Club Jade

HuffPo’s Mike Ryan has the first look at the book trailer for The Making of Return of the Jedi as well as an interview with author J.W. Rinzler. It starts off with Ewok sex, of course.

In other bookish news, there’s a chat with Dawn of the Jedi and Legacy writer John Ostrander on the Star Wars Books Facebook page this afternoon, while Into the Void author Tim Lebbon will do the same on Wednesday.

With all the movie and TV news coming out, it’s easy to get caught up in the future.  Because the future, as a wise man once said, is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.  But if you’ve got an even passing interest in the past, you should definitely check out Kitbashed.

Writer and designer Michael Heilemann has been on our radar for years, but with Kitbashed he’s delving deep into the origins of Star Wars – not the saga, not the franchise, but the movie.  Heilemann connects Star Wars to everything from famous documentaries to Star Trek to a baffling magazine ad.  He’s also especially good at analyzing George Lucas’ student films and early works.

Even when his observations are relatively familiar, Heilemann presents them in a novel way.  For example, don’t miss his spellbinding video on the war movies which influenced the Death Star trench run.  Citations are included for further reading, and the site itself is gloriously easy on the eyes, clean and straightforward and uncluttered.  Kitbashed is an absolute joy.

Latino Review’s El Mayimbe says that sources are telling him that Jonathan Rhys Meyers of The Tudors fame is in talks for a role in Episode VII.

Meyers is best known for playing Henry VIII in the Showtime series, but if you’re a big Ewan McGregor fan you’ll no doubt recall his turn in Velvet Goldmine. Perhaps more tellingly: He was in the J.J. Abrams-directed Mission Impossible: III. His next major role is as the title character in NBC’s Dracula.

I think it says something that my first thought upon seeing ‘Tudors star’ in the headline was less Meyers and more Natalie Dormer, who’s been knocking it out of the park lately on Game of Thrones and Elementary. (And would thus probably be past being billed as just a ‘Tudors’ star, but hey: Gut feeling. Her Anne Boelyn was the best part of the series.)

I can’t help but hope this one ends up being only a rumor, but Meyers would make a decent villain, I suppose. With all that shouty petulance in his wheelhouse, I can certainly see him playing a failbot Sith/Darksider ala the late Jacen Solo.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, costume designer Michael Kaplan says he’ll be working on J.J. Abrams Episode VII.

“I’ve just learned I’ll be working on the new Star Wars movie, again with J.J. Everything just got formalized [last week], I haven’t even had the chance to talk to anyone about it all other than to be told ‘welcome aboard.’ It’s a little too soon to know exactly what’s in store but I’m excited, absolutely, to get to work on another prestigious sci-fi series.”

In addition to both Abrams Trek movies, Kaplan’s credits include Blade Runner and Fight Club. (via)

Star Wars Weekends began down in Orlando today, and you know what that means: Dance-Off With the Star Wars Stars! Here are the first videos from this year, courtesy Inside the Magic.

Caution: Gangnam Style, Harlem Shake and Taylor Swift below the cut.

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The Wrap reports that the Paramount/CBS scuffle over Star Trek merchandising rights prevented J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot from doing quite as much as they would have liked to with the franchise off-screen – and that struggle could have had a part in him signing on with Lucasfilm. His Star Wars contract may allow Abrams a hand in the Star Wars “television properties, theme park rides and spin-off films” that will emerge in the new era his Episode VII is spearheading.

As successful as “Star Trek” has been, few franchises match the profitability and cultural prominence of George Lucas’ space opera, which would be difficult for any director to pass up.

“Disney has always been oriented to multi-platform revenue stream situations,” Seth Willenson, a film library valuations expert, told TheWrap.

Moreover, Willenson notes that Abrams, who has a deal that is believed to include creative and profit participation in “Star Wars” inspired merchandise and spin-offs, will have more control in shaping the legacy of the Skywalker clan than he would have had with developing side projects for the “Star Trek” crew.

Granted, while Lucasfilm, and thus Disney, does own most of Star Wars free and clear, the franchise isn’t totally free of hurtles. 20th Century Fox has distribution rights to the first Star Wars “in perpetuity,” while the other 5 will revert to LFL in 2020. This could complicate things like box sets in the future, but for Abrams, that’s not going to be an immediate issue, or stop him from exploring multi-platform options.

Meanwhile, it’s Bryan Burk’s turn to talk about Episode VII and secrecy with /Film.

He takes audience suggestions… Including some from folks you’ll certainly recognize.

First part of the interview is below the cut.

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Advice for the ages and other greatest hits of last week’s Star Wars tweets lurk below the cut.

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J.J. Abrams stopped by The Daily Show to chat Star Trek and Star Wars with master geek (and future Jedi?) Jon Stewart. The extended version of the interview begins above, with part 2 below the cut

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Her Universe has revealed yet more new items to debut at Star Wars Weekends. There are 5 new tees, 1 new tank, and four new costume hoodies, plus the long-awaited X-Wing dress and a limited edition necklace.

Above is out ‘official’ reveal of the A-line X-Wing dress. At right is the limited edition Return of the Jedi necklace. Only 1,250 have been made, but only 500 of them will be sold (first come, first serve) at Star Wars Weekends. The remaining 750 will be available “at select Her Universe events” – during summer convention season, perhaps?

Head below the cut to see the rest of the new offerings – including another limited edition – and as always, click on the photos to see larger versions.

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