Corporate synergy is a powerful thing. There may be no greater example of this across the galaxy than the alliance between Disney, ESPN and Star Wars. (OK — technically, that’s Lucasfilm. But Star Wars sounds more impressive, right?) It’s a brand name triumvirate more dominant than we can imagine.
So when the three forces combine to promote a product, we can do nothing but let the power wash over us and accept that our collective fate as a people is in the hands of a far greater phenomenon. There’s really no way to avoid it, especially if you’re consuming something that falls under the giant Disney corporate umbrella.
Rumor has it that the new trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens will debut during Monday Night Football this coming Monday, Oct. 19. A preview for the year’s most anticipated blockbuster movie combined with Monday night’s most watched cable television program? Even Darth Vader would nod in approval at that.
Here are the details from Making Star Wars, providing its typical blanket coverage:
“It is indeed true that Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer will be released on Monday the 19th. The announcement should come about twelve hours or so before the airing (these things tend to fluctuate). We believe the trailer will appear with a football game that evening, but that bit is only semi-confirmed (although most likely dead on). I wish I had better sources on the sports scene but it isn’t my thing. We assume the trailer will be posted online moments after it is on television.”
You have to love it when non-sports people refer to a sporting event. “A football game”? It’s the Eagles and Giants! A big NFC East match-up! It’s on Monday Night Football! Of course, none of that really matters to the culture at large, especially geek culture, when it comes to anything related to Star Wars. And really, even among people who are into Star Wars and sports, what do you think they care about most? Yeah… give us the Star Wars. We’ll check back in on the game later.
For what it’s worth, a Reddit user (via Bleeding Green Nation) posted that the Star Wars trailer will run after the first quarter. He also says that the entire MNF broadcast will have Star Wars-themed graphics and that the introduction to the game will have the same sort of opening crawl which has opened all of the previous Star Wars films. However, that seems like something we would have heard about by now, something that ESPN would be all too willing to promote. But maybe Disney and Lucasfilm really want this to be a surprise and sneak up on people.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on Dec. 18, 2015. Monday Night Football with the Giants at the Eagles kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.