This weekend, the first teaser for "Star Wars: Epiosde VII — The Force Awakens" arrives in theaters, more than a year ahead of its release date. And while it might seem like a contemporary phenomenon for trailers to drop an almost absurdly long time before the movie its promoting actually arrives, it’s not unprecedented.
Back in 1967, the train started rolling on the campaign for Stanley Kubrick‘s "2001: A Space Odyssey," but here’s the thing: filming with the actors only wrapped that September, and the numerous effects shot in the film took nearly two years to complete, finished in 1968, a month before the movie opened. So what could be used for marketing material?
Well, as you’ll witness in this vintage trailer, Douglas Trumbull’s test footage and some voiceover do the heavy lifting. You’ll see an incomplete version of what Bowman sees when he leaves the Discovery One in the final act of ‘2001.’ And you know what? The promo still raises goosebumps. Watch below. [Eyes On Cinema]
