Disney has popularized the post-credits scene through the massive building-block success of Marvel Studios. In each of their offerings, fans are treated to a small snippet of footage that hints at events to come and the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the MCU's success, other franchises such as "X-Men" and even "Terminator" have adopted the strategy as well. Will Lucasfilm (which, along with Marvel, is also housed under Disney), join them?
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams was asked this during a press conference held in Los Angeles over the weekend. He immediately shot the possibility down.
"No, there's not," he told the crowd. "All the scenes are actually in the movie."
Lucasfilm has some very ambitious world building plans for the "Star Wars" universe, with three saga films and a handful of standalone anthology movies planned over the next five years. As a result, it wasn't a surprise that a rumor back in September suggesting that "The Force Awakens" could have a post-credits scene leading into "Rogue One," the first planned anthology movie, gained so much traction. The Gareth Edwards-directed picture has been filming since this past summer, after all. Now, however, it appears as if the saga and spinoff stories will remain separate.
Post-credits scenes can be a fun way to offer fan-service to audiences, but they aren't a crucial element of a film's success. None of the previous "Star Wars" movies asked fans to stay for the credits and they did just fine (well, maybe not the prequels, but you know what I mean). Plus, fans have loved the secretive marketing campaign for "The Force Awakens" thus far and are excited by the prospect that they know very little about the actual story. Post-credits scenes, while typically short and ambiguous, may dull that effect for future movies.
You'll get a full and uninterrupted view of the first new entry into the "Star Wars" universe when "The Force Awakens" hits theaters on Dec. 18.
