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!
Disneyland 60 special gives us more concept art of upcoming Star Wars Lands
The preview of the so-called Star Wars Lands during ABC’s Disneyland 60 special last night was a tad underwhelming, but it did produce a few more pieces of concept art and some scattered details. (A cantina and an upscale dinner club!) There’s a pretty low-res video of the presentation(via) and a better look at some of the art thanks to The Hollywood Reporter.
UPDATE: A yet-better look at the official Disney Parks blog.
Still no timeframe, but most Disneyland/Disney World experts seem to expect the openings are at least 4 years away.
Star Wars out this week: Kanan #11
Waiting at your preferred comic retailer this Wednesday will be Kanan #11 – the series’ second-to-last issue – and the trade collection of the Chewbacca mini-series.
As for that C-3PO comic that’s been continually delayed, it’s going to press any day now and is expected for a March 30 release.
Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week Seven
In the update for Week Seven for #WearStarWarsEveryDay, I wear one hat and a bunch of shirts, including one of the least Star Warsy shirts that probably still had to go through licensing. This recap covers February 12 – 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. We got three donors this past week, pushing us to over $1,000 raised overall, and more than $820 on GoFundMe!
Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!
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.
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