First Order has sprung from the ashes of the Galactic Empire. Many of the heroes of before, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO are all still active and fighting in the Resistance against this group. They are joined in the fight by new heroes, including Poe Dameron, a starfighter pilot; Finn, a former First Order Stormtrooper who has taken up the lightsaber that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker and later Luke Skywalker; Rey, a scavenger; and a rolling droid known as BB-8. They are opposed by powerful new forces, including Captain Phasma of the First Order and Kylo Ren, a fearsome and mysterious dark side user wielding a red lightsaber of unusual design.

Plot
Approximately thirty years after the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker, the last surviving Jedi, has disappeared. Both the First Order, a successor to the fallen Galactic Empire, and the Resistance, a military force backed by the New Republic and led by Luke's twin sister, General Leia Organa, scour the galaxy in an attempt to find him.

In a village on the planet Jakku, Resistance pilot Poe Dameron meets with village elder Lor San Tekka to obtain a map with coordinates to Luke's location. Stormtroopers under the command of the mysterious Kylo Ren infiltrate and destroy the village, before capturing Poe. His droid, BB-8, escapes with the map hidden in his memory and comes across a scavenger named Rey at a junkyard settlement.

After Ren uses the Force on Poe to learn about BB-8, Stormtrooper FN-2187 defects and helps Poe escape. Their stolen TIE fighter crashes on Jakku, and the stormtrooper, dubbed "Finn" by Dameron, appears to be the only survivor. He encounters Rey and BB-8, and says that he is part of the Resistance. The First Order tracks Finn to the settlement and launches an airstrike, forcing Rey, Finn, and BB-8 to steal a run-down ship, the Millennium Falcon, and flee the planet.

The Falcon breaks down and leaves them stranded, and they are soon found by Han Solo and Chewbacca. Han explains that Luke disappeared after an apprentice of his turned to the dark side and became Kylo Ren, destroying all that Luke had built, including the other Padawans that Luke had trained at the ancient First Jedi Temple. At Starkiller Base, a planet converted into a superweapon capable of destroying entire star systems, Ren learns from Supreme Leader Snoke that to overcome the call of the light side, Ren must kill his father, Han Solo. The Falcon crew arrive at the planet Takodana and meet Maz Kanata, who can help BB-8 reach the Resistance, but Finn decides he'd rather flee on his own. Rey ventures into a vault and finds Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. She receives a mysterious vision and recoils in horror, rejecting Maz's attempt to give her the lightsaber. Finn takes it for safekeeping.

The First Order, tipped off to BB-8's presence, attacks Takodana. Meanwhile, Starkiller Base destroys the Republic-controlled Hosnian system and its main planet, Hosnian Prime. Han, Chewbacca, and Finn battle the First Order with help from a squadron of Resistance X-wing fighters led by Poe, who survived the crash on Jakku. Rey, however, is captured by Ren and taken to Starkiller Base. Ren attempts to force the map from Rey's mind, but she resists him, and later escapes her cell with a Jedi mind trick. Han is reunited with Leia when he, Chewbacca, and Finn are brought to the Resistance base on D'Qar. BB-8 encounters the droid R2-D2, who, as C-3PO explains, has been dormant since Luke's disappearance. It is revealed that Han and Leia are aware that their son is Kylo Ren, and that their son's fall to the Dark Side caused them to separate, with Han returning to his smuggling business, and Leia spearheading the activities of the New Republic and the Resistance.

Meanwhile, Starkiller Base prepares to fire on D'Qar, and the Resistance devises a plan to sneak onto the surface and lower the planetary shields so the fighters can attack the superweapon's weak spot. Using the Falcon, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn infiltrate the base, lower the shields, and reunite with Rey. However, the X-wing fleet cannot penetrate the weapon, so Han and Chewbacca use explosives to create an opening. Ren arrives to stop them. Han confronts Ren, addressing him by his birth name, Ben, and implores him to abandon the dark side. Just as Ren seems to feel regret, he suddenly stabs his father in the chest with his crossguard lighsaber. Han gently caresses his son's cheek, and then falls into the reactor shaft below, dead. Enraged, Chewbacca, Rey and Finn start firing at Ren and the Stormtroopers, giving the X-wings time to damage the weapon, starting a chain reaction that ultimately destroys Starkiller Base.

