Posts

Posted on

Clone Wars is about to reach ‘Point of No Return’

Saturday morning’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the final episode in the story arc of R2-D2 and D-Squad. The droids and their tiny leader, Colonel Gascon, have gotten off of the Void planet but something is seriously wrong with their Republic cruiser. Check out Gascon and the droids discover that the ship’s crew is not what it seems in the clip above. Yup, IT’S A TRAP! Below, in the second video preview, Artoo pulls a little Well of the Souls action (and a power droid’s worst nightmare happens).

And following up on last week’s episode of ‘Missing in Action’, Dee Bradley Baker and Dave Filoni talk about the character of Gregor, the clone who forgot who he was, in an online featurette ‘Gregor’s Metamorphosis’. Filoni goes on to reflect about reaching the 100 episode milestoneTCW-513-droids

Continue reading “Clone Wars is about to reach ‘Point of No Return’”

Posted on

Stand down, scaredy geeks: Disney and ABC are not planning to ignore the Star Wars live-action series

ABC entertainment president Paul Lee tells Entertainment Weekly that the network isn’t going to be ignoring the live-action series.

“We’d love to do something with Lucasfilm, we’re not sure what yet,” Lee exclusively told EW. “We haven’t even sat down with them. We’re going to look at [the live-action series], we’re going to look at all of them, and see what’s right. We weren’t able to discuss this with them until [the acquisition] closed and it just closed. It’s definitely going to be part of the conversation.”

Some of the financial concerns that Lucasfilm faced producing the series on their own are moot under the Disney deal, the article points out. Lee compares it to the Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. show that ABC is also working on.

They also have what might be the most detailed summary we have yet to see… From ‘sources,’ mind:

Sources say the live-action series centers on the story of rival families struggling over the control of the seedy underside of the Star Wars universe and the people who live within the subterranean level and air shafts of the metropolis planet Coruscant (the Empire’s urban-sprawl-covered home planet). A bounty hunter may be the main character.

And apparently some of the concept and character designs are being used in 1313…

They also, I think, are the first to reveal that Ron Moore (Battlestar Galactica) may be involved…

Posted on

Celebration Europe announces first guest, ticket prices

Dave FiloniLooks like we’re in Celebration mode again… Reed and Lucasfilm today released a few key bits of information today.

The con’s first announced guest is The Clone Wars’ Supervising Director Dave Filoni, favorite of children everywhere.

Secondly? The ticket pricing rates. Buying a 3-day pass before the show will set you back €95 (adult) and €45 (kid,) along with a “facilitation fee,” with prices going up to €105/€55 on-site.

What’s really interesting is that Reed seems to have done away with the Jedi Knight VIP level and will only be offering Jedi Master packages. They’re limited to 225 and will set you back €500 a pop (plus fees.)

The second Celebration Europe is being held in Essen, Germany July 26-28th.

Posted on

Oscars nominations boring as ever for genre fans

Not a whole lot of love for genre pictures at the Oscars this year.  The Avengers got just one nomination, for Visual Effects, where it was joined by online punching-bag Prometheus.  Both of them will probably lose to Life of Pi.

May the odds be ever in her favorThe good news is that some fan-favorite actors scored big.  Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for Best Actress — not for The Hunger Games, but rather for her work in Silver Linings Playbook.  She plays a woman suffering from a variety of mental illnesses so who knows, maybe she’ll even win.  And though The Dark Knight Rises was shut out, Anne Hathaway got a Supporting Actress nod for playing Fantine in Les Misérables, and she’s pretty much a lock.  Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, was also nominated for Les Misérables, but let’s face it, he has no chance.

The Hobbit got three nominations, for Visual Effects, Makeup, and Production Design.  Not bad until you remember that the last Middle-earth epic nabbed eleven nominations, and won all of ’em.

Plus we have to mention: John Williams picked up his 48th nomination for Lincoln.  Pretty sure that’s a record.  And weirdly enough, the Simpsons are now Oscar nominees.  Something called Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” is up for Best Animated Short.

At least we can always look forward to making fun of the fashions.  This year the Academy Awards air on February 24th.

Edit: Thanks to Pablo for pointing out that new Lucasfilm head honcho Kathleen Kennedy (along with Steven Spielberg) was nominated for producing Lincoln!  It’s the front-runner for Best Picture, too.

Posted on

Carrie Fisher’s open letter to Princess Leia

Princess Leia

As Star Wars fandom argues whether or not Leia can fly an X-wing, Carrie Fisher considers her GFFA doppelganger – and that “foolish focus-pulling hairstyle” – at Bullett.

