Chapter 927: Rey's Identity

"Darling, you're awake?"

Duke had just opened his eyes when he heard Scarlett Johansson's voice. She sat at the vanity, arranging her curly blonde hair. Glancing back at him, she set down a rhinoceros-horn comb and picked up a nearby document.

Scarlett gestured toward him and said, "Tina brought over the latest statistical report first thing this morning."

"Oh?" Duke instantly perked up. "Read it to me."

"It's an astonishing number, darling. You need to mentally prepare yourself."

Teasing him a little, Scarlett Johansson turned her gaze back to the statistical report, eyed the number one more time, and finally spoke. "According to the preliminary count, the midnight screening box office for Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit a staggering $72 million!"

The number truly was astonishing. Duke gave a slight nod. Such a massive midnight haul shattered the midnight box office record held for years by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, signaling a flawless opening for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Scarlett Johansson wasn't finished. "The film currently holds a 96 percent positive rating from theatergoers on CinemaScore, with an average audience grade of 'A+'. On IMDB, 28,775 users have given it a 9.8 out of 10. The Popcorn Index sits at a 97 percent audience approval rate, and 77 journalists on Metacritic have given it a score of 92."

Setting the report aside, she checked the wall clock and reminded Duke, "Hurry up and wash up. You have an online interview with Instant Sharing right after breakfast."

"I know."

Duke hopped out of bed and ducked into the bathroom. About fifteen minutes later, he and Scarlett Johansson appeared in the dining room. Just as they sat down, Emma the housekeeper had the maids serve breakfast and, keeping with Duke's routine, brought in the latest newspapers.

Whether they were entertainment papers or not, Star Wars: The Force Awakens appeared in the most prominent placements. The Los Angeles Times even placed its coverage of the film on the front page as the main headline.

"Whether you are a 'Star Wars fan' or not, you will fall in love with this movie!"

This was the review headline in the Los Angeles Times, and it was incredibly striking.

"The expectations resting on Star Wars: The Force Awakens are unprecedented. It is the franchise's return after a ten-year hiatus following 2004's Star Wars Prequel 3: Revenge of the Sith, and the first film released by Duke Rosenberg after acquiring George Lucas's company for over $4 billion. More importantly, it reunites the original trilogy leads, including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford."

"With such expectations, fans had even higher demands for the film. But The Force Awakens did not disappoint. Director Duke Rosenberg perfectly interpreted the core philosophy of the Star Wars franchise, presenting those familiar elements in their purest form."

"Advanced visual effects, the 'Joseph Campbell myth' narrative structure, and the 1940s concept of heroism have allowed the Star Wars films—especially the original trilogy—to influence generations of fans across all walks of life. When 'The Force' is mentioned, a connection between light and dark immediately surfaces in our minds. The film does not use 'religion' to force-feed us spiritual ideology, yet it still allows us to feel its greatness."

"For The Force Awakens, Duke Rosenberg and his team absorbed all of these strengths, weaving them together through a brand-new narrative backdrop. The result is a film that is emotionally resonant, rich with humor, and deeply thought-provoking. It will leave both die-hard Star Wars fans and newcomers completely stunned."

"Duke Rosenberg and The Force Awakens force audiences to reexamine an age-old question: nature versus nurture. This biological and sociological theory is flawlessly illustrated in the film. No matter your origins—whether a Stormtrooper or an abandoned infant—you always have the right to choose anew."

"As for the film itself, The Force Awakens is incredibly humorous, packed with moments that will make your hair stand on end. The actors deliver multi-dimensional, grounded performances. Oscar Isaac and Daniel Wu both infuse their characters with a dynamic, roguish charm at all the right moments, while Daisy Ridley has forged yet another classic, formidable female lead for the silver screen."

"The scenes featuring Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher together also evoke memories of their past romance. Although the runtime stretches to 2 hours and 15 minutes, the brisk pacing and tight narrative firmly grip the audience's excitement, ensuring it never feels bloated."

"It must be said that Duke Rosenberg used an artistic approach to weave the franchise's past themes and character traits into an entirely new setting. Audiences who have never seen the Star Wars franchise will still love this movie, but if you have, you'll better appreciate its twists and turns, and truly understand just how successful it is."

