Star Wars: The Force Awakens

[GeneChing]

Disney to Buy Lucasfilm for $4.05 Billion; New 'Star Wars' Movie Set for 2015 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-buy-lucasfilm-405-billion-384448)
12:54 PM PDT 10/30/2012 by Alex Ben Block

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2012/10/robert_iger_george_lucas_signing_a_l.jpg
Bob Iger George Lucas Signing Paperwork - H 2012
Disney/ABC Television Group

UPDATED: Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chair of Lucasfilm, will become Lucasfilm's president, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chair Alan Horn as part of stock and cash transaction; company plans new Star Wars films every 2-3 years, a series on Disney XD, and theme park growth.

The Walt Disney Co. has acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in cash and stock and announced a new Star Wars movie to be released in 2015.
our editor recommends
Ray Watson, Longtime Walt Disney Co. Board Member, Dies

Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chair of Lucasfilm, will become Lucasfilm's president, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chair Alan Horn as part of the stock and cash transaction. Disney is paying approximately half the price in cash and will issue 40 million shares of stock, the company said Tuesday in a statement.

Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with the franchise's creator and Lucasfilm founder George Lucas, 68, serving as creative consultant. There are plans to release a new Star Wars film every two or three years.

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said Lucas, chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm, in a statement. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment and consumer products.”

The deal comes on the heels of Disney's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment and its 2006 purchase of Pixar Animation Studios, two potent entertainment brands that appeal to families. The Disney board has approved the Lucasfilm acquisition, but it is subject to antitrust scrutiny by the U.S. government.

While Lucas and Disney have had a long relationship, it has been most visible at the company's theme parks, where Star Tours and other attractions have been popular for more than two decades.

However, the Stars Wars movies have been distributed through Twentieth Century Fox, which will now be cut out of future Star Wars and other related business. (Though Fox already has been set to release 3D versions of the past Star Wars movies, it is unclear if that relationship will be impacted by the sale. The acquisition also raises questions about the future of Stars Wars: Clone Wars, a highly popular series on Cartoon Network, which is owned by a Disney competitor, Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner.)

Disney also is acquiring Lucasfilm’s hugely profitable consumer products and merchandising businesses, which should be a good fit for the buyer.

“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Bob Iger, Disney chairman and CEO, in a statement. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”

In a call with investors, Iger said the first new Star Wars movie is targeted for 2015 and that the company planned for another movie every two to three years after that. Disney releases eight to 10 pictures per year, including one from Pixar and up to two from Marvel Studios. The plan is for a Star Wars movie in one of those tentpole slots.

Iger told investors that Star Wars is a perfect proerty for TV, particularly for the company's young male-skewing network Disney XD, and plans to expand the franchise's presence in its theme parks.

In addition, while Star Wars merchandise has been a big business, that business has mostly been domestic, Iger said. Using Marvel as a model, Disney plans to grow international marketing of Star Wars products by increasing the brand's presence in their stores, with more toys and with with other products.

Just this June, Kennedy was named co-chair of Lucasfilm alongside Lucas, whose said then his role at the company would be phased out. The producer and seven-time Oscar nominee is a frequent Steven Spielberg collaborator whose credits include E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984), Back to the Future (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Nov. 16 release Lincoln. Lucas always said he originally planned Star Wars as a trilogy of trilogies.

[sanjuro_ronin]

The after math of the fall of the Empire, with Luke going on to become a teacher of the new generation of Jedis, the emperor's "clone", Leia trying her hand at the force, Her and Han's daughter and so much more, CAN be a very good storyline WITH THE RIGHT WRITERS AND DIRECTOR !!!

[MasterKiller]

WITH THE RIGHT WRITERS AND DIRECTOR !!!

Therein lies the rub.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Therein lies the rub.

Lucas had too much of an ego to allow anyone else to "take control" of his "baby".
One hopes that since Disney is in this for the money, they will go with someone that will take this to the next level.

[doug maverick]

it wasnt ego, it was more of maintaining a brand, and he was smart in doing that... lead to a 21billion dollar fortune for him. im going to repost what i just explained to a friend.

(repost from FB)

"i see why george did it thou...he wanted to make more star wars films... but i guess he is feeling his mortality, and he wanted to know the brand would live forever...and the way disney structures its companies...it compartmentalizes and autonomizes the various brands it owns...marvel while yes is owned by disney, runs its own ship.. lucas films will be the same way...just how miramax was back in the day....except they will be keeping an eye on the profit sharing(which they didnt with miramax, harvey and his baby bro, were getting the lions share of all the revenue made from their movies). so i think lucas films will actually be putting out a better brand of films now that its not all coming out of georges pocket."


(repost2)

"thats what it looks like...if you notice, since the advent of youtube, he has loosened his grib on the star wars monopoly. having literally thousands of parodies, being made, back in the day if that was done those people would have been sued. instead he saw that, oh ****...look at all theses kids where born almost 30 years after the first star wars and still in love with it. he has always been a futurist in terms of cinema, so he saw the future."


so im now declaring this a good thing... i hope they bring back ford and hamil, as han and luke. stay away from the books, and make the story entirely original. id love to see an older luke, with the skill of obi wan and the wisdom of yoda. and a old han solo still hard as nails and badass. as for leia... unfortunatley carry fisher has not kept up her appearance, and its not just because of age. drugs, bad health etc. maybe get helen mirren to play leia...id love that. or just kill her off entirely.

the film i feel should focus on the next generation. the children of han and leia. it would be awesome.

[Scott R. Brown]

Lucas always said he originally planned Star Wars as a trilogy of trilogies.

Lucas????:confused:

He is a bit nutty isn't he? I am not sure I would believe he had any responsibility for the Star Wars saga!

I'm sure he will show up here soon and try to take all the glory, but you know him, too much Starbucks and he'll say just about anything!

[MasterKiller]

Lucas had too much of an ego to allow anyone else to "take control" of his "baby".
One hopes that since Disney is in this for the money, they will go with someone that will take this to the next level.

I think he just surrounds himself with sycophants now.

He seems to have forgotten than his ex wife edited the originals, Lawrance Kasdan and Irving Kirshner directed two of them, and the scripts for all three were written and/or polished by several writers.

This whole move seems like a temper tantrum anyway. He got ****y when a reporter asked him about new movies and said "Why would I make movies everyone hates me for?" or something to that effect,

[doug maverick]

I think he just surrounds himself with sycophants now.

He seems to have forgotten than his ex wife edited the originals, Lawrance Kasdan and Irving Kirshner directed two of them, and the scripts for all three were written and/or polished by several writers.

This whole move seems like a temper tantrum anyway. He got ****y when a reporter asked him about new movies and said "Why would I make movies everyone hates me for?" or something to that effect,

i dont see this as a temper tantrum...i see him just passing the torch... to see what other filmmakers will do with it. just like he did when he let the books, and comic come out and when he let all the parodies happen.


all i want to see is..harrison ford back as an old han solo, and mark hamil back as an old luke skywalker... with one eye. like in the original piece of **** script,.

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/2011/5/16/0163643e-010f-4bf8-a18a-67fe093c7ce4.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://www.oddee.com/_media/imgs/articles2/a98166_Olivia_Munn_as_Slave_Leia_450.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oZxdWeUVg5Q/T_-t9Qds7OI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/h25NwrhNH-w/s1600/slave%2Bleia%2Bcosplay.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web04/2011/5/5/9/sexy-star-wars-cosplay-adrianne-curry-the-best-pr-10475-1304600698-3.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

A new breed of Jedis !
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DTm7q2YYfcs/TyYCVXx2_CI/AAAAAAAACws/X8LkWn7Pgb0/s1600/sexy-star-wars-girl.jpg

[GeneChing]

http://media1.policymic.com/site/articles/17780/photo.jpg
http://images.freshnessmag.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/10/star-wars-episode-7-announced-as-disney-acquires-lucasfilm-01.jpg
http://ordinary-gentlemen.com/kylecupp/files/2012/10/May-the-Force-Be-With-Disney1.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/379105_259583224164430_2142793929_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/223067_3669382335015_904986794_n.jpg
I was there last month. Let me tell ya, Star Tours still rules. And the amount of Star Wars Disney merch is crazy. There are Mickey-eared Star Wars mash-ups for every character. I almost bought a pin set but it was $35 for several pins and I only wanted the jedi one.

http://www.filteredmind.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/StarWarsEpisode7_high.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

and Sith:
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/306/1/6/revenge_of_the_sith_by_splstudio-d322ez6.jpg

[doug maverick]

hamil speaks....the nerds must listen!!


Mark Hamill weighs in on the future of 'Star Wars' -- EXCLUSIVE
by Josh Rottenberg
Tags: Disney, George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Star Wars

Comments 30
Add comment

Mark-Hamill.jpg

Image Credit: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

Tuesday’s news that George Lucas is giving the keys to the Star Wars universe to The Walt Disney Company in a $4.05 billion mega-deal surprised fans around the world, including some famous filmmakers who grew up on the franchise. It even caught a key figure in that universe — Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill — by surprise. Reached by EW, Hamill — who currently does voice work on no fewer than four animated series and will co-star in the upcoming crime thriller Sushi Girl — shared a few thoughts on where Star Wars and its fabled creator go from here now that Lucas is handing over the reins (and the light sabers and blasters and all the rest) to new custodians and the next generation of filmmakers.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What did you make of the big news yesterday?
MARK HAMILL: Oh my gosh, what a shock that was! I had no idea that George was going to sell to Disney until I read it online like everybody else. He did tell us last summer about wanting to go on and do [Episodes] VII, VIII, and IX, and that [newly appointed Lucasfilm president] Kathleen Kennedy would be doing them. He seems to be in a really good place. He’s really happy. And that’s nice because I know that when we were making the movies, he was not a jolly guy on set. [Laughs] I always felt badly for him because he agonizes over details, and I’m sure after imagining it in his head for so many years, to see it realized — he’d look up and just hang his head and groan. Harrison [Ford], Carrie [Fisher], and I were always trying to cheer him up and joke him out of his doom and gloom. I missed his call yesterday, but I spoke to him maybe three weeks ago. But until we know more, it’s hard to make any comment other than congratulations to George.

So you met with George this past summer and he told you about his plans to make another trilogy?
Yeah, last August, he asked Carrie and I to have lunch with him and we did. I thought he was going to talk about either his retirement or the Star Wars TV series that I’ve heard about — which I don’t think we were going to be involved in anyway, because that takes place between the prequels and the ones we were in and, if Luke were in them, he’d be anywhere from a toddler to a teenager so they’d get an age-appropriate actor — or the 3-D releases. So when he said, “We decided we’re going to do Episodes VII, VIII, and IX,” I was just gobsmacked. “What? Are you nuts?!” [Laughs] I can see both sides of it. Because in a way, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end and we all lived happily ever after and that’s the way it should be — and it’s great that people have fond memories, if they do have fond memories. But on the other hand, there’s this ravenous desire on the part of the true believers to have more and more and more material. It’s one of those things: people either just don’t care for it or are passionate about it. I guess that defines what cult movies are all about. We’ll see. I’m anxious to know what’s going on, but the main story [yesterday] was the sale to Disney. I have mixed feelings about that, but they haven’t done badly by Marvel and the Muppets and Pixar. It’s one of those big decisions that at first seems unusual but then the more you look at it, the more it makes sense.

When you had lunch with George, did he get into any details with you about where the story would go in the next three films, or whether you would have a part in them?
Well, no, he was just talking about writers and the fact that he wouldn’t be directing. I guess he wanted us to know before everybody else knew. He said, “Now you can’t tell anybody!” [Laughs] Even now I’m nervous about saying anything. I just don’t know!

[GeneChing]

At least he's donating a lot of it. BTW, speaking of Sushi Girl (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=981).

Oct 31 2012 10:03 AM EDT 57,647
George Lucas Says Disney's 'Star Wars' Could Last 100 Years (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696485/disney-george-lucas-star-wars-film.jhtml)
Lucas says talks are already underway with writers for the upcoming 2015 seventh film, with two more planned after that.
By Gil Kaufman


At this point, we don't know much about what the seventh "Star Wars"
 film will be about,
 but we certainly have some ideas about what we do and don't
 want to see.

Along with fans, we were thrown into a frenzy on Tuesday when it was announced that Disney had purchased George Lucas' Lucasfilm for more than $4 billion. The deal will not only bring Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, Han and the gang into the Mouse house, but it will also serve to re-boot one of the most popular and highest-grossing film franchises of all time.

After five-decade career in filmmaking, in a YouTube video explaining the deal, Lucas said he's been contemplating retirement for a while and now seemed like the right time to hand over the keys to the Jedi kingdom.

"Obviously I've been talking about retiring for several years now," he said. "I wanted to get into sort of another stage of life where I'm not in the film business anymore, where I don't have to run a corporation. It occurred to me one day that the perfect person to run the company was [Lucasfilm co-chair] Kathy [Kennedy]. It's just such a perfect fit, and I felt that I really wanted to put the company somewhere in a larger entity that would protect it. Disney is a huge corporation; they have all kinds of capabilities and facilities. There's a lot of strength to be gained by this."

Pointing to the success Disney has had with Marvel and Pixar, Kennedy said the family-friendly company with its legendary theme parks and merchandising power was the logical choice for Lucasfilm.

The good news for fans is that they will not only get an episode seven, but, in fact, an entire new trilogy. "I always said I wasn't going to do any more, and that's true, I'm not going to do any more," said Lucas, who will not write or direct the upcoming films, but whose iconic imprint will be all over them. "But that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to turn it over to Kathy [Kennedy] to do more. I have story treatments of 7, 8 and 9 and a bunch of other movies, and obviously, we have hundreds of books and comics and everything you could possibly imagine. So I sort of moved that treasure trove of stories and various things to Kathy, and I have complete confidence that she's gonna take them and make great movies."

Kennedy revealed that meetings have already begun with prospective writers for the new movies. "I'm doing this so that the films will have a longer life," Lucas said. "So more fans and people can enjoy them in the future. It's a very big universe I've created and there's a lot of stories sitting in there."

In a separate video announcing the deal, Disney CEO Bob Iger had nothing but praise for Lucas' vision for the "Star Wars" universe, which he noted now includes 17,000 characters inhabiting several thousand planets spanning 20,000 years. "George Lucas is a true visionary and an innovative, epic storyteller who has defined modern filmmaking with unforgettable characters and amazing stories," said Iger.

