SPOILER ALERT: Be aware that spoilers forStar Wars: The Force Awakensfollow.
When the full cast forStar Wars: The Force Awakenswas originally announced, it was exciting to see how many phenomenal actorsJ.J. Abramshad brought together for the highly anticipated sci-fi sequel. However, this being the first entry in a newStar Warstrilogy, there was a pretty safe bet thatsomeonewasn’t going to make it through the first film. But who would it be? Speculation ran rampant, and now that the film is in theaters, we know exactly who lives and who dies—but that wasn’t always the way it was going to go.
WhenOscar Isaacwas first approached to play Poe Dameron in the film, his character was supposed to die. Speaking withGQ, Isaac recounted the conversation:
“He’s amazing!” said Abrams. “Sounds good!” thought Isaac, whose first experience in a movie theater had been seeingThe Empire Strikes Back. “He opens the whole movie!” said Abrams. “Soundsgreat!” thought Isaac. “And then,” Abrams went on. “He dies.” “Oh,” thought Isaac.
While the allure of being in aStar Warsmovie is strong, Isaac wasn’t crazy about playing yet another character who helps set up the plot and then bites the bullet, as he did inThe Bourne Legacy. In Abrams’ mind, it was a chance to “create a role that could live on in all corners of theStar Warsuniverse—novels and comic books and video games and so on.” Isaac was still hesitant, but he reluctantly agreed, only to have Abrams change his mind about the character’s fate:
“I went back home [to New York], and I thought about it,” he says. “Then I wrote him and said, ‘Okay. I’ll do it!’ I figured it would be a cameo: I’ll come in, do my thing, and maybe it’s actually better not to have to sign myself up for three movies.” By that time, though, things had changed and Abrams soon wrote back: “Never mind. I’ve figured it out. You’re in the whole movie now.”
Of all the new centralStar Warscharacters, Poe Dameron is the most undercooked—he’s a fine character and Isaac is a great actor, but we don’t really get toknowPoe Dameron inThe Force Awakens. The character’s original fate kind of explains his minimal dimensionality in the film, but Abrams must have had a reason to keep him alive beyond just filling the Luke role in destroying theEmpire’sFirst Order’sDeath Starnew weapon, so here’s hoping he’ll get some significant fleshing out inRian Johnson’sEpisode VIII.
For more onStar Wars: The Force Awakens, peruse our recent links below.
