Earlier this week, we were treated to a host of leaked set photos from the Abu Dhabi set of Star Wars: Episode VII, followed by yesterday’s reveal of an under-construction Millenium Falcon. I’m sure this really got under the skin of super-secretive director J.J. Abrams, who has spent his career trying hard to keep everything he can in his “mystery box.” In the past, he’s worked on such high-profile projects as Star Trek Into Darkness, Super 8 and Lost, and he’s always succeeded in keeping fans in suspense.
This morning, however, Abrams took matters into his own hands and used the official Bad Robot Twitter account to send a funny note to fans regarding the photo leaks:
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) June 4, 2014
The note itself is funny, but the object fans will get riled up about is what it’s placed on: the holo-chess board from inside the Millenium Falcon, made famous by the scene in A New Hope in which C-3PO is urged to “let the Wookie win.”
While it’s not the most noteworthy image we’ve gotten from the upcoming franchise revival, it’s still cool to get confirmation from the director himself that the beloved spacecraft will be making a triumphant return in Episode VII. It’s also safe to say that Abrams and the rest of the cast and crew are unhappy about photos from the set leaking online, but that they are approaching it with humor and finding ways to interact with rabid and overly excited fans (like yours truly).
Star Wars: Episode VII will be making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs and arriving in a theater near you on December 18th, 2015. John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie will star in the film alongside returning series stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.