One legendary name that has been absent from the Star Wars Saga for over a decade, but made a triumphant comeback last weekend, is none other than Drew Struzan. Struzan is the artist behind the theatrical posters for the original six films, along with many other movies, and it was revealed at D23 on Saturday that he would be returning with a new poster for The Force Awakens exclusively for that convention.
More recently, Movie-Weekly sat down with Struzan for a lengthy interview where he talked about his past and current works, including the newly unveiled Episode VII poster. He explained how he was brought back into the Star Wars fold and added that he had seen a portion of the film, and had some high praise for it:
"Well, see it started about a year ago or more, a year and a half ago. I got a call from J.J. Abrams who I have never met, and he was in England shooting the film and he goes ‘Hi, I’ve always loved the work’ and Blah, Blah, Blah, sounding like you, you know, like a fanboy (laughs)…And we were talking along and he just goes ‘…Well, would you?’ and I said ‘…If I was asked.’ And that was the conversation (laughs). By the end of it, there were no other words. So about a year later, we get together and meet and he says we’re using all the original people - John Williams, Kasdan, Harrison Ford’s in it, everybody’s in it and everybody’s writing and making the music and we have to have your art to make it the real thing. So, of course, I’ve got to do it for George and I’ve got to do it for Star Wars. I’ve never worked with J.J before and so we started working on it and he showed me like half the movie and it was just… a wonderful film and I know it’s going to be grand. I got to read the script and subsequently I’ve seen half of it and I can tell you and the fans this, Honest to god, it is far and away probably going to be THE BEST Star Wars you’ve ever seen... it’s beautifully made and it’s a wonderful story."
Struzan actually isn't the first to make this claim. Late last year C-3PO himself, Anthony Daniels, tweeted that The Force Awakens may top The Empire Strikes Back, which is considered by many to be the best of the six movies so far. While we must be careful not to set our expectations to high for this film, it's certainly encouraging to hear such positive words from those who have actually seen Episode VII, at least partially.
Source: Movie-Weekly
