In the lead up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we desperately wanted to know what the film was about, but Disney and J.J. Abrams wouldn’t budge. I can’t recall another blockbuster that kept such a tight lid on the plot, and kudos for them seeing it through. I doubt Rian Johnson will put that much emphasis on secrecy, and while the box office numbers might reinforce the importance of mystique, the studio, which loves to oversell its movies, will likely chalk up the success to this singular event and resort to their old playbook.
Left in the dark on Episode VII, there were plenty of rumors, some wilder than others, and I’ve collected some of them below. All of these rumors pertain to story rather than who the studio would hire to direct or how they would cast the film. These early reports may have been working off bad info or an earlier version of the script. I can’t wait for the day when the veil is lifted on this movie and we get a warts-and-all retelling, especially when it comes to learning how much of screenwriterMichael Arndt’s work remains (if any) and how the Lucasfilm story handled the film. Finally, all of these stories were taken from our own archives. We didn’t touch the huge spoilers that were leaked because those were probably true, and we didn’t want to contribute to ruining the film for anyone.
Also, as you read this article over, I hope it hammers home the importance of why rumors for blockbuster movies should be taken lightly.
MASSIVE SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVEN’T SEENTHE FORCE AWAKENS.
Luke Skywalker Returns to Yavin 4 to Build Jedi Academy
Here’s the Intel:Almost exactly three years ago, The Guardian reported that the plot would involve Luke Skywalker going back to the Rebel base on Yavin IV to build a Jedi Academy, a plotline that was similar to Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy novels.
Here’s the Truth:Luke did start up a Jedi Academy (we don’t know if it was on Yavin), but as we learn in exposition from Han, it fell apart when one of the pupils, Ben Solo, who became Kylo Ren, went over to the Dark Side and destroyed everything.
The Story Revolves around Luke, Leia, and Han’s Children
Here’s the Intel:Back whenMichael Arndtwas still working on the screenplay, word leaked inFebruary 2013that the plot involved the offspring of the original protagonists Luke, Leia, and Han.
Several months later, Schmoes Know reported that they had picked up a casting notice for the film (a casting notice that strongly resembled the plot of the expanded universe novelLegacy of the Force):
Storyline: Two 17 year old twins, a girl and a boy, are trained by their uncle Luke to be the greatest Jedi’s in the galaxy. Problems arise when the male twin turns to the dark side.
Jaina Solo – Female, 17 years old, lead. – Jacen’s twin sister, one of the greatest Jedi’s in the galaxy, trained by her uncle Luke Skywalker.
Jacen Solo – Male, 17 years old, lead – Jaina’s twin brother, one of the greatest Jedi’s in the world. A loner who is constantly struggling with the idea of what’s right and what’s wrong. Starts to turn to the dark side. Full of conviction that what he is doing is the “right thing”. Will eventually become Darth Caedus.
Here’s the Truth:Kylo Ren is the son of Leia and Han, and he absolutely had a major role inThe Force Awakens. We’re still not sure about the parentage of the other new characters (Rey seems a likely candidate to be Kylo’s sister, but we’ll see if the sequel trilogy wants to keep hammering away at similarities to the original trilogy). It’s also possible that Rey could be Luke’s daughter, but again, that’s not set inEpisode VII.
Casting Breakdown
Here’s the Intel:Bleeding Cool scooped upthis casting breakdown, but in retrospect, it’s so broad that it’s hard to match up everything up one-to-one:
Here’s the Truth:Rey absolutely fits the description for the late-teen female, and Poe is the late twenty-something confident male, but from there, it’s all over the place. The Seventy-something male could easily be Han, but they would never recastHarrison Ford. The young twenty-something male could apply to Finn and Kylo Ren; they’re both goodlooking, but neither is the chiseled-jaw type. And then there are characters who don’t show up. Who’s the other young female? Was the fortysomething military male supposed to be General Hux and then they aged it down? Keep in mind that some of these roles were fungible; Captain Phasma was going to be a man until the Internet pointed out that the original cast was a bit of a sausage fest and they might want to add more women to a film being released in 2015.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Will Be in Episode VII
Here’s the Intel:Latino-Reviewreported that Kenobi would show up as a “Force Ghost” and thatEwan McGregorwould reprise the role.
Here’s the Truth:Obi-Wan Kenobi was not in the movie. Not even close. [Update: Some people have pointed out that McGregor’s voice is in Rey’s vision. But clearly that’s not what Latino-Review was reporting, and it’s a fleeting moment that’s easily missed.]
The Movie Is Looking for Another Wookie
Here’s the Intel:InSeptember 2013, Den of Geek scooped up a casting call looking for: “Male, 7 ft to 7.3 ft tall with a slim/thin build and upright posture. Not too worked out or too ‘thick set’ especially in the shoulders. Broad facial features would be a bonus”.
