Over the past arbitrary time period, Episode VIII started filming, Pablo started a Tumblr phenomenon by giving General Hux a pet, and The Force Awakens continued to rake in the bucks. But let’s get to it.
Today in VIII: Week 2 begins, evidence mounts in Dubrovnik
Episode VIII director Rian Johnson marked the beginning of the second week of filming with the crossword puzzle in the International New York Times. SPOILERS! (For the crossword.)
Now, debate: is that a First Order control board or some sort of actual film equipment? A good catch by Justin LaSalata from The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary. (Note a lot of the Starkiller Base sets were reused for the Finalizer.)
→ There are sets in Dubrovnik, dates for filming, and rumors that Benicio del Toro – and maybe Carrie Fisher – will be there.
→ Moviepilot is generally not a site I trust (at all,) but they are claiming that Danish actress Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (Pitch Perfect 2, Game of Thrones) has been cast as a Knight of Ren. Be aware.
→ I joined Bryan and Amy at Full of Sith for their latest episode, where we discussed what we know of Episode VIII (well, what we knew as of Saturday, anyway.)
Video: John Williams on The Force Awakens soundtrack
StarWars.com has put out a short video behind the scenes of The Force Awakens soundtrack with John Williams. He speaks specifically on Rey and Kylo Ren’s themes.
Now that the movie’s been out a while, here’s hoping for more short looks behind the scenes!
Today in VIII: Carrie Fisher reveals Space Bear
Carrie Fisher tweeted out a lovely picture of Gary today, and confirming along the way that Space Bear is the codename for Episode VIII. We first heard of the bear way back in September 2014. If anyone can translate that tweet, go right ahead, as I can’t read emoji. (I’ll never make it in the Resistance.)
UPDATE: Translation via Carrie herself! (via)
→ John Boyega says “you never know,” about a possible Finn/Poe Dameron relationship. Shippers are gonna ship regardless. (Speaking of, if you’re appreciative of the Regency fan art he posted yesterday, it’s by TheRealMcGee on Tumblr, and she also did Rey and Kylo Ren.
→ There’ll apparently be drones to take out drones when VIII films in Croatia, plus a lot of guards.
→ Speaking of location shoots, Making Star Wars has a few details on shooting at another site in Ireland that’s “a very good match for Skellig Michael.”
Today in The Force Awakens: Marvel announces Chuck Wendig-penned adaptation
Marvel today announced (via Comic Book Resources) that they’re doing a 5-issue adaptation of The Force Awakens for June. Aftermath author Chuck Wendig is writing, with Luke Ross on art.
The first The Force Awakens comic, an ongoing featuring Poe Dameron, will launch in April.
→ Jedi News noticed that The Force Awakens Blu-ray is now listed as a three-disc set – two Blu-rays and one DVD – on Blu-ray.com. Everyone is still playing coy on the release date, but it’s probably April 5.
→ Co-producer Ben Rosenblatt talks to The Hollywood Reporter about the film’s final shot.
→ Jason Fry explains how General Hux’s father became part of his Rebels tie-in series, Servants of the Empire.
→ Variety looks into how ILM made Starkiller Base crumble. Spoiler: Computers.
Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie on Hux and Phasma
At the Los Angeles Times, Domhnall Gleeson talks about why the character of General Hux appealed to him:
I liked him because he allowed me to explore the notion of authority — he’s someone who enjoys authority and holds onto it at all costs. The costume was brilliant and added a whole other layer for me. We talked about the idea that he’s an obsessive and probably doesn’t sleep much.
So he was pale with dark eyes. We wanted him to look like somebody who was dead set on one thing.
Meanwhile, Gwendoline Christie discusses Captain Phasma’s lack of face time with Entertainment Weekly:
I thought it was a really interesting opportunity to play a female character where we formed an opinion of her based on her actions rather than the way she has been made flesh. And that concept within a Star Wars movie, a mainstream phenomenon, was very modern and interesting and exciting.
Both characters are confirmed to appear in Episode VIII.
Modern Solo Adventures may be the best thing on Tumblr right now
Tumblr user Mamalaz is mining the work of Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and more to create the modern adventures of Han and Ben Kylo. Head below the cut for a sample.
Continue reading “Modern Solo Adventures may be the best thing on Tumblr right now”
Episode VIII begins production; Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran join cast
StarWars.com has the official announcement that Episode VIII has begun production at Pinewood this morning. It adds officially adds three new actors: Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran. (Entertainment Weekly takes a look at Tran’s previous work.)
Returning from The Force Awakens are Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis.
Video footage shows director Rian Johnson, Hamill and Ridley filming on Skellig Micheal in September, and a hint as to where VIII picks up…
…Or is it? Note that only one shot – Ridley holding out the saber – is actually a close duplicate to what we saw in The Force Awakens. While they may be keeping things less restrictive this time, let’s not put too much faith in what they’re willing to show us.
Meanwhile, as the day winds down…
John Boyega, The Force Awakens VFX win at BAFTAs
John Boyega won the EE Rising Star Award at last night’s BAFTA Awards. He later joined The Force Awakens effects team, who won for Special Visual Effects:
On the red carpet, John revealed he starts filming on Episode VIII Monday.
Domhnall Gleeson and Carrie Fisher were also at the awards, where they presented the award for Film Not in the English Language and goofed off backstage.
First look: Hasbro’s Maz Kanata action figure
Entertainment Weekly has revealed Hasbro’s Maz Kanata action figure, which will debut at Toy Fair this weekend.
Sadly, for the established collectors, Maz won’t be available on her own. She’ll be released this spring as part of a “Takodana Encounter” playset along with Rey, BB-8 and Finn, for $19.99. Two female characters in one pack? Hasbro, you’re trying!