The pact will also spin off new TV shows, games and theme park attractions and Iger said the company fully understands the responsibility that comes with stewardship of such iconic, beloved characters. In the same video, Lucas said he's been a fan of Disney all his life and that the deal will allow him to move into more philanthropic efforts as well as work on more experimental films that don't fit into the Lucasfilm universe.

"It was a perfect match of two companies that are constructed similarly," Lucas said. "It will give me a chance to go off and explore my own interests [and] at the same time feel completely confident that Disney will take good care of the franchise that I've built."

The best news of all? "We have a large group of ideas and characters and books and all kinds of things," Lucas said. "We could go on making 'Star Wars' for the next 100 years."

[doug maverick]

he donated all of it... like he really needs the money. lol..

[GeneChing]

Brad Bird For Star Wars Director - Give It To Brad Bird (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rBpliHAVOQ)

Who here remembers the Xmas special? :p

[doug maverick]

matthew vaughn is up for the directors chair. hope he takes it.

[MightyB]

Brad Bird For Star Wars Director - Give It To Brad Bird (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rBpliHAVOQ)

Who here remembers the Xmas special? :p

The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special!!! You mean the solid hour of Wookie talk with no subtitles of awesomeness in celebration of Life Day - complete with a song sung by Princess Leia! You mean that awesome Holiday Special?

It's actually tolerable if you watch it with this: http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/star-wars-holiday-special

[GeneChing]

That holiday special is great on it's own. Give me a case of beer and a few of my buddies and we could come up with far more amusing comments. But that special is so outrageously awful that it doesn't really need comments. It's funnier just on its own.

Meanwhile, back OT:

Today at 3:44 PM
Star Wars: Episode VII May Have Found Its Writer (http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/star-wars-episode-vii-may-have-found-its-writer.html)
By Claude Brodesser-Akner

Informed sources tell Vulture that Star Wars: Episode VII has found a leading candidate to write the film’s screenplay: Michael Arndt, the Pixar favorite who was nominated for an Oscar for Toy Story 3, won an Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine, and wrote The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is currently shooting. Insiders confirm that Arndt has written a 40- to 50-page treatment for the film and is likely to be at least one of the writers when the Disney/Lucasfilm project begins shooting in 2014.

The merger between George Lucas’s brainchild and Disney, announced October 30, caught the town by surprise. And talent agents were similarly astonished to learn that Arndt had been at work on the treatment long before the deal was announced, catching them flat-footed and cutting off any chance they’d have to proffer their own many eager candidates for the coveted job.

Sources also tell Vulture that the studio’s brass want to bring back the three central characters of the original Star Wars: a much older Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. No deals are in place with any of the original actors, though our source did say it had high ambitions to sign up Mark Hamill, and EW recently reported that Harrison Ford was open to the idea of returning. We're told that Arndt's 40-something page treatment will soon be crossing the desks of top directors, including Brad Bird, Steven Spielberg (Lucasfilm’s co-chair, Kathleen Kennedy's former producing partner), and J.J. Abrams. Whether they’d be interested is unknown (Star Wars is a lot of baggage for an established director), but Disney wants to make sure they’ve at least tried the biggest names.

A representative for Arndt declined to comment, referring all calls to Kennedy, who did not return a call seeking comment at deadline. A Lucasfilm spokeswoman declined to comment, saying, "We have no news to report at this time."

The choice of Arndt to pen a treatment makes perfect sense, given both his prestige as a screenwriter and his close relationship with Disney’s equally secretive Pixar — he’s the screenwriter of the cheekily titled Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind for Up director Pete Docter, currently in preproduction — but there’s one more reason still that Arndt would be so appealing to Disney and Lucasfilm: He’s a Star Wars expert.

Since winning the Oscar for Sunshine, Arndt has lectured extensively on the art of storytelling at numerous writers’ retreats, like the Hawaii Writers Conference in Maui and the Austin Film Festival, always featuring a lengthy and detailed explanation of why the original Star Wars’ ending is so creatively satisfying.

At these talks, Arndt always tells attendees that Star Wars’ enduring appeal has to do with resolving its protagonists goals’ nearly simultaneously, at the climax of the movie. In the comments section of a discussion about a Star Wars talk Arndt gave at the Austin Film Festival in 2010, one attendee of the seminar notes, "Arndt stated that if a writer could resolve the story's arcs (internal, external, philosophical) immediately after the Moment of Despair at the climax, he or she would deliver the Insanely Great Ending and put the audience in a euphoric state. The faster it could happen, the better. By [Arndt’s] reckoning, George Lucas hit those three marks at the climax of Star Wars within a space of 22 seconds."

Indeed, in the third act of Star Wars, as Arndt explained to his young screenwriting Padawans at the 2009 Hawaii Writers Conference, its central characters' main goals all are met on pages 89 through 91 of the original Lucas script: At the crescendo of Star Wars, a spectral Obi Wan urges, “Use the Force, Luke,” and he does, thus reaching his inner goal (fighting self-doubt to become a hero). Han Solo reappears (meeting the philosophical goal of overcoming selfishness with altruism) to shoot down Darth Vader, which allows Luke to use the Force to mentally guide his shot and blow up the Death Star (outer goal and inner goals simultaneously met).

So while it remains to be seen whether Arndt will forge ahead with an entire script for Episode VII, clearly, as Vader might say, “The Force is strong with this one.”

[MightyB]

That holiday special is great on it's own. Give me a case of beer and a few of my buddies and we could come up with far more amusing comments. But that special is so outrageously awful that it doesn't really need comments. It's funnier just on its own.


I'll have to burn you a dub of my copy. My friends and I used to challenge each other to sit though it - the record was 11 minutes.

[@PLUGO]

From the folks at the AV Club. (http://www.avclub.com/articles/heres-whos-turning-down-star-wars-today-steven-spi,88554/)


As it must until the day it is officially handed to someone, the list of directors to helm the next Star Wars film must be whittled down from all the possibilities in the galaxy, as each day some famous filmmaker will back away from the awesome responsibility of assuming the franchise and being prematurely hated by its fans with thermal-detonator intensity. Already Zack Snyder took himself out of the running he was never actually in, and today it's Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino who are preemptively backing away from the job no one has officially offered them yet. Everything is proceeding as we have foreseen.

Spielberg—whose name was on that mythical "short list" from yesterday, for what it's worth—told Access Hollywood, "No! No! It's not my genre. It's my best friend George's genre," vehemently refusing any science-fiction stories where aliens are already an accepted reality, thus negating the need to stare at them in awe. And Entertainment Weekly, no doubt presaging weeks of stories like this, randomly asked Tarantino about Star Wars, because he was there, to which Tarantino replied, "I could so care less." Despite this meaning he therefore cares some, and is thus duty-bound by the rules of grammatical pedantry to do it, Tarantino continued, "No, sorry. Especially if Disney’s going to do it. I’m not interested in the Simon West version of Star Wars," causing Con Air director Simon West to get a little unexplained headache. ("What the hell was that?" Simon West wondered. "I felt a disturbance, as though a million manic voices suddenly started talking **** about me for no reason, then were suddenly silenced.")

Anyway, suspend all hopes for this ever becoming a reality, and prepare to hear some version of these sorts of refusals from directors every day, until someone finally takes it. Please, someone ask Werner Herzog.

[doug maverick]

i hate when people make up stories from small things, just to get buzz...tarrintino..would have NEVER done a star wars film..ever..doesnt matter who...he didnt say he wasnt interested in directing. he said he wasnt interested in seeing it. Matthew vaughn is the front runner to direct the next star wars.

[GeneChing]

True that, but a Tarantino directed Star Wars...just imagine what he could do with Mace Windu.

Everyone dissing the notion of Disney Star Wars as some sort of sell out is so out of the loop. Star Wars sold out long ago. Come on now....Lego Star Wars (http://starwars.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx)? Seriously? That being said, it's still Star Wars, so I'll probably see the new film when it comes out.


I'll have to burn you a dub of my copy. My friends and I used to challenge each other to sit though it - the record was 11 minutes. Um, thanks, but no need. I made it all the way through with my buddies several years ago. There was a lot of beer. I got a friend who has it on VHS. :o

[Fa Xing]

True that, but a Tarantino directed Star Wars...just imagine what he could do with Mace Windu.

Everyone dissing the notion of Disney Star Wars as some sort of sell out is so out of the loop. Star Wars sold out long ago. Come on now....Lego Star Wars (http://starwars.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx)? Seriously? That being said, it's still Star Wars, so I'll probably see the new film when it comes out.

Um, thanks, but no need. I made it all the way through with my buddies several years ago. There was a lot of beer. I got a friend who has it on VHS. :o

Gene's right, and no matter how many of us ***** and complain about it, in the end we'll all go and see it.

Afterwards, we'll ***** and complain so more because we're nerds and that's what we do.

[GeneChing]

Clever title...too bad as Abrams could've rocked it.

J.J. Abrams: 'Star Wars' won't be my next enterprise (http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/11/12/j-j-abrams-star-wars/)
by Geoff Boucher

Back in 1977, Star Wars was the ideal North Star influence for a future filmmaker named J.J. Abrams. But now, 35 years later, he says the Jedi universe isn’t the right direction for his career.

Disney’s new acquired Lucasfilm is moving fast on the now-public plan to have a new Star Wars film in theaters in 2015 to launch a new trilogy. Sources say Lucasfilm sent a treatment last week to three filmmakers — Abrams and Oscar winners Brad Bird and Steven Spielberg. But Abrams told EW this morning that as much as he loves the Jedi universe, it won’t be his next destination.

“I have some original stuff I am working on next,” said Abrams, who is now in post-production on Star Trek Into Darkness, the follow-up to his 2009 hit Star Trek. Then of course there’s Revolution the latest addition to his considerable television pursuits, which have included Lost, Fringe, and Alias.

Abrams also told EW that the 1977 tale of mystic knights, a kidnapped princess, an evil empire and eccentric robots was a life-changing adventure for a youngster who was soon to be obsessed with film and film-making.

“As a kid I was always a fan of special effects,” Abrams said. “Watching movies I was constantly trying to figure out how they did it, whatever the effect was. Star Wars was the first movie that blew my mind in that way; it didn’t matter how they did any of it because it was all so overwhelmingly and entirely great. It was funny and romantic and scary and compelling and the visual effects just served the characters and story. It galvanized for me; not for what was exciting about how movies were made, but rather for what movies were capable of.”

Fans of Starfleet and of the Jedi have long viewed the brands as rivals of a sort and Abrams was clearly on the side of the Force as a kid. His disinterest in Star Trek as fan has served him well, he has said on a number of occasions, because he wasn’t distressed when it came time to set aside certain aspects of the mythology for the reboot. That memory has a flip side — he knows he wouldn’t have that same detached decisiveness if he was directing, say, Harrison Ford as in a return to the Han Solo role.

Abrams said back in 2009 that one of his great challenges was helping the Enterprise catch up to the Death Star in cinema’s Space Race.

“As a kid, Star Wars was much more my thing than Star Trek was,” told Hero Complex back in 2009. “If you look at the last three Star Wars films and what technology allowed them to do, they covered so much terrain in terms of design, locations, characters, aliens, ships — so much of the spectacle has been done and it seems like every aspect has been covered, whether it’s geography or design of culture or weather system or character or ship type. Everything has been tapped in those movies. The challenge of doing Star Trek — despite the fact that it existed before Star Wars — is that we are clearly in the shadow of what George Lucas has done.”

That rules out two of three known candidates. On Thursday night, at the premiere of his new film Lincoln, Spielberg said the galaxy-spanning Jedi saga created by his buddy George Lucas just isn’t a good fit for him. “It’s not my genre,” the director explained. “It’s my best friend George’s genre.”

Spielberg has made three films with alien life — E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and War of the Worlds — but all of those films were set on contemporary Earth and in a grounded reality. That said, the future visions presented in Minority Report and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence certainly present environments that aren’t far removed from prequel trilogy settings like Coruscant and Kamino.

With Spielberg and Abrams out of the picture, it’s now all eyes on Bird, now, who has been traveling abroad in recent days while doing location scouting for his upcoming project, 1952, a sci-fi project for Disney (co-written by EW senior writer Jeff Jensen and Lost scribe Damon Lindelof). As for the new Star Wars story, the hiring of Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) was announced on Friday.



Afterwards, we'll ***** and complain so more because we're nerds and that's what we do. Dude, speak for yourself. We're CMA practitioners. These are nerds (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1030101#post1030101). :rolleyes:

[Fa Xing]

Clever title...too bad as Abrams could've rocked it.



Dude, speak for yourself. We're CMA practitioners. These are nerds (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1030101#post1030101). :rolleyes:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2554112713_2e97a0c14d.jpg

Are you sure?

[GeneChing]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2554112713_2e97a0c14d.jpg

Are you sure? I just discovered femtroopers. Dayum. Why the heck have I been wasting my time with Star Wars Legos?

http://femtrooperjulie.webs.com/deathstarcrop.jpg
http://www.sithvixen.com/starwars/femtrooper/femtrooper_ajc004.jpg
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv1/Aussieclone/femtrooper.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AGXlKNxtdl8/S5HI02luqlI/AAAAAAAABDw/9jaIza4y7jU/s400/hot_stormtrooper.jpg



Star Wars is bigger than any of us.

[Fa Xing]

I just discovered femtroopers. Dayum. Why the heck have I been wasting my time with Star Wars Legos?

http://femtrooperjulie.webs.com/deathstarcrop.jpg

Star Wars is bigger than any of us.

You sir, win.

[GeneChing]

Star Wars: 1313 (http://starwars.com/watch/sw1313_webdoc1.html)...budgeted at more than $5 million per episode...:eek: Looks more like Bladerunner than Star Wars...

ABC to look at 'Star Wars' live-action TV series (http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/01/10/star-wars-live-action-tv-series-3/)
by James Hibberd

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/11/02/star-wars-1313.jpg
ABC entertainment president Paul Lee says he’s going to take a look at the long-gestating Star Wars live-action TV series now that the Disney deal to acquire Lucasfilm is complete.

“We’d love to do something with Lucasfilm, we’re not sure what yet,” Lee exclusively told EW. “We haven’t even sat down with them. We’re going to look at [the live-action series], we’re going to look at all of them, and see what’s right. We weren’t able to discuss this with them until [the acquisition] closed and it just closed. It’s definitely going to be part of the conversation.”

Even many working in Hollywood don’t realize a live-action Star Wars TV series has been sitting on the shelf the past few years. The project was commissioned by longtime Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum, who enlisted writers such as Battlestar Galactica‘s Ron Moore and swore them to NDA secrecy on the plot details (more on the show’s storyline below). Fifty scripts were written. McCallum once called the scripts the most “provocative, bold and daring material that we’ve ever done.”

