Andy Serkis to Play Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens

This morning, StarWars.com officially announced that Andy Serkis will be playing "Supreme Leader Snoke" in The Force Awakens. The story was accompanied by this chilling image from Annie Leibowitz's recent behind-the-scenes shoot for Vanity Fair.

(Image courtesy of StarWars.com)

Andy certainly doesn't look too friendly here, so my bet is that Snoke is most definitely on the side of the bad guys - the "First Order".

What are your thoughts on this latest announcement? Be sure to email them to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

Stormtrooper Mints

A short while ago I came across this nifty little tin of mints for $4.00 at my local Warehouse store. There were two designs to choose from - a Stormtrooper or Darth Vader - but, given my preference for troopers, it was an obvious choice.

As anticipation builds for The Force Awakens, we'll no doubt see plenty more Star Wars-related novelties like this popping up in stores!

June 2015 Vanity Fair Magazine

When I arrived home last night, my partner surprised me with this copy of the June 2015 Vanity Fair magazine featuring an exclusive behind-scenes-look at The Force Awakens. While we've seen the photos online, there's nothing like seeing these images in a full-page glossy spread.

As reported a couple of weeks ago, this issue confirms Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma (a.k.a. "Chrometrooper"), and Lupita Nyong'o as CGI pirate Maz Kanata. There are also some great new shots of Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Rey (Daisy Ridley), and a host of new aliens and droids. The article itself gives some fantastic insight into the process behind the film, and adds to my ever-growing optimism for how this whole project is going to turn out.

We're entering an entirely new era of the 'Wars, and this magazine marks the first official glimpse behind the curtain. It's an incredible souvenir piece, and one that'll be a lot of fun to revisit as we venture forward.

More The Force Awakens Merchandise Details Announced

Back in January, we received a tantalising look at the list of The Force Awakens products Hasbro plans to release later this year. Now, StarWars.com has given us a release date and a glimpse of the new packaging design featuring the mysterious villain Kylo Ren.

I'm a huge fan of this new packaging design. It's simple, striking, and nicely reminiscent of the Power of the Force 2 and Episode I lines of the late '90s. The first wave of The Force Awakens products will be hitting shelves on September 4th 2015 - or what is now being dubbed as "Force Friday". Many US stores will be running special midnight-release events on this day, though its unclear what kind of promotional fanfare we'll see down here in New Zealand. I'll be sure to post updates as they come in.

Will you be queueing up for "Force Friday"? What are your thoughts on the new The Force Awakens packaging design? Be sure to email them to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com, or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

May 2015 KZone Magazine with Lego Star Wars 30272 A-Wing Mini Building Set

As well as containing a brief "May the Fourth" feature, the May 2015 issue of KZone magazine also comes with a Lego Star Wars 30272 A-Wing model. The magazine is priced at $6.90, and I've spotted a plentiful supply at each of the Wellington New World grocery stores. Hopefully, they'll be easily found at most other supermarkets and magazine stores throughout the country.

I've always been a huge fan of Lego Star Wars mini sets, but hadn't yet added an A-Wing to my collection. While it's a little chunky in certain parts (particularly the nose and tail fins), the model is still a great representation of the classic A-Wing design. Inverting the cannons - as I did in my build - also gives the ship a much more streamlined and accurate appearance.

Lego isn't cheap - so being able to pick up a great little set like this for free is all kinds of awesome. A special thanks goes to Michael_Lee over on the Star Wars New Zealand Message Boards for giving me the heads up on this one! 

Vanity Fair Goes Behind-the-Scenes of The Force Awakens

For anyone who missed it, Vanity Fair celebrated Star Wars Day with a generous helping of behind-the-scenes images and videos from The Force Awakens courtesy of photographer Annie Leibowitz. The full spread will appear in the June 2015 issue of Vanity Fair, but there's already an enormous amount of content featured on their website.

The article contains some great photographs of the cast, including confirmation of Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma (a.k.a. "Chrome Trooper"), and Lupita Nyong'o as a CGI pirate called Maz Kanata. There's also some great photos of a range of new prosthetic aliens too!