JJ Abrams has confirmed that the absence of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker from pre-publicity for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is entirely deliberate. The new trailer for the film, which debuted on October 19, has sparked a thousand conspiracy theories over the Jedi Knight’s no-show. Some believe Skywalker has turned to the dark side and might be working with new villain Kylo Ren and the nefarious First Order. Others have speculated that a hooded figure who places a black, artificial hand on droid R2-D2 in the promo might be Obi-Wan Kenobe’s erstwhile disciple in disguise.
Asked by the Associated Press at the GLSEN Respect Awards if there was a reason for Skywalker’s omission from the trailer and other marketing, Abrams admitted: “It’s no accident.” He added: “These are good questions to be asking. I can’t wait for you to find out the answers.”
Skywalker’s absence has inspired such frenzied speculation not only because Hamill was the ostensible star of the original Star Wars trilogy, but also because Abrams has previously revealed the question, “Who is Luke Skywalker?” inspired him to sign on for the long-running space opera.
Abrams also revealed he has not yet completed work on The Force Awakens, which is due to debut in UAE cinemas on December 15. “My guess is we’ll probably be doing visual effects for the next three or four weeks, even though the cut will be done,” he said.
He said they still had another scoring session with John Williams, who was a genius when it came to music.
“It’s been an ongoing, surreal experience. I just cannot wait for the movie to be out in the world,” he added.
The latest and reportedly final trailer for The Force Awakens was viewed more than 112 million times during its first 24 hours online, according to Lucasfilm. Advance ticket sales on both sides of the Atlantic have obliterated previous records, leading to speculation that Abrams’ film might challenge Avatar for the mantle of highest-grossing movie of all time.
