Attention, Star Wars fans: It’s time to make some room on your desk, toy shelf, bookshelf, and in your closet.
Disney and Lucasfilm announced Star Wars Force Friday II, a global fan event celebrating the launch of Star Wars: The Last Jedi products. Toys, collectibles, books, apparel, and more will go on sale beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, September 1, 2017, with stores around the world opening for a weekend-long celebration of all things Star Wars. In addition, packaging for the new line, featuring striking images of a lightsaber-wielding Rey, Poe Dameron, and Finn, was also revealed today and can be seen above.
One thing that sticks out about the packaging that people freaking out about is Rey holding a lightsaber.
The first Star Wars Force Friday was back in 2015 and celebrated the launch of merchandise for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s interesting to note these “Force Fridays” started after Disney acquired the rights to make new movies.
The toys unveiled during the first Force Friday in 2015 were watched on a global livestream by millions all over the world. According to the Star Wars press release, the social media impressions on Twitter reached nearly 3 billion during the first event, using the hashtag #ForceFriday.
“The first Star Wars Force Friday event was truly unique, uniting fans across five continents in an unprecedented global live unboxing event ahead of thousands of midnight openings at retail,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We’re excited to confirm that Star Wars Force Friday is back for The Last Jedi. Plans for this year’s worldwide event are top-secret, but expect something befitting the excitement around the next episode of the Star Wars saga.”
Jill Wilfert, vice president of global licensing and entertainment from The LEGO Group commented, “It was so much fun to be a part of Star Wars Force Friday, and we can’t wait for fans to join this year’s celebration as we reveal new Star Wars: The Last Jedi products during Force Friday II — a global event that will connect fans and families, and allow them to build, create and share their experiences with others.”
“Toys play a unique role in the Star Wars universe, and we’re proud to have been part of that incredible legacy for the past 40 years. The new line for The Last Jedi is our most innovative yet, and we’re excited to unveil it on Force Friday II,” said Samantha Lomow, senior vice president at Hasbro.
Just like 2015, products for The Last Jedi will be kept under wraps until Force Friday II to preserve surprises for fans. As well as introducing new characters from the movie in toy form, the line will build on the success of products like Sphero’s BB-8, introducing more innovative technology to bring the characters and stories from the film to life in unique ways.