File this one under “rumor,” but at least it has some evidence to justify its existence. We’ve heard about the writer for Star Wars VII (and rumors of writers for VIII and IX), but no director is yet attached, and considering the difference that directors made in the original trilogy (compare A New Hope to Empire), that could very well be the major deciding factor of how much we love or hate the new films. Now Matthew Vaughn, who directed Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class, may be directing the movie for Disney, based on several things. Read more…
We know that Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt is writing Star Wars Episode VII, but it’s never too early to look ahead to VIII and IX. After all, Disney didn’t pay $4 billion for Lucasfilm to half-ass a new Star Wars trilogy. So who is getting scouted by the Mouse? There are two guys the company has in mind, and if you’re holding out hope for these movies, you definitely want one over the other.
I’ve been mostly optimistic about Disney taking control of Star Wars. It’s not like they could screw it up worse than the prequels, right? Those movies focused on expanding Darth Vader’s life in a way that didn’t need to be explained. The concept of a fallen, yet still honorable knight that finally finds redemption is a powerful one that doesn’t require pointless insight into how he fell. So with Darth Vader dead and Force-ghost-ed, we should be in the clear for Disney and Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt to tell new stories, right? Or not. Read more…
No, Wes Anderson isn’t directing Star Wars: Episode VII. But Conan O’Brien wondered what such a film might look like, and let’s just say, it’s hilarious. I love when you can pick apart a director’s work because they have such a distinctive style, and then imagine it on top of something unusual (like Star Wars). I’m sure we’ll see a few more of these pop up in the coming weeks (who’s going to do Tarantino Star Wars?!) but for now we’ll start with this one. I love the little references to everything, see if you can catch them all. Video is below the jump. Read more…
I’d like to say that Disney buying Lucasfilm may indeed be the best thing to happen to Star Wars in a long while. Perhaps that’s presumptuous to say at this early stage, but when you’re getting good news like this, it’s had to temper your excitement: Michael Arndt will be writing the script for Star Wars: Episode VII. Some of Arndt’s previous accomplishments include writing Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3 – the former won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He had already written a 40 page treatment of the upcoming 3 films, so that Disney and Lucasfilm signed him on is no surprise. Now we just need to find a competent director. I wonder who would be up for the job? Read more…
Have you ever wanted to see the Mos Eisley Cantina scene re-enacted with the various feathered characters from Angry Birds? No? Why are you backing away nervously? Are you sure you don’t want to see? It’s not that bad, I promise! Well, maybe. Angry Birds Star Wars is out on every mobile platform now, basically, so this animated video has been released to promote it. There’s not much to say – it’s an angrier, featherier version of the Cantina. But I wonder who this will sell on the game? Read more…
Still reeling from Disney buying Lucasfilm earlier this week? Yeah, me too. There’s a lot of good news here, some uncertainty, but most of all I’m excited. I’m feeling a little like a fanboy again at the prospect of new Star Wars films – or should I say, the prospect of new Star Wars films that could be good. More good news? George Lucas has made all of us who ever complained about the prequels looks like whiny children. He announced that he’ll be giving the majority of the money from the 4.5 billion dollar Disney deal into a foundation to support education and education issues. Do you think he dropped the mic and strutted offstage after the announcement, too? Read more…
In news that took me a while to wrap my head around, today the Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in cash and stocks. Disney now owns not only Lucasfilm, but also Industrial Light and Magic, Skywalker Sound, and LucasArts, as well as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and numerous other properties. This is a pretty big deal, and I’m not entirely sure how to take it. What conflicts my opinion even further is the news that Disney is planning a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. Read more…
After Star Wars hit it big, fans became really invested in what would happen to the characters in “Star Wars II,” as it was referred to when talks of a sequel were starting to make the rounds. Without an internet to pass around hearsay, the duty of cultivating rumors fell to publications like Starlog, which devoted an article in their February 1980 issue to listing all the supposed rumors. Thankfully, The Empire Strikes Back turned out differently, because some of these are pretty silly. Read more…
Dr. Seuss and Star Wars… who knew they could fit together so well? Jason Peltz, former Disney animator and freelance artist, made these awesome mashups featuring our favorite Star Wars characters as Dr. Seuss book covers, and they’re incredibly well done. He already had the featured pieces go up on Steal This Art a while ago, and the next one will show up October 4th, so pay attention to that site if you want a print for yourself! He also says the fifth piece is almost finished. Good stuff! Click through for more! Read more…
That new Star Wars TV show is starting finally! No, not the live-action one. No, not that other one with the seedy underbelly of Coruscant. The one from the Robot Chicken guys! But CGI! Remember that one? …No? Oh. Well, here’s the trailer for it. Honestly, I’m sure kids will eat this comedy up and enjoy this more than I ever will – because I’m not the target audience, clearly. But it just looks so average, with nothing really new brought to the table. Many of these Star Wars jokes have simply been done to death. Oh well, at least Seth MacFarlane seems to still be doing a good job as the Emperor. Read more…
No, I’m not talking about the classic Star Wars flight sim. Rather, I’m referring to the series of novels that just happen to share that title. Star Wars: X-Wing has been an on-going series featuring the writing of Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston, which follow several squadrons of X-Wing pilots as they battle the Empire, and its remnants after its fall. The series actually consists of ten separate novels, the first four — written by Stackpole — focus on the members of the infamous Rogue Squadron, while the later focus on the efforts of the Wraith Squadron as they battle the enemies of the New Republic. The latest novel in the series, Star Wars: X-Wing: Mercy Kill, was released this week and continues Wraith Squadron’s story following the events of the Fate of the Jedi novels. Mercy Kill serves as a spin-off of the final installment in that series, Apocalypse.