I’ve spent almost two-thirds of my life walking galaxies in those fucking white leather boots. I’ve even attempted to answer for your actions, to explain your possible motives for choices one of us failed to make. But while you will forever be remembered loitering in star-infested landscapes, existing endlessly in imaginations and onscreen, I putter noisily in that infamous closet of celebrity—expanding, wrinkling, stooping, and far too often, stupid with age. Here we are enacting our very own Dorian Gray configuration. You: smooth, certain, and straight-backed, forever condemned to the vast, enviable prison of intergalactic adventure. Me: struggling more and more with post-galactic stress disorder, bearing your scars, graying your eternally dark, ridiculous hair.

Posted on

What’s the fuss with Star Wars #1?

Hastings exclusive edition of Star Wars #1So when Dark Horse first announced that Brian Wood would be starting a new ongoing series, simply titled Star Wars, back at Comic Con last July, and mentioned that Leia would be piloting an X-wing fighter, the two big fusses that popped up were about fitting continuity (isn’t it always?) and Leia in a role we hadn’t seen her in very often: fighter pilot. (Never mind that she’s been piloting starfighters since Splinter of the Mind’s Eye.)

Now that the first issue of the series is out for us all to enjoy, what’s all the hubbub?

Continue reading “What’s the fuss with Star Wars #1?”

Posted on

Some sort of new novel announcement is forthcoming

So, erm, the EU Twittersphere went a little nutty over the above tweet this afternoon.

(Yes, it was a bit of a slow news day.)

It’s “nothing we’ve mentioned before” Jennifer Heddle says, so no, not the mystery Paul S. Kemp books. I figure the chances of it being something I find completely unexciting (like yet another The Old Republic book) are fairly high, but you never know. It could be, well, pretty much anything.

This may seem like an odd sentiment for a news blogger, but I’m actually glad to see that Del Rey has held onto this, whatever it may be. Even if the book doesn’t come out until fall 2014, there being a cover bodes well to us getting some basic idea of the plot from the start… And I am so unbelievably sick of seeing fandom worry at Kemp’s duology like a sore tooth when I suspect it was announced with the contact ink still wet. We’ll find out what that one is eventually – and this as well, very soon. Time to gather a bit of that Jedi calm.

Posted on

99 Problems: Best #StarWars, #EpisodeVII and #SWEU tweets for Dec 24-Jan. 6

@LGGoepel: I feel like being named after Princess Leia should earn me some nerd street cred, but it never does.

Yes, I’ve folded two weeks into this one, because between Christmas and the New Year it seems that most of Twitter had better things to do – and you don’t even want to know how many posts I saw where people admitting to watching Star Wars sans pants. Instead, we celebrated 100 episodes of The Clone Wars, offered wedding planning services, considered Ewok poop and more.

Continue reading “99 Problems: Best #StarWars, #EpisodeVII and #SWEU tweets for Dec 24-Jan. 6”

Posted on

Out this week: Brian Wood’s Star Wars #1

Star Wars #1 (Dark Horse)There’s only one thing out this week, but it’s a doozy. Head over to your favorite comic shop Wednesday to pick up Star Wars #1, the only a tad controversial (ha) new series set in the original trilogy era.

There are at least two two variant covers, one for the ubiquitous chain GameStop and another available at the chain Hastings, which seems to be nonexistent on either of the coasts. Your day has come, people of the Central and Mountain time zones!

The printed version will also contain a “a coupon for a free digital copy,” per Randy Stradley.

As for books, we have a handful of paperbacks coming up: The reprint of Troy Denning’s Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse coming on January 29 and Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnoff’s The Last Jedi on February 26.

Posted on

Guillermo Del Toro turned down Episode VII

Del ToroDirector Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) tells Playlist that he was approached about Episode VII:

“We got one phone call to my agent saying, ‘Is Guillermo interested?’ And basically I have so much stuff already of my own, and I’m pursuing stuff that I’m generating already…” he said, explaining that he ultimately turned it down.

With numerous directing, producing and writing projects in the works, Del Toro made it clear that his own slate is full enough to keep him occupied, but he was still pleased to be approached. “It was very flattering,” he said, adding: “It was just a phone call, it didn’t go past that, it was very nice to be asked, but believe it or not, I’m busy enough.”

He also said he would have loved to see Brad Bird tackle the film. (via)