Watch James Cracknell discuss the GREAT British spirit of adventure as Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens reaches £120m at the box office

DISNEY, LUCASFILM & THE GREAT BRITAIN CAMPAIGN LAUNCH ‘ADVENTURE WITH JAMES CRACKNELL’

As Star Wars: The Force Awakens reaches an out-of-this-world £120m UK box office, adventurer and Olympic Champion James Cracknell discusses how the franchise embodies the British spirit of adventure – and who his ultimate Star Wars team would be.

The UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign, Disney and Lucasfilm announced a unique collaboration that celebrates the British inspiration, creativity and innovation involved in the Star Wars saga in line with the UK cinema release of BAFTA-nominated Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

A series of videos features British icons including Wayne Rooney, James Cracknell, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jamie Oliver, Sir Richard Branson and Tim Peake and profiles the incredible British talent that has made Star Wars the global phenomenon it is today, celebrating almost 40 years of GREAT British filmmaking. Each video tells the story of the nation’s contribution to Star Wars through pillars such as innovation (Sir Richard Branson), adventure (James Cracknell), science (Tim Peake), inspiration (Jessica Ennis-Hill), craft (Wayne Rooney) and the legacy behind the films (Jamie Oliver).

Almost 40 years ago the incredible story between Great Britain and Star Wars began with the production of Star Wars: A New Hope at Elstree Studios. The imagination, inspiration and innovation of the filmmakers included the original lightsaber design by British set decorator Roger Christian - who fashioned it from spare camera parts and collected junk, Academy Award®-winning costume designs from British-born John Mollo – the man who brought Darth Vader’s iconic look to life; and the key roles of the London Symphony Orchestra and Abbey Road - the birthplace of one the most iconic themes in the galaxy.

The story continues with Star Wars: The Force Awakens which was filmed in the UK using some truly GREAT British talent in both the production team and amongst the on screen stars including the droid-building skills of two British fans, Oliver Steeples and Lee Towersey, who were recruited to bring R2-D2 to life plus British actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Gwendoline Christie who play Rey, Finn and Captain Phasma in the new film.

All released #StarWarsIsGREAT talent videos can be viewed below:

James Cracknell (Adventure)

Tim Peake (Science)

Wayne Rooney (Craft)

Jessica Ennis-Hill (Inspiration)

Jamie Oliver (Legacy)

Sir Richard Branson (Innovation)

ABOUT GREAT
The GREAT Britain campaign is the Government’s largest ever international campaign promoting the best of Britain. Active in 144 countries, it encourages the world to visit, study and do business with the UK with a goal of promoting jobs and growth for the UK. 

ABOUT STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt. Star Wars: The Force Awakens releases in UK cinemas on December 17th 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens used some truly GREAT British talent to help bring it to the big screen such as the droid-building skills of two British fans, Oliver Steeples and Lee Towersey, who were recruited to bring R2-D2 to life plus British actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Gwendoline Christie who play Rey, Finn and Captain Phasma in the new film.

This weekend, Star Wars: The Force Awakens reached a record-breaking £120m at the box office and is the highest grossing film ever in the UK.

To add to its UK and global box office success, the film received BAFTA nominations for Production Design, Sound, Original Music and Special Visual Effects; and Oscar nominations for Film Editing, Original Score, Visual Effects, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.