Category Archives: Episode VII

Episode VII – 10 Supporting Characters Who Should Cameo

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Via Whatculture.com:

Cameos in a beloved film franchise like Star Wars are pretty difficult to gauge properly. You want to toss in a few to reward the fans who have stuck around, but at the same time you risk turning your movie into a farce if you have too many. After all, your typical film narrative can only support so many blatantly shoe-horned appearances before it collapses completely under the sheer weight of nostalgia. On the other hand, there are a dozen or so Star Wars characters that we would love to see show up in the impending trilogy.

As a collective, Star Wars fans have suffered grievously at the hands of George Lucas. First there was the dire Christmas special, that even Lucas himself was ashamed of. There there was the series of edited releases that featured questionable cuts only serving to further distance us from the movies we loved.

The decision to make a film about a trade blockade rather than an exciting space fantasy, all of the dialogue between Anakin and Padme, the entire existence of Jar Jar Binks…the point we’re trying to make is that Lucas owes us, big time. The least he could do is try to recreate some of the magic we felt back in the day by bringing some of the most of the most interesting characters from the classic and prequel movies into these new films.

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‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ Is Three Weeks From Completion

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Via Hollywoodreporter.com:

With a large chunk of recent Marvel titles having been shot in London and Star Wars: Episode VII still in production at Pinewood Studios, Walt Disney expanded its growing presence in the U.K. capital further on Wednesday with the opening of Industrial Light & Magic’s local studio.

The new London base for the visual effects arm of the conglomerate’s Lucasfilm, located in the British capital’s Soho neighborhood, was officially opened on Wednesday night with a ceremony attended by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, Industrial Light & Magic president and general manager Lynwen Brennan, U.K. chancellor George Osborne and U.K. culture secretary Ed Vaizey.

According to ILM London’s director of operations Sue Lyster, the facility is already working on the effects for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Star Wars: Episode VII.

Speaking at the event, Kennedy recalled meeting U.K. government representatives in February last year to discuss filming the latest Star Wars in London, revealing that Disney was now just “three weeks off” finishing the film and hinting that further titles in the franchise would be shot in the city.

“This continues a long tradition of Star Wars movies being made in London. It goes back to 1976, and to know that we are now coming back and we will be making the movies once again based out of Pinewood, and now we’re looking to put together this studio, it’s rather remarkable that this has all come together in less than two years,” she said.

“London’s fantastic visual effects industry and rich talent pool made it an ideal location to expand our global footprint,” said Brennan in a statement. “Our clients have come to rely on us being able to provide not only top-tier talent, but flexibility in determining how and where their effects work will be done.”

Among new local hires are Academy Award- and BAFTA-winner Ben Morris, who joins ILM London as creative director from U.K.-based Framestore, where he worked on projects including War Horse, Lincoln, The Golden Compass and Gravity. Michael Eames, whose resume boasts four Harry Potter titles, is the studio’s animation director, while Kevin Jenkins is the art director and concept artist.

New ‘Star Wars’ Movies- A Blend of Multiple Genres

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Via Screenrant.com:

In our discussion on how the Hollywood marketplace would be able to sustain the sheer amount of Marvel/DC superhero films coming out in the next handful of years, one aspect we detailed is that the various projects would be able to be viable propositions due to “comic book movies” being chameleon-like in their ability to showcase multiple genres.

Marvel Studios, for example, has illustrated this concept this year with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy both blending different types of stories to supplement the super-powered action (political thriller and space opera, respectively).

As it turns out, Marvel won’t be the only studio using this filmmaking strategy. Their Disney brethren Lucasfilm is also interested in seeing how the galaxy far, far away can be used to span multiple genres, as the Mouse House looks to bring the franchise back into the spotlight next December with Star Wars: Episode VII.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lucasfilm’s VP of Development Kiri Hart addressed the directions the studio may go as they look to release a new Star Wars film annually:

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Episode VII – Possible Footage and Details

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Via Geektyrant.com:

The Star Wars: Episode VII rumors continue to roll in, and we have a couple of interesting ones for you to read today. These are just rumors for now, but as with everything that has leaked, it is possible that some of it is true, so I will throw out a SPOILER warning just in case. Included in this batch of rumors are some screenshots of some possible leaked footage from the movie.

