If you know film, you know the name Drew Struzan. The
legendary artist has left his imprint on many iconic movie posters throughout
the decades. From Indiana Jones, Hook, Blade Runner, Harry Potter, Big Trouble
In Little China, E.T., Masters of the Universe, The Goonies, An American Tail,
First Blood, Back to the Future, Star Wars, and so on, Struzan's work has captured
the imaginations of many, and this past weekend his artwork was once again put
out on display for many to marvel at.
At the D23 Expo, Star Wars: The Force Awakens star
John Boyega came out onto the stage to, among other things, unveiled the first
Struzan one-sheet poster for the highly anticipated film, and as you
might have expected, fans went wild at the sighting. But they aren't the only
ones getting excited about J.J. Abrams film.
In an interview to Movie Weekly, Struzan spoke a
little bit about being approached by Abrams to design the poster for the film, and
watching the movie itself.
"…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. … Well it’s beautifully made and it’s a wonderful
story."
Being a huge Star Wars fan I was already excited for
the film, and now hearing that it is "the best Star Wars" film ever, just
puts expectations on a completely new level, which could bad since the greater
the expectation the bigger the disappointment.
The artist then talked about coming up with
the design for poster and revealed that neither the studio nor Abrams ever
talked to him about potentially spoiling the film by having Finn (Boyega)
holding a lightsaber.
"Having seen the film I know what it is about. I got familiar with
the characters, so I know what they’re portraying in their feelings. So I paint
the situation and I paint the feelings. Not to tell the story, but to tell you
how you’re going to feel when you see the film."
Finally, Struzan also spoke about what the poster
represents, the characters in it, and what Star Wars in general represents.
"To me it represents the film. The spirit of the film, the new
characters, the battle again to find the truth, to grow up, to find the purpose
in life. It’s all those things that Star Wars had to be and is still. And I
hope to represent that again to a new generation."
If you want to know more
about Drew Struzan, then check out the documentary about him titled Drew: The
Man Behind the Poster. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18.
Source - Movie Weekly
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