And then … nothing.

The scripts gathered dust, the scope of the production and the extent of the show’s necessary visual effects deemed too expensive for a broadcast or cable network. The president of one premium cable outlet told me last summer the project just didn’t make any financial sense. The closest comparison was HBO’s lavish Game of Thrones. But that deal gave HBO control of a major chunk of the Thrones empire, including DVD and international distribution which significantly offset the show’s high production cost. The Star Wars show was budgeted at more than $5 million per episode and Lucasfilm wanted to retain ownership.

But now Disney has purchased Lucasfilm for $4 billion and Disney owns more than a couple TV networks. The financials for a big-budget TV show are more compelling if the license fee and other income sources stay in the family. Already one Star Wars-related project is in the works for kids network Disney XD. Cartoon Network’s popular and innovative animated title The Clone Wars will likely shift to XD after its current deal expires. Could the live-action show finally see the light of day too? It’s a tricky question because a new Star Wars film is planned for 2015. Cautious brand managers are sometimes reluctant to have a live-action TV show on the air when producing live-action films — such as Warner Bros. putting the kibosh on any Batman TV projects while making Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.

Lee said he wasn’t sure if the project was still viable. “It’s going to be very much up to the Lucasfilm brands how they want to play it,” he said. “We got to a point here with Marvel, a very special point, where we’re in the Marvel universe, and very relevantly so, but we’re not doing The Avengers. But S.H.I.E.L.D. is part of The Avengers. So maybe something oblique is the way to [approach the Star Wars universe] rather than going straight head-on at it.”

Sources say the live-action series centers on the story of rival families struggling over the control of the seedy underside of the Star Wars universe and the people who live within the subterranean level and air shafts of the metropolis planet Coruscant (the Empire’s urban-sprawl-covered home planet). A bounty hunter may be the main character. Set between the original Star Wars film trilogy and the prequels, the time period allows for all sorts of potential appearances from classic figures from the Star Wars universe.

Extensive art work including character designs, costume designs, and set designs were all developed by a top team of concept artists and designers who worked for more than a year on the third floor design studio at George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch’s main house on the project. The team was closely supervised by McCallum and Lucas.

If all this sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because this roughly matches the description of the upcoming Star Wars videogame 1313. In fact, sources say story materials and the designs for the TV project were used to help make the game. So if you want to see what the TV show was supposed to look like, check out art from 1313 (one example above). This creative strip-mining could arguably help the TV show’s chances — it’s not like Hollywood has been shy about doing crossovers between videogames and films before.

Can you imagine that ultra-hypothetical ABC Sunday-night lineup? Once Upon a Time, Star Wars: 1313 and S.H.I.E.L.D?

[GeneChing]

OMG! SEVEN SAMURAI (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52046) is my fav chanbara flick eva!


Today at 1:45 PM
Zack Snyder Is Developing a Star Wars Film Outside the New Trilogy (http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/zack-snyder-preps-non-trilogy-star-wars-film.html)
By Claude Brodesser-Akner

Back in November, the Los Angeles Times reported that Man of Steel and 300 director Zack Snyder said he had no interest in directing the hotly anticipated seventh Star Wars film. But Vulture has learned that while this may be specifically true — he won’t be doing Episode VII — it was a bit of misdirection: He is in fact developing a Star Wars project for Lucasfilm that is set within the series’ galaxy, though parallel to the next trilogy. It will be an as-yet-untitled Jedi epic loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai, with the ronin and katana being replaced by the Force-wielding knights and their iconic lightsabers. (Go ahead, say it — you know you want to: “ … an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.” Felt good, didn’t it?)

It’s not clear just where Snyder’s untitled Jedi film would fall within the Star Wars chronology, but one insider expects it will not be considered part of the “numbered” episodes, but rather a stand-alone film set sometime post–Episode VI events, meaning the next phase of the franchise development is much broader than previously thought. For those unfamiliar, Kurosawa’s influential Seven Samurai (The Magnificent Seven was the American remake) tells the tale of a small agrarian town in sixteenth-century Japan that’s routinely pillaged by bandits. Fed up with the annual shakedown, its farmers retain the services of seven masterless samurai to defend their harvest. One of the film's stars, Toshiro Mifune, was initially offered the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi (as Kotaku recounts here). George Lucas has cited the classic as one of his favorites, telling the Telegraph in 2005 that “it’s a brilliant, brilliant film, and every time I see it I can't believe the magic mixture of a great story and great acting and humour and action and suspense — wonderful cinema. The art of moving pictures is on every frame of this movie.”

In late October of last year, when Disney CEO Bob Iger first announced the acquisition of Lucasfilm, he’d stated that after Episode VII, “our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years.” Our sources also say that Snyder’s would start production after Disney starts on its planned 2015 release of Star Wars: Episode VII, and while no director has yet been set for Episode VII, clearly things are taking shape at Lucasfilm. (A spokesperson for Lucasfilm declined comment.)

In the meantime, we are left to ponder the obvious geek questions: Do Snyder’s Jedi carry just a single lightsaber or a long one and a short one, like samurai do? Oh God, why do you torture us so!?

Too bad this reporter didn't know Kurosawa well enough to make the Throne of Blood connection. :o

[sanjuro_ronin]

That would actually be pretty cool.

[GeneChing]

Been there, done that. And it wasn't cool. It was absolutely craptastic!!

Battle Beyond the Stars trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksJTPdNNQB4)

Weirdest role for Robert Vaughn ever, reprising his Magnificent Seven character in space.

[GeneChing]

How Star Wars Might’ve Had a Different Darth Vader (http://kotaku.com/5975671/how-star-wars-mightve-had-a-different-darth-vader)
Brian Ashcraft
Jan 14, 2013 6:20 AM
The Japanese influence in Star Wars is no accident. George Lucas' hero is acclaimed filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and he was inspired by the Japanese director's films, such as The Hidden Fortress.

According to a famous bit of Star Wars trivia, Lucas even wanted actor Toshiro Mifune, who starred in many Kurosawa films, to act in Star Wars. The trivia, which has been repeated for years now, says that Lucas tried to get Mifune to play Obi-Wan Kenobi—something that Lucas confirmed. The choice makes sense. But what if Lucas wanted Mifune to play another character?

This weekend on world history quiz show Sekai Fushigi Hakken! (世界ふしぎ発見！), Toshiro Mifune's daughter, Mika Mifune, recounted how her famous father was first asked to play Obi-Wan Kenobi—an offer he turned down.

Then, Mika continued, Mifune was offered the role of Darth Vader. The villain's helmet was apparently designed with Mifune in mind, and if Mifune had taken the role, his face supposedly would have been visible. The inference is that Lucas really wanted the famed Japanese actor in his movie. But Mifune thought the sci-fi flick was going to be a kid's movie, hence him passing on the project.

Mifune as Obi-Wan Kenobi is a little easier to wrap one's head around. At that time, he was an international superstar and a hero of Lucas'. Vader has become inseparable from the suit and the voice of James Earl Jones, making it harder to see the character any other way.

Mifune daughter wasn't born until 1982, so her account isn't exactly first person—and it's something I don't ever recall hearing. If this bit of trivia is true and if Mifune had played Darth Vader, the character could have certainly developed differently during Lucas' writing process. For example, the Sith Lord might've had a badass beard.
Darth Toshiro. Can't....grok....that....

[GeneChing]

I love Star Wars. Except for the fact the Chewie didn't get a medal at the end of Ep 4. No wonder why he roars at the end. That's wookie for "Where's my ****ing medal?"

Below is from StarWars.com in regard to the POTUS's recent vetoing the Death Star Seriously. Y'all were following that one too, right?

Planet Earth Abandons Death Star Project In Face Of Superior Galactic Imperial Power (http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2013/01/15/planet-earth-abandons-death-star-project-in-face-of-superior-galactic-imperial-power/)
Galactic Empire Public Relations | January 15, 2013

http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/death_star1.jpg
IMPERIAL CENTER, CORUSCANT – The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again by the recent announcement by the President of the United States that his nation would not attempt to build a Death Star, despite the bellicose demands of the people of his tiny, aggressive planet. “It is doubtless that such a technological terror in the hands of so primitive a world would be used to upset the peace and sanctity of the citizens of the Galactic Empire,“ said Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories. “Such destructive power can only be wielded to protect and defend by so enlightened a leader as Emperor Palpatine.”

Representatives on behalf of the nation-state leader from the unimaginatively named planet refused to acknowledge the obvious cowardice of their choice, preferring instead to attribute the decision to fiscal responsibility. “The costs of construction they cited were ridiculously overestimated, though I suppose we must keep in mind that this miniscule planet does not have our massive means of production,” added Admiral Conan Motti of the Imperial Starfleet.

Emissaries of the Emperor also caution any seditious elements within the Galactic Senate not to believe Earth’s exaggerated claims of there being a weakness in the Death Star design. “Any attacks made upon such a station — should one ever be built — would be a useless gesture,” added Motti.

[GeneChing]

After what J.J. did with Star Trek, I'm all in.

J.J. Abrams Set to Direct Next 'Star Wars' Film (Exclusive) (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/jj-abrams-set-direct-next-star-wars-film-exclusive-74596)
Published: January 24, 2013 @ 1:33 pm
By Lucas Shaw

J.J. Abrams will direct the next "Star Wars" film for Disney, taking stewardship of one of Hollywood's most iconic and lucrative film franchises, an individual with knowledge of the production told TheWrap.

Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm last year and announced it would make new "Star Wars" films, fans, members of the media and industry executives have speculated about which director would take the job. Abrams' name always came up, but he told Entertainment Weekly in November that he wasn't going to take the job.

He did say "Star Wars" was the first movie that "blew my mind" in terms of special effects.

Lucasfilm Chief Kathleen Kennedy has been courting Abrams, one of the most successful directors and producers in Hollywood -- and a man beloved by fanboys. He runs one of the industry's top production companies, Bad Robot, and created or co-created television franchises like "Lost," "Fringe" and "Alias." He has also directed film spectacles "Mission: Impossible III," "Star Trek" and "Super 8."

The lure of the Jedi was too strong, and it will no doubt complicate his relationship with Paramount, where Bad Robot is a top supplier. Abrams has been feverishly working on "Star Trek Into Darkness," his second Star Trek film since he rebooted the franchise in 2009. "Into Darkness," still in post-production, opens May 18.

Though he has several producing jobs in front of him, Abrams had been uncommitted as a director. He will have to jump right into "Star Wars," which Disney has slated for a 2015 release. "Little Miss Sunshine" screenwriter Michael Arndt is penning the script.

Reached by TheWrap, Lynne Hale, spokeswoman for Lucasfilm, declined to comment immediately. Neither CAA, which represents Abrams, nor Bad Robot immediately responded to requests for comment.

[GeneChing]

What's the first stand alone STAR WARS film to be made? (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/60757)
Published at: Feb. 4, 2013, 9:40 p.m. CST Share On Facebook Twitter

Hey folks, Harry here... There's a whole bunch of movement happening at the Magic Kingdom these days... Mayimbe was talking about Marvel's HULK Plans and how they may affect the 3rd AVENGERS film... We're focused upon the sequel trilogy we've been waiting for most of our entire lives. But the wild success of THE AVENGERS and the anticipated gargantuan STAR WARS with JJ Abrams directing.. it has reformatted alot of Disney's plan. IMAGINEERING had been working up ideas for a grand expansion at DISNEYLAND that was to bring Frank L Baum's OZ into a fully realized extension of the park, and while I'd love to go there... The word I'm hearing now is they've dropped that in lieu of a STAR WARS extension in California Adventure Park. OZ could happen, but only if Raimi's film is a stunning success. But you're not hear for the themepark buzz... or maybe you do care desperately like I do. But really, what's Disney going to be doing with these STAND ALONE films...

Well, to start with they're going to focus on established characters and do solo films, no, not necessarily Han Solo films, but well, **** it... The first Stand Alone film is going to center upon YODA. At this stage specifics are sparse, but Kathleen Kennedy is putting together a STAR WARS slate... I'm wildly curious for more details on the YODA film - would this be a young or old YODA tale?

Knowing that Lucasfilm is doing a series of stand alone character features... I wonder if Joe Johnston has pitched Kennedy his stand alone BOBA FETT film he was talking about after the release of Captain America. Hmmmmm... Now, let's chase after YODA details... Where's FRANK OZ? Giggle. Gotta love chasing STAR WARS stories! Oh - and I've also heard tale of a JABBA story that Lucas has floated to some of his buddies. But word is YODA is first.

http://media.aintitcool.com/media/uploads/2013/yoda_large.jpg
I'd be totally into this if it starred the muppet Yoda and not the CGI yoda. The muppet Yoda was a much better actor. Seriously.

[GeneChing]

Disney Confirms Stand-Alone Star Wars Films (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=99937)
Source: CNBC
February 5, 2013

Walt Disney Pictures CEO Bob Iger has confirmed rumors that the studio is looking at a series of Star Wars films that will see release independent of the new trilogy and that will focus on specific characters from the overall Star Wars universe.

"There has been speculation about some stand-alone films that are in development," Iger tells CNBC. "I can confirm to you today that, in fact, we are working on a few stand-alone films. Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are both working on films derived from great 'Star Wars' characters that are not part of the overall saga. We still plan to make Episodes 7, 8, and 9, roughly over a six-year period of time, starting in 2015. There are going to be a few other films released in that time, too."

Iger goes on to say that Kasdan and Kingberg are serving in a consulting capacity on J.J. Abram's Star Wars: Episode VII with Michael Arndt supplying the screenplay. Both writers are simultaneously working on new, as of yet unknown, Star Wars films.

The news arrives on the heels of yesterday's rumor that claimed the first such film would follow the adventures of Yoda. While that rumor has not been confirmed, Iger's comments suggest some truth to the reports.

You can watch Iger's announcement in the player below, courtesy of CNBC:

follow the link for the announcement above.

[doug maverick]

you beat me too it..lol..i would love to see this seven samurai style star wars film everyone keeps talking about.

[GeneChing]

Rumor is now trending to a young Han and Boba Fett. I've always thought Boba had the most anticlimactic demise ever, so I've never really got into that character.


Feb 6 2013 12:57 PM ET
'Star Wars' spin-offs: A young Han Solo movie, and a Boba Fett film -- EXCLUSIVE (http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/02/06/star-wars-spin-offs-young-han-solo-movie-boba-fett/)
by Anthony Breznican

Star Wars fans, admit it: you like scoundrels. And you’re about to get more of them in your life.

