Now that we're well past the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the cast and crew are finally free to talk about the productions process and reveal behind-the-scenes secrets. Case in point, costume designer Michael Kaplan has revealed to Clothes on Film that Captain Phasma's design originally started out as concept art for Kylo Ren. However, J.J. Abrams immediately shot down the look, only for Lucafilm's Kathleen Kennedy to spot the illustration and fall in love with it. Her response is what prompted J.J. Abrams to create the character of Captain Phasma and cast Gwendoline Christie.
Said Kaplan, "When I was trying to tackle Kylo Ren's character, I thought, what if he were The Lord of the Stormtroopers, in bright shining silver armor? Concept artists (Dermot Power). He produced a stunning illustration which was immediately shot down by JJ; not right for Kylo Ren! The drawing remained on our design room wall. One afternoon, Kathy Kennedy came in for a meeting, pointed at the illustration and exclaimed: “What is that? It’s fantastic!"
This interview might reveal some interesting details about the development process on Episode VII. Did character design start before the script was finished? In thinking of Kylo Ren as 'The Lord of the Stormtroopers' that would seem to indicate that Kaplan didn't really know what Kylo Ren's role was in the film. Did the super-secretive J.J. Abrams not allow him to read the script? And it sounds as if Captain Phasma wasn't a character originally planned to be in the film at all until Kathleen Kennedy fell in love with the design of the armor. Perhaps that's why Phasma's role in the film was so small? Hopefully, Rian Johnson will have more for her to do in Episode VIII.
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