Updated with Photos! Japanese Press Conference for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The very first press conference for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is slated to take place today in Tokyo, Japan, officially beginning the advertising campaign of the film.
The press conference will be the first major opportunity for journalists to have their questions answered by the team behind the movie itself. Leading the conference discussion are two people of prominence: leading lady Daisy “Rey” Ridley and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Apparently they chose to have the first conference in Japan as a way of honoring the home nation of Akira Kurosawa, director of The Hidden Fortress and a major inspiration for the Star Wars saga.
Another report states the following tidbit about production, which is interesting information (rough translation below):
According to Kennedy at the stage now where rough editing is finished, advances the work, such as CG for the world all at once published the future, that the 1-2 month production of music by John Williams (83) later is started. “There is still a lot of story, the basic the” Star Wars Saga “that the family inheritance, the story of each and every universe is drawn will be,” I was told in depth and meaning.
Yet another report includes a tease from Kathleen Kennedy as to what the story is going to be like:
Mr. Kennedy emphasized that “family is what we inherited. Family of Saga” is the base of this new trilogy.
Be sure to check back to Star Wars 7 News for a guide as to what was discussed at this event.
UPDATE!
Here is a video and some photos from the event from gigazine.net (via DaisyRidleyDaily):
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
Very cool!
Why is George Lucas in the press conference if he’s not involved in the movie? (Not trying to be a troll here. I’m genuinely curious.)
He’s an Executive Producer.
He said himself he doesn’t know what’s going on, since they changed the script
He was still involved with a number of discussions with J. J. Abrams. He’d probably talk about some of the stuff on J. J.’s behalf based on the conversations they had. I don’t think he’ll answer many questions, if any.
Why isn’t he listed or credited as an executive producer? It’s always shown as Abrams, Kennedy, and Burk. Seems a little strange they had Lucas choose the location (Japan) since he has little/no input into TFA. Glad he’s there and all but it doesn’t fit with his level of “involvement” thus far.
Let’s look at this in its proper perspectives. No matter the rumors or Lucas’ never ending ability to be honest to us about anything; never forget that there weren’t supposed to be anymore according to Lucas, regardless of his “outlines” back from the late seventies/early eighties.
His own son has thrown him under the bus to state that George was working on this stuff even at a time when he told the public he wasn’t. Abrams and Kasdan rewrote the Arndt screenplay. Arndt’s screenplay was based off of Lucas’ sequel outlines, the same outlines that Lucas claimed that Disney wasn’t using.
When you the look at this as is, We’ve got a man that’s been shying away from taking any credit publically due to his, shall we say, excessive use of camp in Star Wars mostly since the Special Editions.
All this, and he is still the creative consultant. Anyone who has more than a tabloid understanding of Hollywood knows that this is not a simple, powerless job to be undertaken. Like it or not, the man is still involved, but now he’s like Palpatine; he’s doing things covertly from behind the scenes.
SW doesn’t belong to Lucas anymore. Anyone with more than a simpleton understanding of how business works knows what it means to sell a franchise to another larger entity and who is calling the shots moving forward. It ain’t the previous owner working secretly behind the scenes so he can protect his humbleness of not wanting exposure.
Im not going to assume that you actually went to school for anything to do with business. But I will say this: before you jump the gun and make a statement based simply on the face of something, you should actually read up on and understand all the statements made about or having to do with Lucas and his involvement currently; right off the but, you aren’t speaking from the knowledge that he is still involved as a creative consultant.
He sold to Disney; true, but he is still involved. I really don’t care if you think I made an arrogant or misinformed statement. All I ask is that you actually know this topic more than a surface interest and to not shoot fist without asking questions at all.
Besides,
According to George, he was never going to sell the company, let alone go beyond the six episodes he decided would complete the saga.
We don’t know the last time Lucas was consulted though..
Good point. Let’s just hope that The Force Awakens has a very solid storyline.
And Oscar Isaac said his first confirmation that he was definitely in the movie was seeing himself in the first teaser trailer. Telling over-the-top fibs is one way of dealing with being constantly bombarded with questions.
Movie poster?
The first poster (just the title and a bunch of stars) has been seen somewhere in the United States. I expect the poster will drop right around the time Avengers: Age Of Ultron hits American theaters.
That’s tomorrow
Poster May the 4th?
Probably something bigger than a mere poster. John Boyega just teased there being a “calm before the storm”.
Today for me because instead of midnight premieres all the theatres around here start showing at 7pm so you know where i’ll be after I get out of work tonight!
I hope it is attached to age of ultron for you. I’m in the UK and saw AOU last week and there was no Star Wars trailer attached to it!
Must have depended on the cinema. There was a trailer on mine in 3D. Same one tho, nothing new.
Oh man, it was the last one they showed so I thought they weren’t gonna show it, first time seeing anything related to TFA on the big screen, and in 3D! simply glorious!
I saw AOU in 2D and no Force Awakens teaser which was disapointing. Would it depend on it being 2d or 3D or is it to do with the cinema I wonder?
