The wait is almost over, as J.J. Abrams confirms he has a final cut of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the can. The director announced the film was complete during a talk hosted by Vanity Fair, and also moved to reassure fans that Disney has not interfered with his vision for the franchise.
"When you do a Disney project, there’s a clause in there that you kind of go, 'Well, if I were a lawyer I could probably drive a truck through it'," said Abrams in reference to the studio’s ability to take a project out of a director’s hands should it wish. However, in the case of Star Wars, the studio has apparently remained respectfully hands-off.
"I cannot say enough about how Bob Iger and Alan Horn have understood this thing that is now part of the Disney company," continues Abrams. "And they’re not trying to Disney-fy it, they’re not doing anything other than, I think, an incredibly smart thing, which is letting Kathleen Kennedy — who is a remarkable person and producer — run and lead Lucasfilm to a place where I think it wants to go."
Reassuring stuff, then. With December fast approaching, anticipation is expected to build even more over the coming weeks, with a final trailer set to arrive in due course. Starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will open in the UK on December 17 2015 and the US the following day.
