Legendary poster artist Drew Struzan has been involved with the Star Wars movies since the beginning of the saga. We included some of Struzan’s Star Wars one-sheets in our post about his exclusive D23 Expo 2015 poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and we’ve even done a breakdown over-analyzing the components and composition of the new one-sheet.

Now Struzan has done an interview about his latest poster, and explained how it came about while praising Force Awakens saying “it is far and away probably going to be THE BEST Star Wars you’ve ever seen.” Read more Drew Struzan Force Awakens opinions, after the jump.

Drew Struzan Force Awakens Opinions

Here is the Drew Struzan Force Awakens quote from Movie Weekly:

…It started about a year ago or more, a year and a half ago. I got a call from J.J. Abrams who I have never met, and he was in England shooting the film and he goes ‘Hi, I’ve always loved the work’ and Blah, Blah, Blah, sounding like you, you know, like a fanboy (laughs) And we were talking along and he just goes ‘…Well, would you?’ and I said ‘…If I was asked.’ And that was the conversation (laughs). By the end of it, there were no other words. So about a year later, we get together and meet and he says we’re using all the original people – John Williams, Kasdan, Harrison Ford’s in it, everybody’s in it and everybody’s writing and making the music and we have to have your art to make it the real thing. So, of course, I’ve got to do it for George and I’ve got to do it for Star Wars. I’ve never worked with J.J before and so we started working on it and he showed me like half the movie and it was just… a wonderful film and I know it’s going to be grand. I got to read the script and subsequently I’ve seen half of it and I can tell you and the fans this, Honest to god, it is far and away probably going to be THE BEST Star Wars you’ve ever seen. … Well it’s beautifully made and it’s a wonderful story.

Those are some pretty strong words, but of course they are words for someone who is somehow a part of the production. That said, Struzan isn’t on the inside of this beast as most people involved with the film have been, and his opinions are based on reading the script, seeing some concept art and watching the first unfinished half of the film. He also reveals that he had no direction from director JJ abrams “what so ever”.

“I worked for seven months on all different kinds of concepts with the studio and J.J and if you really want to know the sacred truth, after I got started and I saw the film and read the script, I was going over it in my mind for weeks – How do I feel about it? How can I represent this film really well? And I did this, like many creatives do, I came up with the concept in my sleep. Just like John Lennon used to write his best music in his sleep, I designed my painting in my sleep. That was the first one I did and I went for seven months doing stuff and in the end, guess which one they picked? The very first thing I did (laughs). So trust your sleep because that’s what I came up with and that’s what they loved from the very beginning.

To me it represents the film. The spirit of the film, the new characters, the battle again to find the truth, to grow up, to find the purpose in life. It’s all those things that Star Wars had to be and is still. And I hope to represent that again to a new generation..”

As for Struzan’s much publicized retirement, Drew says that he has “retired from the 100 hour weeks and the 24 days,” but “the one joy and the one gift I have is to paint” and that he’ll “never stop doing that.” So would Struzan return for future Star Wars movies?

“I have hope and desire if they should ask and want me back, I would consider it. If I’m able and capable… you’ll find me here (laughs).”

Sounds like a plan. You can read the full Struzan interview on MovieWeekly.