'Star Wars 7' Trailer: Director J.J. Abrams Admits Releasing New Footage Is A Struggle

J.J. Abrams is notoriously tight-lipped about his film projects, especially the coming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Still, one can’t make such a high-profile movie and not tease it in one way or another. This seems to be precisely the struggle the director is dealing with as he gears up to release the first full-length trailer for the sci-fi movie.

It was previously reported that both Abrams and the president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, will kick off the annual “Star Wars Celebration” in California with a special announcement. Many believe they will use the fan-made venue as the place to debut the first full-length trailer for “The Force Awakens.” But the director appears to be tempering expectations prior to the event. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, he admitted that he’s struggling with the give and take of introducing new material from the movie to the public.

“There’s sort of an abundance of riches with the stuff we could put out, so we’re just trying to make sure it’s as good as it could be before we put anything out. The disaster would be to race something out for the sake of making an impact and it being not as good as people deserve," Abrams said.

Many may note that “The Force Awakens” already debuted an 88-second teaser trailer that gave “Star Wars” fanatics their first look at the film. But that wasn’t a full-length trailer, and it offered almost nothing of the plot of the movie – although that broadsword lightsaber was pretty cool. It was previously revealed by Disney Co. chief Bob Iger that the teaser was just a way to satiate the public’s demand for some kind of glimpse at the film, according to Variety.

It seems, if it were entirely up to the director, that fans would be in the dark about the movie right up until they take a seat in the theater on Dec. 18. In fact, rumor has it that the director is so averse to spoilers that he requested Disney move the release date of “Star Wars 7” ahead to the summer to avoid more leaks.

“We don’t want to be coy, but we have almost a year until the movie comes out, so we have to be smart about what we say and when. We’re always having conversations about it,” Abrams continued. “I would say thank you for being interested. Thank you for your patience, and honestly, I can’t wait for you to see the film.”

It’s unclear at this time if he is trying to let fans know not to expect a full-length trailer at the April 16 celebration or if he’s simply giving them a peak behind the wizard's curtain to explain the lack of teasers thus far. Only time will tell once the director takes the stage at the annual “Star Wars Celebration.”

While you wait for more “Star Wars" news, check out the 88-second teaser video below.