One of the most anticipated panels of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con is undoubtedly the Lucasfilm panel, during which Star Wars: The Force Awakens—the first new Star Wars movie in over a decade—will be highlighted. It made the top of our list as far as anticipated panels go, as director J.J. Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan are set to take the Hall H stage along with a few surprise guests. However, if you’re planning on camping out all night (or longer) in order to get an early glimpse at a new trailer or unseen footage from The Force Awakens, you may be in for a big disappointment.

Per EW, Lucasfilm will not be showing a new trailer or any new clips from Star Wars: The Force Awakens during its panel at Comic-Con this Saturday. The next trailer for the pic is instead slated to arrive this fall, and according to EW’s sources, Lucasfilm will be using the panel to highlight some behind-the-scenes aspects of The Force Awakens. “Several” actors who haven’t yet spoken publicly about their Force Awakens roles are poised to be among the panel’s surprise guests, and my fingers are crossed as tight as can be for an Adam Driver appearance.

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Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

While some fans may find this disappointing, I’d actually rather see behind-the-scenes footage or stills from The Force Awakens rather than actual footage from the film. After all, anyone who cares enough to camp out for the Star Wars panel will no doubt be first in line to see the film this December, so it’s not like fans are never going to see new footage from the movie—they’ll see the whole thing in just a few short months! Behind-the-scenes footage, however, offers fans a rare glimpse inside one of the most secretive and locked-down productions in recent memory.

And this isn’t all too surprising anyway. Abrams is known for playing things close to the vest, and if he shows any kind of footage at Comic-Con, it’s going to get out on the internet whether it’s officially released or not. By not showing anything, Abrams and Lucasfilm maintain a tight lid on how The Force Awakens is slowly revealed to the public.


Or this report could be false and Abrams and Co. might end up showing footage anyway. I doubt it, but it’s possible. Regardless, if you’re planning on attending the panel, don’t go in expecting new footage. Instead, go in prepared to hear some (hopefully) thoughtful discussion from some of the key people that brought this film and an entirely new chapter in the Star Wars saga to life. And maybe some Rogue One news if we're lucky.

Check back here on Friday for our full recap of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Comic-Con panel. The film opens in theaters on December 18th, and Comic-Con 2015 runs from July 8th – 12th.

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Image via Lucasfilm