Ren chases Finn and Rey onto the surface as the planet is exploding, where Finn tries to fight him using Anakin's lightsaber. When Finn is wounded, Rey takes the lightsaber and overpowers Ren with the Force. She then boards the Falcon along with Finn and Chewbacca, managing to leave the planet as it explodes. The Resistance celebrates their victory while Leia, Chewbacca, and Rey mourn Han's death. R2-D2 suddenly awakens and reveals that he holds the map to Luke's location, with the only piece of the map missing being the one BB-8 was given by Poe. Together they complete the map and reveal the location of the planet on which Luke Skywalker is hiding. Finn is recovering in the hospital, and Rey kisses him on the head and thanking him for everything as he sleeps. With R2-D2 and Chewbacca in tow, Rey follows the map to the distant planet, where she comes across Luke and presents him with his father's lightsaber.

Development
"I keep telling J.J. Abrams this is a $4 billion movie. We need to treat this very special. It’s an unbelievable privilege and unbelievable responsibility to take a jewel and treat it in a way that is respectful of its past but brings it into the future."

- Bob Iger

On October 30, 2012, The Walt Disney Company announced that it had purchased Lucasfilm Ltd., the production company behind the creation of the Star Wars franchise, from its owner, Star Wars creator George Lucas, for $4.05 billion. The acquisition came in the wake of Lucas's announced retirement on May 31, and the subsequent June 1 announcement that veteran film producer Kathleen Kennedy was succeeding Lucas as Lucasfilm's Co-Chair. As part of the merger, Disney revealed that it planned to produce a sequel trilogy of films beginning in 2015, with Kennedy serving as executive producer.

Star Wars: Episode VII had already been in development for several months as of the Disney–Lucasfilm merger, and Lucas had written the story treatments for each of the three upcoming films. Kennedy said shortly after the announcement that the development team was in the process of sitting down with writers to discuss story ideas. Lucasfilm confirmed on November 9 that pre-production had begun on Star Wars: Episode VII, and that screenwriter Michael Arndt would write the script for the film. News outlets first reported Arndt's involvement on November 8, announcing that Arndt had already turned in a forty-to-fifty-page story treatment that reportedly brought the Skywalker family saga to a close in a new trilogy. On January 25, 2013, StarWars.com announced that J.J. Abrams, known for his work on the television series Lost and the most recent entries in the Star Trek film series, would direct the film, with Star Wars creator George Lucas remarking "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands".

Lucas was initially involved as creative consultant, though he stepped away due to Disney's descision to take the story in a different direction than his original outlines. He later elaborated in an interview with Stephen Colbert: "The original saga was about the father, the children, and the grandchildren. I don’t think that's a secret to anybody&mdash;that’s in the novels&mdash;and the children were in their 20s and everything. But they’ve taken it in a different direction, and I'm excited&mdash;they didn’t use my story, so I don’t know what they’re doing."

Initial reports explained that Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote the screenplays for both Episodes V and VI) and Simon Kinberg would co-produce all three films of the trilogy, and share writing responsibilities for Episodes VIII and IX. Kinberg described his role in the process: "I'm like a friend of the court. I consult on the movies. I worked on VII: helped break the story, read scripts, drafts at certain points, and gave my thoughts whatever they were worth." On October 24, 2013, it was announced that Abrams and Kasdan were rewriting Arndt's script.

Production
"I've learned to be very careful about Star Wars. If I say, 'There will be no skateboards in Star Wars '... that gets headlines."

- Alan Horn, Disney Chairman

The Force Awakens began preliminary shooting in April 2014, with second unit work taking place in Iceland and Abu Dhabi. On April 25, Lucasfilm announced their plans for a new continuity that excluded the existing Expanded Universe, and confirmed that Episode VII and its sequels would not adhere to any existing continuity. This was followed on April 29 by the official release of the cast list for the movie. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels would return to reprise their roles as the main characters of the original trilogy, and they would be joined by a number of new actors in leading roles: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. Hamill remarked on returning to Star Wars: "Part of the experience of [Star Wars] in my life was coming down from that, putting it behind me. We had a beginning, middle, and an end. And I certainly, in a million years, never expected to return. I thought, even if they do more trilogies, my story is over." Denis Lawson was asked to reprise his role as Wedge Antilles from the original trilogy, but declined, stating that it would have "bored" him.

