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Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 26, 2014 in Star Wars, Television 
Star Wars Rebels is making a big splash at SDCC! The entire first hour of the series premiered there, and excited fans got to watch it all. For those of us at home, however, Disney has released two new clips that give us a better look at the characters and world of the series. It definitely feels more homey now that it’s set closer to the original trilogy, but maybe I’m just happy to see Stormtroopers and TIE Fighters again. The Inquisitor’s lightsaber is as little silly with the spinning action, but I’ll let it slide for now. Check out the two clips below (and a new trailer)! Read more…
Tags: Star Wars: Rebels
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 22, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
The contest to be in Star Wars Episode VII — a fundraiser for the Force for Change charity — is still continuing, with people from around the world sending in a ton of entries. J.J. Abrams is reminding fans to get their entries in, but what’s more important immediately are the teases Abrams has had in his clips: trickles of information to whet your appetite for Star Wars. The latest is an X-Wing from the movie, and it’s looking good. There’s now one big engine on each wing that looks like it splits with the wings, while the design is sleeker. And unlike the prequels, this ship looks worn down and used, like it actually exists in the world. Good news, right? Read more…
Tags: J.J. Abrams, Star Wars, x-wing
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 21, 2014 in Star Wars 
Tread lightly, spoiler-avoiders! You may want to avoid this story. Badass Digest and Devin Farci recently posted a set of rumors about the plot setup for Star Wars Episode VII… and it sounds pretty solid. Farci doesn’t stick his neck out for anything other than the most reliable tidbits, so I’m inclined to believe this over other leaks. The basic gist? John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, the two main characters, discover a severed hand clutching a lightsaber. They realize it’s a “Jedi relic” and decide to return it. They then encounter Han Solo, Chewbacca, and others on their journey to return the saber, during which they discover a shocking fact: this is Luke’s lightsaber. So begins the hunt for Skywalker! Farci goes into extra detail there, so check it out if you want more. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 19, 2014 in Star Wars 
Star Wars Rebels just got way more exciting: Jason Isaacs will be playing the villain in the show: The Inquisitor. This had been rumored for a long time, but now we’ve got official confirmation. He’ll be playing a cold, analytical character who “doesn’t get angry,” says Pablo Hidalgo. “We all took care to make sure our villains have real presence and our heroes just can’t walk all over him. This isn’t like cartoons I grew up with in the 80s where you’d have the villain lose every week and yet every week we’d have to believe he’s some sort of threat.” Sounds pretty cool, I hope they can deliver on that promise! Check out the announcement video below. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars: Rebels
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 18, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Episode VII’s cast continues to grow, even as they are filming! Christina Chong, whom you may have caught in 24: Live Another Day most recently, will be joining the cast of the next Star Wars film. Latino Review broke the news. Hopefully we’ll get official confirmation soon. Score another for a diverse cast! Since the initial casting announcement, almost every new character announced for Star Wars has been female. It’s great to see an increase in women in space, and I hope we’ll also see this continue with other films in the future. I wonder what kind of part she’ll be playing? Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 30, 2014 in Star Wars 
Everyone wants tidbits about the biggest (probably) upcoming film, Episode VII. So what do you do? Wring every detail you can out of the cast members! Recently in a interview with Sci-Fi Now, Andy Serkis spoke a bit about his role in the new Star Wars film, saying that his company (The Imaginarium) would be doing the mo-cap work and, “I myself am playing a character in it.” Of course, everyone is interpreting this different ways: some think he’s only doing mo-cap work, others think he’s playing a live-action character too. Suffice to say, there’s no way you’d hire Andy Serkis without using his mo-cap expertise in some way… but that isn’t the end of his abilities. I could definitely see him playing a non-CGI character. That’s the juicy bit, but check out of the rest of the interview here.
