Category: conventions and events

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What we’ll watch on the Celebration Europe livestream

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StarWars.com shared a full list of what’ll be live-streamed from this weekend’s Celebration Europe in London, and most of the heavy-hitters are there: Rogue One, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Ahsoka, ILMxLAB, even Marvel comics.

The key missing panel? Future Filmmakers, where we expect to learn a thing or two about Episode VIII and the upcoming Han Solo film. This is by no means unprecedented – the Rogue One panel at Celebration Anaheim wasn’t streamed, either.

The Rebels panel with Dave Filoni, Sam Witwer and Tiya Sircar is on the schedule, but I doubt that’ll include the screening.

Meanwhile, our man on the ground James is already in London, so keep an eye on his < Twitter and Flickr. His panels are, sadly, not on the livestream list.

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Mark Hamill reveals when Episode VIII wraps filming

viiiEpisode VIII will wrap filming on Friday, July 22, Mark Hamill revealed Saturday morning on Twitter. That’s only five days after Celebration Europe ends on the 17th, which is when director Rian Johnson appears on the Future Filmmakers panel.

We’ve been hoping we’ll get VIII’s title at the panel. @StarWars revealed The Force Awakens when that film finished principal photography – but Episode VI wasn’t finishing up around the time of the year’s big dedicated convention, either.

This does, however, likely mean that several cast members will still be in town. Of the VIII cast, only Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew are confirmed guests for the con, but that’s never stopped Celebration – or any other major con – from bringing out folks before.

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The week in Star Wars: Hurry up and wait (for Celebration)

Space BearThis week was a great deal quieter than the last, likely because we’re barreling towards Celebration Europe, which begins on the 15th. We got two panel announcements for the con, the ‘Future Filmmakers’ with directors Rian Johnson, Chris Miller and Phil Lord, and ‘Ahsoka’s Untold Tales’ with Dave Filoni and Ashley Eckstein. (Pablo is moderating both, of course. Because Pablo.)

→ #PutDrewinStarWars is gaining steam! Nearly 8000 signatures as of Friday evening!

→ Of course Star Wars’ biggest secret keeper, aka Mark Hamill, isn’t running around spoiling Episode VIII.

→ Unboxing Star Wars is now Star Wars Story Talk!

→ Our themes on Tumblr were The Force Awakens, behind the scenes, and the Skywalkers.

What we didn’t get to

→ Samuel L. Jackson thinks Mace Windu survived Revenge of the Sith, and George Lucas is okay with it, apparently.

→ DK’s Star Wars Year By Year and Star Wars: Complete Locations are getting updated versions this fall.

→ Hasbro reveals two new 6-inch convention figures at Entertainment Weekly: A helmetless Kylo Ren (with melted Vader helmet) for Celebratiopn Europe, and A New Hope Obi-Wan Kenobi (with hologram Leia) for San Diego Comic-Con.

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Ahsoka Tano gets dedicated panel at Celebration Europe, Her Universe docu-series debuts

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Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein and Pablo Hidalgo will join forces at Celebration Europe’s ‘Ahsoka’s Untold Tales’ panel on the con’s first day. The panel will include discussion of the upcoming novel and Rebels as well as the character’s life before The Clone Wars.

In related news, Eckstein’s Her Universe docu-series debuted the first three episodes today on Comic-Con HQ.

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‘Future filmmakers’ panel to close out Celebration Europe

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Star Wars directors Rian Johnson, Chris Miller and Phil Lord will join Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart and Pablo Hidalgo for the Celebration Europe’s Future Filmmaker Discussion, followed by the con’s Closing Ceremony.

Johnson’s Episode VIII is expected to wrap very soon, while Miller and Lord’s Han Solo standalone will be next up. Is it here that we’ll get the official title for VIII? Will Alden Ehrenreich be confirmed as the young Han Solo? Both, maybe? StarWars.com promises “some surprises” and ending “the weekend on a high note.”

The news was first revealed on today’s new The Star Wars Show:

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Video: Star Wars Story Talk: ABC-3PO, LEGO Star Wars Days, The Freemaker Adventures

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The hunt for a new name for my video series is over! Since we mostly focus on the latest in new Star Wars storytelling in TV, films, books, comics, and events, Unboxing Star Wars is now Star Wars Story Talk! Yowie the skunk, Baby Jawa, and I review the latest book for the kid set: Star Wars: ABC-3PO, by Calliope Glass and Caitlin Kennedy, with illustrations by Katie Cook. We also flash back to LEGO Star Wars Days held earlier this month at LEGOLAND California and discuss the new LEGO Star Wars TV series, The Freemaker Adventures. For more details on the LEGOLAND event, check out my article on starwars.com: LEGO Star Wars Days. Plus random fun with a Jawa buddy, and then some Baby Jawa fun time!


Quick reviews
→ Star Wars: ABC-3PO – Two thumbs up! Love the Katie Cook illustrations and fun rhymes by Calliope Glass and Caitlin Kennedy. Great for fans whether kids or parents! (For ages 3-5)
→ LEGOLAND California: LEGO Star Wars Days 2016 – A lot of fun! In a year without any new permanent Star Wars additions to Miniland, the park still knows how to make a great Star Wars event with plenty of unique activities including photo ops with costumers from the 501st Legion, Rebel Legion, and Mandalorian Mercs; the really awesome Fan Gallery, showcasing amazing Star Wars-themed builds from LEGO fans; family build, trivia and costume contests; and a bunch of scavenger hunts. Plus sneak preview screenings of the first episode of LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures.
→ LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. Thumbs up! If you’re a fan of the previous LEGO Star Wars series, this new show on Disney XD will delight! Maybe a little more kid-focused than some of the previous series, it still contains the great mix of Star Wars stories with LEGO humor, and introduces a new set of heroes!

Get more info on Wear Star Wars Every Day or make a donation at GoFundMe or sign up to make a per-day pledge.

Note: Disney-Lucasfilm Press provided a copy of Star Wars: ABC-3PO for review.

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“We always knew Lucas could override anything:” Timothy Zahn on The Force Awakens, Legends and the Story Group

Timothy Zahn was at Awesome Con 2016 in Washington D.C. this past weekend, and Tosche Station has the audio of the panel moderated by their own Bria LaVorgna.

Naturally, as the man who kick-started the modern Expanded Universe with Heir to the Empire, he was asked about Lucasfilm’s decision to to make the older books non-canon. Here’s that four-and-half-minute bit:

The Star Wars authors have always known how a sequel trilogy would effect the books, and it’s all fairly good sense. On the story group and folks like Pablo Hidalgo, Dave Filoni, and Kathleen Kennedy he says:

These are people who are not going to simply go and demolish stuff. If they have to destroy a part of it, overwrite it, it will be because its necessary to set up something else down the line. They’re not going to go with wanton destruction.

He points out that the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens is still barely filled in, and:

In a way, it’s kind of sad that it’s all ‘Legends,’ and not ‘real,’ but it was never really ‘real’ in the first place. We always knew Lucas could override anything that we’d done. But I think the Expanded Universe – and Star Wars – are in good hands.

In the full audio, he also talks about the possibility of his characters ending up in Rebels or the other new canon (he’s for it,) his thoughts on Kylo Ren, and (of course) Rey’s parentage.

Zahn also did an interview with The Daily Dot’s Eric Geller.