The new documentary Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey premiered at SXSW 2016 before its wide release as a special feature on the Digital HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack edition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on April 5.
One of the most fascinating parts of the documentary is behind-the-scenes footage of the very first script read for The Force Awakens. Typically at a table read the director of the movie would read all the descriptions and other exposition around the lines of dialogue. But J.J. asked Mark Hamill — Luke Skywalker himself and voice actor extraordinaire — to conduct the script reading so he could observe.
Presumably, J.J. also asked Mark Hamill to conduct the read so grown men everywhere could burst into tears at hearing Luke Skywalker read “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”
You can get a taste of the magic in this commercial for the Blu-ray release:
Ahem, excuse me. I think I’ve got something in my eye.
Even more of the table read is revealed in Secrets of the Force Awakens, including a very different description of the planet of D’Qar, the location of the Resistance base. In The Force Awakens it looks like pastoral England, with the base built under low, Hobbiton-like mounds. But in the documentary, Mark Hamill reads a very different description from the script. D’Qar is a jungle… of giant mushrooms!
I don't care if Disney is investing hundreds of millions to social engineer my nostalgia on behalf of shareholders, the magic of Mark Hamill narrating a Star Wars script is the best bedtime story we're ever likely to be read.
