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Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 9, 2014 in Fandom, Star Wars 
Tunisia! It’s a pretty cool place, but most fans know it as Tatooine, from Star Wars. A group of dedicated fans living in Tunisia want you to know more about the place, so they’ve put together a video parodying Pharrell William’s incredibly popular song Happy, featuring Star Wars cosplayers dancing in the sandy dunes and through the remaining sets. It’s pretty dorky, but you can tell everyone involved was having a blast, so their enthusiasm rubs off on you pretty quickly. Check out the video below and visit Star Wars Tunisia’s Facebook page here. Read more…
Tags: music videos
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 25, 2014 in Star Wars, Television 
I’m aware that Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, so it’s unavoidably tied to the prequels. But as this trailer for the sixth and final season shows, it’s clearly one of the best thing to come out of those movies, almost the point where I wish we could just forget the movies happened completely. Fans are lucky that this final season is coming out on March 7 on Netflix (along with all the previous episodes), but until then, this really cool trailer will have to tide them over. It seems that Star Wars: Rebels is going to have some giant shoes to fill. Read more…
Tags: Netflix, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 18, 2014 in Animation, Star Wars 
Here’s the first look at Star Wars: Rebels, the new cartoon that will air on Disney XD. Fans were rightly annoyed when Star Wars: The Clone Wars was canceled in favor of this (though the remaining episodes are coming to Netflix), so what do these trailers show? In short, yep, it looks like a Star Wars cartoon. There’s not much to say that the marketing materials haven’t already covered. The show may be good, but right now, it just looks like more animated Star Wars to this casual fan. So cross your fingers that The Clone Wars wasn’t canceled in vain! Just give this a good writing team and things will be alright when it premieres in Fall 2014. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars: Rebels
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 14, 2014 in Star Wars, Television 
After the abrupt cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, fans wondered what would happen to the final season that never surfaced. Thankfully, Disney’s newfound love for Netflix will make it happen: the final season will debut on March 7th exclusively on Netflix. Not only that, the feature film and all previous seasons will be added to Netflix’s back catalog, along with director’s cut versions of some episodes. I suppose if you haven’t caught the series so far, now’s a great time to catch up and binge-watch everything. Not too bad, Netflix! Read more…
Tags: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 23, 2014 in Star Wars 
Disney isn’t just doing a new Star Wars trilogy. No, they’re mixing in lots of individual side movies, sort of taking a page from Marvel. Considering that there are at least two such movies being considered, this next bit of news is surprising, but not that surprising. Latino Review reports that Pixar, an animation studio within Disney, will supposedly get their hands on the license and make a movie. There’s no clue as to what the movie will be like — if it’s a full side story like the extra live-action movies, or if it’s targeting kids, or if it’s a collection of shorter stories like other animated tie-in films — but I could see it working. Of course, the definitive animated Star Wars experience so far is Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars, and even without Tartakovsky involved, I think traditional 2D animation suits Star Wars‘ visual design much better. But even if Pixar aren’t as infallible as they used to be, I think they could make a good product. I’d expect to see much more of this kind of thing in the future, as Disney fully utilizes that expensive Star Wars license. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Pixar, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 19, 2014 in Star Wars 
Here’s some small rumors about the upcoming Boba Fett spin-off film. Granted, the movie isn’t even officially confirmed yet, but we’ve been consistently hearing rumors about it for a while now, and it fits in with Disney’s plan to have other Star Wars films fill the gaps between mainline entries. Lawrence Kasdan is reportedly scripting it, and supposedly dislikes the prequels interpretation of Boba Fett, so his story will tell of a total stranger who kills Boba and begins wearing his armor. This fits right in with Fett’s original concept of “a Man With No Name but in space” so I’m actually perfectly fine with this, especially if the switcheroo happens before the original trilogy takes place. LR also says that Joe Johnston is the top pick to direct the film, but in my opinion, the crew behind Dredd should make it! Never take that helmet off! Read more…
Tags: Boba Fett
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 13, 2014 in Star Wars 
We haven’t heard much from JJ Abrams recently, and that’s probably because he’s got his nose to the grindstone cranking out a new Star Wars script with Lawrence Kasdan. We’re just now getting the first rumors coming out of the big script changes after kicking Michael Arndt out. Apparently Abrams really wanted the focus of Episode VII to be on Luke, Han, and Leia for one last time before passing the torch to a new generation, which is what prompted these changes. Another big change is that Abrams is reportedly looking for a 20-something mixed-race or black woman to play the daughter of Obi-Wan. Of all the rumors, I actually really like this idea, especially if she’s one of or the main character in the next films. Also up? Michael Fassbender, Hugo Weaving, and Adam Driver. Weaving is reportedly being looked at for an Imperial Officer role, which is so perfect I can’t even handle it. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2014 in Star Wars
