Hasbro Employees Knew The Force Awakens Plot Twist Two Years Before Its Release
It seems a few people over at Hasbro may know what’s going on in the upcoming “Star Wars” films. Some of them even knew about the major plot twist in Star Wars: The Force Awakens nearly two years before its release… Read on for more…
With just about six months to go until the scheduled release date of Star Wars: Rogue One, keeping secrets to major plot and character twists in the film isn’t always easy. For the most part, stars and director Gareth Edwards have done an impressive job keeping a tight lid on plot details surrounding the new film, however, tiny nuggets have been revealed that have given fuel to a firestorm of fandom.
Disney and Lucasfilm have paid millions to keep a tight lid on character and plot details leaking from the set to the general public. They reportedly have ‘ special teams” trying to keep fans from finding out specific spoiler information so that its all a surprise for fans. Still, a few (need-to-know) people in the world have the privilege of knowing exactly what characters will be in the next “Star Wars” films and what may take place. A group of people over at the toy giant Hasbro are among those very few that have to keep secrets so they can put out toys in context with the story.
Tech Insider caught up with Hasbro’s production design manager Bill Rawley, to get his take on how difficult it really was keeping secrets for Star Wars films. Rawley is the person behind a lot of the “Star Wars” toys ranging from lightsabers to that now viral Chewbacca mask. At the moment, he is overseeing products that will be part of the Lucasfilm’s next two ‘Star Wars’ movies.
“We do get information really early and we’ll send team members out to Disney to do script reads so that we understand stories so that we can put our toys in context with the story and we cannot share any of that information with anyone,” Rawley explains. “Even internally in the building, designers and people on other groups, we can’t really talk to them about it. It’s on a need-to-know [basis]. If they’re working on products that are influenced by the story, we’ll let them know some story elements but a lot of times we don’t even share the full story with the rest of the teams because they don’t need to know that Han Solo doesn’t make it through the movie.”
Arguably one of the more famous scenes in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the scene involving Han Solo and Kylo Ren on Starkiller base. Rawley was one of the privileged people who knew the Han Solo plot twist and how it would play out on screen two years before its release.
“For example, and spoiler alert if you didn’t see ‘Episode VII,’ Han Solo’s death, I knew that for two years and I couldn’t tell anyone, not even my wife,” Rawley explained.
If you think about how gluttonous we all were around Star Wars: The Force Awakens clues, teases and spoilers, just imagine what it would feel like knowing and having to keep the death of Han Solo tight lipped for that long of time.
“When that scene happened in the movie theater with my wife she just turned and looked at me and said, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.’ I was kind of in trouble,” he joked. “It was the third time I’d seen the movie, the first time I saw it with my wife. So, I didn’t even watch the scene. I just turned and looked at her instead because I wanted to see her expression.”
Most of us by now have seen the new teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that dropped a few months back. The film will be the first in a series that will be outside the normal “Episode” chronology that we are used to seeing. The movie will follow a band of resistance fighters that unite for a daring mission to steal the plans for Death Star I seen in Star Wars: A New Hope. Rawley couldn’t give Tech Insider any specifics about what he has worked on for ‘Rogue One’, but he did say that Hasbro is working on Star Wars: Episode VIII stuff right now.
“We have another movie coming out this December, ‘Rogue One.’ And then, next year, there’s ‘Episode VIII. So, we’re actually working on ‘Episode VIII’ stuff right now,” Rawley told Tech Insider. “We’re excited about some of the newness we’re bringing into the products of that. It’s going to be fun.”
Hmmmmm! I wonder what he knows? We’ll have to wait and see.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to hit theaters on December 16.
Check back for more Star Wars news here at SWNN.
Source: Tech Insider
Something everyone knew was going to happen and which didn’t affect the outcome of the film in the slightest = “Plot Twist”.
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Joo keep hhusing those words; I do not think they mean what jou think they mean. 🙂
Do you hate everything? You must be a blast at parties…
His name should clue you in. Although I’m not sure what your name evokes when it comes to partying, and I don’t think I want to know. 😉
So says a Wookie load guzzler.
