It's got 72 million views on YouTube after just one week, but there is one person out there who still hasn't seen the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. George Lucas.
JJ Abrams unveiled the first teaser for his 2015 movie over Thanksgiving, and it's already on track to be the most viewed trailer of all time. So why is the original Star Wars creator, Lucas, out of the loop?
Page Six caught up with the filmmaker this week, and of course the site were keen to ask Lucas what he thought of Abrams' efforts. They were left disappointed though when Lucas said of the trailer: "I don't know anything about it. I haven't seen it yet.” When asked why, Lucas had a pretty simple explanation, and no he isn't boycotting the movie:
“Because it's not in the movie theater. I like going to the movies and watching the whole thing there. I plan to see it when it's released," he explained. Actually the trailer WAS shown in 30 US cinemas over Thanksgiving weekend before it hit the internet, but perhaps Lucas meant he's waiting to see the whole, finished film in the cinema.
Lucas does have some involvement with Abrams' movie, he's credited as a creative consultant, and a year ago his son Jett Lucas, said in an interview that his dad was “constantly talking to J.J.,” and that “J.J. was handpicked.”
Sorry John, George Lucas hasn't seen the trailer...
While he is involved, Lucas lost the rights to Star Wars when Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4billion in 2012. And Abrams has already made his mark on the classic franchise, with his teaser raved about by fans. In the trailer, Abrams chose to shine the spotlight on new recruits John Boyega and Daisy Ridley instead of giving fans a look at the original trio from Lucas' movies, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, who reprise their roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens. So while the new director has included a link to Lucas, expect Episode VII to take Star Wars in a whole new direction...