He’s still there as an advisor if they need him, and I mean it’s Star Wars. Cool to see George is involved in the promotion for VII.
i think he has something to do with all this you see, back in the day he invented the jar jar drinks bar and some chewing baccy or something. In the 1950s he made a film called Space Battles which Star wars draws a lot of inspiration from, in the bottom image you can see three P O boxes and a very light saber toothed tiger that he used in his cartoons, mickey mouse?? yep he drew that as well, you could say he invented space, without space we wouldnt have battles and without battles we wouldnt have tom and jerry so you can see how it all fits, without George Mucus we wouldnt have nerds and geeks and people who obsess over the slightest bit of space gonk and dark vaders. Live long and forceful
Because he CREATED Star Wars?
LOL.
How come nobody questions why Stan Lee is in every Marvel movie?
Not a fan of the PT but even I can admit George has a right to be there. It’s actually kind of cool. He get’s to watch it move on and evolve now. Let another generation take it for a spin… fitting into the family theme quite nicely.
Sometimes I still find it difficult to believe that not only is a new movie happening but it’s only 7 months away!
I agree, it’s crazy that we’re already so close to the release. It just seemed like yesterday when we first heard wind of anything Star Wars Ep. 7 related. I am hyped for this movie, but of course I’ll try my best to go in with decent expectations. I’m scared to read some of these comments and articles now because I don’t want any spoilers but I crave them still.
I love the odd comments from people who are trying extra hard not to die before they see the movie. Because I thought exactly the same. Buckle up, stay safe… Get ready for 7 months time. Mind you wasn’t Mr Lucas inspired to do Starwars after a near fatal car accident – which made him decide to follow his dreams and use his time well? I’m happy he is part of the process. He just needs a strong team to plug his weak spots and fight him at times. Come on episode 7.
What will George say?
I hope this gets uploaded.
The article doesn’t say that George Lucas will be there. The beginning of the article says roughly:
The publicity campaign for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the newest entry in the popular movie series opening world wide on December 18th, has been set to kick off in Japan.
English actress Daisy Ridley, chosen to play the new heroin, and Kathleen Kennedy, entrusted by series creator George Lucas to to produce the new works, will come to Japan and a press conference will take place in the city on the 30th of this month. At the Star Wars fan event which opened in California on the 16th of this month, Daisy and the principle cast took part in a talk show, but there was no question and answer session with the press. The interview on the 30th will be the first time the new cast will answer questions from the press.
The article states “leading the conference”… and lists Lucas himself.
What is odd though is the paragraph in italics that begins “according to Kennedy” is worded weird, it doesn’t make sense.
Somebody translated it with Google Translate. The original Japanese article definitely did not say Lucas would be there.
ok, just checked the Japanese version. you’re right, it doesn’t say shit about Lucas actually being there
Check out the shadow behind Daisy Ridley is several of the photos above….remind any of you of a certain Episode 1 teaser poster?
palpatine
Good spot! Daisy Ridley is a Sith for real!
That’s Kathleen Kennedy’s shadow,
o_O
Once she is young and innocent, but someday, she will turn to the dark side, and be an executive producer to the Goonies 2…
This is an ill omen indeed…
My girl Daisy has a Star Wars tattoo on her cute left footsie! Star Wars font
Ugh, dislike.
I was just thinking that she looks like a bogan (that’s the Australian equivalent of a chav) with that tattoo. What a tasteless young woman.
I had to look up both bogan and chav, because those terms weren’t familiar to me here in the US, but I disagree. That’s a pretty simple tattoo, and, having lived in Hollywood for 15 years, there are lots of beautiful women with many more tattoos than that.
Those ‘translations’ aren’t coherent at all!
You need to get an English speaker who reads Japanese to do a proper translation into English.
Well duh.. But it would take a while to find someone who can do that wouldn’t it? So maybe, just for now, take the translation ..
Both ladies looking sexy.
G. Walton Lucas was very much involved, no matter what gets said in post production. The more we talk about what he did or didn’t do, the less we talk about not knowing ridley er didly squat about the movie. Misdirection. The oldest and greatest trick a Jedi Master can pull….
Extremely doubtful
It’s interesting that Kennedy said what she did. Although, it would make sense both to generate excitement here and in Japan. If I remember correctly from a cultural perspective the Japanese place a lot of importance on family and their family legacy.
Japan, Asia in general. Yeah, it’s the unspoken glue of half the world.
I personally don’t care why GL was there. I just feel that Daisy Ridley is darn gorgeous.
Memnon: “Waaaaaaahhhhhh, childhood ruiner!!!! Someone change my diapers!!!!!”
Isn’t she something about 28? So an adult woman. Nothing wrong about telling a woman that she’s beautiful.
23
Born: Apr 10, 1992 (age 23)
Height: 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
Ok, definitely a bit too young for my taste but still a good looking woman.
No woman is too young. Just as long as they are legal
Anymore updates? What questions are being asked, etc?
