In July, Daniel Fleetwood was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, and was given only two months to live. Fleetwood, a 32-year-old lifelong Star Wars fan was likely crushed by this news, but an upsetting additional problem was that he would not live long enough to see the newest film in the series, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is due in theaters in mid-December.
Thanks, however, to an aggressive social media campaign started by Fleetwood’s wife Ashley, Daniel got a chance to watch the film months in advance. Started on Twitter last month, the hashtag #ForceForDaniel was meant to appeal to director J.J. Abrams, the people at Disney and Lucasfilm, as well as any number of sympathetic souls, granting Fleetwood exclusive early access to the famously hidden film. Eventually joining in the campaign were actors Mark Hamill and John Boyega, who spread the word.
Check Out: The New ‘The Force Awakens’ Trailer
As of this morning, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Fleetwood’s wish has been granted. Fleetwood will be allowed to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens in advance of its release date, touching the hearts of Star Wars fans everywhere. Fleetwood will be one of the very first to see the film, which is one of the most highly anticipated of the year. There are no details as to the circumstances of the screening, but Fleetwood will, quite wonderfully, have a dying wish granted.
J.J. Abrams previously granted a similar request when a man named Daniel Craft, also dying of a terminal disease, requested to see Star Trek Into Darkness in advance of its release date.
Witney Seibold is a contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
