Tag: the rise of skywalker

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Lucasfilm: “No plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance” as Leia

Lucasfilm has outright denied a recent report that said they’ve been negotiating wit Carrie Fisher’s estate to digitally recreate her for future films. The statement:

We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.

Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars.

The rumor originated on the BBC earlier this week, and was first reported by SWNN, with an expansion by io9.

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Rumor: Leia’s role in IX was supposed to be bigger than in VIII, meetings at LFL next week

Per The Hollywood Reporter, meetings will begin next week to decide what to do with Episodes VIII and IX after the death of Carrie Fisher. VIII has finished shooting already, but Leia supposedly has “a bigger part” in IX.

It seems likely these meetings are the same ones that Kathleen Kennedy mentioned in November to map out the franchise’s future.

I believe this is also the first time that it’s been reported that IX director Colin Trevorrow is writing the film’s script with frequent collaborator Derek Connolly.

Obviously, there’s still a lot of mourning going on, and Lucasfilm has some tough decisions that they have to make, but I myself hesitate to speculate. Lucasfilm, mourning or not, has little choice in the matter: We do.

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Rumor: Production names for Han movie, IX?

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Jedi News has what’s likely the production name for the Han Solo film – Carbonado Industries (UK) Ltd. The second name is a tad more mysterious – PLT Productions Ltd. – but it could be for Colin Trevorrow’s Episode IX, the third spinoff or even another Lucasfilm production like Indiana Jones.

The Han Solo film will likely begin shooting early next year with directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord and star Alden Ehrenreich for a 2018 release. IX and the fifth Indiana Jones film are both expected in 2019.

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Rumor: Disney shopping Star Wars films to basic cable again

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Variety reports that Disney began pitching the free TV rights – technically basic cable – on the Star Wars films last week, for all three trilogies. The asking price on is claimed to be “high” – even for the “vintage” titles. Movie rights are worth less and less to networks these days, but Star Wars seems to be an exception.

Spike TV held the Star Wars rights through 2014, paying $65-$70 million for six years and six films. The Indiana Jones films went for about $25M each in 2008.

Cable outlets who have met or are meeting with Disney include Turner, FX Networks, Viacom, NBCUniversal (which owns SyFy, which aired A New Hope when it first launched as the Sci-Fi Channel and USA Network, who had the rights to the original trilogy in the 90s,) A+E Networks and AMC Networks.

Variety cites speculation that the pitches to outside networks may be Disney’s way of seeing “what the market will bear” – aka covering their ass – before settling the rights on one of their own networks. (I’ve been expecting the films will indeed show up on Freeform.)

The Force Awakens will debut on Starz next year as the last film under the channel’s deal with Disney. TFA likely won’t show up on basic cable until 2018, while Episode VIII and IX will go to Netflix first under Disney’s current deal with the streaming service.

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John Boyega says Episode VIII will be darker; IX director Colin Trevorrow on collaborating, Lucas petition

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John Boyega talks to Vogue UK, and he tells them that the Episode VIII script is “great” but “much darker” than The Force Awakens, and that his part in the new film “will be much more physical.”


Meanwhile, Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow talked to Entertainment Tonight about “working closely” with VII director Rian Johnson, as well as the petition to have him replaced by George Lucas.

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Tonight in The Force Awakens: Red carpet shenanigans

mark-redcarpetI was only able to see about half the world premiere red carpet livestream, but I did catch the most magical part: Carrie Fisher interviewing Oscar Isaac. Or attempting to interview. Whatever it was, it was wonderful, and you can watch it on Youtube.

I wasn’t able to collect tweets, but here are some from The Hollywood Reporter, Jedi News and @bahnree. There are also pictures at Variety and The Wrap. (The best. Or maybe…)

UPDATE: Kathleen Kennedy’s speech inside the theater and some of the first reactions.

→ Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams talked to /Film on how they collaborated with Episode VIII writer/director Rian Johnson, and how IX director Colin Trevorrow will likely work in.

→ Wired takes a look at Sphero, and how exactly BB-8 was a boon for them.

→ Some great The Force Awakens fashions by designer Catherine Elhoffer. You may have seen them on the red carpet tonight!

→ Andy Serkis ‘confirms’ evil Jar Jar on Conan.

→ Korean boy band EXO has an (authorized) song called ‘Lightsaber’. We truly live in an age of wonders.

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Colin Trevorrow will direct Star Wars Episode IX

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As rumored last month, Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow will indeed be directing Episode IX, the concluding chapter of the latest Star Wars trilogy.

“This is not a job or an assignment,” Trevorrow said in a statement. “It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists and craftspeople. We’ve been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had—a mythology to call their own. We will do this by channeling something George Lucas instilled in all of us: boundless creativity, pure invention and hope.”

“We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe,” Kathleen Kennedy said.

The film is expected for a May 2019 release.