Yesterday, The Walt Disney Co. unveiled plans to make a number of spin-off movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — in addition to the post-Return of the Jedi trilogy that had already been announced.

Entertainment Weekly has learned details on two of the spin-off projects: A young Han Solo saga, focusing on the wisecracking smuggler’s origin story, and a bounty hunter adventure with Boba Fett at the center of a rogue’s gallery of galactic scum.

Several sources close to the projects confirmed this was the direction the development was taking, although each cautioned it’s still very early in the process and, well, the deal could always be altered futher. Lucasfilm and Disney declined to comment on the information.

The Han Solo story would take place in the time period between Revenge of the Sith and the first Star Wars (now known as A New Hope), so although it’s possible Harrison Ford could appear as a framing device, the movie would require a new actor for the lead — one presumably much younger than even the 35-year-old Ford when he appeared in the 1977 original.

The Boba Fett film would take place either between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, or between Empire and Jedi, where the bounty hunter was last seen plunging unceremoniously into a sarlacc pit. Exactly who would play him isn’t much of a complication – in the original trilogy, he never took off his helmet. And in the prequels, we learned he was the son of the original stormtrooper clone, played by Temuera Morrison, who’s still the right age for the part if his services were required.

In addition to bringing back two fan-favorite characters as the leads of their own films, the Han Solo and Boba Fett projects would also allow Darth Vader, in full-on black death-metal gear, to return as a villain, since placing the spin-offs within the original trilogy would mean he is still alive and hissing. That timeline would also open the door for a return from visit with everyone’s favorite degenerate slug-like gangster, Jabba the Hutt.

Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced the existence of spin-off plans yesterday as part of the company’s quarterly earnings report. He said the screenwriters working of the stand-alone films are Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Sherlock Holmes) and Lawrence Kasdan (screenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the filmmaker behind The Big Chill.)

The pair are also involved in the drafting of the new trilogy, with Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) penning the first of the series, which J. J. Abrams has agreed to direct. That film is scheduled to hit theaters in 2015.

There is no indication who might direct the Boba Fett and Han Solo films if they end up coming to fruition. Joe Johnston, director of Captain America and The Rocketeer, originally designed the armor for Boba Fett and told Screenrant he would like to make a film based around the character. Recently, Robert Rodriguez told MTV he would jump at the chance to make a Han Solo film if it were offered to him — although that seemed more like casual interest than a serious proposal.

The recent novel Scoundrels, by sci-fi author Timothy Zahn, focused on the exploits of Solo in the period between A New Hope and Empire as he set up an Ocean’s 11-type heist of a gangster’s fortune. But sources said it was not the basis for any film currently in the works.

As for other spin-offs, Ain’t It Cool reported Monday that a Yoda-centric film may be in the works, and earlier last month Vulture reported Zack Snyder may create a Seven Samurai-inspired Star Wars spin-off, although the filmmaker later said that was untrue.

Lucasfilm has ramped up its development in recent months under the new leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, who stepped in as co-chair of the company as Star Wars creator George Lucas stepped back and sold the company to the Walt Disney Co.

Kennedy, who has her eighth nomination for the Best Picture Oscar this year as producer of Lincoln, has a long track record of making films that strike a nerve with the original Star Wars generation, among them E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and everything from Gremlins to The Goonies and the Back to the Future movies.

The question now: If these films do happen, who would you cast as a young Han Solo – or should they cast someone as relatively unknown as Ford once was?

[Kevin73]

That's the thing about the Star Wars universe. There is SOO much material that can be drawn from besides just the main trilogy story line.

You could set it WAY back to the Jedi/Sith wars
You could do stand alone characters that are featured in the movies
You could create your own characters that surround events in the movies and books

[GeneChing]

just for the pic along...:cool:

Star Wars Solo Movies - Yoda, Han Solo, and Boba Fett (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=100100)

The week got off to a lively start with Ain't It Cool News starting a rumor that Disney was working on a movie featuring Yoda. Then, in a surprise move, Disney confirmed that they were, in fact, working on stand-alone "Star Wars" movies featuring characters from the previous films. In fact, they additionally confirmed that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinsberg were working on them. Entertainment Weekly then added fuel to the rumor fire by stating that Disney was developing films based on Boba Fett and Han Solo.

My take? There's probably some truth to all of the Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Yoda rumors. At this early stage, they're probably all being discussed. It will be interesting to see which one ends up being the frontrunner. But the question remains - can any of these characters carry a movie themselves? Over the next few weeks I'll be exploring that question. First up, let's talk about the Yoda rumor.

The problem with doing a movie based on any of the existing characters is the same problem that you had with the prequels - you already know how it will end before it begins. Any movie starring Yoda (or young Han Solo or Boba Fett) is not going to end with them dying. There's not a lot of suspense there since you know the character will not be in serious jeopardy. So how do you deal with that? The same way you deal with Batman or James Bond or Iron Man who also won't die during their films. You go back to their origin, you throw them in situations that take them outside of their comfort zone, and you give them a great cast of supporting characters.

For a Yoda film, you would want to take him back to his early years. Show him when he's young and not wrinkly. Show him before he's mastered his power. Show Yoda as young and stupid and not the calm, wise, confident Grand Master that he is in the films. Show a bit of his mischievous side that we saw in "The Empire Strikes Back." Have a "Yoda Begins" type of story. Now the interesting thing about this is the fact that while Lucasfilm has allowed the books and comics to cover the origins of pretty much every other character in the films, they have NOT allowed Yoda's origin to be explored in depth. If you look at StarWars.com, Yoda's species is labeled as "unknown." If you look on the Star Wars Wiki page, there's almost nothing about his origin (at least nothing that can't be overwritten by a film). It's very unusual to have a character's background to be so thoroughly cordoned off in the Expanded Universe that it lends credibility to the idea that Lucas was saving it for something later on. But that hasn't stopped fans from offering their own takes on what young Yoda was like.

http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/amg-yoda&jedi.jpg

Back in 1999, Aaron McGruder (creator of the comic Boondocks) submitted to TheForce.Net his own take on what a young Yoda might look like. It's interesting to see a young, strong, elf-like Yoda rather than the elderly version we are so familiar with. Josh Diffey back in 2003 at TFN created a comic entitled Padawan Yoda. While the art isn't quite as polished as you might like, the fan comic does demonstrate that it is possible to do a young Yoda story.

But if fan art and fan fiction isn't enough to convince you that a Yoda story can work, then check out "Yoda - Dark Rendezvous" by Sean Stewart. I reviewed this novel set in the Clone Wars era for TFN Books a long time ago on a website far, far away. Here was my synopsis:

Six months before Revenge of the Sith, the Clone Wars continue to rage. As Dooku reflects on the carnage he has caused across the galaxy, he begins to have regrets about turning to the Dark Side. Old age and fear of Darth Sidious begin to catch up with him. Amid these doubts, he secretly contacts his old master Yoda for a rendezvous. Is there still a glimmer of light in Dooku or is this another trap?

Yoda receives the message and decides to accept Dooku’s invitation. But in order to keep their meeting private, he must have a good cover story for leaving the Jedi Temple. He recruits Jedi Masters Jai Maruk and Maks Leem to help sneak him out. Along with them are Padawans Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy, or Scout, and Whie. Scout is a young Padawan who isn’t as strong in the Force as her fellow students. However, perseverance, courage, and determination have kept her within the Temple. Whie is just the opposite. He’s strong in the Force, honorable, and highly skilled. But he also suffers from dreams and visions of the future. His latest vision shows him and Scout in the clutches of Asajj Ventress on the brink of death. Will their mission with Yoda end in disaster?

This book was really excellent and is a prime example of my point that you need a strong supporting cast behind your established Star Wars character. You need characters like Scout and Whie who play off of Yoda well and who, more importantly, are expendable. They are the characters in the story who are in jeopardy and who the audience becomes emotionally invested in. They are like Agent Coulson in "The Avengers" or Rachel Dawes in "The Dark Knight" or Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royal." Their actions and possibly their deaths drive the lead characters to grow or change. I think with these ingredients, you have a workable Yoda movie.

So that's what I'd love to see - a young Yoda movie that brings new characters to the table and is made by Pixar. Make it happen, Disney!

[sanjuro_ronin]

This pic is way cool !
http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/amg-yoda&jedi.jpg

[GeneChing]

It seems to be blinking in and out, so if others can't see it, just follow the link above.

[Zenshiite]

That picture IS awesome.

I wish I could find a scan of it online, my google-fu isn't up to par, but in the Empire Strikes Back comic adaptation Marvel Comics did in 1980 there is a full page of the Jedi training montage... instead of Luke just doing a handstand, he's doing One Finger Zen free standing.

They also happened to have colored his fatigues that were light grey in the movie orange, and his boots are white.

[GeneChing]

Q&A with Carrie Fisher (http://www.palmbeachillustrated.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.details&ArticleId=2886#.UTfCt1dh5nn)
By Jennifer Pfaff

http://cache.trustedpartner.com/images/library/PalmBeachIllustrated2010/FisherC-Photo(HighResHEADSHOT2012).jpg
Actress Carrie Fisher has had her share of meteoric rises and falls.

She skyrocketed to fame in her early 20s after portraying Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy of the 1970s and ’80s. Yet she also battled drug abuse during that time, an experience she recounted with a biting sense of humor in her 1987 semiautobiographical novel, Postcards from the Edge.

The book landed on The New York Times’ bestsellers list and was adapted into a movie. It also inspired her to write other books as well as screenplays, and she became a go-to script doctor in Hollywood. Since Star Wars, she has acted nearly every year but held only minor roles in movies and TV shows.

And throughout the years, she has remained wryly blunt about her constant fight with addictions and mental illnesses, becoming an outspoken advocate with a sharp wit. So ongoing are her struggles that Fisher has been recently hospitalized for bipolar disorder, canceling her upcoming appearance at the Center for Family Services' fifteenth annual Old Bags Luncheon. Replacing her as keynote speaker for the event, held March 7 at The Breakers, will be her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds, who also spoke at the benefit in 2007.

Before she stepped down, Fisher briefly updated Palm Beach Illustrated about her latest ventures, including why she wanted to speak at the luncheon in the first place:

“Because I am an old bag,” she says dryly.

What kind of projects are you working on?

I’ve outlined another book to write. I’m writing a series with a friend of mine for another friend of mine. And I’m working somewhat on a musical. … We were going to make a musical of Postcards from the Edge, and now we’re not. What we’re working on now are the songs. I have a lot of lyrics from many, thousands of years ago—and the intervening years—because I have a kind of obsessive-compulsive need to make things rhyme.

Disney is going to continue the Star Wars saga, producing movies set to hit theaters starting in 2015. Can you confirm whether you’ll reprise the role of Princess Leia?

Yes.

What do you think Princess Leia is like today?

Elderly. She’s in an intergalactic old folks’ home [laughs].

I just think she would be just like she was before, only slower and less inclined to be up for the big battle.

And still wearing the bagel buns?

The bagel buns and the bikini, because probably she has sundowners syndrome. At sundown, she thinks that she’s 20-something. And she puts it on and gets institutionalized.

You’ve overcome a lot of challenges in your life. Where do you draw strength or inspiration to move forward?

I have friends that have the same issues, so it’s best to talk about it. You’re only as sick as your secrets. If it is a secret—anything that makes you sort of shame-based—if you can claim it, it has a lot of less power over you. It is a lot easier for me [to do], because I am really open about what I’m going through. I’ve been in therapy since I was 15. … I have an ongoing condition, so I have to take my medication, and I have things that I do to keep abreast of that and not let that get away with me.

I hang around with other people that have similar issues. We can help each other. And I go to 12-step stuff, and I think that’s very, very effective.

What would you say your life motto is?

It would just be not to lie. It’s really to be honest about what you’re going through. And really, have as good a time as you can.

What other goals do you have, career or otherwise?

I want a really nice bedroom. I have a nice house, and I have the worse room in it.

Why is that?

Because I’m so giving [laughs]. I wanted my daughter to have [a nice room]. At this point, she entertains more than I do.

What do I still want to achieve? All the things I just said—finish what I start. I’d like to finish another book.

There are still other places I’d like to travel, [like] Tibet. I still haven’t seen the aurora borealis, which is extremely upsetting. I’d like to go to the sing-sings in New Guinea. Those are on my bucket list.

You mentioned you wanted a new bedroom. What would your dream bedroom be like?

This sounds filthy, but I entertain in my bedroom. So it would have to be pretty big—a lot bigger so that I can hide my elliptical somewhere.
This is an ambiguous confirmation because she might just be saying "I'll do it if offered" which is probably true for everyone who is still alive from the original cast except for Ford.

[doug maverick]

well lucasfilms has said they want all three stars to return.. even thou the film will be focusing on a younger generation. and NO it will not be based on the books.

[GeneChing]

...will it be based on lego star wars (http://starwars.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx)?

George Lucas Says Hamill, Fisher and Ford are Pretty Much Signed for Star Wars (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=101254)
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek
March 7, 2013

Bloomberg Businessweek has published a new feature on Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm which includes a few interesting bits!

George Lucas tells them that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford were pretty much signed on for Star Wars: Episode VII before the Disney deal was even made.

"We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison—or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation," Lucas said. "So I called them to say, 'Look, this is what's going on.'" He pauses. "Maybe I'm not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them." Then he adds: "I won't say whether the negotiations were successful or not."

As was previously announced, the studio is also developing standalone movies and Disney's Bob Iger also said he's looking to expand sales of "Star Wars" merchandise overseas and that ABC and Lucasfilm are discussing a live-action TV series.

You can read the full article by clicking here (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-07/how-disney-bought-lucasfilm-and-its-plans-for-star-wars).

I must confess I've been catching a few episodes of Clone Wars lately. It's amusing, if only to see some CGI light saber action. I like Ayala.

[Lucas]

http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/6/68/Darth_Talon_LECG.jpg

[GeneChing]

...but I'd totally go to this.

Yes! A 'Star Wars' theme park could soon be a reality (http://moviepilot.com/stories/900936-yes-a-star-wars-theme-park-could-soon-be-a-reality?stamp=63522&subscribe_to=711158&utm_campaign=yes-a-star-wars-theme-park-could-soon-be-a-reality&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=fb-stream-post)
http://d1fgn7wex1bhjn.cloudfront.net/assets/tarantulaV2/article_images/1364211043_Star_Wars_Disney_3.jpg
When Disney bought LucasFilm last year for $700 gazillion, they were getting much more than just a wildly popular movie series. They were buying into a Star Wars universe rich in history; it was an investment into a cultural phenomenon. The first order of business for the House of Mouse was to announce Star Wars: Episode VII‘s arrival in 2015 and now they are looking to exploit its marketing potential and develop a Star Wars theme park.

