The next wave of marketing for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in full swing now, with the release of the latest poster earlier today. What fans are awaiting most, however, is the long-awaited debut of the third (and final) trailer. It has been confirmed that the preview will be unveiled on October 19 during the telecast of Monday Night Football, after which advance tickets will go on sale.
In the build up to trailer release events, it’s become customary for studios to put out previews for the trailer to really whet appetites. This may be a frustrating practice for fans, but we doubt many viewers will complain about getting their first glimpses of new Force Awakens footage a day early via brief TV spots.
First up is a 15 second teaser that was tweeted out from Walt Disney Studios’ Canadian division, and in a way is very similar to the first teaser that was released in November 2014. It’s essentially a roll call of the new main characters, featuring shots of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), BB-8, Finn (John Boyega), and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).
Don’t miss an exclusive look at #TheForceAwakens airing tomorrow on Monday Night Football on @TSN_Sports.
https://t.co/5T2kbetURs— WaltDisneyStudiosCAN (@DisneyStudiosCA) October 18, 2015
Most noteworthy is the look at Finn, since he appears to be in a new location that has not been shown in promotional materials before. From the large presence of Resistance pilots in the background, it’s safe to assume that this planet is where their base is. This scene could be from after Finn and Rey have escaped from Jakku with Han and Chewbacca, meeting up with the Resistance before setting off on a mission.
American viewers also got a look at the trailer. The Star Wars Facebook page posted a longer version of the Finn scene, with the former stormtrooper bumping into Poe Dameron. There could be some history between the two, as Finn’s facial expression indicates that he has seen Poe before, perhaps during the rumored opening sequence on Jakku?
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Grab your friends: the Resistance gathers tomorrow. Watch ESPN’s Monday Night Football for a new look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens. #TheForceAwakensPosted by Star Wars on Sunday, October 18, 2015
There’s also this TV ad that aired during the afternoon, which promotes the trailer reveal on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. It seems to be a scene taken from the 15 second Instagram teaser, with Rey and BB-8 watching in horror as First Order ships fly overhead.
Like the new shot of Finn with the Resistance pilots, it’s unknown what planet Rey is on during this sequence. Earlier rumors have indicated that this is where the characters go to visit Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) and are followed by the First Order. Time will tell, of course, but that theory seems to be supported by the footage.
None of these clips show anything that’s too revealing and exist mainly to excite fans about tomorrow’s trailer (as if that was ever an issue for Lucasfilm). It will be interesting to see how much new content we get with the trailer. As the film’s release date draws near, the studio seems comfortable sharing material that isn’t only part of the movie’s first act (which they had confirmed was their initiative earlier in marketing). At the same time, fans shouldn’t expect the final preview to be anything spoiler heavy. This is a J.J. Abrams film, and Lucasfilm has done an admirable job keeping all the secrets under wraps. It wouldn’t make sense to start spilling everything now.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th, 2015, followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16th, 2016, Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017, and the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25th, 2018. Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to reach theaters in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
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