Tags: Andy Serkis, Episode VII
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 24, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
It sounds like Harrison Ford’s recent injury may be worse than initially reported. The man who plays Han Solo was injured by a hydraulic door over a week ago while shooting Star Wars Episode VII. While initial reports stated it was a sprained ankle, it turns out that his leg was broken. That’s bad news, considering the actor is rumored to be the main lead in Episode VII, or at least to play a major part. Now rumors are swirling at Pinewood Studios of an emergency meeting to discuss what to do with a film that is due for release on December 18, 2015. Reportedly, the options being considered are rewriting Ford’s scenes, rewriting the whole script to reduce his role, or delaying the film. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 21, 2014 in Star Wars 
It’s everyone’s favorite time of the week: Star Wars Episode VII rumor time! Latino Review did some digging on the recent Making Star Wars post, and found a few things weren’t quite on. But they were close! The bad guys are indeed a group of mercenaries hunting down Jedi, and Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong’o and the two mains in that crew. Black and chrome will indeed be their color scheme as well, including some Storm Trooper underlings. It seems that many designs in the film are being taken or based on old Ralph McQuarrie designs that went unused in the original trilogy. I am definitely okay with that, as it appeals to my nostalgic side. They also go into some speculation based on their sources, but you can read that all here. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 17, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
If you haven’t seen the 2010 documentary The People vs. George Lucas and are a Star Wars fan, you’re missing out on a great examination of the lack of relationship between George Lucas and his fans. I thought it covered its bases pretty well, but apparently the filmmakers think there’s more to say, so they’ve announced The People vs. George Lucas Episode II and scheduled its release for December 2015, just in time for Star Wars Episode VII. In this documentary, they hope to examine further developments in the relationship between George Lucas and his fans, including the sale of Star Wars and Lucasfilm to Disney, as well as the future of the franchise without George Lucas. Read more…
Tags: Disney, documentary, George Lucas, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 6, 2014 in Star Wars 
After the success of Chronicle, Josh Trank has gone on to get signed to the Fantastic Four reboot, which was a big step up. Now, Disney is courting him too, and have signed him to direct a Star Wars spin off film. He’s another example of Disney’s strategy: find young up-and-coming directors to make Star Wars spin off films for cheap! Once again, there’s no word on what the story or script will focus on, but that’s to be expected when we’re this early in the game. Until then, he’s working on The Fantastic Four. How that film turns out will probably determine whether I get excited for this one! Read more…
Tags: Josh Trank, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 5, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Someone has managed to sort all of Star Wars alphabetically. No, it’s not a wiki or database of some kind, and we’re talking about Star Wars the first movie, not Star Wars the franchise. This guy has alphabetically sorted every word spoken in the film and cut a video of the words in order. The original film is 121 minutes, while this edit runs for a mere 43 minutes. The most common word is naturally “the,” but interestingly enough, the word “lightsaber” is only uttered once in the entire film. Strange, huh? Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on May 24, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Fresh off the success of Godzilla, Gareth Edwards is riding high. And now Disney has snatched him up to direct a spin off Star Wars film! Right now they’ve only revealed the director, the writer (Gary Whitta, of The Book of Eli and PC Gamer fame), and the release date: December 16th, 2016. Disney is definitely living up to their promise of one Star Wars film a year. The three spin off films were rumored to be about Han Solo, Yoda, and Boba Fett. I wonder which Edwards will be tackling? Oh, and if you’re worried about Godzilla 2, Legendary says they always planned for Edwards to make a film in between the first and second Godzilla films… they just weren’t expecting his middle film to be a Star Wars movie! Read more…
Tags: Gareth Edwards, Gary Whitta
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
One of the best parts of the original Star Wars trilogy were all the practical effects, mixed with worn elements to give the impression of a realistic, lived-in world. One of the biggest failings of the prequel trilogy was tossing that out the window in favor of clean cities and cartoon aliens, all rendered in fake-tacular CGI. Director J.J. Abrams has previously expressed his plan to use practical effects in Star Wars Episode VII (as well as shoot on film). In a video today, we got our first peak at a new alien — and he’s a puppet! Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, Puppets, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on May 17, 2014 in Star Wars 
It looks like it’s not all secrets and smoke on the set of Episode VII. Bad Robot tweeted out two pictures today from the first day of filming for the new Star Wars film. One is of the clapboard and the other is of the outside of Pinewood Studios, which features a large sign that says “VII Now Filming.” Yes, it’s finally happening. Now let’s hope they do a good job. I also hope that this is a sign that J.J. Abrams, Bad Robot, and Disney will be a tad more open about the whole process of filming. If you share photos, people are less likely to go hunting for leaks. At least, I am! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Ben Huber on May 10, 2014 in Star Wars 
Rumors keep swirling about Star Wars Episode VII, and it looks like nothing is going to stop them. One of the more reliable tales to come out of the production (from Entertainment Weekly) is that Harrison Ford will be a “co-lead” in the film, probably leading the trio of main characters on their adventures. Obviously, Luke, Leia, and Han will all have significant roles, but it seems that Han’s is a bit bigger. EW also confirmed that there are several important roles yet to cast, including a lead female role. That’s good to hear, especially as some of the criticism of the cast was that there was only one new woman in the cast. Also, I’ve included below Conan’s recent bit on the possible titles for Episode VII. Check it out! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
Posted by Ben Huber on May 5, 2014 in Star Wars 
