We’re now very much into the final countdown for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Lucasfilm and Disney seem to be taking a rather intuitive approach to marketing Episode 8 of the iconic franchise.
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens having done little to dispel the concerns of fans that the modern reboot of the series would be more of a remake than the addition of original material, the studio behind the juggernaut endeavour is now working hard to emphasize the idea that this movie will deliver something previously unseen.
Having released all the official trailers for the film (we presume), we’re now getting more focused behind-the-scenes featurettes – short videos in which cast and crew wax lyrical about making the movie we’ve yet to see. In the latest one, we have writer-director Rian Johnson talking about the reverence he feels for the property, and for the cast members with whom he’s working – but we also see Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Gwendoline Christie espouse the “journey of discovery” on which Johnson has taken their characters, emphasizing that this is “fresh and new.”
Most importantly, we see a lot of work on practical special effects – which is a vital part of the Star Wars formula – and lots of snippets of Johnson working with the late, great Carrie Fisher, before hearing her imply that she has yet to uncover the director’s flaws. This will undoubtedly carry the most weight with fans, for whom Carrie Fisher – and her alter-ego of General Leia Organa – are the tragically lost custodians of the Star Wars legacy. In other words, if Fisher thinks he’s done a great job with the film, then that’s all the reassurance we should need.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally arrives in cinemas on December 15th.
