JJ Abrams reveals why he’s kept the Star Wars: The Force Awakens plot so secret

Although we’ve been bombarded with trailers, TV spots and promos from the new Star Wars movie over the last few months, we still don’t actually have a clear idea of the film’s plot and there’s a very good reason for that, reveals its director J.J. Abrams:

“When [Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and writer Lawrence Kasdan] and I started talking about what this was, the fundamental question was, what did we want people to feel when they came to see this movie,” Abrams said, speaking at a media launch in Los Angeles.

“The answer was the sense of discovery, exhilaration and surprise we all felt when we saw the original Star Wars.”

Looking back at that original film, from 1977, and looking “at all the things [director George Lucas] got right, it’s impossible and stunning,” Abrams adds. “[What we wanted was] to give people that sense of possibility and magic we all felt when we first saw the original Star Wars.”

Securing the film was easier than Abrams expected. “While we were working on the film, I realised how engaged with the fans and forthcoming Lucasfilm had always been,” Abrams said.

“Disney, to my shock, was arguing not to ruin, not to reveal, not to show every story beat. We’ve all seen trailers that show you the movie in Cliff’s Notes form, so I was very grateful that Disney took the lead on keeping things quieter.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in UK on December 17th and a day later stateside.