Selected Annual Pass holders for Disney parks have been asked to fill out a survey with the question “How interested would you be in visiting a Star Wars themed land at the Disneyland Resort?”, and although it’s by no means a confirmation that building work on the resort is about to begin, it does show that Disney is giving serious thought to the merits of such a park.

Check out these tweets of a couple of the survey questions:

My inner Star Wars fanboy just got very excited.

So what would Star Wars Land look like? That’s where you come in. Let me know what attractions you would like to see included and drop your suggestions in the comments section below. I’d like to have some sort of Pod-race simulator and maybe a ride where you get thrown into a Sarlacc pit. Oh, and definitely an attraction where you get to shoot Jar-Jar Binks repeatedly in the face. That would be pretty satisfying.
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/578980_533894436648996_1851825471_n.jpg

[GoldenBrain]

Oh hell yeah! I'd go to this park. I'm not sure how many on this forum can say this but I saw the original Star Wars movie in the theater. I was a wee little kid but I've been a fan from the beginning.

[Scott R. Brown]

Oh hell yeah! I'd go to this park. I'm not sure how many on this forum can say this but I saw the original Star Wars movie in the theater. I was a wee little kid but I've been a fan from the beginning.

Ha! Got you beat x 4 or 5 times!!!!:p

[Lucas]

I think george lucas has kind of lost it a bit and having some fresh new young/middle age minds who are life long fans might be able to put out some nice continuations to the classics. we'll see.

[Scott R. Brown]

I think george lucas has kind of lost it a bit and having some fresh new young/middle age minds who are life long fans might be able to put out some nice continuations to the classics. we'll see.

I am not sure he ever really had it. His main idea was great, the special effects were great, but lets face it, he has always mixed good actors with "B" actors and a "B" script that makes the movies difficult to watch. I never liked the whining of Luke and Anakin either!

[GeneChing]

Follow the link below to see the teaser vids

Star Wars Rebels Exclusive First Look: Meet Zeb (http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/18/star-wars-rebels-exclusive-first-look-meet-zeb?abthid=530392ae18f084cc6e000020)
Stormtroopers beware!
by Eric Goldman FEBRUARY 18, 2014

Every team needs its muscle and for the group at the center of Star Wars Rebels, that's Zeb. Need a strong, smart ally to help you crack some Stormtrooper skulls? Look no further.

Voiced by the ridiculously prolific Steve Blum -- whose video game and animation credits are pretty much "everything" -- Zeb is a tough, seasoned and very intelligent member of the Rebels crew. As for what Star Wars alien race Zeb is, you'll learn more about that on the series, because Zeb comes from a never before seen species - though big Star Wars fans will recognize Zeb's basic look. Star Wars Rebels executive producers Dave Filoni, Greg Weisman, Simon Kinberg and their collaborators are taking a major influence from the beloved work of Ralph McQuarrie on the original Star Wars trilogy, including tons of early concept art McQuarrie did for the films, and Zeb's appearance is heavily influenced by McQuarrie's initial ideas for what Chewbacca might look like. Though rest assured, Zeb had an attitude and demeanor all his own…

Take a look at IGN's exclusive first look at what to expect from Zeb in the video below!


Blum -- who's voiced Wolverine, Spike Spiegel, Starscream, Professor Galvez and so many other notable characters -- is incredibly excited to be a part of Star Wars, recalling, "I remember going to see Star Wars IV: A New Hope in Westwood, CA just before I graduated high school in May of 1977. I was a rebellious (pun intended) teenager who was pretty difficult to impress, but when the massive Imperial Star Destroyer rumbled across the screen, it felt like every nerve ending in my body fired simultaneously. From that point on, I was hooked. 20 years later, I booked my first role on a Star Wars video game project (I believe it was X-Wing vs Tie Fighter) - and have worked on about a dozen SW games since. Every time, even after all these years, I get that intense sensory rush that brings me back to that first moment."

As for his thoughts on joining Rebels, Blum remarks, "I think I actually screamed when I was booked to play Zeb. It is literally a role of a lifetime. I've been lucky enough to play some major superhero roles in my career, but to be given the chance to play a new character in a Star Wars series? Brain explosion. As if working on a Star Wars series - in any capacity - wasn't enough to cause a grown man to squee, Zeb challenges every acting skill in my arsenal and beyond. His character design is amazing. I get to vocally take on ape-like physical power and abilities, a wicked sense of humor, intelligence and integrity, and so much more that I can't yet reveal. The attention to detail from the entire production team is inspiring. Every bit of minutia is carefully crafted to satisfy the most discerning fan of the franchise. I'm humbled and honored to be a part of the Rebels crew. I promise I will dig as deep as I'm allowed to give you guys the performance I would hope for as a fan. Get ready, guys. You're in for one helluva ride."

You can check out more on the characters revealed so far for Star Wars Rebels below.





http://www.superherohype.com/assets/uploads/2014/02/rebels-header-2.jpg
Interesting salute. :cool:

[GeneChing]

...which begs the question - is parkour jedi or sith?


Star Wars Episode VII Adds Two Young Actors, Possibly Parkour (http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/719907-star-wars-episode-vii-adds-two-young-actors-possibly-parkour)
J.J. Abrams has cast Crystal Clarke and professional freerunner Pip Andersen in unspecified roles.
July 6th, 2014 William Bibbiani
http://cdn2-www.craveonline.com/assets/uploads/2014/07/Pip-Andersen-Star-Wars-Parkour.jpg

The cast of Star Wars: Episode VII just keeps getting bigger.

LucasFilm announced this weekend (via ComingSoon) that newcomers Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen will be joining the cast in as-yet unspecified roles. Crystal Clarke is slated to make her big screen debut in the upcoming mermaid movie The Moon and the Sun, and Pip Andersen – now credited as "Pip Anderson" in the official press release – is a parkour expert previously featured in "MTV's Ultimate Parkour Challenge." So it stands to reason that Star Wars: Episode VII is probably going to have at least a little parkour in it.

The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to pop culture zeitgeists, of course. George Lucas cast the flashy wushu martial artist Ray Park as the villain Darth Maul in 1999's The Phantom Menace, right at the time when kung fu movies (and Park in particular) were starting to have an enormous surge in popularity in America. So it comes as no surprise that Star Wars: Episode VII appears to be doing the same thing with parkour, the acrobatic freerunning that took the world by storm in District B13 and later popped in films like Casino Royale, Live Free or Die Hard and Step Up 3D.

Although if you think about it, using a lightsaber in parkour should probably count as cheating. Why would you run over or around something when you could just slice your way right through it?

William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline's Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

[GeneChing]

I was figuring on parlaying the parkour reference into an excuse to get into the screener and write a review, but this (if true) seals the deal.

Then again, given the magnitude of this film, there might not be a press screener. I hope the force is with me on this one.


‘The Raid’ Action Trio Tapped For ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (https://deadline.com/2015/01/the-raid-action-trio-tapped-for-star-wars-episode-vii-1201341337/)
by Jen Yamato
January 5, 2015 12:52pm

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/raid-2.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1

Principal photography wrapped before the holidays, but more secrets keep spilling out of JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens shoot. The new year brings word that martial artist Iko Uwais, who kicked and sliced his way through Gareth Evans’ Indonesian action hits The Raid and The Raid 2, will appear in Star Wars alongside fellow Raid 2 performers Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman.

The Force Awakens, which is set for a December 18 opening, stars join John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford.

Uwais broke out on the international action scene in 2011’s The Raid as a Jakarta cop who fights his way out of a tenement filled with knife- and gun-wielding thugs using the bone-crunching martial art of pencak silat. He reprised the role in last year’s critically acclaimed sequel alongside Ruhian, whose turn in The Raid as a deadly fighter named Mad Dog was so popular Evans brought him back for The Raid 2 as a completely different character.

Silat fighter Rahman has a shorter history with the Raid franchise but made his mark as a baddie who matches Uwais’ Rama blow for blow in The Raid 2′s brutal kitchen showdown. Evans’ Raid films have been a rich source for new action talent; Uwais and Ruhian also pulled double duty as stunt choreographers on the films and signed with Management 360 on the strength of those pictures. Uwais in particular is eyeing a crossover action career a la Jackie Chan and Jet Li, who made names for themselves in Hong Kong before unleashing their martial artist brands stateside and becoming international stars.

Disney and reps for Uwais and Ruhian declined to comment on the castings, which Twitch was first to report.

[GeneChing]

Disney to Reveal ‘Ambitious’ Theme Park Plans for ‘Star Wars’ (http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/disney-to-reveal-ambitious-theme-park-plans-for-star-wars-1201422947/)

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/star-wars.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1

Most Anticipated Movies of 2015
February 3, 2015 | 04:34PM PT
Marc Graser
Senior Editor @marcgraser

The big tease of what Disney has planned for “Star Wars” inside its theme parks continues 11 months before “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” flies into theaters.

Disney chief Bob Iger told Wall Street analysts that there’s “a fair amount of design and development (taking place by the company’s Imagineers) to greatly increase ‘Star Wars” presence in multiple locations around the world,” shortly after the Mouse House announced another strong financial quarter. “The plans are ambitious, so it’s going to take some time for them to be built and opened.”

While Iger said specific plans would be announced “later in 2015,” the executive already had announced “significant” plans for the franchise for which it paid George Lucas $4 billion in 2012. He also has said whatever new attractions are announced, they will be based on future films in the series, as well as its spinoffs. Several Disney parks currently include an updated version of the “Star Tours” attraction.

In a separate interview with Bloomberg Television, Iger said, “Fairly soon, I’m sure we’ll be ready to go public with some specifics. But it’s safe to say that you’ll see a lot more ‘Star Wars’ at Disney and at Disney parks in the near future.”

Disney knows there’s anticipation for all-things “Star Wars.”

A teaser trailer released for J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens” has been viewed more than 123 million times since November, Iger said on Tuesday.

And while that film won’t open until Dec. 18, various divisions at the company are likely to try to capitalize on that rabid fan interest.

Disney XD already has launched the animated “Star Wars Rebels” TV show. And an early wave of products is expected to hit store shelves that’s tied to “The Force Awakens.” Just how much it could boost sales for Disney’s consumer products arm is still in question.

“I don’t know if there will be a ramp-up to buying for ‘Star Wars,'” Iger said, with most merchandise tied to a film typically selling around its release. “We’re likely to see some buying in advance of the movie in consumer products.”

Either way, “Star Wars” will join 11 franchises that will generate $1 billion in retail sales this year, as they did last year, Disney said. That includes “Frozen,” which was a major moneymaker during the holidays.

“The consumer products business has a lot of breadth,” said Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo during the same call with analysts. “We’re only beginning to see this year what the overall Marvel franchises are going to deliver (with ‘The Avengers’ sequel and ‘Ant-Man’), and we will add ‘Star Wars’ to that pantheon in a very significant way.”

Disney already has a number of high-profile events happening this year — all prime platforms it could use to announce its ambitious “Star Wars” plans.

First up is “Star Wars Celebration,” which will take place April 16-19 inside the Anaheim Convention Center. There’s May 4, long embraced by the franchise’s fans as “Star Wars” Day. And Disney’s version of Comic-Con, the D23 Expo, is set for Aug. 14-16. It also will take place in Anaheim. Of course, there’s Dec. 18, when “The Force Awakens” bows in theaters, but it’s likely Disney will have announced its park plans for “Star Wars” by then.

There also are a number of theme parks where Disney is preparing to make room for new attractions.

The largest is Shanghai Disneyland, which will have its grand opening in spring 2016. After breaking ground, Disney committed another $800 million to significantly expand the size of that park with new rides and attractions.

Outside of “Star Wars,” Disney already is building an “Avatar”-themed land at its Animal Kingdom park in Orlando. That land is set to open in 2017.

It’s considering how to promote its other franchises inside the resorts.

“There is still a great opportunity to mine these franchises across Disney’s parks,” Iger said.

Disney has enjoyed a considerable uptick in attendance after the introduction of new rides and themed lands designed around its popular film properties. The “Cars”-themed land at California Adventure, which was part of a $1 billion overhaul of that park, has been a major draw since it opened; an expansion of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom had guests lining up for hours to ride the “Seven Dwarfs Mine Train” ride in Orlando last year.


I gotta say I've really been enjoying Star Wars Rebels, much more than I liked Clone Wars, in fact.

[GeneChing]

Must...post...here...


The Power of the Dark Side: Gun-Wielding 'Darth Vader' Robs Bank (http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/03/18/power-dark-side-gun-wielding-darth-vader-robs-north-carolina-bank)

As seen on Fox and Friends

One of the greatest and most iconic villains in cinematic history has struck again. Well, kind of.

A man wearing a Darth Vader mask and dark clothing robbed a Pineville, North Carolina, bank Monday, according to authorities.

Police say the Sith Lord entered the Pineville State Employees Credit Union shortly before noon armed not with a lightsaber, but a long rifle. He demanded money from a bank teller and fled the scene in a four-door gray Chevy Suburban SUV - not a TIE fighter.

The suspect reportedly escaped with thousands of dollars. No one was injured during the robbery.

Witnesses told police the man was shorter than his towering "Star Wars" inspiration, standing approximately 5-feet-5-inches tall.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pineville Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at 704-889-2231.

http://insider.foxnews.com/sites/insider.foxnews.com/files/031815_vader3.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

Awesome !!

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs

[PalmStriker]

Chewy and Solo ! I'm there!

[herb ox]

Guess where I'll be Christmas afternoon? :D

[GeneChing]

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Set to Take Over Imax for a Month (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-set-817709)

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/675x380/2015/03/star_wars_force_awakens.jpg
Disney
by Gregg Kilday
8/26/2015 7:30am PDT

Disney's reboot will take over Imax’s large-format pioneer's screens for four weeks, knocking out all would-be competitors (Sorry, 'In the Heart of the Sea' and 'The Revenant').

This story first appeared in the Sept. 4 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

For Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Imax is going big — really big. For the first four weeks of its run, set to begin Dec. 18, J.J. Abrams' sequel will have all of Imax's large-format screens in North America and most of its foreign screens to itself. Imax reserving all of its screens for a single movie for a month is not unprecedented, but it is unusual. The company had a similar deal for the three Hobbit movies, but it struck that pact four years ago and hasn't made that type of commitment since.

