Highlights of The Clone Wars Google Hangout with Dave Filoni and cast

With some big happenings in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, supervising director Dave Filoni took to the Internet with three cast members to discuss today’s episode, ‘The Lawless’, which concluded the Maul storyline and also preview the final story arc of the season, featuring Anakin and Ahsoka. Hosted by Pablo Hidalgo and Christian Blauvelt, the entire video session from Google hangout (more than 50 minutes) is now available online at Youtube, but here’s some of the key points (trying to keep it free of major spoilers for this episode and ones to come):

  • Sam Witwer talked quite a bit about Maul’s motivations for his entire story arc – getting from Spider-Maul to how he toys with the bounty hunters in ‘Eminence’ to his role in ‘The Lawless’.
  • One early scene that was voice recorded but cut out of ‘The Lawless’ before it was animated would have brought Anakin and Ahsoka into the episode.
  • Ashley Eckstein and Dave Filoni broached the final story arc a bit, with a big appearance of a returning movie character, who is viewed very differently by Ahsoka and Anakin.
  • We got to see a bunch of concept art, from ‘The Lawless’ and from next week’s ‘Sabotage’ as well as a preview clip of ‘Sabotage’, which introduces a David Caruso-inspired investigator, complete with sunglasses-on-and-off-ness.
  • Pablo Hidalgo took a couple questions from Twitter for Dave Filoni and the cast to answer, including some about the fate of Echo and Gregor, and the return appearance of Twilight, and the return of the Wolfpack.
  • Ashley Eckstein shared a great story about her first encounter with Matt Lanter on the set.
  • Dave Filoni started talking about the machinations against the Jedi – not just in reducing their numbers, but in how Palpatine works to reduce their reputation and influence.
  • Noticeably not answered: anything specific about season six.

Overall, a lot of fun and I hope that we get more of these types of events with the cast and crew, especially with some of the voice talent of recurring but not main show characters, like Sam Witwer (who gave a great interview with Christian Blauvelt on Hollywood.com).TCW-GoogleHangout-Filoni

Hang out with The Clone Wars cast and crew on Google+ after ‘The Lawless’ today

TCW Google hangout

Don’t forget that Dave Filoni and three cast members of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be taking questions in a Google+ hangout today – at 10:30 am Pacific / 1:30 pm Eastern, after today’s airing of ‘The Lawless’. Sam Witwer (“Darth Maul”), Matt Lanter (“Anakin Skywalker”), and Ashley Eckstein (“Ahsoka Tano”) will be chatting alongside supervising director Filoni and the event will be hosted by Pablo Hidalgo and Hollywood.com’s Christian Blauvelt. Join the event on Google+, or watch the livestream on youtube.

To get you ready for the hangout, Christian Blauvelt has a great spoiler-free interview with Sam Witwer that examines Maul’s journey on the show and ties together Maul, Sidious and Anakin Skywalker.

Obi-Wan goes undercover in ‘The Lawless’ on The Clone Wars

The Darth Maul storyline reaches its epic conclusion this Saturday with ‘The Lawless’, this week’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. With Satine deposed on Mandalore, and the Jedi ordered to not follow up on the menace of Darth Maul, it’s up to Obi-Wan to go rogue and save his duchess. Both of the previews for this week refer back to some classic scenes from A New Hope, but also we see the return of Twilight, with Obi-Wan as Rako Hardeen in the first clip. In the second clip, below, Obi-Wan does some elevator improvisation after he realizes he is a little short for a Mandalorian. And in the third clip, Darth Sidious shows up for his first in-person appearance on the show (in all previous episodes, Sidious has only appeared as a hologram). Continue reading “Obi-Wan goes undercover in ‘The Lawless’ on The Clone Wars

Exclusive: Q&A with Dave Filoni and The Clone Wars cast from USO screenings (Part II)

The USO has posted their highlight clips from last week’s visit by the cast and crew of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to MCAS Miramar in San Diego. Ashley Eckstein has posted her experience from the USO tour to the official Star Wars blog. I’ve already posted the transcript of the part I: the first question and answer session with Dave Filoni and the voice actors at Big Shiny Robot! earlier this week, along with my report on the event, and interview with James Arnold Taylor. Now it’s time to present the second Q&A session, the one that happened after the US premiere screening of ‘Eminence’.

