"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is less than a month away from its theatrical release and Disney is gearing up for a premiere on Dec. 14 to officially unveil the movie to the world. However, other than the date and the general location of the event, Disney is keeping mum about the premiere.
The studio has released invites to the event but they only state that the premiere will be taking place in Hollywood. Traditionally, however, Disney premieres have been held simultaneously in several theaters, like the Dolby, El Capitan and TCL Chinese. Given the level of secrecy surrounding the big public reveal for "The Force Awakens," the event has become one of the hottest tickets in town in years.
The movie is being kept under wraps as well until the premiere such that most of the cast will be waiting for Dec. 14 to see fruits of their labor, although a cast-only screening was held on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles. What about the leads, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega? The two have seen "The Force Awakens" early in December.
Disney has also decided to forego the usual early screenings, including those set for critics groups, to ensure that "The Force Awakens" is revealed only when intended.
Outside of the cast, Rian Johnson and Gareth Edwards have seen a cut of the movie. Johnson will be directing Episode VIII (he's already finished a draft of the script) while Edwards will be in charge of "Star Wars: Rogue One." Chris Miller and Phil Lord, who will be directing a Han Solo spinoff, however, have not seen "The Force Awakens."
As for studio executives, Alan Horn, Alan Bergman, Bob Iger and John Lasseter have all seen varying parts of the movie.
"Have I seen the new Star Wars? Yes, I have!" said Steven Spielberg, who is longtime colleague to Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, and mentor to J.J. Abrams.
As Spielberg has known Abrams since the "Force Awakens" director was 14, it's not so surprising that he would be one of the few to see "Episode VII" first. But as he treats Abrams as a brother, Spielberg is protecting his secrets. Well, until Dec. 14 at least.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is due for a North American release Dec. 18.
