George Lucas talks about hiring Harrison Ford for Star Wars: “He was the best.”
For the hell of it, here’s Ford and Mark Hamill doing a version of the Alderaan scene:
Video: Star Wars re-release trailer
And the vintage trailer parade continues with a trailer for the 1981 re-release of Star Wars that added Episode IV: A New Hope to the opening crawl.Or may the ’78 re-release? The day’s not over, but this isn’t exactly a great sign for the theorists
Video: Star Wars blooper reel
UPDATE: Lawyer’d. :(
Going around the internet today is this blooper reel from the original Star Wars, which reportedly debuted at SDCC. No, your hearing isn’t busted: Some of it doesn’t have any sound
Video: George Lucas on casting Carrie Fisher
This weekend’s archival interview: George Lucas talks about finding the right Princess Leia
Somewhere in space: @StarWars warns of Imperials, posts original ’76 teaser trailer as rumors fly
The Empire has taken over our panel. DO NOT attend the #StarWarsRebels panel at #NYCC. Beware Imperial disinformation!
— Star Wars (@starwars) October 9, 2013
@StarWars again warned of ‘Imperial disinformation’ and posted the original ’76 teaser for Star Wars this afternoon, as fans continue to wait with bated breath to see if any Episode VII news is going to drop as rumored.
Meanwhile, Jedi News‘ Jedi Master SQL says we may see our first casting news on the 22nd, with announcements having been “held back” at Harrison Ford’s request, so he doesn’t get slammed with Star Wars questions as he’s doing press for Ender’s Game
Whatever really is happening behind the scenes, check out the ’76 teaser trailer below:
RIP: Star Wars cinematographer Gilbert Taylor
Veteran British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor has passed away at the age of 99, his wife told BBC News. In addition to Star Wars, his credits included Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night.
Mark Newbold wrote about Taylor today for StarWars.com, and here he is talking about filming the attack on the Death Star:
“We want this to happen.” Mark Hamill talks SDCC, Episode VII
Mark Hamill my not be making an official appearance at San Diego Comic-Con – hell, he can’t even visit without being recognized – but he was happy to chat about it (and Star Wars, natch) with The Hollywood Reporter.
As for Episode VII? Well, we’re still waiting on an official announcement, but:
Hamill’s hopes are high for the Star Wars: Episode VII reunion: “We want this to happen. How could I not take this ride? They’re making all the right moves, like Michael Arndt as the writer. Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3 — he writes humor and he writes heart. I’m not someone who looks to recapture the glory of when I was in my 20s. I think it’ll probably be about the next generation. We’ll be the link to the past, but the kids will be doing the heavy lifting. And the Wookiee will have a walker.”
Hamill is up for it, even if he’s no longer the teenage Luke. “Am I the age Sir Alec [Guinness] was in 1977? I don’t want to do the math.” (He’s 61; Guinness was 63.) He also hopes one day to find the shirt he wore to a 1976 convention: “It’s a collectible; it would’ve shot up in value.”
Hamill and Carrie Fisher will be appearing next week at Celebration Europe in Germany. Lucasfilm has denied that they’ll be making any Episode VII announcements in San Diego.
Return of the Jedi is 30 today!
Welcome to the real Star Wars day, the anniversaries of the release dates of Star Wars and Return of the Jedi. Star Wars is 36 today; ROTJ is 30.
StarWars.com has a lengthy interview with Industrial Light & Magic effects guru Dennis Muren about ROTJ.
Hollywood.com shows us five new pics from Making of Return of the Jedi.
Wired has 30 things you didn’t know about Return of the Jedi – but knowing our audience, you probably already know most of them.
Businessweek reminds us that ROTJ made more money than ESB.
Noted parody hut The Onion has a commentary by ‘George Lucas:’ The Events Depicted In ‘Star Wars’ Actually Happened To Me.
MTV looks at Ewok hate. Aww, come on guys, don’t hate on the Ewoks… They’re delicious!
And Babble’s Pilar Clark has a tour of Skywalker Ranch and Lucasfilm and the Letterman Digital Arts Center.
Finally, beneath the cut, the Revenge of the Jedi trailer. Because I can.
Luke Skywalker’s pants are for sale
A pair of bleached Levis worn by Mark Hamill in the original Star Wars are at auction today. They’re currently going for $36,000 with just over an hour to go.
I’ll let you make your own jokes.
Kitbashed and the origins of Star Wars
With all the movie and TV news coming out, it’s easy to get caught up in the future. Because the future, as a wise man once said, is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. But if you’ve got an even passing interest in the past, you should definitely check out Kitbashed.
Writer and designer Michael Heilemann has been on our radar for years, but with Kitbashed he’s delving deep into the origins of Star Wars – not the saga, not the franchise, but the movie. Heilemann connects Star Wars to everything from famous documentaries to Star Trek to a baffling magazine ad. He’s also especially good at analyzing George Lucas’ student films and early works.
Even when his observations are relatively familiar, Heilemann presents them in a novel way. For example, don’t miss his spellbinding video on the war movies which influenced the Death Star trench run. Citations are included for further reading, and the site itself is gloriously easy on the eyes, clean and straightforward and uncluttered. Kitbashed is an absolute joy.