Tag: rumors

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Ian McDiarmid: “No conversations have been had” on Palpatine in Episode VII

PalpatineIan McDiarmid addressed the rumors that Palpatine would return in Episode VII at Fan Expo Canada over the weekend. As reported by ComicBook.com:

“There’s been all sorts of rumors. No conversations have been had, and no deals have been struck. And anyway, I’m dead… but I could be resurrected. Yes, I’ve heard of ghosts, I’ve heard of clones. There’s all sorts of possibilities. But until I get that phone call, like the one I had before, I won’t believe I’m in it.”

The all-but-confirmed to return Carrie Fisher was also at the con, where she hinted about getting in trouble over some of her previous comments… And talking to J.J. Abrams!

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Report: Episode VII will be shot on analog film

AbramsThe Boba Fett Fan Club reports from a film industry event in Los Angeles today that cinematographer Daniel Mindel – a regular collaborator with Bad Robot – announced that Episode VII will be shot on 35mm film. (via)

The Phantom Menace was the last Star Wars movie to be primarily shot on film, though George Lucas was already experimenting with digital formats. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith were both shot digitally. However, J.J. Abrams is a devotee of traditional film, and it’s his call on this round, so it’s not a big surprise.

Mindel is has worked on both J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films as well as Mission: Impossible III and Andrew Stanton’s John Carter.

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Episode VII: Release dates, fan speculation, and other horrors of the news void

Stay on target!Release date hijinks. Bryan Young at Big Shiny Robot – with an assist from Variety – writes on why Episode VII probably isn’t getting pushed back to December. And Jeremy Conrad at Furious Fanboys points out that the shooting schedule for Episode VII actually mirrors the one from Star Trek Into Darkness.

And, for the record, there’s another possible date change rumor from Jedi News.

The blogside. Over at Fangirl, there’s a interesting piece on speculation and how having too much knowledge of the franchise puts fan bloggers in a precarious position. Personally, although I do and will continue to report rumors, I’ve been staying away from outright speculation – mostly because it just annoys me, honestly. I don’t mind spoilers, but as an EU and fanfic fan I’ve read more than enough half-baked versions of our favorite characters – and while I have no plans to go spoiler-free (none at all) I am willing to wait and judge on the finished product. Let’s not forget that it isn’t always the basic ingredients that make something succeed or fail – it’s the execution. And that we won’t see in full until the movie is in theaters.

Lucasfilm. Oh look, it’s the fairy musical again.

Actors. The Hollywood Reporter concern-trolls Harrison Ford. Harrison Ford does what he wants, damnit. And they also found a few Sith who’d be up for a return – Ray Park and David Prowse. Somehow I doubt a dude who can’t even get a Celebration invite is going to get a movie part, though.

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Rumor: Will Disney move Episode VII to Christmas?

SEQUEL TRILOGY RUMORS: Take seriously at your own risk.We’ve gone round and round on possible Episode VII release dates, and here are we again. Despite Disney’s Alan Horn telling D23 attendees that the film is slated for”summer 2015,” Badass Digest is now claiming “Disney and Lucasfilm have December circled on their calendars.” Mid-December, to be precise, and via the ever-popular “multiple sources.”

A Star Wars movie not coming out in May? While it would give production more time, why not just push it back to May 2016? And what about the Celebration already scheduled for April 2015? Could you wait another year? As ever, I’m skeptical – but time will tell.

UPDATE: Hitfix’s Drew McWeeney has also heard rumblings of this.

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Rumor: Obi-wan also coming back for Episode VII?

obi-rots

SEQUEL TRILOGY RUMORS: Take seriously at your own risk.And the spectral hijinks continue, with Latino Review now claiming that “three close sources” say Obi-Wan Kenobi is also going to return as a (presumably aged-up) Force ghost, and that Ewan McGregor wants a solo standalone as well. We already know he’d be up for returning.

Both are plausible and an Obi-Wan film is a no-brainer… But none of these recent rumors seem like they’ll end up as much more than cameos, so let’s not put too much weight on them – even for rumors – just yet.

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Rumor: The mechanics of Palpatine’s return?

SEQUEL TRILOGY RUMORS: Take seriously at your own risk.Latino Review is furthering the rumor from earlier this week about Ian McDiarmid’s return. They say the Emperor won’t be resurrected (sorry, Dark Empire fans) but will be appearing as a Force Ghost. And he had taken a new apprentice – who will presumably be film’s primary antagonist – before he was killed in Return of the Jedi.

What else do they say? ” Not one thing they have in the script is from a book,” (or a comic?) so count out the usual suspects… If you believe this, anyway.

There are a couple other rumors floating around today as well. One, from Episode 7 News echoes something we heard in May, that Abrams may have his hands in far more than just the actual movie. This one calls him “the creative core” of everything surrounding the new films. The other, from The Daily Superhero, says that the secrecy mandates “pretty much sounds to me like armed guards are near certain important people who are working on this movie, 24/7.”

The armed guard thing sounds like something we’ll be looking back and laughing at in 2015, but hey. Sure. Why not.

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Report: A new Star Wars 3D movie taking over Disneyland’s Captain EO theater?

Captain Eo
Randomly: George Lucas was the Executive Producer and co-wrote Captain Eo. Francis Ford Coppola directed.

Micechat is at it again, with some more inside (and unconfirmed) information on the details of the Anaheim Tomorrowland’s Star Wars makeover.

In addition to the PeopleMover makeover they mentioned last time, it’s twilight for the revival of Micheal Jackson’s Captain Eo as the theater is expected to be the home of “a new Star Wars 3D movie.” Brand-new, or the conversions of the old films? More turnover if they make a new short film – the original Eo was only 17 minutes long – but I wouldn’t be shocked if they show the actual films periodically as well. Work on existing buildings in the area would be done in time for Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary (July 17th, 2015) and could wrap up by “early spring” – in time for Celebration, perhaps?

They also mention that, unsurprisingly, Star Tours will get new destinations from the sequels.

The “biggest of the Star Wars offerings” won’t open until after the anniversary, and construction “would be in conjunction to a similar Star Wars expansion for Disney’s Hollywood Studios” in Orlando.

None of this will be announced this weekend at D23, they say – and we’ve been told not be expect anything more than very small ‘hints’ on upcoming Star Wars theme park attractions. But it seems that there’s plenty more in the works.

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Rumor: Is ‘Foodles’ the Episode VII pseudonym… And is filming closer than we thought?

SEQUEL TRILOGY RUMORS: Take seriously at your own risk.Jedi News reports that Episode VII pre-production is working under the pseudonym Foodles Productions Ltd., and that they’ve booked their block at Pinewood for 10 years, with facilities construction already underway for shooting as early as August 2013.

We’ve previously heard that filming was likely to begin in early 2014.

UPDATE: Jedi News did a bit more digging (and explaining!) on Foodles…

UPDATE #2: And now LFL is denying that filming begins in August.