For a bit now we were aware that Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark scribe Lawrence Kasdan would be working on a Star Wars script for spinoff movie in addition to helping JJ Abrams write the new trilogy. What we didn’t know, though, is what that spinoff film would be about. We had our suspicions, and rumors ran rampant about a Yoda film and a Boba Fett film equally. Well, according to Jon Schnepp, who has worked on The Venture Bros. and Metalocalypse and probably has some friends who worked on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, says that he’s heard that Kasdan is penning a Boba Fett script. Neat! Now, the big question is, can Boba Fett be interesting enough for an entire 2 hours? I’m not sure. Read more…
Tags: Boba Fett, Lawrence Kasdan
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2014 in Comic Books, Star Wars 
Farewell, Dark Horse! You’ve been a lovely friend for Star Wars all these years — over 20, actually. But given that Disney owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm, it was only a matter of time until the comics were brought under the same roof. Marvel will be taking over publishing of all Star Wars comics in 2015. Whether they’ll continue currently running series or halt them remains to be seen. I imagine at the very least they have plenty of plans for comics that’ll support the new films that begin in 2015. What’ll happen next? And what will Dark Horse do to fill the gaps? Read more…
Tags: Dark Horse, Marvel, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 7, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
If you have the cash, that is. An auction is currently going on in which you can bid on the original blaster used by Harrison Ford during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Granted, the starting bid is $200,000, so this probably relegates it to the realm of hardcore and wealthy fans, but it is still an impressive piece of movie history to see. The auction description notes that this was probably the blaster used in the scene in which Vader force-pulls Solo’s blaster out of his hand, due to it being the lighter resin model and not the heavier live-fire gun used for close-ups. It’s got signs of wear from being used heavily in filming, but isn’t the lived-in aesthetic that made things feel much more real in the original trilogy, anyway? Check out the auction here and the images below. Read more…
Tags: Han Solo, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 1, 2013 in Star Wars, Videogames 
According to job postings on EA Canada’s Vancouver studio, it seems like the company is working on an open-world Star Wars game. This is obviously super-early, but I wonder if there’s anything that could be salvaged from the open-world game Lucasarts was supposedly working on before they shut down. EA signed a 10-year deal with Disney and Lucasfilm, so they’ve got exclusive rights to make Star Wars games right now, so you’d better believe they’re going to milk it for all it’s worth. Hopefully we’ll hear some more details about EA’s plans in the next year. Read more…
Tags: EA
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 16, 2013 in Star Wars 
Oh, who else did you expect? Yup, here’s a picture of JJ Abrams and crew standing with R2-D2 in the Bad Robot offices. Nothing too earth-shattering, but if you wanted real proof that new Star Wars movies are happening, then this is it! The real question is: will Kenny Baker return? I sure hope so. It wouldn’t be R2 without him! I also considered Anthony Daniels as C-3PO a given as well, so while that isn’t confirmed, I think that a Star Wars movie without the pair would be poor choice. They’re the real main characters, after all! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 13, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Who would have thought that response to an open casting call for Star Wars Episode VII would have garnered a ridiculous response? That’s what happened in UK and Ireland, where thousands showed up in places like Bristol for a shot at two roles. Now you can submit your reel online with Cast It Talent for a chance to be in Disney’s continuation of the Star Wars franchise. You have until December 3 to get your entry in, so make it good and keep in mind that you’re potentially competing against the entire world! You can check out the descriptions of the two roles, Rachel and Thomas, below, though there’s a strong possibility that these are placeholder names. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 9, 2013 in Star Wars 
I told you, Disney. I told you that you needed more time. Thankfully, they agreed, and the release date for Star Wars Episode VII has been set to December 18th, 2015. This is a bit further back than the original May 2015 date they wanted, but given the script troubles they’ve been having, it’s a good decision. Take any extension you can get, J.J.! Speaking of J.J., the director spoke about avoiding reading fan theories online, because he doesn’t want to accidentally use anyone’s ideas. He also mentioned that he knows that no one wants him to “mess with” their childhood, so he’s being very careful about what he does with this new trilogy. I hope hew and Lawrence Kasdan can work out a good script in time! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 5, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Did you see the recently released Star Wars blooper reel? I’m not just talking general Star Wars, I’m talking the original film. Well, Slackatory took those bloopers and mixed them into the original trailer to create a “Derp Edition.” With shots of Han Solo munching on his mic and Stormtroopers sliding around, I’d say this gives the Special Edition a run for its money. Actually, if Lucas was still in charge of the franchise, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a new cut with all the outtakes and called it his even truer vision. It’s no less strange than the fact that he had his team purposely animate Jar Jar stepping in poop. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 26, 2013 in Star Wars 
Some strange changes are happening in the Star Wars world: Michael Arndt, the scriptwriter for Episode VII, has been taken off the project. Reports are saying that JJ Abrams is tossing out the entire script and wants serious changes to the story. Instead, he and Lawrence Kasdan will be writing a new script. This is dangerous territory to be in for a film that’s supposed to shoot in a few months. I’m happy to see Kasdan on scripting duties now, but I wonder what Abrams hated in the original script so much? I hope Disney just delays it, rather than rush to get it out by their Christmas 2015 date. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 18, 2013 in Star Wars 