Here’s the Truth:This could have just as easily been forPeter Mayhew’s stunt double or another practical alien creature, but there’s only one wookie inThe Force Awakens, and his name is Chewbacca.
Han Solo Has Gigantic Role in Episode VII
Here’s the Intel:Deadline reports inApril 2014that Han Solo will have a “gigantic” role inEpisode VII.
Here’s the Truth:Absolutely. While rumors tried to put Luke, Leia, and Han on equal footing, Luke is a MacGuffin, Leia is a nice addition, and Han is the real link between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. He’s the most beloved character and he ultimately goes full Obi-Wan when the new chief villain strikes him down. Han is pivotal in more ways than one inThe Force Awakens.
The Mystery of Max Von Sydow’s Character
Here’s the Intel:Along with claiming that the working title wasThe Ancient Fear(sure, why not), the AICN alsosaid that Max Von Sydow’s characterwas a villain “who makes Pazuzu [the demon fromThe Exorcist] look like a pussy!”
Here’s the Truth:Von Sydow is barely in the film, and I’m left to wonder if his character was largely left on the cutting room floor. What we do see is far from villainous; he aids Poe Dameron before being killed by Kylo Ren.
Female Villains, Boyega’s Character, and Boba Fett Armor
Here’s the Intel:Latino-Review had a host of rumors inJune 2014. They thought that there would be a female villain, and there was 50/50 shot of her being a Sith. They reported there was no Republic. They reported thatJohn Boyega’s character didn’t start out as a Jedi or a Padawan, but his storyline had echoes of Luke’s inA New Hope. Finally, they said we might see armor similar to Boba Fett’s lurking around the film.
Here’s the Truth:It looked like Latino-Review was working from a bad or outdated source on this one. Yes, Phasma is a female villain, but she’s not a Sith, and there are no Sith in the movie. John Boyega’s character doesn’t start out as a Jedi or Padawan, but it’s Rey’s story that closely resembles Luke’s in aNew Hope, not Finn. As the opening crawl ofThe Force Awakenstells us, the Republicdoesexist, although I can understand why its existence might be confusing since the exact same battle lines seem to be in place as the ones in the original trilogy. Finally, unless you count Stormtrooper armor as bearing a resemblance to Boba Fett, no dice on that front.
Mercenaries and Sith Witches
Here’s the Intel:Speaking of Boba Fett, Latino-Review reported inJune 2014that the bounty hunter’s Mandalorian buddies would be a major antagonist for the Jedi. They speculated that the black-and-chrome armor would belong to these new warriors. Additionally, fans should be on the look out for “Sith Witches”, who were loosely tied to the Nightsisters relating to Darth Maul.
Here’s the Truth:Nope and nope. The black-and-chrome armor only belongs to Captain Phasma, and there are no Sith witches or Sith of any kind in the movie.
The Story Is an Echo of ‘A New Hope’
Here’s the Intel:InJuly 2014, Badass Digest (now Birth.Movies.Death.) had the following story synopsis for the film:
Imagine the standardStar Warscrawl, and when it ends the camera pans up to the stars. But instead of a spaceship zooming into frame we see… a hand! A severed hand, tumbling through space. A severed hand gripping a light saber.
That hand falls onto a desert planet, where it is discovered by characters who will be our heroes. One is Daisy Ridley. The other is John Boyega, who is playing someone trying to change his path in life (again, I’m keeping it vague here). They recognize the light saber as a Jedi relic and decide to return it to the proper people.
Their quest takes them off world, and they meet up with Han Solo and Chewbacca, who aren’t flying around in the Millenium Falcon anymore but are piloting… well, that could be a spoiler. I’ll leave it. Anyway, Han and Chewie recognize the light saber as Luke’s, and they say they haven’t seen their friend in thirty years, since the events ofReturn of the Jedi.
So begins a quest to find the missing Jedi Master. Meanwhile, on an ice planet, nefarious forces are building a super weapon, one capable of destroying not planets but entire solar systems…
In many ways this plot ofEpisode VIIis an echo ofA New Hope. Instead of R2 coming to Tatooine it’s a hand falling from the sky, but the basic sweep of the story is similar, and intentionally so. But things that seem familiar may not be as familiar as you think – don’t assume that every ice or desert planet in the galaxy has already been visited, if you know what I’m saying.
Here’s the Truth:While it doesn’t line up 100% (there’s no falling lightsaber, and it’s not a quest to return that particular item), this story synopsis pretty much gets the gist of the story—the search for Luke Skywalker and the replacement of the Empire building a new superweapon. It’s definitely closer than Sith witches.
