Chapter 915: Adventure and Loyalty

Every weekend, National Television's news channel broadcast highly influential interview programs, attracting massive audiences of Chinese viewers who followed current events. The demographic ranged from teenagers to the elderly. Even in an era dominated by the internet, the network's influence over this land remained unquestionable.

Phil, the CEO of Warner Greater China Region, sat down in front of his television right on time for Saturday prime time and tuned in to the news channel. As a crucial component of the promotional plan for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in China, National Television's exclusive interview with Duke was about to air on the comprehensive news program.

Warner Greater China Region had also secured the relevant authorizations; this interview would soon appear in both text and video formats across the internet's most vital promotional platforms.

Ever since Duke acquired Lucasfilm a few years ago, Warner Greater China Region and Lucasfilm had worked aggressively to promote the Star Wars franchise in this country. Now, they had reached the critical stage of the regional marketing campaign for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Due to the big scissors' promotional restrictions on Hollywood films, Phil had been extremely cautious during the early marketing phases. This time, however, was an exception—since National Television was broadcasting the interview publicly, it amounted to tacit approval from the big scissors.

Still, Phil worried that the interview might be abruptly pulled. It wouldn't be the first time the big scissors had done something like this; just earlier this year, Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained was suddenly pulled from theaters right after it premiered here...

His fears were unfounded, and the interview program began right on time.

Having spent so many years in the Far East, Phil had no trouble understanding Chinese. Like all interview programs, it opened with an introduction to the interview's background: The significance of the Star Wars franchise for American audiences had long transcended the films themselves, evolving into a culture that permeated every aspect of life. Although ten years had passed since the last Star Wars movie, the franchise's fever had never subsided. Compared to that deep-seated affection, Star Wars lacked such a profound grassroots foundation in China. This brand-new work directed by the renowned Hollywood filmmaker Duke Rosenberg felt more like a gift to a new generation of moviegoers—yet another "massive invasion" as Star Wars culture penetrated the rest of the world.

"Audiences don't need to have seen the previous six installments to enjoy this film. They can use this movie as their entry point. The Force Awakens is the beginning of Star Wars in China and around the world," said Duke Rosenberg, the film's director, producer, and owner of Lucasfilm.

The strategic significance of this movie couldn't be any clearer.

A new wave of Star Wars fever was already sweeping in, and its momentum would only grow stronger and its reach wider.

Not only was this film determined to attract younger audiences, it also featured returning veterans like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher holding the fort, ensuring the authentic flavor of the entire franchise was preserved.

Furthermore, with Star Wars creator George Lucas serving as a consultant to guide the project, veteran Star Wars fans had nothing to worry about.

In short, the creators had systematically addressed the two major concerns regarding the new Star Wars film: whether Chinese audiences would embrace it, and whether older fans would accept it. They made it clear there was no need to worry.

In our interview, director Duke Rosenberg also revealed many filming details and behind-the-scenes stories: "How was the new droid BB-8 operated and filmed practically? What impact did Harrison Ford's sudden injury have on the crew? How were Daisy Ridley and Wu Yanzu chosen, and who is the most hardcore Star Wars fan on set? Is the female lead actually Chewbacca's distant cousin?"

Let us follow Duke Rosenberg and step into this galaxy far, far away...

For the Chinese promotional campaign, Duke naturally made it a point to emphasize Daniel Wu. Shortly after the interview began, the topic shifted to Daniel Wu.

"Before Wu Yanzu was cast, his character was already written. You might not have noticed this, but every character in all the Star Wars movies shares an important common trait."

Throughout the broadcast, Duke conversed with the reporter in remarkably fluent Chinese. To the ears of Chinese viewers, his proficiency might not have matched that of Dashan, but it easily outclassed ninety-nine percent of foreigners, effortlessly winning people's favor.

The Mandarin coming from the television was far more standard than that of Phil, a man who had practically made China his home.

"All the characters in this franchise share a common emotion, and that is 'despair'—an extreme yearning born from despair that drives them to risk everything. Based on their different despairs, the things they crave differ, and so do their actions: Luke desperately wanted to leave that hellhole and escape the farm that imprisoned him; Princess Leia wanted to do everything she could to help her father and make him understand that; Han Solo desperately wanted money—money was more useful to him than anything else; the Dark Lord wanted to resume his plans at all costs."