In June, Imax broke its own opening-weekend record when Jurassic World leapfrogged over Iron Man 3's $28.8 million to grab $44.2 million worldwide — $21 million from 363 domestic screens and $23.2 million from 443 screens abroad. But Disney's Star Wars could topple that number. It is expected to open on 375 to 400 screens domestically and more than 400 abroad — there's no exact count yet because Imax tends to install and open theaters in the fall. Domestically, Force will play in the commercial chains such as Regal, AMC and Cinemark that house Imax screens as well as most museums and other sites with Imax theaters (which have played space-related Hollywood fare including Gravity and Interstellar). Although he declines to discuss specifics, Imax Entertainment CEO Greg Foster expresses his confidence in the film, saying, "Star Wars: Episode VII is the ultimate crossover movie — it crosses over to everyone." A further factor: Abrams, a fan of the format, has filmed a sequence with Imax cameras to take advantage of the oversized screen.

Rival distributors have resigned themselves to Force taking over Imax screens — and their premium ticket prices — during the holidays. November releases such as Sony's Spectre and Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2, which have Imax dates, will wind down by Dec. 18. Warner Bros.' In the Heart of the Sea, set to open Dec. 11, will get only one week in Imax. Fox's The Revenant, set to go wide Jan. 8, might get a crack at Imax screens by the Jan. 15 weekend. So far, Imax hasn't announced any January bookings beyond a Jan. 29 opening for Disney's The Finest Hours. But if moviegoers really are feeling the force, then Star Wars could dominate Imax screens even beyond that.

They better have THX sound too. ;)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE

Gonna be huge. ;)


Star Wars absolutely crushed movie ticket websites (http://fortune.com/2015/10/20/star-wars-force-awakens-fandango-movietickets/)
by Claire Groden
October 20, 2015, 8:42 AM EDT

https://fortunedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/star-wars-7-force-awakens-teaser-trailer-2-stormtroopers.jpg

Fandango and MovieTickets were down for the count

Popular movie ticket sales websites, including Fandango and Movietickets.com, crashed briefly Monday evening shortly after beginning ticket sales for the upcoming Star Wars film, The Force Awakens.

The movie opens Dec. 18, but Star Wars fans flooded the two sites to snap up tickets, Bloomberg reports. Earlier on Monday, a British theater chain Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group said that it experienced record demand for online ticket sales for the movie. And before Movetickets.com appeared to succumb to overwhelming interest, The Force Awakens had already become its number-one seller, accounting for 44% of total ticket sales in the past 24 hours.

Fortune reached out to Fandango and MovieTickets.com for comment; we will update this post with any update.

Analysts are already predicting that the new Star Wars installment will be one of the top-grossing box office hits ever. Benjamin Swinburne at Morgan Stanley said in June that he expected the movie to bring in $650 million in the United States and nearly $2 billion globally for Walt Disney Co., which bought Lucasfilm in 2012, according to Fortune.

If Swinburne is right, Star Wars would take the bronze for top-grossing movies globally, placing after Avatar, which has grossed more than $2.78 billion to date, and Titanic, which netted $2.18 billion. Of course, that isn’t accounting for merchandise sales, expected to be well into the billions of dollars.

[GeneChing]

China Star Wars mania: Stormtroopers take the Great Wall during trailer debut (PHOTO) (https://www.rt.com/news/319228-china-star-wars-trailer/)
Published time: 20 Oct, 2015 23:43

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.10/original/56269140c4618871228b4585.jpg
© Jason Lee / Reuters

Chinese Star Wars fans got their fill of excitement when the new ‘The Force Awakens’ trailer debuted on the Great Wall of China on Tuesday evening, with hundreds of iconic Stormtroopers appearing on the wall, shocking the awestruck public and media.
The campaign titled The Force Awakens on the Great Wall kicked off on October 20.

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.10/original/56269191c36188ad1c8b457a.jpg
© Jason Lee / Reuters
The Walt Disney Company organized the massive event on the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall of China.

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.10/original/56269185c4618870228b457d.jpg
© Jason Lee / Reuters
Countless fans and media attended the mind-blowing presentation of the Chinese version of The Force trailer.

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.10/original/56269176c4618874228b457f.jpg
© Jason Lee / Reuters
The finale was the best part: five hundred iconic Stormtroopers from Star Wars popped up on the Great Wall of China, taking the fans’ breath away.

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.10/original/56269160c36188580d8b4576.jpg
© Jason Lee / Reuters
Chinese characters “yuan,” “li,” “jue,” and “xing” – meaning “The Force Awakens” – lit up on top of four of the towers.

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.10/original/56269156c36188ad1c8b4577.jpg
© Jason Lee / Reuters
Over 200 hardcore sci-fi saga fans screamed with excitement and offered endless applause.

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.10/original/5626914dc46188a6228b4581.jpg
© Jason Lee / Reuters
The US version of the trailer was released a day earlier during the halftime break of a National Football League game broadcast by ESPN.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is coming out in December in the US and will be available in China a month later.

They should have cast a Chinese lead instead of John Boyega, just to capture that China market. Oh wait, they are already doing that (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68803-Star-Wars-Rogue-One). ;)

[GeneChing]

...but what with these theories of Luck being Kylo Ren, and the mention of Shaolin Monks and Drunken Style, I could not resist posting this here.


What If Jar Jar Was A Sith Lord? The Shockingly Plausible Theory That's Rocking Star Wars Fandom (http://www.techtimes.com/articles/102191/20151102/jar-jar-sith-lord-shockingly-plausible-theory-rocking-star-wars.htm)
By Robin Parrish, Tech Times | November 2, 2:54 PM

http://images.techtimes.com/data/images/full/162837/jar-jar-binks.jpg?w=600
Was Jar Jar Binks secret a Sith Lord? It sounds nuts until you read the evidence provided by a very clever Reddit user. Could it be that George Lucas had something astonishing planned for the despised Gungan?
(Photo : Lucasfilm Ltd.)

It sounds like nonsense. Jar Jar Binks, the evil mastermind behind the formation of the Empire? Superior to (or at least in league with) Chancellor Palpatine?

But after you read the full text of this wild theory, originally posted on Reddit, it's surprisingly hard to discount. With meticulous detail, Redditor "Lumpawarroo" walks readers through one piece of evidence after another that supports his outlandish theory. And the craziest part of all is how much sense it makes.

The crux of the argument boils down to this. The original Star Wars trilogy was built around a major dramatic twist — the reveal of Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father. It was even filmed in secret to keep it from leaking. Luke finding out the truth about his lineage is the pivotal moment of the entire trilogy, and it worked because it was this huge secret that no one saw coming.

Lumpawarroo argues that George Lucas tried to outdo himself with another surprise twist in the prequels. But how do you create a more shocking twist than "I am your father"? By creating a buffoonish, over-the-top character who's supposedly there for comic relief, but who's actually something far more sinister hiding in plain sight.

"As we know, the Jedi themselves are inspired by Shaolin Monks," says Lumpawarroo in his Reddit post, "and there's a particular kung fu discipline that Jar Jar's physicality is purposefully modeled upon which allows him to appear goofy and uncoordinated even as he lays waste to his enemies; namely, Zui Quan, or Drunken Fist wushu."

http://images.techtimes.com/data/images/full/162844/jar-jar-obi-wan-qui-gon-jpg.jpg?w=600
(Photo : Lucasfilm Ltd.)

He follows this proposal with evidence comparing shots of Jar Jar's movements in The Phantom Menace with footage of an actual Drunken Fist master. The similarities are remarkable. There's much, much more, such as the fact that Palpatine and Jar Jar are both from the same planet (Naboo) and subtle ways that Jar Jar manipulated Anakin. But he argues that not only is Jar Jar an evil Sith Lord, he's a master of Force mind control. Nowhere is this more evident than in Attack of the Clones, when he casually waves his hands at the entire Senate and they erupt into applause at his proposal of granting emergency powers to Palpatine — a move that paves the way for the Empire.

So if this was the plan, why was it never paid off? Lumpawarroo has a theory on this as well.

"I think that Jar Jar was initially intended to be the prequel (and Dark Side) equivalent of Yoda. Just as Yoda has his 'big reveal' when we learn that his tottering, geriatric goofball persona is just a mask, Jar Jar was intended to have a big reveal in Episode II or III where we learn that he's not really a naive dope, but rather a master puppeteer Sith in league with (or perhaps in charge of) Palpatine. However, [Lucas] chickened out. The fan reaction to Jar Jar was so vitriolic that this aspect of the trilogy was abandoned."

There's so much more to this theory and Star Wars fans owe it to themselves to read the entire thing — not to mention the countless replies that supply the theory with even more evidence. Lumpawarroo even goes so far as to suggest that Jar Jar could turn up as Supreme Leader Snoke in Disney's new Star Wars trilogy!

Since posting his theory just 48 hours ago, already fans have put together a website to support it, and a new Sub-Reddit has been created to expand on it.

What do you think? Might Jar Jar have been the most manipulative character in the prequels? And could he show up again someday?

What would his Sith "Darth" name be?

I hope there's a Gungan in The Force Awakens.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdAUiyeJMFQ

[GeneChing]

Remember this?


J.J. Abrams Says ‘The Raid’ Stars Are “Incredible” in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (http://www.slashfilm.com/the-raid-stars-in-star-wars-the-force-awakens/#more-329297)
Posted on Friday, December 11th, 2015 by Peter Sciretta

http://i1.wp.com/bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/The-Raid-2-Iko-Uwais-Cecep-Arif-Rahman-700x297.jpg?resize=700%2C297

Three of the main actors from Gareth Evans’ The Raid and The Raid 2 have roles in J.J. Abrams‘ Star Wars: The Force Awakens. How did The Raid series star Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian (who played Mad Dog and Prakoso in the films) and Cecep Arif Rahman (who played “The Assassin” and fought in the kitchen finale of the sequel) make it into the new Star Wars film? I asked director J.J. Abrams for details and here is what he told me about The Raid stars in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

At the Star Wars: The Force Awakens press junket I asked filmmaker JJ Abrams how the stars of The Raid became involved in The Force Awakens. Here is what Abrams said:


I was just a fan. It was an opportunity. I knew we needed people for this one sequence that would be particularly fun to see a group of people working together. It was simply just as I had seen John Boyega in Attack The Block and thought “how cool would it be to work with that guy one day?” and the opportunity arose and it worked out. And opportunity arose for this and I thought “God, I wonder if the dudes from The Raid would be available?” And to my amazement, and they were willing, and they were incredible. They showed up and did a terrific job.

That said, Abrams warned me that they don’t have a huge role in the film:


Not enormous roles in the movie, but wonderful to have them in the film.

Uwais and Ruhian not only starred in The Raid films but choreographed the film’s critically acclaimed action sequences. If you’ve never seen either of the movies (well, just do it), but here is an amazing action sequence from the second film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBpxU_IhuGI

So what role do they play in the upcoming Star Wars movie? Did they choreograph a cool lightsaber duel? I’ve heard their roles and their contribution has nothing to do with the Force or lightsabers.

Possible information on what roles and scene they will feature into follows…

http://i1.wp.com/www.fbtb.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/75105_2.jpg?zoom=2&resize=700%2C429

Toys showing a character named Tasu Leech have convinced some fans that he is played by one of The Raid actors — he looks most like Yayan Ruhian. The official Star Wars databank tells us that Tasu Leech “leads the notorious Kanjiklub gang, an intergalactic criminal organization.”

The character is presented as a minifig in a Millennium Falcon LEGO set alongside a “Kanjiklub gang member,” who could easily be one of the other stars from The Raid. So it looks like the action sequence that involves The Raid crew has something to do with the Millennium Falcon.

And just in case you aren't getting enough Star Wars this week, check this out on our Chinese Counterfeits (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57980-Chinese-Counterfeits&p=1289353#post1289353) thread.

[GeneChing]

STORMBLOOPER! Aspiring English actor caught out pretending to be man behind the Star Wars mask (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3392162/STORMBLOOPER-Aspiring-English-actor-caught-pretending-man-Star-Wars-mask.html)
Alex Rolt claimed on Twitter that he played stormtrooper in Star Wars film
The 23-year-old became an internet sensation, gaining praises for his role
Lucasfilm revealed the claim was a lie and role was played by Liang Yang

By JABER MOHAMED and MARK NICOL FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
PUBLISHED: 19:02 EST, 9 January 2016 | UPDATED: 12:14 EST, 10 January 2016

It was every young actor’s dream to land a starring role in the new Star Wars film.
But Alex Rolt bit off more than he could chew when he claimed he had played a stormtrooper who has become a fans’ favourite in the latest box office record breaker.
The 23-year-old hitherto unknown actor from West Sussex became an internet sensation when he revealed he had played the masked stormtrooper who shouts ‘traitor’ in an intense fight scene with John Boyega’s character, Finn.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/09/23/2FF5CC4200000578-0-image-a-23_1452383074924.jpg
An aspiring actor from West Sussex bit off more than he could chew when he claimed he had played a stormtrooper who has become a fans’ favourite in the latest box office record breaker

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/09/23/2FF5CC3800000578-0-image-a-24_1452383114804.jpg
Alex Rolt (pictured), 23, had a small part in the film but did not play the stormtrooper in the film as he claimed

But Rolt was forced into a grovelling apology last night after he was unmasked as a fantasist who only had a bit-part as an extra in the hit movie.
Fans were impressed when Rolt said he had played the stormtrooper in an interview with his local paper.
The drama school graduate claimed he had been chosen to face off against Boyega because of his fencing experience.
He said: ‘They got me in the stormtrooper outfit but the prop didn’t have a clip or anything on the uniform, so I had to hold it in a certain way then deliver the line: “Traitor!” ’

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/09/23/2FF5CC5500000578-0-image-m-26_1452383208928.jpg
Lucasfilm revealed the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was really played by veteran stuntman Liang Yang (above)

The interview was picked up on social media, and Rolt was lavished with praise from fans around the world.
He tweeted: ‘Response I’ve had to playing this character has been phenomenal, thank you.’
But the young pretender was exposed by the film’s production company Lucasfilm when it revealed the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was really played by veteran stuntman Liang Yang.
Rolt apologised on Twitter, saying: ‘Sorry for doing this to all the fans.Was a joke that got out of hand. My career is tarnished.’
He was unavailable for comment.



