We haven’t had any official updates on Rogue One lately – even though they presumably started filming last week – but fandom is pretty sure that The Mirror has pics from the filming. They think it’s The Force Awakens, but those are pretty clearly original trilogy stormtroopers…
Star Wars out this week: Take a chance with Lando #2
The lone brand-new release of the week comes Wednesday with Marvel’s Lando #2 (preview.) Also shipping out to comic fans is the second printing of Lando #1 and the ‘remastered’ edition of their Empire Strikes Back adaptation. (AKA the one with the ‘modern’ coloring sucking all the gloriously insane 70’s out of it.)
Meanwhile, dropping (very quietly) on Tuesday is the standalone version of Daniel Wallace’s Imperial Handbook. James did an unboxing video back when this first came out, in all the deluxe box set glory. Like The Jedi Path and the others that preceded it, this one is Legends.
Hera, Tarkin and Rae Sloane subjects of Rise of the Empire’s short stories
StarWars.com has revealed some short synopses for the three original short stories that will be packaged in the A New Dawn/Tarkin bind up, Rise of the Empire.
The first, ‘Mercy Mission’ by Melissa Scott, follows a young Hera and her father, The Clone Wars’ Cham Syndulla, on Ryloth. ‘Bottleneck’ by John Jackson Miller features Grand Moff Tarkin and A New Dawn’s Count Vidian. And Jason Fry’s ‘The Levers of Power’ features Admiral Rae Sloane during the Battle of Endor.
Rise of the Empire comes out in trade paperback on October 6.
Video: A The Force Awakens TV spot gives a new angle on the First Order
There’s a brief glimpse of a scene from a different angle in a new The Force Awakens TV spot from the official South Korean Youtube Channel. Otherwise, it’s a mix of footage we’ve already seen in the teasers.
See a screenshot under the cut!
Continue reading “Video: A The Force Awakens TV spot gives a new angle on the First Order”
Journey to the Force Awakens: Shattered Empire follows new characters
In an interview with StarWars.com, Shattered Empire writer Greg Rucka reveals a few thing about the series. Mainly, that it stars a pair of married Rebels, Shara and Kes Bey.
“Shara flies, Kes is a ground-pounder, and a very experienced one,” says Rucka. “So, they have spent more time apart than together, and they’re in the Outer Rim world where the Imperial presence is felt, and they’re hoping that they can bring an end to this. But they’re both very tired veterans, and they come out of [the Battle of] Endor with the elation that we see in [Return of the Jedi]. ‘We’ve won. It’s over.’ — only to discover that, no it’s not. The Empire was huge.” Despite the fireworks, despite the funeral pyre of Darth Vader, despite the joy on Endor, the Empire is far from broken.
Luke, Leia Han and company are present in the series, though:
They’re all key figures in the Alliance, and will be represented. Just not in starring roles. “This is important,” Rucka says. “This could never be, as much as I wish I could’ve written, and would’ve loved to have written, the story of, ‘We’re gonna follow Luke for four issues after Return of the Jedi.’ That was never what my mandate here was. But, with that in mind, we see Luke, we see Leia, we see Lando, we see Han, we see Chewie. We see what they are doing, and while the stories are not about them — they’re about Shara Bey — the stories link. Issue 1 sort of stands alone. Issues 2 and 3 follow the same story path; they’re like a two-parter, and they lead into the fourth. As it stands, we meet Shara in [issue] 1 during the Battle of Endor, and we come out of the Battle of Endor, and then we cover about three to six months total in the series following the Battle of Endor. In that time, Shara and her husband find themselves in some situations only incidentally in the path of the principles, and in other situations, working quite closely with them.”
The four-issue series will start in September.
Just stick it in your pointy ear: Best #StarWars and #TheForceAwakens tweets for July 22-August 6
Burgers, cereal and broken things within, plus Ewan McGregor and Chuck Wendig’s ramblings on Aftermathier 2.
Everybody go home, there are Star Wars Trapper Keepers
Could it get any more 80s than Artoo and Darth Vader themed Trapper Keepers? Now, I went to a Catholic school that actually outlawed Trapper Keepers during the decade, so I never actually got to have one until the mid-90s… Only to promptly discover that they were kind of annoying to actually use. Still, it’s hard to deny the appeal of these. (via)
There’s a third one with multiple characters on it, but sorry Mead, it’s kind of lame.
Disney’s Bob Iger tries to temper The Force Awakens’ box office expectations, speaks highly of Netflix
Disney CEO Bob Iger tried to downplay box office expectations for The Force Awakens on the company’s earnings call yesterday – a wise movie, as the speculation seems more and more out of hand every time it comes up. (Mostly.)
In less tedious speculation, anyone keeping up with the latest live-action show rumors will be happy to hear what Iger to is saying regarding Netflix. In an interview with CNBC, he talked about “taking advantage of Netflix’s great growth” and that they’ve come forward as “an aggressive buyer of original programming.”
Star Wars Blu-rays to be rereleased as commemorative steelbooks
The first six Star Wars movies are getting yet another Blu-ray makeover. The limited edition commemorative steelbooks look neat, but it doesn’t seem like they’ll have any new content. The ‘Complete Saga’ collection is also getting a facelift for re-release.
The steelbooks will be available for preorder on August 7 for a November 10 release, and the Complete Saga collection of all six films (so far) will drop on October 13.
Did The Force Awakens merchandise just reveal a plot secret, or is it only marketing synergy?
Start prepping your theories, because according to Jedi Temples Archives an unexpected original trilogy figure will be a part of The Force Awakens action figure line. Now, it’s not someone so unexpected that I think one really needs a complicated theory, but fandoms gonna fandom. Still, ‘Qui-Gon’s Noble End’ this isn’t.
→ Since today marks exactly one month until Force Friday, we’re seeing a few bits about the toy launches. Making Star Wars has some fuzzy Walmart signage pics, and Toys R Us put up a press release – though with no direct mention of The Force Awakens. (Expect that shoe to drop closer to September.)
→ Even Del Rey got in the spirit, with pics of Aftermath book covers being printed.
→ And finally, Simon Kinberg talked a little about the Story Group – apparently the very early days, as Michael Arndt is mentioned – to Entertainment Weekly.