Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

Cast

Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt. Star Wars: The Force Awakens releases in U.S. theaters on December 18, 2015.

Post-production

Cinematographer Daniel Mindel stated that The Force Awakens would use real locations and scale models over computer-generated imagery to make it aesthetically similar to the original Star Wars trilogy. Rian Johson, director of Episode VIII, reiterated that Abrams would use little CGI and more practical, traditional special effects, saying: "I think people are coming back around to [practical effects]. It feels like there is sort of that gravity pulling us back toward it. I think that more and more people are hitting kind of a critical mass in terms of the CG-driven action scene lending itself to a very specific type of action scene, where physics go out the window and it becomes so big so quick." Abrams' intention in prioritizing practical special effects was to recreate the visual realism and authenticity of the original Star Wars. To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop that was developed by Disney Research created by special effects artist Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors. In August 2015, Abrams gave the estimated running time of the film as 124–125 minutes.

In February 2014, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) announced plans to open a facility in London, citing Disney's Star Wars films as a catalyst for the expansion. ILM's Vancouver branch will also work on the special effects for the film.

Premise

The Force Awakens is set approximately 30 years after the events of ”Return of the Jedi”, where the Rebel Alliance and the Empire have become the Resistance and the First Order, respectively, and follows new leads Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron alongside characters returning from previous Star Wars films.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

Director:  　J.J. Abrams

Producers:  Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk

Executive Producers:  Tommy Harper, Jason McGatlin

Screenplay by:　Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt

Cast:       Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow 

Running time: 136 mins

Genre:     Action-Adventure

Screening: 17 Dec, 2015

Trailer: https://youtu.be/zQ--uFsT3Y8