Roundup: Return of the Jedi rounds out trailer day; David Oyelowo on Episode VII rumors

Flashback. Our second retro Return of the Jedi teaser trailer – or the first, if you don’t count Revenge of the Jedi.

Episode VII: David Oyelowo addresses the Star Wars rumors with E!. “The breaking news is J.J. Abrams is going to give you that breaking news,” he said. But… “I’d go anywhere to work with J.J. Abrams. I think what he did with Star Trek was so extraordinary… And I think what he’ll do with Star Wars will be just as impressive.”

Podcasts. Teresa Delgado and Tricia Barr are the latest on the scene with Fangirls Going Rogue. Their first episode, live now, features The Clone Wars’ Catherine Taber.

Review: The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Making of the Return of the JediIt’s that most wonderful time of the year: When all the Star Wars gift books come out. So which ones are worth putting on your gift list for the year?

If you have enjoyed J.W. Rinzler’s previous explorations into A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, then you are going to flip over his look at The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It’s just as full of interesting stories and pictures and documents as the previous ones.

Rinzler has had unprecedented access to the archives and to the key players involved with the movies. George Lucas has done several reviews of his material to make sure things are captured correctly. He was also able to find lost interviews and pictures that complete the story for those who are no longer with us.

So yes. This is definitely one to put high on your wish list. However, if you are not an OCD completist nut like myself, you might choose to go the Enhanced Edition route and read it on your Kindle, instead. The book is heavy. The print is small for my old eyes. (Old Fart Fan, here.) And while it’s delightful to spend a few hours doing nothing but flipping pages and looking at the glorious pictures and layout, reading it on a Kindle-compatible device is much easier on both the eyes and back. Plus, the Enhanced Edition also had some pretty amazing video and audio that hasn’t been seen before. SO cool.

Go forth. Add it to the list.

Santa Maul would approve if you decided to put both the book and the enhanced versions on it. It’s only right.

Roundup: Speaking sense on the Episode VII rumors

Rumors. Bryan Young and Bobby Roberts discuss last week’s big scriptwriting development on the latest Full of Sith. Seems like Bobby’s being hearing the same things as McWeeny and Faraci. They speak sense, so listen and calm yourselves.

Meanwhile, on the weekend Harrison Ford scoop, Blue Sky Disney revives the “Han Solo gonna die” thing from early on.

Flashback. In the midst of all this, HuffPo’s Mike Ryan looks back at Leigh Brackett and her Empire Strikes Back draft. All this has happened before… And Tor digs up some of Carrie Fisher’s thoughts on Leia from the infamous beach blanket bingo issue of Rolling Stone.

Ugh. The Sarlacc got a mention on last week’s Once Upon A Time in Wonderland.

Pablo Hidalgo giving Rebels presentation at NYCC

Rebels: The GhostThere’s one major media con left for the year: New York Comic Con. And Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo will be there for a presentation on the upcoming cartoon Rebels, StarWars.com announced today. The panel, subtitled ‘Might of the Empire,’ will be held Saturday, October 12 at 2:45 p.m. Here’s the description:

What happens when the Galactic Empire takes over a planet? What if Imperials took interest in your world, and garrisoned Stormtroopers and TIE fighters to maintain order? Star Wars Rebels, the thrilling, all-new animated television series from Lucasfilm for Disney XD will ask those questions — and so will this panel hosted by Lucasfilm’s resident Star Wars expert, Pablo Hidalgo.

Details on the show are closely guarded, but fans at NYCC will get a first look at new art from the series, and learn new information about the formidable forces of the Galactic Empire. Star Wars Rebels is set between Episodes III and IV, and it is a dark time in the galaxy. In the spirit of the original trilogy, the Empire is once again the preeminent villain of the saga, and Star Wars Rebels puts the awesome might of Imperial forces in the spotlight.

The series is still a year away, so don’t miss this chance to get an early look at its development.

We got our most extensive look (so far) at Rebels from Dave Filoni at Celebration Europe in July. It’s expected to begin airing next fall.

There will also be panels on The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with J.W. Rinzler and Jason Fry, origami with Chris Alexander, “Blast-A-Trooper” with the 501st Legion and several licensees, including Del Rey and Dark Horse.

And before you ask…

Flashback: Remembering the rumors of previous Star Wars eras

fantastic-lulzA flight of prequel-era rumor memories were unearthed on Twitter last night, which led even further back: To early (December 1980!) rumor reports regarding the film that eventually became Return of the Jedi. Clones! So many clones! (via)

Just keep this in mind next time you’re agonizing over the latest Episode VII rumors. And check out some of the prequel reminiscing below the cut.

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