Hi from the workshop! #StarWarsVII pic.twitter.com/9R7JGSfxlC
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) November 14, 2013
Exciting developments! And questions: Does this make Artoo the first confirmed cast member of Episode VII? Who are the other two guys? Is Artoo now officially a bad robot? Speak amongst yourselves
;)
Impromptu tweet roundup below the cut!
Wait a minute. They're meeting with R2-D2! They're clearly hiding the plans/script. Find that droid! #StarWarsVII
— Amy Ratcliffe (@amy_geek) November 14, 2013
making-of-episode-vii book idea: 50 full-color pages of kathleen kennedy smiling, fondly gazing at props/people/anything
— nic (@nicolecieux) November 14, 2013
I love that JJ is even wearing a flannel shirt.
— Bryan Young (@swankmotron) November 14, 2013
Artoo-Detoo is clearly a producer on #StarWarsVII. He's been in the biz a long time and I for one think he's earned a producer's credit.
— SDCCLegendJasonWard (@MakingStarWars) November 14, 2013
All J.J. needs now is to work on his gravely voice and grow a massive neck wattle.
Awesome! That’s exactly the type of pictures I’ve been hoping for for months!
And now I feel giddy like a 5-year-old at christmas. :-D
According to posts at the RPF, that is a fan made R2 that they wanted to look at for reference. If the posters are correct, the fan is from the UK. Combine that with the fact that it was 80 degrees F in Los Angeles yesterday and KK is wearing a winter jacket and the fact that JJ was just interviewed in person by Neil Gaiman for the BBC and I think we can speculate that this is our first photo from the UK production.
Wait, they are looking at a fan-made R2 for reference? Shouldn’t they, you know, have the original one sitting around in one of their Raiders of the Lost Ark type warehouses? ;-)
Strange as it may sound, a lot of the fan made astromechs are actually in some ways more “real” than the screen used ones. The ones used in the films were usually made to do one specific thing on screen whereas fans tend to make them with lots of the bells and whistles on the same unit.
One of the 2 guys is Oliver Steeples of the UK R2 Builders Club. Read into that what you will, does it mean the fan clubs will be involved in the films? Think about it, how man R2 units are out there among the clubs? How many Stormtroopers etc? Worth a thought, could be a good way of involving the fan groups, like these open casting calls are capturing everyone’s imagination.
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they’ve actually hired an R2 builder or two… 501st extras probably depend on if the old-school uniforms are still in circulation in-universe, but involving them as extras regardless would be a nice touch.
It really does make a lot of sense to bring in fan builders. If you had to make a bunch of astromechs while facing a deadline you would want to at least talk to people who have already done it and pick their brain about what works and what doesn’t. No sense reinventing the wheel.