The future of the Star Wars universe is on display this weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center, with an estimated 60,000 Star Wars fans expected to attend the Star Wars Celebration.
The expo began Thursday with a presentation revolving around the newest and seventh installment in the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, who joined producer Kathleen Kennedy at the convention for the premiere of the film’s first full-length trailer, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Other luminaries from Star Wars history who attended included Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), as well as newcomers Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), all of whom participated in a question and answer session with Abrams and Kennedy.
The expo will offer panels that focus on some of the Star Wars cast from bygone years, as well as the animated series “Star Wars Rebels.” and plenty of fan-focused events on the convention floor.
When Abrams was asked how he could possibly satisfy the legions of Star Wars aficionados with his film, he replied, “Well, we will.”
Kennedy proclaimed that there will be more diverse characters in the new film, boasting that films to follow will feature strong women’s roles. She stated, “There’s really strong women, not only in ‘Episode 7’, but the conversations we have moving forward. There’s going to be a lot of wonderful new characters.” Carrie Fisher echoed, “I liked being the only one when I was 19 and that was possible, but now I need some backup.”
Disney has stated that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be the first episode of a trilogy in the works. The film is the first in the franchise since Disney bought Lucasfilm.