Uhhh…*PHRASING*
No, just you. Specifically you.
He’s great fun at Cranky Parties. It’s all about context.
It rhymes. It’s like poetry.
It’s gonna be great.
“It’s gonna be HUUUGE!”
Make Star Wars cranky again.
And we’ll make Warner Bros. pay for it.
I’m sure SOME WB execs are good people.
But most are rapists and drug us…you know what, that actually is factually correct, and therefore not funny. You know what, that does it, the film just got 10 minutes longer.
so did anyone with a brain
I really hate Harrison Ford’s sharting face here. Liam Neeson didn’t exactly do a bangup job in TPM either but at least his face was a bit less hammy.
Not sure what kind of face you would make with a lightsaber sticking through your chest.
A face of pain. Not a face like you’re ready to burp.
How do you know that Han didn’t have a turtlehead poking out?
But I’m not the guy who shot at Darth Vader’s face, wrecked his TIE, or flew into an asteroid field. He should have gone out with more dignity considering the entire audience saw his death coming and so would he had he been as saavy as he was in OT. Doesn’t take a genius to consider death is a strong possibilty when you ask you’re emotionally unstable son to give you his lightsaber.
Yes, yes, yes, everyone knew it hahaha
It was very obvious that Harrison wss going to get his death scene.
The real plot twist would have been if Han Solo actually lived !!
Oh sure, everyone’s generals now when the battle is over.
Whatever man. It’s not like some of us haven’t been keeping up with every Star Wars detail since 1977…
Yeah, I agree. I think most everyone knew it was coming. And then when he walked out onto the catwalk, I was thinking, “oh here it comes…”. If they were to stick with a death scene, I think it should have come at a time that was not as obvious and expected. Have the scene where you think it would happen (catwalk) but then he “lives”. Kylo grabs the lightsaber back from Han but then turns and walks away angrily. We think Han is spared at the moment. Han turns to look up at Chewy in disappointment and then the lightsaber suddenly sticks through his back out the front of his chest. The lightsaber turns off. Han turns to look at Kylo and they have that moment. Yeah, maybe that could still be predictable but I feel like it would give enough misdirection to catch some people by surprise since it showed Kylo start to walk away. But then again, I guess they were more concerned with setting up Kylo Ren for future installments than making it an unexpected at the moment.
Whether you know it’s coming or not, it is still a powerful and stressful scene. Everytime I watch it, I still get that lump in my throat and hope that it ends differently.
This scene could have been done 100 different ways, but I think they did it well. Han went to Starkiller Base and walked out on that catwalk knowing it most likely meant certain death, but he did it anyway. He had to save his son or die trying. Ultimately that’s the message they are trying to achieve, he didn’t just die for the sake of a plot twist.
I see your point and don’t disagree. I just prefer not to know what’s going to happen, but I understand it was important for Kylo to make the conscious decision to kill his father. I did like the symbolism of the shadow going across Kylo’s face at the moment that he changes back to the darkside and decides to kill Han. I thought that was well done. It’s subtle but powerful.
It’s actually kind of the opposite of ‘subtle’ (LOOK EVERYBODY! THE LIGHT IS BEING DRAINED OUT OF THE ‘SUN’), but it’s appropriate enough I suppose.
“Everytime I watch it, I still get that lump in my throat and hope that it ends differently.”
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You don’t really understand how “movies” work, do you?
Re: “He had to save his son or die trying”
No, he didn’t have to.
It’s Leia’s fault!
Han knew what Kylo had become.
If Leia hadn’t convinced (coerced) him to “bring him back” Han would’a been outta there & safe w/Chewie & the gang.
Otherwise, when Han saw Kylo outside Maz castle we would’a seen him running after him (particularly to ALSO save Rey!) – “Ben – wait, we gotta talk!”
Nope – Leia caused Han’s death.
Leia saw the good in her son the way her brother saw good in their father. Why is it unreasonable of her to think that Ben could be redeemed in the same manner as Vader?
