2017 marks a very special year for Star Wars in the sense that Lucasfilm’s crown jewel is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Yes, four decades after the launch of A New Hope, franchise mascots Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill have now launched the all-new Star Wars Force for Change charity fundraiser, with all money raised going toward Starlight Children’s Foundation – a charity that specializes in helping young patients suffering from a serious/terminal illness – and UNICEF. Details of how to participate can be found through the Omaze website, while there’s also a bright and breezy video featuring those stars – The Last Jedi, perhaps? – outlining the incentive itself.
Tapping into the theme of “Past, Present and Future,” there are also three truly fantastic prizes up for grabs, one of which is a chance to appear in the upcoming Han Solo anthology movie, along with meeting co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Here’s an overview of those prizes, courtesy of Omaze:
- Past – Stay at Skywalker Inn, tour of the archives & the Ranch, and a screening of Star Wars: A New Hope
- Present – Join the cast and attend the Star Wars: The Last Jedi premiere and exclusive after party
- Future – Visit the set, meet the directors, and have the chance to appear in the untitled Han Solo movie
- Grand Prize – One winner will receive the Past, Present AND Future prizes!
The contest kicks off today, April 11th, and will run through until May 11th. As detailed in the video above, a new winner will be chosen each week.
“In a year that we celebrate 40 years of the Star Wars saga, I continue to be inspired by the incredible generosity and charitable efforts of our fans,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “We are so proud of their tireless dedication to positively impact the lives of children and others around the world, and hope this year’s Force For Change campaign will offer a few of those wonderful fans an experience they will never forget.”
It’s shaping up to be a big, big week for the Star Wars brand, too, what with Orlando set to host the annual Celebration event this coming weekend. Kicking off on April 13th, the Mouse House is expected to roll out the first trailer for The Last Jedi – and we do mean trailer – along with new looks at Star Wars Battlefront 2 and, potentially, Visceral’s in-development licensed title.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi zooms into theaters on December 15th and is one of three major Star Wars movies currently in development – that we know of, mind you – the other two being that aforementioned Han Solo origin story and Episode IX, the latter of which is scheduled for 2019.