Advertisement

Mark Hamill Hosting ‘Star Wars’ Lightsaber Special on ESPN

Star Wars” and ESPN are joining forces for a lightsaber special ahead of the upcoming debut of “The Force Awakens.”

“Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel” will be hosted by franchise star Mark Hamill. The special will revisit the history of lightsaber duels throughout the franchise, exploring the inspiration of the fights as well as the evolution of the scenes through the movies.

Though chances of any big reveals coming from the special are slim, including Hamill as the host is sure to draw fans as he has been noticeably absent from any kind of promotion for “The Force Awakens.” The the actor who plays Luke Skywalker has said there are many surprises in the movie.

The special’s teaser doesn’t show much outside of footage we’ve been seeing since the late ’70s, but it does bring up the question of how “The Force Awakens” will handle its lightsaber fights. Without much training, the characters using the Jedi weapon in this film will doubtfully be as acrobatic or refined as many fighters in the prequels were. John Boyega’s Finn certainly doesn’t look incredibly comfortable with the weapon in the one or two decent looks we’ve seen of him holding it.

The lightsaber combat was surely just one of the things that terrified director J.J. Abrams when he showed the movie to Disney execs.

“Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber” airs on ESPN on Dec. 15, with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” premiering Dec. 18.

Related stories

J.J. Abrams Wants Ava DuVernay to Direct a 'Star Wars' Movie

Film Score Icons Williams, Morricone and Horner Loom Large in Oscar Race

'Star Wars' Could Be Upstaged in India By Bollywood Holdovers

Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter