J.J. Abrams, director and co-writer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy have adopted a retro feel for the film’s marketing campaign. Forget your boring press releases and uninspired kiddie merch, this time they’re bringing things full circle with a mock-up run of eight trading cards. The unique slant here is that the cards feature recognizable faces from the first teaser trailer… with their names in print below.
Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, who exclusively revealed the designs, we can now show you the rundown of the cards created by Abrams and Kennedy. For a look at the images, you can scroll through the gallery above. For eager fans of deconstruction and detail, check out the numbers of each of the cards. According to Abrams, the digits assigned ARE relevant:
• #11 — BB-8 on the move
• #53 — Poe Dameron in his X-Wing
• #67 — Kylo Ren ignites his Lightsaber
• #74 — Rey on her Speeder
• #76 — Finn on the run
• #81 — Stormtroopers prepare for battle
• #88 — X-Wings in formation
• #96 — The Millennium Falcon
Created specifically for the movie, the card design harkens back to the original collection released back in 1977 to coincide with the first Star Wars movie. For those who may still possess a rare artefact from that era, the parallels between the old and new cards is unmistakable. This time, however, their creation has probably incited far more shrieking.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens worldwide on December 18th, 2015.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, and features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow.
They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker. The film is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk, and John Williams returns as the composer. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga.”