As a media outlet that favored Duke, and with Lucasfilm's public relations efforts, the Los Angeles Times was easily the most aggressive print newspaper when it came to promoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

After briefly skimming the paper, Duke finished his breakfast and sat down at his computer on time, preparing for his online interview with Instant Sharing.

The interview was conducted via web sharing, with a promotional banner displayed on the interface of every Instant Sharing user.

When the interview officially began, Duke made a point to check the number of users tuning in—3.78 million!

The live interview was only one aspect; leveraging it afterward to draw the attention of fans and casual audiences was another.

After a brief exchange, the first question appeared on the screen in front of Duke.

"You left the film with an open ending—or rather, a massive mystery. What was your thought process behind that during production?"

Seeing the question, Duke thought for a moment before his hands flew across the keyboard, rapidly typing out a string of text. "I think the fascinating thing about Star Wars lies in its various developments. In the first Star Wars, a ton of mysteries were introduced right from the start, and many questions remained unanswered by the end of the film. That's why it was able to evolve into a trilogy and keep people so engrossed. We took the same approach in crafting this new trilogy. I believe that as the story progresses, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the plot across the entire series."

The interviewer followed up. "Many fans want to know about the relationship between Rey and Finn. In this installment, they seem much more like friends without any romantic elements, but is there a chance they might end up as a couple?"

Duke directly denied it. "I feel that one of the major themes of this film is friendship. In a lot of movies, the moment a man and a woman appear together, it's assumed there has to be a romance. The joy of this film—and the joy of Star Wars—is that it isn't limited to romance. It's about loyalty, finding a family, and building one. As for this movie, the romantic elements aren't very important; there is a much heavier emphasis on mutual respect and caring for one another, rather than a simple romantic relationship."

"There's a hilarious scene where BB-8 goes down the stairs. How did you film that?"

"How did we film it?"

Duke knew they were asking about BB-8's fleeting scene-stealing moment, and quickly typed out the answer. "If you ever see the behind-the-scenes footage, that sequence was actually shot with our puppeteer, Bryan, trailing behind BB-8 in a green effects suit to control it. This puppeteer is incredible. He is so devoted, and sometimes when you watch him, you can see how he injects his own personality into the character. Removing him from the frame actually makes me feel a bit guilty, because he works incredibly hard in every single scene, yet we have to erase him from the shot every time."

The Q&A went back and forth, covering a number of behind-the-scenes topics before pivoting to the pre-arranged main question. This was the same question countless fans had been asking online since yesterday, and the segment of the interview guaranteed to draw the most eyeballs.

"It's obvious from the film that Rey has an extraordinary background. Can you talk about her origins?"

Before answering, Duke glanced at the viewer count, which had climbed to nearly five million. "I do know quite a bit of insider information, but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to speak on it right now. This is Lucasfilm's most tightly guarded secret. I signed a confidentiality agreement, and I don't want to get sued."

Still, Duke appropriately revealed a little bit. "Rey is not an ordinary girl. Her origins are quite complicated."

The tiny morsel he provided wasn't nearly enough to satisfy the fans' curiosity. Using this interview as a spearhead, Warner Brothers and Lucasfilm officially launched their post-release marketing campaign. The core of this plan was to manufacture talking points and spark discussions across the United States and the entire world, completing Star Wars: The Force Awakens's transition from media marketing to social marketing.

The specific identity of the female lead, Rey, was undoubtedly the focal point of it all.

As Duke's interview appeared online, it instantly became the hottest topic on the internet. Countless fans launched into debates, guessing at Rey's identity.

Duke's paid online shills mobilized once again, constantly posting various opinions across the web to dial up the heat of these discussions and theories.

Across numerous popular sites like Twitter and Instant Sharing, barely half a day had passed before the discourse surrounding Rey escalated into a massive trend.

Someone speculated, "Rey is the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia!"

Not only did this person believe Rey was the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia—and thus Kylo Ren's biological sister—but they also provided a specific explanation. "Based on the film's content, Rey is absolutely from a prestigious lineage, and a significant one at that."

Someone immediately replied below to refute it. "There's no way Rey is the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia. It might be somewhat excusable if her own father, Han Solo, couldn't recognize his daughter in the film, but for her own mother, Princess Leia, to have zero reaction? Furthermore, when Rey used the Force to see past visions, there wasn't a single clue related to Han Solo or Princess Leia!"

This person also left their own theory: "Rey is Obi-Wan's descendant!"