"This world has no middle ground. Characters possessing different desires are what make this franchise so brilliant. You have to write out the yearning deep in a character's heart and portray it authentically, while never forgetting to use humor. In George's original films, he perfectly mastered this delicate and peculiar balance. Every character is desperate, and seeing the power of all these elements combined is truly fascinating. So we needed to find actors who would be interesting when brought together, and Wu Yanzu was exactly that kind of candidate."

"Why did you choose a female character as the protagonist?" the female reporter asked.

Hearing the reporter's question, Phil couldn't help but chuckle. He naturally knew the reason: nowadays, massive blockbuster films were all pandering to female audiences, and the female demographic was becoming increasingly vital to the movie industry.

But he knew Duke certainly wouldn't say that on air, and sure enough, he didn't.

"The female lead, Rey, is a product of this era. My team and I both recognized the strength that girls possess today, which wasn't visible ten years ago. I think Rey is exactly that—she appears in this story carrying a sense of power and limitless potential, and I feel that will be very appealing to girls today."

Clearly, Duke was speaking from the perspective of character creation rather than market demographics.

"Male characters have always had these traits, and audiences take them for granted, but now it's suddenly a capable female character. By the way, Rey will make a lot of mistakes in the story, and watching how she learns from them is one of the joys of this film. She is a well-rounded talent, and I feel that if she were swapped for a male character, that charm would be lost."

The female reporter from National Television shifted the topic to the main villain.

"Could you introduce the villain, Kylo Ren? In all the released character posters, where did the inspiration for his unique visual design come from? How do you plan to build his character?"

"All right, but I can't spoil too much. In this movie, we needed a representative of the dark side. He certainly isn't the only villain, but he is a key figure within it. He comes from a mysterious group called the 'Knights of Ren', which is where he gets his name. You will see them in the film and be able to tell that Kylo Ren is one of them."

To meet promotional needs, Duke appropriately revealed a bit of relevant information.

"The entire order wears this specific look. The role they play in this film is equivalent to what the Dark Lord did in the previous movies. But you absolutely cannot just count on your fingers and say, 'We need another new Dark Lord!' We knew he had to be an entirely new character. So when designing him, we had to tackle it from both an aesthetic standpoint and his backstory."

On the television screen, Phil could see Duke thinking, clearly weighing his words to avoid premature spoilers.

"His character takes pride in the Dark Lord, which means he comes from a place that knows of the Dark Lord. This was my pressure-release valve—not only does the audience know the Dark Lord, but Kylo Ren does too. That gave us some tangible material to dig into and helped give him a name. This guy probably worships the cause of the Empire, and he might view the Dark Lord as the ultimate power that was seduced by the light side."

The interview continued. The nearly hour-long program was dedicated entirely to this exclusive feature on Duke. This made Phil feel his job was a bit easier; he knew exactly what kind of fame and influence the name Duke Rosenberg carried across this heavily populated land.

With this National Television interview in hand, Warner Greater China Region could formulate a whole series of related marketing initiatives.

As the episode drew to a close, the interview with Duke concluded, and the broadcast shifted to an overview of Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Although Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a massive production budget, director Duke Rosenberg was committed from the very beginning to ensuring the film's emotional authenticity and handcrafted texture, rather than filling it with the overly flashy CGI effects seen in some sci-fi and action blockbusters.

Before ending his brief chat with us and preparing to head back to work, Duke summarized, "I certainly want to say that this world doesn't need anyone to remind it that positivity and hope exist. But the first Star Wars was born against a backdrop of dual cynicism in both the film industry and the real world—people felt surrounded by betrayal, crime, and corruption. And Star Wars reminded everyone that love, adventure, and loyalty still exist in the world."

"I think Star Wars 7 truly upholds the spirit of the original Star Wars trilogy. You will connect yourself to this world that gives you strength and purpose. That message might be closer to reality than you imagine."

Now, the starved audiences around the world seemed to have already received this message, felt it, and voiced their approval.