Star Wars fans will reveal a new character from this December's The Last Jedi during an augmented reality event as part of the Force Friday II festivities. In just about a week (as of this writing), the first wave of Episode VIII products will hit store shelves, and though moviegoers have already seen a majority of the products thanks to an endless amount of toy leaks, it will nevertheless be exciting to purchase some items and add to collections. In many ways, Force Friday is something of an unofficial holiday, meaning Lucasfilm has much more planned than just new toys.
From its inception, the franchise has pushed the boundaries of technology, and sometimes that goes beyond the filmmaking techniques used for the movies. Ever since audiences were first thrilled by A New Hope in 1977, they've wanted to become fully immersed in the galaxy far, far away and spend time with their favorite characters. The upcoming Star Wars Land that opens in 2019 will offer that opportunity, but before then, fans will get to take part in an augmented reality event that allows them to take pictures with individuals from The Last Jedi.
In a press release, Lucasfilm announced the event, which will take place in 20,000 retail locations across 30 countries. Those who wish to take part need to download the latest version of the Star Wars app and then visit any of the participating stores and find a graphic that has the Find the Force logo. People can then scan the graphic with the app and a character will appear in the room via augmented reality. Fans will be able to take pictures and videos to share their experience on social media and use the hashtags #FindtheForce and #Sweepstakes to enter for a chance to win a trip to the Last Jedi premiere. Fifteen characters will be seen over the course of the three days, with Lucasfilm noting one of them will be a new character from the film. More information can be found by visiting the Find the Force website.
There will undoubtedly be much interest in this, and many will be curious to see who the new character is. Odds are, it will be a background figure and not anyone of significance, considering all of the principal cast has been covered in marketing materials, such as the Vanity Fair and EW spreads from this year. Granted, writer/director Rian Johnson may have some prominent cameos in store (rumors of Yoda and Obi-Wan Force ghosts refuse to die), but Lucasfilm would want to save a surprise like that for the film itself.
Those who would like to try the feature out before it goes live in stores can test it on the Find the Force website by scanning an image and seeing an early look at the porgs. This is just the beginning of what's described as a treasure hunt, so there will surely be plenty of surprises in store when Force Friday rolls around.
