'Star Wars' actors help to fulfill fan's dying wish

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens stars Mark Hamill and John Boyega have joined a Twitter campaign to help a terminally ill fan see the movie prior to its nation-wide release on Dec.18. #ForceforDaniel was launched in support of 32-year old Daniel Fleetwood, a Star Wars mega fan who recently received a dire prognosis in his battle against a rare form of cancer. “I just love Star Wars,” he told CNN.

Daniel’s wife Ashley made a plea on the social media site on Oct. 28, asking her followers to “help my man get his last wish, to see a screening of Star Wars before cancer takes him.” The tweet caught the attention of Mark and John, who play Luke Skywalker and Finn, respectively, in the upcoming blockbuster. Both stars retweeted Ashley’s message to their more than 700,000 combined followers, and Peter Mayhew, the actor behind Chewbacca, also shared Daniel’s dying wish with his fans.

The chances of Daniel seeing the movie are unknown, but it’s important to note that director J.J. Abrams has helped fans in Daniel’s position in the past. In 2013, he facilitated a screening of Star Trek Into Darkness for super fan Daniel Craft, who passed away only days after seeing his favourite characters in action.