Here’s a few interesting bits from the May the Fourth festivities. J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan took the time to create a (very) short little video saying hi to their families and fans. It definitely appears that Kasdan is heavily involved in more than just the script. Abrams also mentions that casting announcements will continue, so we have some more of those to look forward to! Also released was the new trailer for Star Wars Rebels, which gives some more context and story info, as well as a better look at the various characters. It looks pretty neat, and it’s great to see the classic Stormtroopers and hear the original music again. Check it all out below. Read more…
Tags: J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, Star Wars: Rebels
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 30, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
After much speculation, we now know the stars who will be warring in Star Wars Episode VII. As expected, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Kenny Baker (R2-D2) all return. The newcomers are John Boyega (Moses, Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (an unknown), Adam Driver (Adam Sackler, Girls), Oscar Isaac (Llewyn Davis, Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (Gollum, The Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and Max von Sydow (who’s been in tons of stuff). Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 26, 2014 in Star Wars 
A lot of people love the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which adds a lot of story after Episode VI. However, with the arrival of Episode VII, most people assumed that would be tossed out in favor of whatever new story JJ Abrams wanted along with Lawrence Kasdan and the other writers. I saw a lot of fans clinging to the hope that they’d include Expanded Universe elements though, however unlikely it seemed. Lucasfilm has now officially issued a statement about the Expanded Universe content, saying essentially “sorry guys! It’s not canon.” As anyone sensible guessed, Episode VII and onward will blaze its own story. Don’t worry, though, the Expanded Universe will still stick around and will be now listed under the “Legends” banner. Click here for the full press release. They’ve also released a video, embedded below. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, expanded universe
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 21, 2014 in Star Wars 
The first clip for Star Wars: Rebels has been released at Wondercon 2014, and it definitely impresses me more than the Clone Wars series. In the clip we see Hera, the pilot of the Ghost, engaged in a space battle with two TIE Fighters, complete with original laser sound effects. They’re really pulling on the ol’ nostalgia strings, aren’t they? I appreciate the attempts to appeal to older fans while still roping in the younger set, so I hope it goes well. The animation also seems to be a notch up from previous endeavors, which is nice to see. Check out the full clip below! Read more…
Tags: Star Wars: Rebels
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 11, 2014 in Star Wars 
Here’s another rumor for the rumor mill: Maisie Richardson-Sellers, a relatively unknown actress from Oxford, may be up for a lead role in Star Wars Episode VII. She has no film credits, but has received acclaim for her stage performances. The Hollywood Reporter says she is one of several unknown actors that J.J. Abrams is looking at. Given that several leads in the original Star Wars trilogy were unknowns at the time, I can see why Abrams may want to replicate that feeling. I also am really happy to see such a varied and diverse collection of actors and actresses up for roles. Let’s hope we finally hear some news soon — who wants to bet on May 4th? Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 7, 2014 in Star Wars 
In a recent interview with the chairman of Disney Studios, Alan Horn, he confirmed something many had suspected: filming for Star Wars Episode VII had already begun. Now don’t get too excited — it’s probably just scenic shots and vistas. We haven’t heard of any actors performing, so it’s probably just background material they’ll need for later. In fact, rumors were that J.J. Abrams wanted some plates (master shots) from Iceland, so perhaps that’s all that’s really happening. Current theories say that May 4th would be a perfect time to announce the cast, since filming proper is rumored to start May 14th. Rumors, rumors, and more rumors! Good job locking this down, Disney. Let’s hope we find out everything in May! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 17, 2014 in Star Wars 
Here’s some awesome casting news: the wonderful, Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong’o (fresh off of her win for 12 Years A Slave) is reportedly up for a role in Star Wars Episode VII. Both the Latino Review and The Hollywood Reporter are confirming this story, say that she’s been speaking to J.J. Abrams about a part not related to the original trilogy. LR says she’ll probably be playing a Sith, but THR says she’ll be a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I suppose there’s always the possibility she could be both! Nyongo’os representatives, when called, said that they’re “not allowed to talk about that.” Well then! That’s about as much as a confirmation as we’re gonna get, aren’t we? Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 11, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
Wow, talk about impressive: LEGO just announced this massive Jawa Sandcrawler, complete with an abundance of minifigures, droids, hidden features, and panels. The set is 9 inches high, 18 inches long, and 6 inches wide, packs over 3200 pieces, and will retail for $300. Yikes! Still, it looks to be a pretty impressive set, and I am kind of surprised we’re even seeing a Sandcrawler model this big! It’d definitely be quite the display piece, and it looks like there’s plenty for kids (or big kids) to enjoy with a droid winch, several secret compartments, a cockpit, and a mini-vehicle. Check out more images below along with LEGO’s designer video. Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 10, 2014 in Star Wars 
I think if Star Wars fans didn’t love Carrie Fisher unconditionally before this, they will now. She keeps leaking details about the project before it can be officially announced, making her one of the premiere sources for Star Wars: Episode VII news! Most recently, she once again confirmed her presence in the upcoming film, when she disclosed to Jim Jefferies (whom she is starring with in the FXX show Legit), that she’d be filming for six months in London for Star Wars. Jefferies revealed this on the Opie & Anthony Show, so thanks Jefferies! We’re basically 100% sure Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Fisher will be back for Episode VII, but we’re just waiting on official confirmation from Disney. Come on, guys, we all know! Just say it! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
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