You beat me by a moment!
Annie Leibovitz has published a series of Force Awakens photos in Vanity Fair - http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-force-awakens-photos
Adam Driver is playing the hooded bad guy Kylo Ren and, yes, the Girls star is the lucky cast member swinging that next-generation three-pronged lightsaber
A small galaxy’s worth of tracking dots affixed to Lupita Nyong’o’s face allowed artists at Industrial Light & Magic to transform her into the C.G.I. character Maz Kanata.
And while we may not know which side of the Resistance (the film’s new term for the Rebel Alliance) Lupita Nyong’o’s C.G.I. character, Maz Kanata, is on, we do know from the caption on this eye-popping rogue’s gallery photo that she’s a pirate.
Dashing Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) stands alongside his trusty X-wing fighter.
J. J. Abrams directs Actress Daisy Ridley for a scene in which her character, the young heroine Rey, pilots her speeder through a bustling marketplace on the planet Jakku.
I believe Uber is simply a codename used in the production documents Making Star Wars has seen and continues to report on. Note that Lupita Nyongo'o's character was referred to as Rose in the same doucuments, but the just-released Vanity Fair article confirms it's actually Maz Kanata.
They have announced the Force Awakens toys will be coming out starting September 4 - http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/03/star-wars-force-awakens-products-hit-shelves-september
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens products will hit the market on September 4, and stores around the world will open their doors at midnight for a special “Force Friday” celebration. Products will also be available online at DisneyStore.com.
“Every lightsaber, every action figure, every LEGO set tells a story for generations of Star Wars fans, and this global event is a celebration of those stories. We’re excited to be part of the countdown to this enormous movie moment,” said Josh Silverman, executive vice president of global licensing for Disney Consumer Products, in a news release."
Sample packaging -
Glad to see the planet Hoth making an appearance in this new trilogy.
Interesting why Kylo Ren would wear a helmet but not have a scared/injured face. Having him as just a "Vader Wannabe" would be incredibly weak, and certainly not up to JJ Abram's standards in storytelling. I'm very intrigued as to what his backstory will be. I'm also curious whether he'll be labeled as a Sith Lord.
Exactly, it could be a scene before he needs the mask. Maybe we see some back-story on him on why he needs the mask and that is a flashback type scene. The only thing for sure is that JJ is going to keep things as secret as possible.
True. It could be a war mask used for battle.
OH MAN.
It is kind of hard to have a twist when you know how the story ends.
I hope this is true too. But Whedon was so beaten and worn by the studio after Ultron. I don't see him hopping right back in. He has sounded extremely bitter and exhausted in interviews of late and has openly complained about the studio meddling in his work on Ultron.
As of now Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm remain their own places despite common ownership.
Yes, I was referring more to Whedon's dislike of the "studio" meaning the system than to the specific studio meaning Disney. I would venture a guess he does something more along the lines of Cabin in the Woods or Much Ado about nothing next before someone throws money at him to lure him back to a blockbuster. He just doesn't seem to have the will or desire to go through that process again right now.