Principal photography began on May 16, 2014 at the UK's Pinewood Studios. For visual inspiration, Abrams looked at films directed by John Ford, Akira Kurosawa and Terrence Malick. Daniel Mindel&mdash;who had previously worked with Abrams as director of photography&mdash;returned to collaborate with the director on the film. Reportedly, one sequence was shot with IMAX cameras. Although Peter Mayhew was able to reprise the role as Chewbacca, some scenes had to be shot with a stunt double, due to Mayhew's age and physical health. On June 11, the 71-year old Harrison Ford broke his left leg when a hydraulic door at Pinewood Studios fell down and hit him, and was airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. His recovery forced him to drop out of filming for eight weeks. Abrams also sustained a minor back injury when he tried to help lift the door off of Ford's leg. On June 28, actor Andy Serkis confirmed that The Imaginarium Studios would be involved with performance capture on the film, as well as all future Star Wars projects. Serkis also confirmed that the character he plays in the film would utilize performance capture. On July 6, Lucasfilm confirmed that actors Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen were cast in the film through open casting calls in the United Kingdom. They also revealed that production would take a two-week hiatus in August to accommodate Harrison Ford's leg injury. Afterwards shooting would resume, and conclude later in the fall. Abrams, Hamill, and Daisy Ridley spent three days filming at Skellig Michael in County Kerry, Ireland.

On November 6, 2014, the official Star Wars Twitter account announced that the film had completed principal photography. The post gave the official title for the film as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and was accompanied by a title card for the new name that, like the original trilogy, excluded the "Episode" subtitle. As of October 26, 2015, the film's visual effects were set to be finished "in the next few weeks.

Design
Michael Kaplan, who had designed the costumes for Abrams' Star Trek films, also signed on to costume Episode VII. Kaplan designed new stormtrooper uniforms for the film, as it was determined that the original costumes would not stand up to modern scrutiny. These new uniforms were inspired by Apple products. The production team built a new C-3PO suit to accommodate Anthony Daniels, while the R2-D2 model was provided and overseen by members of the R2-D2 Builders Club.

Music
During a concert with the Young Musician's Foundation Debut Orchestra on February 9, 2013 composer John Williams stated that he was hoping to get the chance to write the musical scores for the new trilogy. Abrams made further statements on this at a Star Trek Into Darkness conference on April 29, stating, "Again, for Star Wars, it’s very early days, but I believe that, going forward, John Williams will be doing that film because he was there long before I was." On July 27, 2013, a video of Williams confirming he would score the new film was screened at Star Wars Celebration Europe II. On March 21, 2015, Lucasfilm revealed that John Williams would conduct the score for The Force Awakens in Los Angeles. The previous live-action film scores were recorded in the United Kingdom with the London Symphony Orchestra. The sessions lasted from summer through fall of 2015.

Release
"We're living in such a different age now. It's like a competition to see who can leak information faster than the next guy. I don't get it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they don't get a copy of the script and leak the whole thing on the Internet."

- Mark Hamill

The first teaser trailer&mdash;released early due to both fan demand and Abrams' request &mdash;was announced via the Bad Robot Productions Twitter account, with a note from Abrams saying fans will see a "tiny peek at what we're working on." The 88-second teaser premiered in 30 theaters across North America and was released online on November 28, 2014. The teaser was shown in theaters around the world beginning in December 2014. Character names were revealed shortly thereafter in online mock collector cards. Earlier that November, JJ Abrams made a cameo on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, in which he could be seen directing R2-D2 on the set of The Force Awakens. When a fish from Oliver's salmon cannon falls on the script that he's holding, Abrams gets frustrated and quits the film.

A second teaser was released on April 16, 2015. The June 2015 issue of Variety featured a cover story on The Force Awakens, with interviews with cast and crew and images from an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot. The August 2015 issues of Entertainment Weekly and Empire also had the film as their cover stories. The Force Awakens had a presence at 2015's San Diego Comic-Con and D23 events. At the latter, it was revealed that Drew Struzan had returned to create poster art for the film, including a poster exclusive to the event. A third, shorter teaser was released on the Star Wars Instagram on August 27. On September 23, Facebook released a 360-degree panoramic video clip of a speeder driving across Jakku. The official one sheet was released on October 18, 2015, while the full-length trailer debuted on October 19 with ESPN's Monday Night Football.

