“Star Wars” fans and aviation geeks, hold on to your butts: Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Disney’s “Star Wars” franchise are joining forces, and painting a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to look like R2-D2.
Jon Ostrower in the WSJ:
The announcement Thursday of the cross-promotion came as “Star Wars” fans gathered in Anaheim, Calif., to hear about the latest developments from cast and crew ahead of the December release of the sequel “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Fans were treated to a newly released trailer for the film, which is the first to be released under the ownership of Disney, which purchased Lucasfilm Ltd. in 2012 for $4 billion.
This isn’t the first time a blockbuster movie franchise has teamed with an airline for a flying billboard. Air New Zealand Ltd. painted several Boeing 777s and 747s for director Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies.
This is serious, people. They’ve launched a website.
“All Nippon Dreamliner to Fly as R2-D2 in ‘Star Wars’ Promotion” [WSJ.com]
