Future The Last Jedi VR experiences announced by Lucasfilm and Nokia
Get set for a behind-the-scenes look at Star Wars: The Last Jedi to come soon to a virtual reality device near you.
Just yesterday, communications company Nokia announced a “multi-year virtual reality (VR) technology agreement” with Disney and Lucasfilm. The agreement includes “new immersive experiences” for the upcoming Last Jedi movie, which is set for release on December 15.
As part of the agreement, Disney marketers and filmakers will use Nokia’s OZO VR camera.
“We want nothing more than to share the Star Wars universe with fans around the world, and fans tell us they love to have the opportunity to learn more about the process of filmmaking,” said Lucasfilm’s senior vice president of franchise creative & strategy Brian Miller in a statement. “Utilizing the Nokia OZO to capture our behind-the-scenes material allows viewers to be transported to fantastical locations and virtually visit the incredible sets where their favorite Star Wars scenes were captured.”
The Nokia OZO VR camera (image via Nokia).
According to Nokia Technologies’ interim president Brad Rodrigues the “OZO will enable Star Wars fans around the world to be transported into the incredible worlds depicted in the story, and truly feel the power of The Force together.”
Disney has previously utilized the Nokia OZO for VR content featuring Pete’s Dragon, Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Jungle Book.
More specific details regarding the content and availability of The Last Jedi and its VR experiences “will be announced at a future date.”
This won’t be Star Wars’ first foray into the virtual reality scene. Lucasfilm has previously used VR to promote last year’s Rogue One movie via Rogue One: Recon 360, which told a short story about Rebel pilots coming across the Death Star. That project was in partnership with Verizon and was watchable on mobile devices.
Before that, there was a Google Cardboard-branded VR experience titled “Jakku Spy” to promote The Force Awakens. That experience allowed users to look around the battle of Jakku’s wreckage from the vantage point of a Resistance secret agent.
Image from the Darth Vader VR Story Experience Teaser.
There’s also the Battlefront X-wing mission for the PlayStation VR and Trials on Tatooine, a VR demo for the HTC Vive. Additionally, Lucasfilm is currently working on an upcoming and untitled Darth Vader short story crafted for VR.
There are also several 360-degree behind-the-scenes videos beyond those VR-specific experiences, including this one of a Jedha City set.
While you wait for whatever The Last Jedi VR experiences come, how about you check out that teaser trailer one more time:
