Ready to see ‘Star Wars’ trailer, buy tickets? NJ’s biggest fans are

Star Wars fans in New Jersey will have another reason to watch Monday night's Giants-Eagles game: The debut of the latest trailer for "The Force Awakens," the new Star Wars movie opening in December.

A tease for the trailer was tweeted out on the movie's official account early on Monday afternoon.

Jeff Nichols, the commanding officer for Northeast Remnant of the the 501st Legion, a worldwide costuming organization that dresses as the villains from the "Star Wars" films, is very excited about the debut of the trailer and is looking forward to a first glimpse of Luke Skywalker, who has not been seen in any of the trailers or pictures.

"I'd also like to see if there's any hint of the plot. ... It's all up in the air as to what might happen in the movie," Nichols said.

His 4-year-old son is also anticipating watching the trailer.

"I remember going to see the movie with my father, and now I get to go see it with my son, so its a generation to generation story, which is also what Star Wars is from the separate trilogies," Nichols said.

Nichols, who is a computer programmer and a volunteer fighter from North Arlington, is also eager to see how the "Star Wars" universe looks 30 years after the last time we saw Skywalker, Princess Leia and Hans Solo on film.

He thinks the mistake made in the most recently released trio of "Star Wars" movies such as the "Phantom Menace" was not including those original characters and thinks disappointed fans will like "The Force Awakens" with the return of those characters.

The 501st Legion has members all over New Jersey and does appearances at conventions and for charities.

Red Bank-born actor Kevin Smith who runs the "Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash" in his hometown tweeted that he has seen the trailer.

Lucasfilm released a new poster for the movie on Sunday to whet the appetite of fans, who will be able to buy tickets to the Dec. 17 premiere right after the trailer airs at Fandango and most other online ticket sites.

The poster was illustrated by Drew Struzan in a style reminiscent of the original posters and includes new characters seen in the already-released trailers and the movie series' iconic characters with the exception of Skywalker.

The game airs on ESPN starting at 8:15 p.m.

"The Force Awakens," the seventh film in the franchise, is one of the most anticipated of the year. Even its trailer launches have become events in and of themselves. The second teaser trailer, which debuted in April, has over 64 million views on YouTube to date.