BB-8 stars in the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.
BB-8 stars in the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.
In a semi-regular feature we'll be running until The Force Awakens is unleashed on December 17, here's our wrap of all the Star Wars things that happened today.
1. The Dark Side is in full force
In a new 30-second TV spot Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, sounds like he means business. "I will show them the Dark Side" he says.
The Force Awakens' new little round robot is sosweet and already winning hearts. BB-8 can be seen rolling around in a new TV spot, including doing all kinds of flips inside a space ship.
3. Is that Simon Pegg? That's Simon Pegg!
The clever people over at Slashfilm managed to spot which alien creature actor Simon Pegg will be playing in Force Awakens. In a behind-the-scenes video we see him talking in full costume to director JJ Abrams for a scene with Daisey Ridley, who plays Rey. The image was matched up to a previous behind-the-scenes spot where Pegg had his mask off.
4. Spielberg's stamp of approval
In an interview with RTL,Bridge of Spies director Steven Spielberg commented on the new Star Wars movie, saying it "could be the biggest movie ever". In the past George Lucas tried to get Spielberg on-board to direct The Phantom Menace. JJ Abrams must be chuffed.
5. Christie really wanted to be in Star Wars
Gwendoline Christie is set to play Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens and the Game of Thrones star was adamant that she was going to get the role. In an interview with Time magazine Christie said: "I heard that they were going to make a new Star Wars film, and I was like a dog with a bone. I would not let it rest.
Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie.
"And my agent at the time was saying, 'Okay, what about you doing this, you've got a meeting for this.' And I'd say, 'Oh great! I want to be in Star Wars.' And then they'd say, 'Okay what about this?' And I'd say, 'I want to be in Star Wars.' And then it got to the stage where every possible email I was sent I would respond, 'Thank you very much. I want to be in Star Wars.' Until finally I think I'd really worn some people down, and I believe a call was made to the casting director."
6. Luke's not so innocent anymore
Mark Hamil let slip some more info on the fate of Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens. Talking to Empire magazine, Hamil says his character won't be the "innocent farm boy" we saw in the original film. "Obviously you're seeing him in a very different time in his life, there are lots of surprises in this movie. You're going to love it."
Why JJ Abrams loves Han Solo so much
In an interview the director explained he's "come to really appreciate" the space smuggler, played by Harrison Ford, because of how he evolves throughout the film series.
"There's this moment that's in the [Force Awakens] trailer, so I'm not giving anything away, where Han is telling these two new protagonists about how the Force is real and how the Jedi and everything they've heard is true," Abrams told Sirius XM.
Director J.J. Abrams. Photo / AP
"It's cool because he's telling them the story in the Millennium Falcon literally six feet from where he was sitting 40 years ago, saying that it's all bulls***.
"It's so cool to think that there's a character that gets to live on in a movie who goes from being such a doubter and nonbeliever into someone who's, I wouldn't say an evangelist, but who's validating this stuff that was so powerful and this idea that was so strong."