Other martial artists did appear
Crystal Clarke = Ensign Goode
Pip Andersen = Lead Stormtrooper
Iko Uwais = Razoo Quin-Fee
Yayan Ruhian = Tasu Leech
Cecep Arif Rahman: no credit

[GeneChing]

Looks like Cecep Arif Rahman was in it. Strange that his name didn't come up on IMDB when I did the search yesterday.


http://cdn.tmpo.co/data/2015/12/17/id_464718/464718_620.jpg
Actor Iko Uwais. Tempo/ Aditia Noviansyah
HOME INTERVIEW
TUESDAY, 22 DECEMBER, 2015 | 13:22 WIB
Iko Uwais: I'm not an actor, I just play the role of a fighter (http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/12/22/241729833/Iko-Uwais-Im-not-an-actor-I-just-play-the-role-of-a-fighter)

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The name Iko Uwais began to grab public attention since his first film Merantau ('Sojourn') was screened in movie theaters around the country. Then, one after another, the films he starred in made it into the market, like The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2: Berandal. Both films, directed by Gareth Evans, were quite successful in the United States and Europe.

From then on, there was nowhere else to go except Hollywood. Together with his co-stars in the Raid film series, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman, Iko is now featured in Disney's latest production Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released last week. Iko plays the role of Razoo QinFee, a member of an intergalactic crime gang called Kanjiklu, led by Tasu Leech (played by Yayan).

For Iko, acting in a Hollywood film means carrying the Indonesia name onto the world stage, doing his best to be the pencak silat (traditional martial arts) ambassador in every international movie he is involved in. Besides the Star Wars sequel, he also appears in Man of Tai Chi, Beyond Skyline and Mile 22 (still in production).

Naturally, by acting in those films, Iko gets the chance to meet some Hollywood heavyweights, like J.J. Abrams, Harrison Ford, Frank Grillo, Jackie Chan, Keanu Reeves and Peter Berg. "To be honest, I feel slightly overwhelmed by them. Who am I?" recounted Iko, who should have been on the red carpet at the premiere of Star Wars in Hollywood last week. Instead, he was back home working on a film project.

Tempo reporters Tulus Wijanarko, Tito Sianipar, Dini Pramita and Cheta Nelawaty, were able to interview Iko on two separate occasions, the latest being last week in Jakarta. Excerpts:

* * * *



How did you get to be in the mega movie Star Wars?

This was a Gareth Evans project, which he got from Management 360 in the US. He had it back in 2014, during the fasting month, while we were promoting The Raid 2 in the US. But he kept it a secret. He scheduled us to meet directly with (Star Wars director) J.J. Abrams.



Who were at that meeting?

Abrams with his management team, including his producer. I was with Yayan because Gareth had another meeting elsewhere. He told us about his plan, suggesting some ideas he got from The Raid team, and he understood that we were the choreographers. Right there, we showed him some of our moves, and he became very interested. But I did reject some of his ideas. He said, "Wow, that's cool. But Iko, this is a movie for a general audience." (laughing).



At that time, were you told about the role of Razoo Qin-Fee?

Not yet. We were told only after we tried on our costumes, because they were complicated and very detailed. It had various layers of material, because for action, they had to be loose and comfortable. And we had to wear boots, parts of which pressed on our bodies, like a mat on our stomachs. That made it difficult for us to do complex and fast movements. After trying (the costumes on), we were told about the characters we would be acting out.



At that first meeting, had you agreed to do the part?

Yes, I did. I saw it as a very big opportunity, not for me personally, but also for Indonesia. Star Wars, after all, is not just a movie. It's become a world film culture, beyond the US. And, thanks be to God, now Indonesia is seen as a place for film collaborations. This movie is big. It's a legend and used up a huge budget.



Did Abrams mention he was a fan of The Raid?

Yes, he said he had watched The Raid 1. He was frank and open about it, saying he liked the style but because it was a film for general audiences, not all types of (choreography) could be included.



What's Abrams like?

He's very friendly. At every shooting, he visited us and he would say, "Wow, neat. How are you guys? Everything okay?" He really cares about the actors. Someone like J.J. Abrams talking to us nobodies that made us feel good. He interacted directly with the actors, never used go-betweens to convey his message.



How long was the shooting?

Yayan and I went first to the UK for a two-week shoot, because we also created the choreography. In the middle of our practice, Kang Cecep arrived. Then we tried the costumes and practiced at the set.



How much of a choreography did you contribute in Star Wars?

All (of my suggestions) were accepted. Usually, we would need one take and they would be happy. But in Indonesian film productions, one scene would need at least 10 takes.



You did one scene with Harrison Ford. What was that like?

That was something. Who doesn't know Harrison Ford? Actually, we had met before the shoot. He came down from the set and we were inside our tent, he passed by and saw us. He came to us, and shook our hands, one by one. Wow, we shook hands with Harrison Ford.



Did you carry on a conversation?

He sat next to me, and we struck up a conversation. He asked us where we came from and he answered back that the he had once been to Indonesia, to (document) cases involving forests.



Does he still care about Indonesian forests?

He still does, and he still remembers everything about his trip here, including his meeting with the minister (of Forestry, Zulkifli Hasan). He said, "I was upset, but he just laughed. I wonder why?"



(Harrison Ford met with Minister Zulkifli Hasan on September 9, 2013 in relation to a film documentary titled Years of Living Dangerously. The video with Ford and Zulkifli can be seen on YouTube).

Is it true there's a clause in your contract about not leaking out anything about Star Wars before its premier screening?

That's right. We signed on that we would not say anything. Even when we did our studio shoot, our handphones were sealed by a barcode. There were sensors that can detect if those barcodes were broken. When one guy asked to have his picture taken, his handphone was immediately taken away and the film erased. I also received a call at one time, because they thought I had made a video recording (of a scene). I was checked by the security. Secrecy was of the utmost importance. (*)

[Jimbo]

I still haven't seen it yet. I will be checking it out a little later, maybe next week. It deserves to be seen in a theater.

I saw The Revenant yesterday instead.

[-N-]

I still haven't seen it yet. I will be checking it out a little later, maybe next week. It deserves to be seen in a theater.

Saw it a couple weeks ago.

Pretty good, even for a rerun :)

Spoiler:

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2016/01/10/star-wars-a-new-rip-off-spoiler-alert-pic/

[GeneChing]

It opened right when I left for my vacation in Spain (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46834-Which-flan-does-Gene-Ching-consume&p=1289789#post1289789). We saw it after seeing El Museo de arte Thyssen-Bornemisza and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. It was a full day. :D

We saw it in English with Spanish subtitles. I really wanted to get a El Despertar de la Fuerza T-shirt but couldn't find one. :(

I enjoyed it. Although it felt a little formulaic for J.J. Abrams - A New Hope: Force Awakens; Wrath of Khan: Into Darkness. ;)

[sanjuro_ronin]

I didn't mind it that much.
It was ok.
The plot was simply a re-hash of New Hope.
I found that fact that someone that was 100% untrained and an adult could somehow, mysteriously, know how to use the force and survive against someone that was trained, really, really silly.
But this is Disney and the whole "girl empowerment" thing is really big over there.
The premise of the new death star was, well, pulled out of someone's ass with two sticks.
Still, it was good fun.

[GeneChing]

Oscar Nominations 2016
(http://oscar.go.com/news/nominations/oscar-nominations-2016-the-complete-list-of-nominees)
FILM EDITING

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

=============================

ORIGINAL SCORE

Bridge of SpiesCarol

The Hateful Eight

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

=============================

SOUND EDITING

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

=============================

SOUND MIXING

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

=============================

VISUAL EFFECTS

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Original Score? srsly?

[GeneChing]

I much prefer TR-8R to FN-2199, but we all know he was a wushu guy (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64710-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens&p=1289901#post1289901). Who else could wield a space tonfa (http://www.martialartsmart.com/weapons-sai-tonfa-kama.html) so well?


http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/01/First-Order-Riot-Control-Stormtroopers-1536x864-397036155406.jpeg
CHARACTERS + HISTORIES // JANUARY 7, 2016

MEET FN-2199, A.K.A. TR-8R: THE STORMTROOPER BEHIND THE MEME (http://www.starwars.com/news/meet-fn-2199-a-k-a-tr-8r-the-stormtrooper-behind-the-meme)
GET TO KNOW THE INTERNET'S FAVORITE NEW FIRST ORDER SOLDIER.
“Traitor!” So bellowed a baton-wielding First Order stormtrooper, and the rest is Internet meme history.

http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/01/FN-2199.gif

First glimpsed in a teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this mystery trooper — who confronts a lightsaber-brandishing Finn — has inspired countless memes, fan art, and Twitter jokes. (The above GIF, by the way, is available in the Star Wars app, should you need to send to a traitorous friend.) He’s been lovingly dubbed TR-8R (because, well, why not?), but there’s more to this bucket head than fleeting viral popularity. So unlearn what you have learned about TR-8R, because StarWars.com has exclusive intel on Star Wars‘ biggest Web star since Darth Jar Jar.

His name is FN-2199. But his friends call him “Nines.” As detailed in Greg Rucka’s excellent book Before the Awakening, Nines trained and served on a squad with Finn (then FN-2187) in the First Order. That explains why he seems just a little extra angry upon seeing Finn during the attack on Maz’s Castle. You can see FN-2199 in the image below by Phil Noto from Before the Awakening — he’s the trooper seated in the background with red hair. Who’d have thought?

http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/01/Nines.png

There’s a reason that Nines gets to use an awesome weapon (which is called a Z6 baton). He’s riot control, and part of an elite squad that enforces order or squashes uprisings. While their weapons are non-lethal in theory, the Z6 can definitely cause harm or kill an opponent when used with brute force. Look, if a lightsaber can’t cut it, you know it ain’t good news.

You’ve heard his work before. Kind of! FN-2199’s voice (including, of course, “Traitor!”) was provided by David Acord, a Skywalker Sound sound editor. Acord’s production credits include Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Pretty good training for a stormtrooper. (Inside the armor is Liang Yang, a veteran stunt performer. Without his baton spinning, you wouldn’t be reading this.)

So there you have it — the stormtrooper behind the meme. Let’s hope we haven’t seen the last of Nines. Or TR-8R. Who wouldn’t want to see round two…and all the memes it could inspire?

[Faux Newbie]

SPOILER:






I was actually okay with the villain losing the last fight. He was already shot, the protagonist was not completely untrained in armed combat(and Finn, who was less trained in melee, was quickly messed up) and there is some inference with the story that something has happened with the Force(SPOILER: it apparently awakened), so being skilled with a lightsaber does not trump merely doing what the force requires. Further, it leaves a space for progression in the choreography, so that the next two movies can build higher and higher stories. Plus, the villain is not fully trained. considering that the next movie, ostensibly both the protagonist jedi and the villain will be being trained, it could be good.

I think the main problem with the new death star Starkiller thing is that they did a bad job explaining exactly what they blew up, the New Republic's capitol and fleet, leaving the First Order with the largest fleet, and the Resistance as its main concern. I also like that they basically unretconned Lucas' abysmal "let's make the OT Stormtroopers clones by changing the voices".

I like the backstory Disney has put out on the First Order, that it was formed from remnants of elite officers seeking to complete the Empire's goals, but forced, due to the reduction in numbers and resources, to focus on more elite forces and technology, and needing to stop any attempt at starting a new Jedi Temple, as a group who can predict their actions would be too dangerous for them. Also, the fact that, unlike Kylo Ren, Ren's master would be just as happy leaving Skywalker missing forever. And that Kylo Ren's master, when things go bad, does not immediately strangle officers, but advises them. Makes for some good possibilities.

Why, though, did they even have to mention this tripe about bringing balance to the force? Why?

[GeneChing]

https://vimeo.com/120468285

[sanjuro_ronin]

Awesome !!!
Lol

[mickey]

Greetings,

I just can not stand it when an Associate Publisher uses these forums to tell us his birthday is coming, he plans to go all out, and we are not invited. We only get petty imagery, not even a whiff of excitement given.

HB, Gene!


mickey

[GeneChing]

I just can not stand it when an Associate Publisher uses these forums to tell us his birthday is coming, he plans to go all out, and we are not invited. We only get petty imagery, not even a whiff of excitement given.


Wait, what? I always share my whiffs with y'all. :p

[mickey]

You are giving us previews. Keep 'em coming. I am going to have to get a special antibacterial drool cup.


mickey

[GeneChing]

SPOILER ALERT!

Don't watch the vid if you haven't seen EP VII


FEBRUARY 15, 2016 6:14am PT by Rebecca Ford
'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Adds Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-viii-adds-865327)
Newcomer Kelly Marie Tran also has joined the cast of the film, which started shooting Monday.

http://cdn4.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2015/12/gettyimages-500371548.jpg
Laura Dern Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Newcomer Kelly Marie Tran also has joined the cast of the film, which started shooting Monday.
Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran have joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode VIII, which started filming in London on Monday.

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis are all returning for the follow up to The Force Awakens.

Rian Johnson wrote and will direct the film, which continues from the events of The Force Awakens. Star Wars: Episode VIII is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski.

READ MORE 'Star Wars' Star Power: Will 'Force Awakens' Actors Become Harrison Fords or Hayden Christensens?
Disney and Lucasfilm also released a first teaser for the film (watch below). Star Wars: Episode VIII is slated for release Dec. 15, 2017.

Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, released into theaters in December, has earned $2.02 billion worldwide to date.

Del Toro was most recently seen in Sicario, Inherent Vice and Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s repped by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson.

Dern’s credits include 99 Homes and Wild, and she’s recently worked on Sundance film Certain Women and The Founder with Michael Keaton. She’s repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Gang, Tyre.

Tran is a relative newcomer (as was Ridley when she was first hired to star in the franchise). Her credits include the Netflix's indie XOXO with Sarah Hyland and the College Humor series. She has recurring credits on TV shows like NBC’s About A Boy, Amazon’s Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and TruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything. She's repped by Talent House LA and Arc Artist Management.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQQMLE4FuIQ


New Star Wars VIII thread here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69288-Star-Wars-VIII) (I just copied this post to get it started).

[GeneChing]

I wonder what kind of tea they serve at Imperial Afternoon Tea. It's China, after all, where the bar for tea is set high.


