Here we go again…

George Lucas talks to Empire Magazine about Indy 4. Key quote:

“We’re basically going to do The Phantom Menace”, says Lucas (stay with him here, he’s making a point). “People’s expectations are way higher than you can deliver. You could just get killed for the whole thing…We would do it for fun and just take the hit with the critics and the fans…But nobody wants to get into it unless they are really happy with it”.

Well, yes. But don’t encourage them, George. Bringing up TPM in this context – no matter how good a point you attach to it – is just going to make the fanboys start pre-frothing.

Although, a LFL crossover I’d like to see? A golden Jar-Jar.

While we were drinking…

Here’s some of what’s been going on in the outside world.

Revenge of the Sith won two DVD awards. Also on the official site, November 2006 Comics.

Speaking of comics, don’t bother looking for Legacy #3 in stores. It was supposed to come out today (the schedule even said so until this morning) but it’s… not. Word on the boards is that last week’s books didn’t ship either. (I don’t know: I only buy Legacy.) Dark Horse isn’t the only one: Something is rotten in the comics industry.

“May the force be with you” tops online quote poll. And I don’t think TFN linked the poll, which means it might actually have won fair and square. Cool.

Some new Star Wars miniatures debuted at GenCon. The set includes a “Mystral” Shadow Guard, but unless they came with booze and/or naked men, I don’t think any of us noticed. Also, it seems they’re restarting the RPG.

Colleen Doran witnesses The Fan From Hell. I think we’ve found one that beats the Woodtick, folks.

Those damn Harry Potter plagiarists made it all the way up the fannish blog chain to John Scalzi. Twice.

Other stuff I would have blogged:
NASA has misplaced the original moon landing tapes. Our tax dollars at work!
Daniel Radcliffe is down with Harry Potter dying.
Crazy mofo has “temporary” Wolverine piercing. My hand hurts just looking at it.
Hayden Christensen making some movie.
Things writers have no control over. (Add to the list: Killing Chewbacca.)
The Top 8 Shows For SF Myth Busters.
11 Things in Fantasy/That I Don’t Promise Not to Use (or Keep Using) in My Writing and 6 More Things I Could do Without in Fantastic Literature & I don’t plan to use except to make fun of.

More Star Power for HP

Continuing their stroll through the best of British actors, Warner Brothers has confirmed that Helena Bonham Carter will be playing Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.

Still waiting for Ewan McGregor to participate!

In other HP news, it appears that there are at least two well-known authors who are trying to keep Harry Potter alive at the end of the series. John Irving and Stephen King apparently wrote to JK Rowling, asking her not to kill off the beloved wizard.

Only time will tell….