If you need a class in maintaining hype while balancing the need to keep the product under a veil of mystery, look no further than the machine that is powering "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." We’re just coming off an 18-hour toy unboxing event, in which devoted fans of the franchise were more than happy to be directly marketed to for a day and half, and it paid off. This morning, social media is already filled with pictures and tweets of people going to their latest chain store to buy the hot merchandise for a movie that’s not out for four months. When it comes to finding out more about J.J. Abrams‘s movie, story details are still being closely guarded, but one cast member has had enough.
Chatting with The Guardian, Anthony Daniels aka C-3PO is peeved that the powers that be are scrutinizing his communications with fans; Daniels recounts one particular tweet that got him in trouble. “I said that I’d met so-and-so. An actor who plays a … thing in the film. A character. Immediately I received a message from Disney: ‘Remove the tweet! You’re not allowed to say that!’ Honestly. It’s a kind of Kremlin attitude," he said. "Look, I know perfectly well not to tell you now what I’m giving you for a Christmas present because it would spoil the surprise. And these films are all about opening the box on Christmas Day."
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So, it seems Daniels understands why this kind of security is needed around the movie, but he mostly seems wearied by it all. “The secrecy has been beyond ludicrous,” he said. “For heaven’s sake, it’s a movie. When I got the script, it was typed in black on paper of the deepest red so you couldn’t photocopy it. I got a hangover just reading it.”
Moreover, he doesn’t seem all that impressed with the new chapter. "When J.J. told me the story of the new one, my eyes sort of glazed over.” Oof. But don’t feel too bad J.J., as Daniels also had a blunt assessment of the prequels.
Well, Daniels can probably expect another call from Disney’s stormtroopers today, as he grumpily awaits to share ‘The Force Awakens’ with you on December 18th.