I’m enjoy reading this stuff. It gets me excited about the movie, and I enjoy discussing these things with my friends. I know rumors like this aren’t for everybody, but there are a lot of fanboys and fangirls out there like me, which is why I post them.

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David Fincher on Almost Directing Episode VII

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Via Screenrant.com:

Director David Fincher is loved by cinephiles (including yours truly), and has an iconic lineup of films on his resume, which include Fight Club, Se7en, The Social Network and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Fans of mystery/thrillers also tend to have special reverence for Fincher’s Zodiac, and are therefore probably eager to see his new film, Gone Girl.

However, while out promoting Gone Girl, Fincher has been talking about other happenings in his career – which has understandably brushed up against big blockbuster undertakings like the current mega-universe franchises like DC/Marvel superheroes and more specifically, Star Wars. Apparently, there was a possibility that we could’ve seen David Fincher’s Star Wars Episode VII instead of J.J. Abrams’.

Speaking with Total Film, Fincher said the following about his meetings with Disney/LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy, regarding the Episode VII director’s chair:

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Oscar Isaac’s Thoughts on Original Triology

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Via Screenrant.com:

The 1977 version of Star Wars grossed $307.2 million at the domestic box office and scored 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. However, as fans of the galaxy far, far away know all to well, that original theatrical cut isn’t the only edition of the movie that exists.

Going back to 1981 (when George Lucas added the A New Hope subtitle to the text crawl), the creator of the iconic sci-fi franchise has constantly been going back and making alterations to certain scenes, allegedly so the trilogy plays more in line with his original vision. He celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first film by releasing the “special editions” in 1997, and in every home media release since (2004 DVDs, 2011 Blu-rays) more changes have been incorporated.

What makes fans of Star Wars really upset isn’t that Greedo shoots first or Darth Vader now says “NO!” before saving Luke from the Emperor. That’s part of it, sure, but the fact that Lucas has basically eliminated the theatrical versions from existence is seen by many as the greater sin. Those cuts were available as bonus features during a limited edition 2006 DVD release of the trilogy, but they were ripped from the laser discs, non-anthromorphic, and clearly could have been of higher quality.

But fans aren’t the only ones who wish Lucas had just let it be. Actor Oscar Isaac, who has an unspecified role in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, said in an interview with The Huffington Post that he wishes the changes were never made.

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Episode VII Concept Art

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Via Screenrant.com:

J.J. Abrams is hard at work on his latest film, a little indie project called Star Wars: Episode VII, and fans of the galaxy far, far away haven’t had many official details to chew on to this point. Despite Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stating that the production wouldn’t be clouded in secrecy, Abrams has done a solid job of keeping his infamous mystery box locked. A few leaked set images have shown non-spoilery specifics such as the models being used for the spaceships, but most of the meaty stuff is just rumor for now.

Today’s update on the Return of the Jedi followup won’t satisfy those looking for thorough information on the story beats the filmmakers are looking to cover, but like most of the unofficial reveals so far, it will provide moviegoers with some more food for thought as they imagine the twists and turns Abrams will take us on come December 2015.

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Episode 7′ Will Be ‘Fiery’

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Via Screenrant.com:

It’s been nearly two years since Disney acquired Lucasfilm and set in motion an entire new chapter for the Star Wars universe – and streamlined the official canon storyline. In the months following, speculation ran rampant: Who would direct Episode 7? Which young actors would be considered for starring roles? Would original cast members Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher return?

While we have answers to many of those questions – plenty more remain. J.J. Abrams is in the director’s chair, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, as well as Oscar Isaac have been tapped for lead roles, and Hamill, Ford, and Fisher are set to reprise their roles as Luke, Han, and Leia – but we still know very little about the larger Episode 7 plot (not to mention how it will compare to the original film trilogy).

Recent set photos have suggested that Abrams is taking a more practical approach to filmmaking, even teasing a return to some familiar locales, but in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Oscar Isaac confirms that the production team is hard at work trying to avoid mistakes from the prequels – channeling Episodes 4-6 to deliver a film that is both “fiery” but still a bit “messy”:

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