Now We Know Some 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Character Names

Y'know that Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer we got over the Thanksgiving holiday? Turns out a certain secretive director didn't want us to see it. A story in Variety has Disney's Bob Iger saying it took some convincing for JJ Abrams to release any footage from the film, even the scant 80-seconds we got. So with that information it's a little surprising that he's revealed even more info today by giving us the identities of the characters seen in the trailer, and that includes the lightsabered character at the end.

Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy revealed the character names in a cool way through vintage trading cards Topps-style trading cards. The only thing missing is the terrible bubble gum. John Boyega's character is named Finn; Daisey Ridley is Rey; the little droid is BB-8; turns out that was Oscar Isaac in the X-wing and his name is Poe Dameron; and the hooded figure with the sick lightsaber is named Kylo Ren.

Kylo Ren doesn't sound like a bad guy. Maybe he's a Jedi who went over to the dark side? Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens December 18th 2015. [EW]

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*UPDATE* The Trailer for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' has Arrived!

 *Updated with a few high-res images!*

"There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?" And so, after months of secrets and speculation, the first trailer for J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens has arrived! So does it live up to the hype? Well, let's just talk about the things it actually has: our first look at new heroes played by John Boyega (in Stormtrooper gear) and Daisy Ridley, the Millennium Falcon soaring, and a Jedi wielding a lightsaber shaped like a broadsword. Holy !?!?!?

Was this what fans were expecting, though? The short answer is: who knows? This is one of the rare occasions when we had absolutely no idea what this footage would look like beforehand. Go back to the trailer debut for The Phantom Menace all those years ago and we knew what to expect, but Abrams has kept production under such a tight grip that we don't even really know who each actor is playing. That only makes what we get here all the more exciting, and Abrams teases us just enough to keep us wanting to learn more. At the same time, this is a trailer that only relies on nostalgia just a little bit before forging its own path, which is exactly what we hope for the franchise as a whole.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens December 18th 2015.


Star Wars- Episode VII - The Force Awakens Official Teaser Trailer #1 (2015) - J.J. Abrams Movie HD-2 by clouzy

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Potential 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Plot Details Revealed

The one thing everyone knows about J.J. Abrams is that he cherishes secrecy, his "Mystery Box" as he likes to put it. It's one thing to keep the Star Trek into Darkness villain a secret but keeping anything about Star Wars: Episode VII a mystery has proven to be a challenge. Try as he might, set photos and plot details have leaked at a fairly consistent pace, and now some key story points may have just been revealed once again.  These will be considered a SPOILER so only read on if you don't mind.

Taking place about 30 years after Return of the Jedi, the story has long been said to follow a trio of young heroes who will eventually come across familiar characters Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. Badass Digest's Devin Faraci now adds some context to that, beginning immediately after the classic Star Wars logo crawl. It is then that a severed hand gripping a lightsaber is discovered on a desert planet by the characters played by John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. Recognizing it as a Jedi relic they will set out on a journey to return the weapon to its owner, a quest that will take them off world.

It's then the two will encounter Han Solo and Chewbacca, who will not be flying in the Millennium Falcon, although we know from set photos the ship will be seen in some capacity. They won't have seen Luke since the events of Return of the Jedi, and recognizing the saber as his, will join in on trying to find him. Meanwhile a super weapon capable of destroying galaxies is being built in secret on an icy planet. By who and for what purpose is unclear.

How much of this is accurate we probably won't know until the film comes out in December 2015, but it doesn't seem to contradict anything learned previously. Expect more information to be rumored or leaked to the Internet between now and the film's release.

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Unofficial 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Poster Features Entire Cast

Long before the cast of the next Star Wars film was announced there were tons of fan made posters for it. We've posted a number of them here, and I tend to use them as graphics for stories involving Star Wars: Episode VII, leading to some confusion by readers who think they are official works. Sorry, but no. And now that we know who will actually be starring in it, the images featuring them are already starting to come in, but I didn't expect the first to be from MTV.

The site teamed up with Old Red Jalopy for this poster with all thirteen announced cast members in it. Some look better than others, naturally, like Domhnall Gleeson sort of resembling Ewan McGregor's Qui-Gon in his shot. I think they're being generous including a non-motion capture Andy Serkis, and that shot of John Boyega is pretty laughable. But it's cool seeing current versions Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford up there at the top, and don't tell me Max von Sydow doesn't strike you as the perfect bad guy right there in the forefront. Darth Sydow?

Anyway, get ready for a lot more of these until Lucasfilm gives us something official, maybe for tomorrow on Star Wars Day?

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'Star Wars: Episode VII' Cast Officially Revealed!

Well, it's time for all of the guesswork and rumors to come to an end. Just yesterday word hit that J.J. Abrams was planning a big table read with the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII, suggesting that the cast had already been put together. Coupled with sightings of Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher in London, we knew an announcement had to be coming. And now here it is, along with the above photo of everybody assembled together.

And so what we have are names we had been hearing about for weeks, such as John Boyega and Adam Driver, with some that only cropped up recently such as Oscar Isaac and Andy Serkis. Along with them are veteran actor Max von Sydow, Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), and newcomer Daisy Ridley, who is probably taking that role Maisie Richardson-Sellers was rumored for. And of course there are the original stars, Hamill, Fisher, Ford, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, and Anthony Daniels.

So what's left for Star Wars Day when it arrives on May 4th? Official plot synopsis, maybe? A title? Logo?

Star Wars: Episode VII opens December 18th 2015. Check out the full press release below:

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

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