It might not be what you’d expect, but Chewie, The Movie may be happening. Collider reports that Peter Mayhew, the actor who played the famous wookie, is currently working with Fanboys director Kyle Newman to flesh out the biopic which recounts Mayhew’s experiences while playing the iconic role. The initial script seemed promising enough to make the Hollywood blacklist, so it’ll be interesting to see if the project takes off. Given Newman’s previous dealings with Lucasfilm, I’m sure getting George Lucas to sign off on it won’t be too difficult. We’ll just have to wait and see.
BioWare made the official announcement earlier today — Star Wars: The Old Republic will be receiving a free-to-play option this fall. I know there are a handful of you out there who still play the game, and might be worried that the change in format might require you to embrace micro-transactions. You’ll be pleased to know that might not be the case, after all. Indeed, there will be several options available to you. If you choose to go the free-to-play route, you will have access to all eight character classes and can play for free until you reach level 50, at which point, high-level content can be purchased through micro-transactions. If however, you choose to go the subscription route instead, you’ll be spared that fate with unlimited access to the content. But wait, there’s more…
We all love Whose Line Is It Anyway, right? I enjoy Colin Mochrie’s delightful sense of abrupt humor, and what could be a better way to lift your spirits this weekend than to see him goofily reenact Star Wars with Kenner action figures. It’s perfect. Also, George Lucas being an Ewok is now canon – I will accept no other explanations. Read more…
This very nicely crafted Sandy Person Hat was designed by Michigan based artist BeeBeeKins and is available on Etsy. Below is an additional photo which shows off the attached scarf: Read more…
Here’s an excellent little video to cap off your weekend: YouTube user Joel935M decided to do some rotoscoping in After Effects and combined two already awesome properties into one. Star Wars and Game of Thrones should go together pretty well, right? How about that fight from season 1 between Eddard Stark and Jaime Lannister? But now, they have lightsabers. I think that’s all that needs to be said. Hey Joel, you should try this with more scenes, or why not go the whole way and just give everyone in GoT lightsabers? One can dream!
Not to bring everyone down, but you really should see this: leaked footage of Star Wars: Battlefront III, the game that never was. Despite critical acclaim and solid sales, the Battlefront series never made it to a third iteration. But at least you can watch some video of what could’ve been – maybe pop Battlefront II back in for old time’s sake. Hopefully Lucasarts will one day hear our pleas? Read more…
Recently Brad Murphy, a self-proclaimed Star Wars fanboy, penned and directed this awesome Star Wars fan-film, featuring C-3PO and R2D2. The duo find themselves trapped when a group of Jawas decide to hijack an experimental Mon Calimari starship. It’s not quite on par with Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but that’s because it was pieced together in just three months by the recent graduating class of DAVES (Digital Arts and Visual Effect School). An impressive effort, all things considered — especially for a student film! I hope they all move on to successful careers in the industry.
Next week, Lucasfilm LTD., Octagon and Nerdist Industries will be teaming up to host Course of the Force, a relay run benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Star Wars-themed race will take place over four days down the course of Southern California, starting on July 7th and finishing in San Diego on Wednesday July 11th, aka San Diego Comic-Con’s preview night. Each leg of the race will be capped off with special Star Wars events, parties, and live Nerdist broadcasts which can also be viewed remotely via YouTube or StarWars.com. To register for the event, visit the official website.
Here’s a neat item to help expand your collection of awesome geeky cookbooks: a Star Wars Cookbook! Wookie Pies, Clone Scones, and other Galactic Goodies is a cute little book that recently popped up on our radar and really, when you include Yoda-shaped cookie cutters, you know you’re on the right track. The photography for the book is hilarious as well, featuring Luke and Ben Kenobi trying to smuggle an R2-D2 torte into Mos Eisley. Check out some more images after the break! Read more…
Here’s the trailer for the upcoming season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars! Five seasons in, and I’m astonished that Star Wars: The Clone Wars remains on the air. Not because it’s a terrible series, but simply because I had so little faith in it to begin with. I must admit that I’ve never really given it a chance — especially since its clearly geared towards a younger audience. Its fans are a dedicated bunch, not all of which are kids, and the very fact that its lasted this long seems to imply that I must have overlooked something. I’d venture that I owe it to myself, and to everyone else out there, to at least give it a try, starting with this trailer right here. Likewise, if you’ve seen the series and think its worth everyone’s time, please let us know.
Set to be officially unveiled next week at E3, LucasArts has begun talking about their next big game, aimed at hardcore Star Wars fans: Star Wars 1313. It’ll be centered around criminal organizations and the grimy underbelly of Coruscant on Level 1313. You play as a bounty hunter navigating this treacherous area, and rather than deal with the the same Jedi and lightsaber business from every other Star Wars game (according to LucasArts) this will be noticeably separate from that. It’ll be a third-person “cinematic action adventure” so who knows what that means, but we’ll find out when E3 rolls around. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 31, 2012 in Star Wars
I have to say that I’m shocked to have never known that this existed! Here is the very first professional song that Jon Bon Jovi recorded — a duet with R2-D2 singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Read more…
