STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS' plot may just have leaked online

If there’s one thing I really loved about the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it was the fact that while introducing us to the new characters, it really reveals next to nothing about the plot. This should come as no surprise though, as co-writer/director JJ Abrams’ is well-known for having airtight productions. But it seems that this production has now sprung a leak. Possibly a very, very big one.

Yesterday afternoon a user on the 4chan message board calling himself Spoiler Man went and posted over 3000 words worth of details about the movie, as well as supposed proof of their legitimacy. Spoiler Man, who claims to be a Lucasfilm employee, revealed not only the inner workings of the production but also several key elements of the plot, such as exactly who Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Max Von Sydow are playing. Obviously this is true spoiler territory – a place that I really don’t want to go. Luckily though, Spoiler Man’s revelations were reposted on Reddit, where they were handily sorted into categories so that I could avoid the biggest reveals.

One intriguing thing revealed about the production is that there has apparently been a lot in-fighting.Disney has apparently made several demands of JJ Abrams and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, interfering in their writing process, which has soured relationships a bit and left the director haggard. Apparently this constant battle of wills has left Abrams looking “10 years older every time we see him”.

Production issues aside though, Spoiler Man claims that what he’s seen of the movie – which is the full script and some raw footage/dailies – is looking really good. He goes further to say that “it’s as good as A New Hope”. It’s not just quality levels that are similar though, as there are apparently lots of throwbacks to the look of the prequel trilogy through the use of conventional props, masks and prosthetics instead of CGI. One of the lightsaber battles in the film is also said to be “magnificent”, “heavy hitting”, and “original-trilogy styled”, possibly referring to the more emotionally dramatic battles seen in the earlier films. He’s also confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch is definitely not in the movie (I don’t even know why this is still a question), and any “I am your father” style twists are being held back for Episode VIII.

As for non- or light-spoilery details about the plot go, the film is said to be very dark, with the only moments of comic relief really coming from C-3PO and R2-D2. Otherwise, this is a very grim film, with no romantic subplots, set in a now 40 years long war of attrition between the Rebels and the remnants of the Empire left behind after the events of Return of the Jedi. And speaking of Rebels, Cartoon Network’s Star Wars Rebels – which has been surprisingly good thus far – apparently has serious connections to the events of The Force Awakens, so watching that show is probably not a bad thing.

One of the most interesting and intriguing revelations though, is that while the events of the Expanded Universe has officially been discarded as non-cannon, there are apparently a few choice EU story/character elements that are referenced in this film. This lines up with Lucasfilm’s original claim that while the EU may be nothing more than glorified fan-fiction now, the stories are too good to ignore completely so writers may borrow details whenever it fits into the new bigger picture.

That was about as far as I was willing to scratch at this for fear of spoiling anything major for myself, but if you’re not bothered by this sort of thing, then feel free to click on through to HERE and read at your own peril. One thing must be said though: While Spoiler Man’s claims almost all line up with recent rumours, and he has posted a number of things that substantiate them, this is still just an unconfirmed rumour. Spoiler Man does cover himself though by saying that while what he is saying is “95% correct”, Lucasfilm and Disney are supposedly leaking fake, contradictory info intentionally so as to throw early-scoopers off the scent.

Last Updated: December 5, 2014