CHINA’S HIGH-END HOTELS PAY TRIBUTE TO ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’ (http://jingdaily.com/chinas-high-end-hotels-pay-tribute-to-star-wars-the-force-awakens/#.VsdL0fkrKUk)
BY JESSICA RAPP

http://jingdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/starwars_tea.png
EAST Hotel’s Domain cafe is offering “Yoda Scones” among other Star Wars themed treats as part of their Imperial Afternoon Tea. (Courtesy Photo)

Star Wars hype may have died down (if only slightly) around the globe, but it’s only been less than two weeks since the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted in China, making more than $100 million in ticket sales in the Chinese box office. In order to cash in on the hype, luxury hotels across China are channeling The Force with a host of Star Wars-themed promotions.
Fans of the film in Beijing are gearing up to honor it on January 23 at EAST Hotel’s Xian Bar for the Imperial Star Cruiser party. The celebration is part of the hotel’s month-long series of events dedicated to the film, and the hotel is one of several lifestyle brands joining in on the film’s marketing frenzy.
EAST partnered with Star Wars fan club 501st Legion and thus were allowed to use the names of the characters in their campaign—and they didn’t hold back. Along with the Xian party, which promises people in costume, EAST is offering “Imperial Afternoon Tea” at the hotel’s Domain cafe until the end of this month, featuring “R2D2 Macaroons,” “Chocolate Cherry Wookie Hair Mousse Cakes,” “Light Saber Cookies,” “Yoda Scones,” and “Ham Solo Paninis.” On a more serious note, the hotel, located in the capital’s bustling 798 Art District, is also playing host to a pop-up shop that features Star Wars-inspired art by Beijing-based artist Vincent Rondia.

http://jingdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Art-2.jpg
Star Wars-inspired artwork by Beijing-based artist Vincent Rondia. (Courtesy Photo)

Darth Vader also popped up at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, which encouraged clients to “clear and calm their mind like a Jedi” with a massage promoted via a photoshopped Twitter ad. The hotel also channeled Star Wars in a ****tail at its M Bar called “Dark Resolution.”
“Many of our colleagues (including myself) are fans of Star Wars and we want to also celebrate it in some small way,” said Director of Communications at Mandarin Oriental HK, Edwina Kluender. “The bar was a positive way to enjoy it with our regular guests. Plus, it was also fun for us to share this small initiative with our fans around the world on social media.”
While the hotels’ efforts weren’t part of official partnerships with Disney, they could reasonably be considered to be part of what Forbes is calling the Disney’s biggest success in the country, following disappointing box office results for China’s leg of the film franchise: “In China, consumers appear to love the licensed products, moderately enjoy the movie, and are ho-hum about the digital games,” it says.
Star Wars licensed products have been prevalent in China’s high-end fashion scene, with independent designers collaborating with Disney as it sought to educate its customers who have little relationship with the movie or sci-fi in general. On the educational end, Disney’s efforts seem to be working in China if EAST Hotel Communications Manager Mina Yan’s take is any representation. “The movies are so popular in both the Chinese and expat community that we don’t need to explain any of the jokes to anyone,” she said.
China’s Star Wars culture extends even further within Beijing’s boutique hotel scene. Hotel Éclat in Beijing’s design-centric Parkview Green shopping center already boasts a deluxe, Darth Vader-themed suite, while The Opposite House in Beijing is gearing up for its annual May the Fourth party. Even after the film has left the box office, The Force is likely to continue to live on in China’s lifestyle industries.

[GeneChing]

SPOILER - I had the privilege of interviewing Iko recently for an article coming up in our FALL 2019 issue (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71322-Fall-2019). Subscribe by August 1 2019 and get a FREE DVD.
(https://www.martialartsmart.com/19341.html)

Iko Uwais Is Hollywood’s Next Big Martial Arts Star. Just Ask Keanu Reeves and Mark Wahlberg. (https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/amp28325845/iko-uwais-stuber-villain/?__twitter_impression=true)
Hollywood has an action aversion: turning well-choreographed fight scenes into quick-cutting, hand-held cacophonies. Iko Uwais hopes his films will change that.
BY JOSH ST. CLAIR JUL 12, 2019

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/image009-1562614351.jpg
RENDHA RAIS

When J.J. Abrams resurrected Star Wars, he wanted excitement—and actors who would make the new films fun. For a particular scene in The Force Awakens, when raider assassins board and attempt to hijack the Millennium Falcon from their galactic target, Han Solo, Abrams wanted action—and actors who could make it feel real. Abrams called on Iko Uwais.

It was a fan’s desire as much as it was a director’s request. Abrams, like many in Hollywood, discovered Uwais through his work on The Raid: Redemption, Welsh director Gareth Evans’ Indonesian martial arts film equally inspired by Die Hard, an M.I.A. music video, and the Malay self-defense art form Silat. The Raid became one of the most celebrated action movies of the century and featured hand-to-hand combat to render Jason Bourne a haymaker-throwing street brawler and John Wick a novice MMA fighter. (John Wick star Keanu Reeves was so enthralled by Uwais, he cast him in a small role for his directorial debut, Man of Tai Chi.)

Abrams wanted that action. So he called and cast Uwais and Raid co-star Cecep Arif Rahman to hunt down Han. He also asked Uwais to choreograph a lightsaber fight for later in the film. Uwais, a champion in Pencak Silat, had by then written and performed hundreds of murderous fight choreographies involving knives and machetes. The concept he showed Abrams called for a duel and featured a finishing move where a fighter strategically retracts his lightsaber before gaining his opponent’s rear-side, and then, as Uwais explains, “with a swift move, puts the dead lightsaber into the back of his opponent, and turns it on.”

Abrams loved the choreography, but thought the fight too violent for the movie’s PG-13 rating. Ultimately, it was cut from the film. In their own roles, Uwais and Rahman hold less than five minutes of total screen time: they engage in a brief exchange with Solo; they are set upon by a tentacled monster; they run, turn, shoot, and die—mostly off screen. By the time the “action” clears, theatergoers probably had no idea that two of the world’s premier martial artists, brought on to help rejuvenate the most iconic film franchise of all time, did little more than stand around; their role was essentially a cameo.

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/image006-1562707025.jpg
RENDHA RAIS

Of course, Uwais doesn’t see it that way, and he was happy and honored that Abrams gave him the call, cameo or no. “Getting calls from Hollywood has been quite surreal to be honest,” says Uwais. “Making a living out of my real passion, which is Silat; that’s certainly a privilege for me.”

Uwais’ humility can be disarming; for a flashy, elbow-and-knee-throwing performer, his offstage presence is surprisingly placid. He stands at roughly 5’7,” muscled but not dominating, and he smiles shyly and with the sort of spotlight aversion native only to those who truly never dreamt of a spotlight.

Mark Wahlberg on Uwais: “badass.”

Though already an action superstar in the eastern hemisphere, Uwais and his non-cameo talents are only now coming to American screens. Last year, Uwais shot and fought beside Mark Wahlberg as a triple-crossing police informer in Mile 22, his first major American movie role. Even surrounded by a cast that included Wahlberg, Ronda Rousey, and John Malkovich, Uwais became the most electrifying part of the production, and he outpaced action star Wahlberg in every action-starred sequence. During an interview for the film, Wahlberg simply called Uwais a “badass.”

It’s a moniker more of Hollywood’s elite have come to recognize.

Uwais will appear onscreen this weekend as the bleach blond super-villain fist fighting Dave Bautista and Kumal Nanjiani in Stuber. In August, he will take lead in his own Netflix-produced martial arts series Wu Assassins.

Despite all the modesty, his surprise that the likes of Abrams, Reeves, and Wahlberg even know who he is, Uwais may soon be the most sought-after martial arts star in the world.

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/image008-1562707122.jpg
RENDHA RAIS

The legend of Silat tells of a woman, Rama Sukana, who witnesses two animals battling in the wild. Rama then incorporates these movements into a unique fighting style: Silat. In some regions, the fighting animals include a monkey and a tiger. Others tell the story of tiger and a hawk. (Uwais’ character in The Raid films is also named “Rama.”) In the human world, Silat employs strikes using every part of the body, grappling, and throws; traditional weapons include knives and daggers.

Uwais began practicing Pencak Silat, a variation native to Indonesia, when he was ten. He learned under his grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, a master of the form and founder of a Silat school in Jakarta, where Iko was born. Central Jakarta was a dangerous place for a teenager in the 1990s, as Indonesia transitioned from economic hardship and largely authoritarian rule. For Uwais, Silat wasn’t just a family tradition; it also proved to be a necessary survival skill.

One day at school, an older classmate, thinking he had a beef with Uwais, jumped him—with five other friends. Uwais reflexively began blocking punches, ignoring the five cronies while focussing on the one classmate. It felt like spontaneous movement—fending off the six older kids. He sustained a few bruises, but escaped unharmed. When Uwais told his grandfather, he just smiled, gave Uwais advice to stay out of fights, and then trained him even harder. Uwais was 17.

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/image007-1562707153.jpg
Uwais says he always avoided fights when in school. “That is absolutely not Silat is about,” he says. “It’s a self defense, and a spiritual based martial art. It focuses on respect for others, to make your mind and body healthy. Martial art skills without values and responsibility can be dangerous.”
RENDHA RAIS

In 2007, director Gareth Evans moved to Indonesia and began work on a documentary showcasing Silat. He sought out Bunawar. By then, Uwais, 24, was driving a truck for a telecommunications company. He had briefly lived out his dream of playing professional soccer for a local club and two years earlier captured the National Pencak Silat Championship.

While filming Bunawar, Evans and his wife, Rangga Maya Barack, noticed Uwais in a practice session. They sensed a screen presence in his performance and offered him a leading role in their upcoming project, Merantau, a feature film promoting Silat. The film became a cult hit, a martial arts movie stripped of flashy acrobatics in favor of fast, real, brutal choreography. It made Uwais a local star.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUj0cpxt-I

Soon after, Uwais and Evans set out to film what would become their breakout project, The Raid: Redemption, a one location action film: one high rise building, one raiding group of SWAT officers, including Uwias, and floor after floor of bad guys. (Evans made The Raid with just $1.1 million.) Evans and Uwais then shot the sequel, The Raid 2: Berandal, which premiered at Sundance, featured even larger fight scenes and one car chase, murdered 327 people on screen, causing one audience member to faint and Malaysia to initially ban the film, and solidified Evans’ and Uwais’ status in the world of martial arts cinema: they were on top.

That's when Hollywood started calling.

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/gettyimages-464379759-3-1562615113.jpg
Uwais and director Gareth Evans
LARRY BUSACCA GETTY IMAGES

In August 2018, as Mile 22 and his first major American performance hit theaters, Uwais was already filming his next project, Stuber. He had also returned east to shoot The Night Comes for Us (Indonesia) and Triple Threat (China)—both low-earning, but critically-well-received martial arts films. Uwais was as busy as ever.

By the end of August, however, Mile 22 had been thoroughly thrashed by critics and at the U.S. box office, stomping the breaks on what was supposed to be a film franchise. That failure also meant that Uwais' most successful U.S. role to date remains his Star Wars cameo. All 3 minutes of it.

But success for Uwais can't be measured by numbers, and it's almost frustrating how content Uwais appears despite his lukewarm American reception. "I'm just grateful that I have a chance to introduce traditional Indonesian martial arts to a worldwide audience," he says, underscoring his role as a choreographer and cultural ambassador; he sees his role as creating shock and awareness.

But why, even while Abrams, Reeves, and Wahlberg see Uwais as the next big thing, is Uwais not yet the next big thing?
continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8lgZBmyxwI

Part of Uwais' lackluster American reception is baked into the history of Hollywood martial arts.

Jackie Chan, Uwais' own inspiration, was 26 when he appeared in his first American film, The Big Brawl, a movie which saw marginal success in the American box office, but was poorly reviewed by critics. Chan’s breakout in the States came only later and with Rush Hour (1998), when Chan was 34.

Uwais, now 36, faces the same challenges as Chan—as well as Chan's fellow Hong Kong film star Donnie Yen—namely American directors who aren’t quite sure how to employ his talent for cinematic success. (Yen was also cast in the new Star Wars franchise and, despite his martial arts talents, was also given little to do.)

Most Hollywood directors lack the eye (and ear) for action. When Uwais explains the aesthetic of Silat, he does so using percussive language: “Silat is not just block and punch; it has a specific rhythm to it, a dynamic to it.” Each fight scene, each block and punch, must edit to a beat. (Raid director Gareth Evans would even match this beat to onscreen gunshots.)

One of the reasons why Chan, Yen, and Uwais had (and have) such a difficult time adapting to Western cinema is the tone-deafness among Hollywood directors; they fail to edit around these actors' particular fight and comedy rhythms.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKetBgfbLBU

The result, notes Uwais, is that American films begin “over editing” and obscuring fight movements. They turn symphony into cacophony. Directors, Uwais explains, must compensate for actors who lack fighting skills; they use aggressive camera work to make movements look aggressive. Hence all the hand-held, shaky cam and quick-cutting fight sequences you see. (Yen's Star Wars fight lasts less than 30 seconds and cuts 19 times. Uwais' premier hospital fight scene in Mile 22 cuts 19 times in the first 13 seconds.)

Quick-cutting mainly allows directors to inexpensively simulate aggression without showing aggression, the cause and effect of fight movements that take months to prepare and shoot—and potentially slap the film with a "restricted" rating.

And until recently, well-choreographed, R-rated cinema didn’t win at the box office. The success of Chad Stahelski’s John Wick franchise, which goes to great choreography lengths in the name of realism, may help to upend that economical thinking. But until Hollywood is able to lean behind a fighter like Uwais or Yen for a leading role, their action skills are likely to remain hidden, over edited, or simply under appreciated. (And while this slight may not visibly aggravate Uwais, it should aggravate movie fans; why wouldn't you want well-choreographed action movie?)

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/mv5bmtqxmdg5nzk2n15bml5banbnxkftztcwndmznduznwatat-v1-sy1000-cr0-0-1489-1000-al-1562615271.jpg
Uwais in The Raid: Redemption
IMDB

But perhaps Uwais' films are not the ones western critics or viewers are ready to see.

In his one-star review of The Raid, critic Roger Ebert wrote that the film had “no dialogue, no plot, no characters, no humanity. Have you noticed how cats and dogs will look at a TV screen on which there are things jumping around? It is to that level of the brain's reptilian complex that the film appeals.”

When asked whether he thinks his films are excessively violent, Uwais simply highlights martial arts’ balletic qualities. “I always try my best to bring the beauty of the martial arts into the screen,” he says. The fight is an aesthetic, after all. An art form. A beat. Yet it's one American cinema continues to *******ize. Or let stand in the background, while the amateur A-listers slug it out. Or cross lightsabers. No humanity indeed.

JOSH ST. CLAIR


THREADS
Stuber (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70756-Stuber)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64710-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens)
Mile 22 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68475-Mile-22)
The Raid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?61840-The-Raid-starring-Iko-Uwais)

[GeneChing]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EJWMbZYUYAAAOBr?format=jpg&name=900x900

THREADS
Fall 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71322-Fall-2019)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64710-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens)
Wu Assassins (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70838-Wu-Assassins)