The Force Awakens Bits: Incredible New Posters And Art, Star Wars Monopoly Controversy, Mace Windu Throws Some Shade

Don't worry, Star Wars: The Force Awakens fans. The upcoming Rogue One may be picking up steam in the rumor department, but we haven't forgotten about you. In today's edition of The Force Awakens Bits:

  • AMC reveals its final The Force Awakens poster.
  • Two Star Wars children's books showcase some impressive art.
  • Controversy gets Rey added to Star Wars Monopoly.
  • The Force Awakens will make its TV debut on Starz.
  • Samuel L. Jackson isn't a huge fan of The Force Awakens.
  • Harvey Weinstein describes competing with Star Wars.
  • How did Maz Kanata get Luke's old lightsaber?
  • A gorilla reviews The Force Awakens, because it's the internet.
  • amc star wars

    AMC Theatres has been encouraging repeat viewings of The Force Awakens by offering a new poster every week to ticket buyers who cough up IMAX ticket prices. Previous posters have highlighted Rey, Captain Phasma and Poe Dameron, but this one, the final one in the series, is all about that disastrous lightsaber duel between Kylo Ren and the brave but totally ill-equipped Finn.

    the force awakens book cover

    And would you look at that? A Star Wars children's book cover depicts the other half of this climactic duel. That may be some of the slickest art we've ever seen on any The Force Awakens-related product.

    star wars golden books

    Speaking of cool art on kids' book covers, here is what the Little Golden Book version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens looks like. Aww! They're all so cute and top-heavy!

    TFA monopoly

    After a massive fan outcry over the lack of Star Wars toys featuring Daisy Ridley's Rey (the main character of the film!), Hasbro has bowed to the #WheresRey hashtag and will now include the character in their new Star Wars Monopoly set. Their excuse for her original exclusion: they didn't want to "spoil" the movie by revealing that she was a main character. Uh-huh. The poster already "spoiled" that, guys. You're a massive company and you can't lie better than that?

    Star Wars The Force Awakens x-wing 2

    If you hope to catch The Force Awakens on television, your cable package had better include Starz. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it came in just under the wire as part of an existing deal between Disney and the network:

    Force Awakens is the last movie to be included in Starz's deal with Disney. The pact included rights to every movie the studio released through the end of 2015. Starz did not renew its Disney deal, with the company instead forging an arrangement with streaming service Netflix, which kicks off with films released in 2016.

    So future Disney releases will make their "television" debut on Netflix? What a strange world we live in.

    Samuel L. Jackson has been out and about promoting The Hateful Eight (which features one of his all-time best performances), which means that he's also had to field a few Star Wars questions here and there. Thus is the curse of anyone who has ever appeared in any of these movies. The former Mace Windu doesn't seem particularly high on J.J. Abrams' take on the universe, but at least he's polite about it. However, he does say that the new kids need lightsaber lessons and those are fighting words. What? Are you going to tell Mr. Jackson that he's wrong? mace windu

    Speaking of the collision between The Hateful Eight and Star Wars, Harvey Weinstein, whose The Weinstein Company distributed Quentin Tarantino's bloody new western, seems to be taking the unlikely competition between the two movies in stride:

    We're living in a 'Star Wars' universe. I love 'Star Wars.' I think it's great. It's not sour grapes, but if I'm writing a memo to myself, I would say 'do not open against 'Star Wars.' Do not open against the biggest movie of all time.

    But you know he's all grumbling and furrowed brows and yelling-at-the-top-of-his-lungs behind closed doors. Can you blame him?

    The latest video from the Star Wars Minute YouTube channel takes a deep dive into the abyss to answer one of the most pressing questions from The Force Awakens: how did Maz Kanata end up with Luke Skywalker's lightsaber? This is all speculation, but it's fun, generally well-thought-out, educated speculation!

    Because this is the internet and the internet is a place where anything is possible, here is a video of Koko the gorilla "reviewing" Star Wars: The Force Awakens.