Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens will be the first time that the Millennium Falcon has been on the big screen since the 1997 theatrical re-release of the original trilogy. The recent minute-and-a-half trailer only served to whet the appetite of fans eager to see the return of the “fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.” A new spread in Fortune magazine featuring Disney CEO Bob Iger gives another peek at the iconic spaceship.
The January issue of Fortune magazine has Iger on the cover with a rendering of the updated Millennium Falcon behind him. Another photo inside the cover has the CEO appear to be on the set of Star Wars with the Falcon behind him, ramp lowered, as if expecting someone to board.
In today’s Fortune Magazine, get an exclusive sneak peek of Star Wars’ “Millennium Falcon” http://t.co/iYeibdE7Ql pic.twitter.com/UQz473gEl6
— Fortune Magazine (@FortuneMagazine) December 29, 2014
Fortune claims that this is the first close-up look at the Millennium Falcon that will appear in the 2015 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens . The magazine worked with Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) special effects group to generate both shots.
“The collaboration started with our photo shoot with CEO Iger earlier this month in New York,” Fortune’s Michal Lev-Ram wrote. “The photos were then turned over to ILM to, well, work their magic. Not surprisingly, the secretive division was mum about the exact process for creating the realistic shot of Iger standing right on set, casually leaning against a chunk of metal (the image seen in the opening pages of the story).”
Meanwhile, the cover shot “required the custom rendering of ILM’s computer generated Falcon. According to ILM, the fabled ship was rendered in wireframe form (a skeletal version) as well as a more layered ‘textured render,’ which were combined in Photoshop to create the final image.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is currently set for a December 18, 2015 release to theaters. This is the first film in the series that will be under the management of Disney after George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to the House of Mouse.
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford all return in the familiar roles of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo, respectively. They are joined by a new cast that includes John Boyega as Finn, Daisy Ridley as Rey, and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Domnhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, and Gwendoline Christie are also confirmed.
[Images via Fortune , Star Wars YouTube ]