Here’s a trip down memory lane: the original trailer for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. It’s in some pretty rough quality, but perhaps that just adds to the charm. This trailer was particularly notable because it had no live-action video in it, just Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art zooming by at high speeds. Plenty of this art is for stuff that happens late in the film too, but I guess it’d be hard to parse all that while watching this for the first time. The narrator explicitly teases a battle between Luke and Vader, too. But best of all is him calling Lando “Landau Calrissian.” Early in development, eh? Read more…
Tags: The Empire Strikes Back
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 14, 2013 in Star Wars, Television 
Star Wars Rebels, the new show to take over The Clone Wars’ slot, is set in the period between Episode III and Episode IV. Thus, that gives the creators a whole new time period to play with, and obviously, they need a main villain. The Imperial Inquisitor is that dude — tasked by Darth Vader to eliminate any remaining Jedi Knights. There weren’t too many other details, but the announcement video did feature some other peeks at various art and CG assets from the show. I love seeing seeing classic stormtroopers and TIE fighters again, so I’m actually looking forward to this show a bit! Watch the video embedded below. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars: Rebels
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 13, 2013 in Star Wars 
The rumor mill for the next Star Wars film keeps on churning! While we’ve heard rumors that casting announcements may happen soon, nothing solid has really appeared yet. However, Latino Review is reporting on two potential titles for Star Wars Episode VII… and you know what? I think they’re both fake AND real, for the exact same reason: they sound exactly like what you’d expect a Star Wars film title to be. Completely boring and unimaginative. Are you ready? Here they are: Return of the Sith and Rise of the Jedi. Yup. I told you they were lame. Maybe it’s cheap for me to make my stand right in the middle, but come on, these are totally fake. And they’re totally real. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 6, 2013 in Star Wars, Television 
People have been waiting on a live-action Star Wars TV series for years. (Anyone remember this old Penny Arcade comic joking about what it would be like?) Supposedly, George Lucas wanted to hold off on making it until visual effects technology had improved even further. But now that Disney owns Lucasfilm and Lucas is out of the picture, it seems like the main obstacle is out of the way. Disney also owns ABC, which has reached out to Lucasfilm to discuss making a Star Wars TV series of some sort. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 29, 2013 in Star Wars, Television 
While many were unhappy about the cancellation of animated The Clone Wars TV series, it seemed an inevitability with Disney’s purchase of Star Wars. However, the same crew behind the popular show will be returning to create a new animated show, called Star Wars: Rebels. As you might guess, it’s set between episode III and IV, and will focus on the birth of the Rebel Alliance. Dave Filoni, an animator for the series, took to the stage at Star Wars Celebration Europe to debut new concept art for Rebels, as well as drop a few story details. It will focus on a teenage main character, who also has a ship called Ghost. They also mentioned that they’re learning a lot from Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept art, which is good news for the artist in me. Check out more images below. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars: Rebels
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 28, 2013 in Star Wars 
He’d implied as much earlier, but now we have official confirmation from Kathleen Kennedy: John Williams will score and compose for Star Wars episodes VII, VIII, and IX. At Star Wars Celebration in Europe, Kennedy opened the show with a panel (hosted by Warwick Davis), in which she confirmed the composer would return. Williams also appeared in a short video, in which he expresses his joy at coming back, and then sings the praises of J.J. Abrams. I wonder if that’s some damage control going on? Kennedy also mentioned that real locations in combination with CG would be a priority, rather than total green screen. They’re certainly saying all the right things, so far! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, John Williams
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 15, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
Greedo arrives! Hasbro’s The Black Series of Star Wars figures has been fairly impressive. They’re 6-inch scale figures of everyone’s favorites from the various films. Wave 1 featured Luke, R2-D2, Darth Maul, and a Sandtrooper. Wave 2 seems to feature Boba Fett (which is debuting at SDCC) and Han Solo, but Greedo won’t arrive till wave 3. If you’re looking for Star Wars figures that look good but don’t break the budget, these are a pretty solid bet. I also like the minimalist packaging for the figures as well. Check out a few more images below! Read more…
Tags: Action Figures
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 14, 2013 in Star Wars 
Japanese candy and snack maker Glico is popular for their various treats, but mostly for Pocky, their most famous snack. And finally, after all these years, someone in their marketing department has stumbled upon the realization that a Pocky stick looks kind of like a lightsaber. Thus, one of the most clever cross-brand opportunities to ever exist came to fruition. While these are a Japanese candy, there are many places online you can buy and have them shipped over. You know, for science. Or maybe just your sweet tooth. Read more…
Tags: Candy, Food, Pocky
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