Almost a decade after the last “Star Wars” motion picture hit the big screen, fans are very excited when it comes to news concerning the latest epic sci-fi action film. With “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” just waiting in the wings for its December 18 release, toy and board game company Hasbro, in collaboration with Disney, is set to make public the storm trooper action figures during the film’s panel at the ComicCon 2015 be held in San Diego, California on July 9 to 12.
Hasbro will definitely heighten fan excitement for the film with their latest product. In addition to opening up potential sales revenues for the action figures, it also put on high gear marketing and promotions for the film.
The Business Insider got hold of the collectible and generously shared the details of it online. The packaging itself contains a little summary about the upcoming film, particularly about how the iconic storm troopers, who first appeared in Clone Wars, became First Order.
Upon opening the box, avid fans and toy collectors are in for a special treat as a six-inch storm trooper model action figure with two guns will come out. A booklet explaining the origins of the storm troopers and the nitty-gritty evolution of their white armor also comes along with the box.
Hasbro will debut their newest offering as part of the ‘Star Wars: The Black Series’ collection and can be bought for $25.99 at Hasbro’s booth during the ComicCon 2015. For fans that won’t be able to go to the Warner Bros event, they can simply visit Hasbro’s official website to place orders for the storm trooper action figures.
30 years later
Set to hit theaters on December 18 in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D releases, events of “Star Wars: Force Awakens” roughly takes place 30 years after events of “Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi,” with new characters coming alongside some perennial characters of the space opera franchise. The film will be at the helm of producer, writer, and director J.J. Abrams, who have also worked on a handful of “Star Trek” films in the past.
The central focus of the film will be towards storm trooper Finn, played by British actor Josh Boyega, and how his character will be meshed into the “Star Wars” universe. Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, and Adam Driver also stars in the film’s seventh installment as Pope Dameron, Maz Kanata, Captain Phasma, and Kylo Ren, respectively. Ren’s character is highly speculated to be Han Solo’s child. Writers are seeing this plot as a way for the old and new characters to interact.
Long-time followers of the series will be happy to know that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamil, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker will reprise their legendary roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker C-3PO, Chewbacca, and R2-D2, respectively. This will be Fisher’s first time to reprise her Princess Leia role in over 30 years.
Recently, the upcoming movie’s trailer has broken records by being the most viewed film teaser on YouTube within 24 hours. Melty reports that the trailer for the film hit 30.65 million views in a single day when it was first released in April, ultimately stealing the record from Korean artist Psy when he debuted his Gangnam Style music video a few years ago.
New mentors
Although filming has already concluded as of late last year, spoilers have been scarce for the film amid slight drops of controversial tweets and photos here and there from stars, producers, and kibitzers. Speaking to Vanity Fair, co-writer Lawrence Kasdan has given clues suggesting that Luke and Han may act as mentors for younger characters in the upcoming film.