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Sequel stuff: The fork is strong with Carrie and Mark

viii-tweets-carrie-fork052416cI’m sorry. I’m really sorry. But they are adorable, right? “The fork surrounds you, binds you, & feeds you….” Thanks, Carrie.

→ Not cute enough? Some Irish schoolkids got a visit from Chewbacca. On that note, word on the street is that they’ve finished up VIII filming in Ireland…

→ The Force Awakens editor Maryann Brandon took part in a Q&A at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

→ The teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast has broken the record for 24-hour views set by the second teaser for The Force Awakens last year. I’m puzzled (the B&TB trailer is super bland,) but such is the media ecosystem.

→ And to take us out, a video highlighting the sound editing of The Force Awakens.

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Disney movies are coming to Netflix in September (but not The Force Awakens)

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Netflix announced today that come September, they will be “the exclusive U.S. pay TV home of the latest films from Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar.” The date is new, but the deal itself is old news, as is one key fact: The Force Awakens is the last film under Disney’s former deal with Starz, which means it’ll first run on the traditional pay cable channel in the U.S.

Unless you’re in Canada, Rogue One will be the first Star Wars to have first-run on Netflix, alongside Disney’s other 2016 releases, like The Jungle Book (above,) Zootopia, and Captain America: Civil War.

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This weekend in Episode VIII: Set photos, more Knights of Ren

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Looks like some enterprising fans have managed to sneak into the sprawling Episode VIII set at Pinewood, and got up close and personal with some of the structures there. (via) A second set of photos has also surfaced, these taken in daylight. (Although they also say it’s a different film studio!)

→ Making Star Wars has a follow-up report to Wednesday’s spoilerific Knights of Ren piece, about another sequence that seems to feature the group. Again, these could very well be big spoilers, so click forewarned.

→ And finally, local sources have reported that the third actor who’s been spotted at the Ireland shoots has rejoined Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley. Recent reports of Carrie Fisher being present are likely false, as the date overlaps with her very public appearance in Cannes.

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That Episode VIII title rumor? It’s a fake, because they always are

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We’ve been here before. I recognize that tree.

This is not a movie.
This is not a movie.
At some point during the production of a Star Wars film, the rumor mill starts churning about possible titles. With The Force Awakens, the big one was ‘A New Dawn,’ which later ended up being a book title. Pablo Hidalgo later revealed that ‘Shadow of the Empire’ was a working title, but it certainly never leaked as such. And while a fan did guess The Force Awakens on a message board in 2012, that title never gained much steam elsewhere.

Star Wars title rumors are almost always guesses – and the only one the internet ever got right was the most predictable one: “Revenge of the Sith is the only Internet-era title that got out before its announce,” Hidalgo tweeted this week. “It’s the only one with a final title during production.” Which means even Lucasfilm likely doesn’t have a final title in place for VIII yet. It remains Space Bear.

But if you’re still curious, io9 has a great takedown of this new title rumor, and how clumsy the ‘leak’ really is. (They clearly put some effort in, but it’s extremely clumsy.)

Will we get a title at Celebration Europe? Well, maybe. But we only got The Force Awakens when principal photography wrapped on VII, so if anyone wants to guesstimate that, be my guest.

So don’t be surprised when latest terribly undynamic title can officially take a minor place in fandom history alongside fake titles like Rise of the Empire, The Creeping Fear and Balance of the Force.

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 20


This week, #WearStarWarsEveryDay goes to the dark side! The whole week is a showcase of clothing from the 501st Legion, lent by Darth Paul of Imperial Sands Garrison. We’ve got the usual shirts, but also a happi coat from the Japanese Garrison. But no donations to Collateral Repair Project in this week – maybe you can do something about it for next week! This review for Week 20 covers May 13 to May 19 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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“The next Mon Calamari” and why the old Expanded Universe needed to be separate

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Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo went on a tweetstorm this afternoon on the old Expanded Universe, reboots, and the original history of Mon Calamari. It’s not going to change anyone’s mind, but it’s a good read.

Bonus: John Jackson Miller, one of the few authors to write on both the old and new EU, on storytelling in a shared universe.

Continue reading ““The next Mon Calamari” and why the old Expanded Universe needed to be separate”