Continue reading “Exclusive: Q&A with Dave Filoni and The Clone Wars cast from USO screenings (Part II)”

The Clone Wars delivers Darth Maul to Death Watch in ‘Eminence’

Pre Vizsla and the Mandalorians of Death Watch encounter some new potential allies when they come across Darth Maul and Savage Opress in ‘Eminence’, this week’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While they have a common enemy in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Sith and Death Watch first team up to take on some crime lords on Nal Hutta, in order to start building up Maul’s criminal empire so he can challenge the Jedi for his vengeance. In the clip above, Vizsla and Bo-Katan encounter the injured Sith brothers, and decide to keep them alive. In the second clip, below, Maul wakes up and has to answer some questions. On Saturday, watch for the appearance of a Falleen and listen for the Huttese!

Continue readingThe Clone Wars delivers Darth Maul to Death Watch in ‘Eminence’”

In the news: Vader costume going on the auction block

Costume for sale. An original Darth Vader costume – believed to have been from The Empire Strikes Back – will soon be going up for auction at Christie’s in London. It’s being put up for sale by “an American private collector” and is expected to fetch at least $250,000. A percentage of the sale price will go to cancer research.

In spaaaaace. A stable planet orbiting twin stars has been found 49 light-years away. (Alas – it is a gas giant.) Still, researchers have named the planet “Inrakluk,” which sounds pretty Wookiee to me.

Partnerships. Lucas Online has a new partner, Big Spaceship, for some of their digital endeavors. Maybe this means we’ll see a kickass StarWars.com app?

People. USA Weekend interviews Matt Lanter, the actor who angsts enough for two on The Clone Wars and 90210.

Books. Visions is getting some nice press… Check out a profile of contributing artist Robert Bailey, who got to meet George Lucas, from The Edmonton Journal.

The Clone Wars returns with lots of hot trooper action

Hey! Apparently the new season of some Star Wars TV show starts up on Friday. Have you heard? (Ha.)

Yes, The Clone Wars returns with ‘Clone Cadets’ and ‘Arc Troopers.’ Also back is the webcomic, which relaunches for the new season with ‘The Valsedian Operation’ from Tom Hodges and Pablo Hidalgo.

The clip above is courtesy Big Shiny Robot, who had several folks in San Francisco attending the red carpet premiere… And discovering some possible censorship on the part of Cartoon Network. In less controversial news, Ashley Eckstein revealed that Imperial logo earrings and Yoda pajamas are on the way from Her Universe. (What’s been getting the biggest ink is Seth Green and Matt Senreich, but been there done that.)

Check out a critical mass of red carpet photos on the StarWars.com Flickr.

If you have a craving that can’t wait, the official site has some videos featuring Dave Filoni answering your no-doubt burning questions on Leia Troopers, Plo Koon (naturally,) MASH Troopers and the fate of Rumi Paramita. Plus a profile of Anakin. Oh, Matt Lanter, you are so much prettier than that other guy.

The Clone Wars: Season 3 closes in

The third season premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is coming up in less than two weeks, and Big Shiny Robot got a sneak peek, saying “my breath is took”, and proceeds to keep it spoiler-free.

Or if you want a brief plot description, Rebel Scum has the official Cartoon Network blurbs of the first three episodes of the season (two on premiere night and one the following week).

Need more? EUCantina posts links to several “Secret” videos on the Cartoon Network site, with Dave Filoni discussing:

Meanwhile, IGN got a chance to interview Matt Lanter, the voice of Anakin Skywalker, and they talk very generally about Anakin’s gradual growth to where he is in Revenge of the Sith (and what happens to his BFFs, Ahsoka and Rex.)

Season 3 starts on Friday, September 17!