I just also think George Lucas has been much involved in this movie, may be not as much as with Empire. He has been lying saying he does not know anything to avoid been blamed (as he was for the prequels) in case this movie dissapoints.
That is rubbish
No offense to anyone, I believe Japanese language is quite difficult and look it up, but the last word said in the short vid reminded me so much of Greedo’s language XD
This is good news!
You see in Japan, movies take FOREVER to get mass distribution [I saw Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time, two months ago].
However, like with most things in Asia, there are exceptions…
Apparently, Star Wars counts as an exception. The fact that they’re this “on it” this soon, means they *might* give us an actual DECEMBER RELEASE, THIS YEAR. Fingers crossed, cause I know if there are any big bombshells in TFA I am NOT going to survive 6 months spoiler-free.
“According to Kennedy at the stage now where rough editing is finished, advances the work, such as CG for the world all at once published the future, that the 1-2 month production of music by John Williams (83) later is started. “There is still a lot of story, the basic the” Star Wars Saga “that the family inheritance, the story of each and every universe is drawn will be,” I was told in depth and meaning.”
Is this Yoda that is doing the translation?
Well Yoda speaks in Japanese Grammar, in the dub he just sounds like a regular old guy.
is it me or is Daisy kind of hot with her high heels and all?
This is great, we get more news and they attract a bigger market to make it even more popular than it already will be.
Also guys, please check out my new Star Wars Podcast and let me know what you think! Our very first episode was released today. I do a few shout outs to this site as my favorite news source and we discuss and article they posted about the First Order and Resistance.
http://www.JediCast.com
May name is Adam.
Were Fabulous secrets revealed to you the day you held aloft your magic sword?…?
? … what? ?
are you mixing up the Bible and Arthurian legend, or am I in a cave for not understanding the reference?
I am Groot!
I’m BATMAN!
I’m Brian and so’s my wife!
It’s pretty clear for me that Rey it’s the new protagonist / jedi of the saga, for the sequel trilogy. She appears more than everyone in the trailer, she’s the only one with a contract confirmed for the 3 movies, (7, 8 and 9), she is always on the center of attention and now helping Kathleen Kennedy to promote the movie WITHOUT the other 2 main new characters.
Yeah, she’s the new Luke
Han’s the new Ackbar, Leia’s the new Mon Mothma, and Luke’s either the new Vader or the New Obi1.
Woah, just occurred to me, do you think Ackbar and Mothma had a thing going on between each other? that make a strange comic…
And I guess Poe is the new Han, or Wedge.
Finn is *sorta the new Lando, but not really, he’s actually one of the most original characters, provided he doesn’t spend the WHOLE film panicking on Jar Jar levels.
I’m still holding out hope that Max von Sydow is in fact an aged Moff Jerjerrod [the one officer next to Vader that DOESN’T die. Not even the 2nd Death Star killed this dude], I think Jerjerrod was a great character whose realistic thinking and quiet compassion perfectly made Darth Vader look more badass. He’s like the wimpy sidekick that makes the bully look more scary. But he also has enough of a moral compass to be horrified at Darth Vader’s action, which in a way makes his compliance with Vader all the more evil.
He’s also evidently quite intelligent and efficient, based on the fact that the 2nd death star WAS built in time, and Vader hasn’t killed him yet, which for officers is like a friggin world record.
Also: He partially witnessed the Death of Darth Vader, and Luke helping Vader, he saw that; which is pretty damn important if you really think about it. How many people did Luke tell about the whole Vader-father thing? How many people know what really happened with Vader’s death? Well, Moff Jerjerrod knows that Vader was somehow injured and dying, and Luke [flagpole hero of the Rebellion] was HELPING him. Jerjerrod is noticeably perplexed but continues running to get the hell outta there. Jerjerrod now holds clues to what MAY BE classified information.
Definitely an underrated character, he’s like the Empire’s Wedge Antilles.
Also that tattoo Daisy has had to have been painful to get, what with being on a particularly tendon-y part of the foot.
How come there are no tattooed Jedis? Ep II jedis are all lame. ugh
My name is Jeff…
Class act and great PR move by honoring Kurosawa. If it wasn’t for him, there would be no Star Wars. Brilliant films, I treasure them all. Especially Seven Samurai.
Yeah, I’m not so sure Kurosawa is THE reason they’re hitting Japan first, for one, Star Wars meshes well with the Japanese obsession with fantasy. It’s a nice tip-of-the-hat to Kurosawa, but there are a TON of other better reasons for this to be their first move.
No, of course not, but good PR none the less.
so… are there some news about the movie, or just pictures?
captured tv channel video footage of the event and a later interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w1HBq9cGB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdhOsOMcDWk
new day.
rough translation from google.
“[Interview] ‘Star Wars’ will deliver the first word of the new heroine came to Japan ‘family story’!”
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20150501-00000023-cine-movi
“This is a generational family saga and that fundamentally has been very important to us to continue that.” “And the drama inherent in that is the tension between good and evil.” -Kathleen Kennedy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0fJ4UFsGhU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkstUDjmH3w
That’s a secret.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VllWwpT5jCk