The force continues as “Star Wars” fans' long wait for an update or glimpse of the new American space opera is finally over. On Sunday, Lucasfilm dropped the official theatrical poster for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on the film's website before its much-awaited release in two months. See the poster here.
According to Yahoo!, the newly revealed poster hints a lot of clues about the film for avid fans to discover. At first glance, the poster features a lot of old and new faces. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is all geared up while sporting an ammo on his arm while Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) stands on his back, looking worried and showing off a new updo minus her signature sidebun hairstyle. Also featured on the poster are newcomers Rey (Daisley Ridley) and Finn (played by John Boyega), who can be seen wielding a lightsaber.
Looming behind the characters is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), looking all sinister with his three-pronged lightsaber. Also featured are droids R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and BB-8 with Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac).
However, there's one major character missing: Luke Skywalker played by Mark Hamill. Yahoo! speculates that the absence of Hamill's character on the poster might be a way to tease the audience as his "visual presence" might give away too much of the film's storyline. But it might also mean that Luke Skywalker might not play a major role in the film.
Another intriguing new character to peak fans' curiosities is the strange alien creature in goggles standing on R2-D2's left. USA Today speculates that this could be the space pirate Maz Kanata, who will be played by Lupita Nyong'o via motion capture.
The poster's background also shows a moon-like, "Death Star-esque" weapon, per Yahoo! news. Entertainment Weekly notes that this massive spherical weapon, which looks like it's a size of a planet, could be the First Order’s Starkiller base.
Last year, director J.J. Abrams released a short teaser trailer to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The 88-second video introduced new faces to the classic franchise. Now, looks like the film is indeed getting closer as along with the release of the poster, Lucasfilm has announced on the “Star Wars” website that a "new look at the film" will be available for fans during "Monday Night Football" on ESPN.
It was also announced that along with the trailer's release, tickets will also be sold in theaters worldwide. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is slated to be released on Dec. 18, 2015 on 3D, Real 3D and iMax 3D.
