In this video grab made available by Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM on Thursday, May 22, 2014, J.J. Abrams, director of "Star Wars: Episode VII," talks to the fans from the movie set in the desert in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.The first movie trailer for the upcoming "Star Wars" film - "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - will debut in nine theaters nationwide between Friday and Sunday, and two of them are about 90 minutes from Chattanooga.
According to CNET.com, the Regal Pinnacle 18 in Knoxville and the Regal Atlantic Station 18 in Atlanta will be showing the trailer. There is no information on which movies will show it during their coming attractions.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is set to open on Dec. 18, 2015. It is set 30 years after the events in 1983's "Return of the Jedi" and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) will reprise their roles, as will Kenny Baker (R2D2), Anthony Daniels (C3Po) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca).
The film is being directed by J.J. Abrams ("Star Trek Into Darkness," "Star Trek," "Super"), who co-wrote the screenplay with Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
The other movie theaters that will be showing the trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" are:
• Irvine, Calif.: Edwards Irvine Spectrum 22
• San Diego, Calif: Edwards Mira Mesa Stadium 18
• Chicago, Ill: Regal City North Stadium 14
• New York, N.Y.: Regal Union Square Stadium 14
• Warrington, Pa.: Regal Warrington Crossing Stadium 22
• Houston, Texas: Edwards Houston Marq'E Stadium 23
• Seattle, Wash.: Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14
The same tactic was used in 1998 prior to the release of the first "Star Wars" prequel - ""Star Wars: The Phantom Menace." The two-minute trailer played on 75 screens in 26 states. Some fans waited in line, bought tickets for the feature film, then left after watching the "Star Wars" trailer.