The cast and crew appeared on various TV programs, including Good Morning America, Live! with Kelly and Michael, and 60 Minutes. Abrams, Boyega and Ridley participated in a Saturday Night Live sketch featuring cast members and guest celebrities in a series of fake auditions. Among the subjects parodied were racist reactions to Boyega's casting, Lucas's comments about not being involved, and Abrams's involvement in the rival franchise Star Trek. Abrams and the cast appeared on a Star Wars-themed episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on November 23. Some members of the cast and crew also participated in an official press conference on December 5. The film had its red carpet premiere on December 14 at Hollywood Boulevard. The event was streamed live on StarWars.com. Ford and Abrams participated on a sketch on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert depicting what convinced Ford to return: Colbert allegedly almost convinced Abrams to recast the role of Han with him.

Charity
On May 21, 2014, Disney, Lucasfilm and Bad Robot announced "Force for Change", a charity campaign "dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world's biggest problems"; Initially, the campaign was focused on contributing to UNICEF. Each person who donated was entered to win a set visit to and appearance in Episode VII. On August 11, Denver, Colorado resident D.C. Barns was announced as the contest's winner. JJ Abrams later released a YouTube video in which he announced that the contest had raised $4.26 million. In August 2014, several of the film's cast and crew participated in the "Ice Bucket Challenge", an internet phenomenon whereby one pours water onto one's head as a pledge to donate to the ALS association. On April 21, 2015, Abrams appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he performed the "Twizzler challenge" with Chewbacca, in honor of Autism Awareness Month. In August 2015, Lucasfilm and HP began a two-month program called "Art Awakens", in which people submit art inspired by The Force Awakens, of which a certain number will be chosen for an art exhibit, the proceeds of which will go to "Force for Change". On November 5, 2015, director J.J. Abrams screened an unfinished version of the film for Daniel Fleetwood, a 32-year-old Star Wars fan with an aggressive form of cancer who was likely to die before the film's release. The campaign for him to see the film was supported by several of the film's stars, including John Boyega, Mark Hamill and Gwendoline Christie. Fleetwood passed away on November 9 or 10, 2015. The film will also be made available for viewing by astronauts on the International Space Station.

Merchandising
Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, its "imagineers" began developing Star Wars-themed expansions to the various Disney theme parks. However, Bob Iger halted work on these expansions until The Force Awakens and other future Star Wars films had reached a point in their development so that elements from those projects could be included. On August 15, 2015, it was announced that plans were moving forward for a Star Wars-themed section of the Disney parks, which would include content based on The Force Awakens.

Disney's merchandising campaign for the film began on September 4, 2015&mdash;dubbed "Force Friday". Lucasfilm has published a series of books and comics that connect Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. A novelization will be released, as well as a number of other titles directly connected to the film, such as an art book, a character anthology, and Ultimate Sticker Collection. Additionally, content from The Force Awakens will be included in the video games Disney Infinity 3.0 and Star Wars Battlefront. The company has also partnered with eight major brands: Covergirl & Max Factor, Duracell, FCA US, General Mills, HP, Subway and Verizon. Beginning in August 2015, Target stores held a campaign called "Share the Force", which included TV ads, exclusive in-store merchandise, and an online program in which Star Wars fans could submit images and videos that captured their memories of the franchise. Japan's All Nippon Airways announced that some of its airplanes have been painted to reflect elements from The Force Awakens.

Reception
Theater tickets became available for pre-order on October 19th, with many online retailers experiencing outages due to heavy demand, including top sites such as Fandango. By the time of the film's release, over $100 million in pre-release tickets were sold, bypassing the previous record held by The Dark Knight. Some theater chains chose to set limits on the types of cosplay allowed at screenings of the film. For instance, fans at AMC and Cinemark weren't allowed to wear masks or face-paint, or carry simulated weapons. Some chains also issued a blanket ban on the carrying of lightsaber toys.

The film carries a 95% fresh score at the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, with 268 reviews and average score of 8.3/10. Manohla Dargis of the New York Times stated that "The big news about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is — spoiler alert — that it’s good!" and that the film "takes off with a battle and closes on a meaningful moment of quiet." John Wenzel of the Denver Post graded the film at 3 1/2 stars out of 4, calling it a "'masterful symphony" and praising the film's emphasis on "practical effects and honest-to-God sets." Richard Roeper gave the film four stars.

Credits
"We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

- J.J. Abrams