Lasting just short of ninety seconds, the teaser trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has stirred up as much discussion online since its Black Friday debut as some feature-length films released this year. However, to hear Walt Disney Company chief Bob Iger tell it, the online conversations were in danger of never happening in the first place.
Buried deep in a Variety piece about the Mouse House’s plans for a “Star Wars” theme park (note, it will be be based on the new movies), Iger talks about the hopes held for J.J. Abrams‘ film. “I keep telling J.J. Abrams this is a $4 billion movie,” Iger said, referring to how much the studio paid for Lucasfilm. “We need to treat this very special. It’s an unbelievable privilege and unbelievable responsibility to take a jewel and treat it in a way that is respectful of its past but brings it into the future.”
However, even with the high hopes, a discussion was held about whether any footage from the film would be released this early or whether the company would play by Abrams’ mystery box rules. As we know, the filmmaker has long been an advocate of keeping as much as possible a secret before finally letting it out for everyone to see.
As we already know though, Disney ended up relenting, with Iger citing “the rabid ‘Star Wars’ fanbase” as the key reason for the trailer arriving, no doubt fearing some sort of coup would occur if nothing was released. But the wait for the next trailer will be a while yet, as it’s not expected until the spring when it will screen in front of "The Avengers: Age Of Ultron."
Watch the teaser trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for the 200th time below.
