Lucasfilm Animation in Singapore is expanding, adding two new groups – one for handheld games and another for digital art. (via TFN)
Rumor-mongering: O RLY?
T’bone has heard a rumor that ILM may be outsourced to India. Grain of salt. Big heaping grains of salt.
ETA: Check the comments for some more looking into the issue.
ETA2: From the inside: Pablo calls bullshit.
Brief updates from Lucas Licensing
Hollywood Reporter article on licensing hints at some future plans of Lucasfilm, saying that the CG TV series is currently slated for release in 2008 and the live-action series ‘in preproduction.’ What I assume is the ‘Secrets of 2007’ video game will be tied to the 30th anniversery and released in fall ’07.
Indiana Jones also gets a mention, with yet another video game due in 2007 and the next film in summer 2008.
Modelmaker to take ILM unit solo
Industrial Light & Magic is in negotiations to sell their physical production unit. The purchaser is Mark Anderson, a model maker who’s worked for ILM for 15 years. The unit will be renamed Kerner Optical and continue as a ILM preferred subcontractor in addition to seeking work from other sources.
Employees were informed yesterday, and the company hopes the deal will be finalized in 60 days.
Plastics make everything possible
George Lucas will be the 50th Toy Hall of Fame inductee next year. (via NerfHerdersAnonymous)
In other Lucas news, card collectors have a chance to get a one-of-a-kind card with a ‘cut signature’ from Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, or George himself.
Get drunk on the Ranch
Skywalker Ranch 2004 Chardonnay goes on sale Monday, and TFN has a discount code.
I see your Schwartz is as big as mine
MTV caught up with George Lucas at a dinner for Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people.
On Indy 4, he said that the film will be different, won’t be louder or bigger, and will be more about dialogue than stuff blowing up really good, and will probably start shooting next year:
“We’re working on it, we’re working on it,” Lucas said. “We’ve been working on it for 10 years. I think it’ll be a great film, but it’s completely different. It’s still got a lot of action, and it’s still very funny. I think it works like crazy.”
He was vague on Star Wars 3-D, but I know what you really want to know. Here’s what he said about the rerelease of the OOT:
He says he’s curious to see what the reception will be for the upcoming limited-edition DVD release of the three original “Star Wars” films. “It’s just the original versions, as they were,” Lucas said. “We didn’t do anything to it at all. But we’re not sure how many people want that.”
You might say quite a few, considering how many fans were angered by the digitized, expanded updates of episodes IV, V and VI. Lucas claims he’s not re-releasing the originals to appease fans, but rather to bate them. “Now we’ll find out whether they really wanted the original or whether they wanted the improved versions,” he said. “It’ll all come out in the end.”
So it’s a challenge then. Right-o, Big G.
First release from George Lucas Books
Next month, George Lucas Books will release Sheerly Avni’s Cinema By the Bay, an upmarket coffeetable book highlighting filmmakers from Northern California. George Lucas Books operates outside LFL’s Licensing division, working with Welcome Books for production and distribution. (via TFN)
Lucasart’s quest to be #1
The New York Times takes a look at Jim Ward’s turnaround of Lucasarts.
Rick spills the beans
Rick McCallum loves to talk when he does anything with Empire Magazine.
A summary of what he said:
– The TV show will be set between Episodes III and IV, will be “much darker,” and “character based.” But we still have to wait about 18 months before that starts cranking.
– George’s movie Red Tails about World War II fighter pilots is in the script-writing phase.
– George has finally approved the IndyIV script. Maybe we’ll be able to do it before Harrison Ford is in a wheelchair!
See the full article here.