Clocking in at just under two minutes, the preview for one of this year’s most-anticipated movies (and one of the most-anticipated movies in quite a few years, to be honest) offers up a surprising amount of new footage from the seventh installment of the iconic science-fiction saga.
Set 30 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, the new film passes the torch — or in this case, lightsaber — to a new generation of heroes and villains, introduced through a poignant narration plucked from the classic trilogy. While the film features quite a few newcomers to the Star Wars universe, it also brings back much of the cast of the original trilogy, including Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, and the fearless smuggler played by Harrison Ford, Han Solo.
Glimpsed in the new teaser are featured newcomers John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Lifesaver), and Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), along with a host of stormtroopers, droids, starships, and lightsaber-wielding characters of unknown loyalties. The teaser is packed with action sequences and concludes with a brief scene sure to ignite fans’ nostalgia, with Millennium Falcon pilot Han Solo (Ford) reunited with his furry co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) in what appears to be the cockpit of the bucket of bolts telling his pal, “Chewie, we’re home.”
Along with the aforementioned cast, The Force Awakens stars returning cast members Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and Kenny Baker, as well as newcomers Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Anderson, Christina Chong, and Miltos Yerolemou.
Directed by J.J. Abrams, and scored by legendary composer John Williams, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18, 2015.
