Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens is one of the most anticipated films of the past few years. To celebrate its imminent release, Ladbrokes have created a quiz to test your knowledge and we thought we'd share some things you probably never knew about the franchise.
Prepare to be amazed...
1. Yoda was almost played by a monkey. This was George Lucas' original plan, according to The Making of Star Wars by J.W. Rinzler. The monkey would have worn a mask and carried a cane.
2. Harrison Ford was paid $10,000 for his performance in A New Hope. Bearing in mind that he now has a net worth of $210 million, that's pretty shocking.
3. Chewbacca's voice is a mixture of animal sounds. Critically acclaimed sound designer Ben Burtt blended bear, lion, walrus, and badger vocalisations together.
5. It wasn't always called Star Wars. In early drafts, the script was entitled Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars. It wasn't until post-production that they even changed Starkiller to Skywalker.
6. Mark Hamill burst a blood vessel while filming. During the trash campactor scene, the Luke Skywalker actor held his breath for so long that a blood vessel burst in the side of his face. They had to avoid showing the blemish for the rest of the scene.
7. At 6'4'', Liam Neeson was too tall for the set. For The Phantom Menace, the sets which were used were only as big as the actors, so when it came to a 6'4" Liam Neeson, he didn't quite fit. At a cost of $150,000, they rebuilt all of the door frames.
8. Darth Vader is not allowed to go to official Star Wars events. The actor who played the form of Darth Vader, David Prowse, is banned from official Star Wars conventions because he's found to be extremely annoying to George Lucas. “After enquiring, the only thing I have been told is that I have 'burnt too many bridges between LucasFilm and myself' - no other reason given," said Prowse.
9. Tatooine buildings are still standing. Many of the constructions are still in Tunisia - in fact, some of them are used by locals. You can even stay in Luke Skywalker's home, as it's now a hotel.
10. Ewan McGregor got a bit carried away. The actor would make the sounds of the lightsaber when filming a fight scene. These noises had to be removed in post-production.
Everybody loves Star Wars trivia, and it's getting us even more excited for the seventh instalment. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens promises to be as action-packed and as wonderful as ever, which can already be seen from the trailers.
Are you excited about the return of Star Wars to the big screen?
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