Photos Show the Intimacy of First 'Star Wars' Appearance at SDCC in 1976
Over the last 40 years, Star Wars has become one of the dominating forces in pop culture, a [...]
Over the last 40 years, Star Wars has become one of the dominating forces in pop culture, a franchise that has created millions of fans and told hundreds of stories, with a fervent fanbase that's as passionate as ever. Another drastic change over the last few decades is San Diego Comic-Con, who drew roughly 300 attendees in 1970 and has now become a mecca for all things pop culture. The official Star Wars Twitter account recently shared photos of the humble beginnings of both the franchise and the convention, with the current convention currently running through Sunday.
Roy Thomas and Howard Chakin tell a less than packed audience about a film called Star Wars at @Comic_Con in 1976. #ThrowbackThursday #SDCC pic.twitter.com/XIrJgaAfrL
— Star Wars (@starwars) July 20, 2017
At the event, audience members were treated to a few still photos of the film, which wouldn't be released for nearly a year after the convention.
When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter back in 2013, Mark Hamill recalled some of his experiences at various conventions while trying to drum up excitement for a film he hadn't even seen in full.
"I hadn't seen the special effects or heard John Williams' score, but I knew it had 'cult' written all over it," Hamill explained. "I think those were the days it was still called The Star Wars. I had a feeling this thing couldn't miss. It cost less than All the President's Men that year, just $9.5 million."
He added, "I thought, 'It'll make $40 million if it makes a dollar. Let's say it gets panned by all the critics, relegated to matinees for kids, and only makes $5 million and there's no sequel — still it's going to be so well received there's no way it's not going to become, like, a midnight movie shown on campuses.' I said, 'If this is even one-tenth of the fun to watch that it was to make, it's gonna out-gross Planet of the Apes.' We laughed so much when we were making it."
Although Star Wars isn't screening any footage at this year's convention, it has instead become a staple of the D23 Expo, which was held last weekend, and featured Hamill's attendance, in addition to behind-the-scenes footage of The Last Jedi being shown, which was made available online almost instantly.
You can see The Last Jedi when it hits theaters on December 15.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the second film in the new Star Wars sequel trilogy that began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. The film will deal with Luke training Rey to become a, and possibly the last, Jedi. Meanwhile, the Resistance, including Poe Dameron and First Order defector Finn, continues to fight against the First Order, led by General Hux, while Supreme Leader Snoke and his Dark Side follower Kylo Ren continue their mysterious plot.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.
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