As for whose fault it was, well, there was only one person with a lightsaber. 😉
My primary point is that I don’t believe Han would’ve confronted Kylo on his own.
Replied to “he had to save his son or die trying”.
Fault / Caused –
Again, Leia’s caused it. I didn’t talk about Leia’s thoughts/motivation. Obviously she was wrong about Han being able to bring Kylo back.
Without her instruction, Han would be alive.
Fault – fault as in ‘failure’, a failure of judgement.
Han’s instincts would’ve kept him alive.
During a war if a person steps in front of an enemy firing a machine gun hoping/believing/expecting they’ll decide to switch sides & release the trigger – yeah, you could say there’s one person with a machine gun….but that doesn’t mean that there’s no *fault* on the person who decided to walk into the imminent danger, nor say the person who ordered them to.
Not as good of an analogy – sure it’s the cliff’s fault alone for being so high+dangerous, but the jumper & person who told them to jump are also at fault for the death. 😉
I’ve known since 1983 that Han Solo was kicking it
Yayyyy newness!
Instead of everyone discussing Han Solo’s death plot (which every old school SW fan saw coming), why are we not discussing as to why the toy company needed to know this type of plot info 2 years prior to the films release? I did not see any action figure multi packs that depicted Ren’s lightsaber through Solo’s heart…..I mean damn, there were figures that came out with outrageous accessories that made no sense, yet apparently certain Hasbro employees needed access to this info…..and for what? If I spent millions of dollars just to keep a plot from leaking early, you can be sure that I would only be giving the images & body scans for the toy company to work with. Can anyone even name a product that Hasbro came out within a month or two of the movies release that reflects why a handful of people there just had to know a “secret” plot 2 years in advance?
Didn’t…didn’t I START the comments by same this exact thing? Anyhoo, someone explain why Kylo Ren needs a breather mask…that fits over his breath mask.
Sorry Crankypants, I only went about 3/4 down the comments before assuming it was all the same stuff….we share a great point. I am pretty sure Kylo needs his breathing mask on mask action for the same reason as to why Han Solo needs this….
No worries, I wasn’t being serious. I rarely am 🙂 Or Luke needs his giant weapons kit. Yeah, I suppose I get what Hasblow was going for in terms of increasing play value, but the whole line is just stupid.
Stupid for nerds, not for five year old kids.
I don’t see these things flying off shelves though. I mean, maybe if Hasbro could get their distribution shit together to GET them on shelves in the first place I might, but now…?
Aha! You’re not so cranky as your name leads us to believe. It was an elaborate ruse!
Oh man – this brings memories back. God, those 90s figures REALLY don’t stand up well at all. Roid Rage Luke & Diesel Han vs. Boba “Guns” Fett!
I know – I actually HAVE this thing packed away somewhere 🙂 But PotF2 was SUCH an awesome time – hit the shelves without being aware they were coming, just…BOOM! Star Wars is back!
Yep, grabbed up all the EU special ones like Mara, Thrawn & Dark Empire Leia (w/ Red Saber); recall there being some wonky ‘variant’ thing in some of the characters’ lightsabers being different lengths (open space for d__k jokes here), and the long ones being worth *snicker* more… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMGu-55sKJs
Omg I totally had that back in the day… It’s ridiculousness is glorious!
Great point James Bond, I totally agree.
Your comment isn’t as well thought out as perhaps you think it is. The studio doesn’t go to the toy company with a list of products they want made. It’s a two way dialogue. Hasbro needs detail because they need to discuss which characters and moments would give rise to the best or most profitable products, and they are better versed in deciding that than filmmakers. They cannot do that if they are drip fed scraps of information. I’m addition, knowing more detail helps them to avoid unintentional spoilers slipping in here and there.
Re: “plot twist” ?
You keep saying that – I don’t think that means what you think it means. 😉
Shocking event? Sure! But not a *twist*.
Now Han standing on the walk way & saying – “Kylo, I know why you hated me. I shouldn’t have hid from you that Luke is your real father!”
That would’ve been a plot *twist*.