Tag: rumors

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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…

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Rumor: A female protagonist for Episode VII?

SEQUEL TRILOGY RUMORS: Take seriously at your own risk.This isn’t the first time we’ve heard it hinted that a woman may be leading the new movies, but Sciretta seems oddly confidant.

There are plenty of options for characters, Expanded Universe or no Expanded Universe, and 2012 was a banner year for female-led action movies – with three more Hunger Games films and a female Expendables (for instance) on the horizon, there’s certainly momentum.

Before you comment, please note that this is a fancasting-free zone!

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Report: Marvel to replace Dark Horse as Star Wars comic publisher in 2014?

Blue Sky Disney reports that it’s all but certain that Disney won’t be renewing Dark Horse’s contract to publish Star Wars comics, and that the Star Wars comics will return to their original home: Fellow Disney brand Marvel. Honor Hunter writes:

The Suits in the know have determined that no new contracts will be given to Dark Horse after the current ones expire. So all new projects after 2013 will be handled internally by Marvel.

A blog report is anything but confirmation, but there’s absolutely nothing surprising about this – it was predicted by most of us the very first day of the Disney sale.

Comment from Dark Horse? Randy Stradley posted “don’t believe everything you read on the Internet” on their boards today.

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Rumor control: Episode VII returning to Yavin 4? Probably not

A recent Reuters story on Guatemala, their Mayan temples, and Star Wars contains this paragraph:

Yavin 4 and the rebel base return to the Star Wars plot in the forthcoming Episode VII, announced in October by the Walt Disney Co, in which Skywalker comes back to the planet to build a Jedi Knight academy. However, fans said that Disney will likely film those scenes in a studio rather than return to Tikal.

First of all, as Big Shiny Robot’s Bryan Young points out, there’s absolutely no source for this. Yes, Yavin 4 does reappear as the site of the Jedi Academy in the Expanded Universe – but that certainly doesn’t mean it’ll show up in the movies.

But unlike Bryan, I don’t think I would call this anything as as sinister as “rumour-mongering.” Yes, I’m cynical about the EU and doubtful that it will play a large role in the new movies, but if I had to bet, I would say this is probably just the result of basic fan enthusiasm (“I know some EU!”) paired with ignorance. After all, we can’t expect everyone is going to be up on the half-dozen different levels of “canon” and all that jazz.

The EU’s first Jedi Academy is eventually destroyed in the New Jedi Order series, and at the end of the most recent series, Legacy of the Force, the Academy is moving to it’s third – third! – location. So even if they do follow the books, Yavin 4? Probably not.

Could they bring it back anyway? Of course. But I wouldn’t count on it. And I certainly wouldn’t give this report much weight.

UPDATE: Eric at TFN reached out to the article’s writer, Michael McDonald, who confirmed that he did not receive any inside information from Lucasfilm.

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Will Episode VII take Star Wars back to England?

A little tidbit came in to me today: It looks like there are some people being called to work on Episode VII early next year… In England, where shooting will start “in April.” (Which fits with what Kathleen Kennedy said last week.)

The original trilogy was primarily filmed at Elstree Studios , while The Phantom Menace (as well as many of the Harry Potter films) were filmed at Warner Bros.’ Leavesden Studios. Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia was the main filming location used for the last two prequels, although some pickup shots were done at Elstree.

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Report: Fincher, Favreau both want in on Episode VII

Buried at the end of a post on Hollywood types acting badly online, Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. writes that both Jon Favreau (Iron Man) and David Fincher (The Social Network) are both interested in directing Episode VII.

Favreau “panting after this job” is anything but a suprise – it’s right in his wheelhouse and he’s already expressed excitement about the sequels, and having voiced a character on The Clone Wars probably won’t hurt his chances.

Fincher is a bit of a wild card – I didn’t know that he worked at Industrial Light & Magic in his early days (or that he directed Alien 3 – ouch) but I do know that his Girl with the Dragon Tattoo failed to ignite what many thought would be a promising film franchise. Still, he’s a director with plenty of respectable films (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , Se7en, Fight Club) and a pair of Oscar nominations under his belt.

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The Kasdan/Kinberg rumors deepen! Producing Episodes VIII/IX, but writing something else?

The Hollywood Reporter says their source tells them that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg – while hired – “will be writing separate projects” that may not necessarily be Episode VIII and Episode IX – though they still may be signed on as producers for them.

“Their scripts could turn into official ‘Episodes’ in the main Skywalker storyline, or they could form the basis for spinoffs focusing on side characters,” THR writes.

And, nope – none of this is in any way confirmed yet!

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Rumor du jour: Matthew Vaughn back in Episode VII director rotation? (Did he ever leave?)

So it seems that actor Jason Flemyng – who played Azazel in X-Men: First Class – told the U.K. site DIY that director Matthew Vaughn is indeed working on Episode VII. (Yes, they typo’ed.) Of course, Flemyng could just be having a tease, or repeating the earlier rumor. (Via, with a hat tip to @PunkRockSonja.)

UPDATE: And there’s video of Flemyng’s comment.

For what it’s worth, Vaughn himself has yet to deny that he (or isn’t) up for Star Wars. On that note, Colin Trevorrow denies his involvement – again. (Turns out, he’s doing a remake/reboot of Flight of the Navigator.) And yes, the Kasdan/Kinberg thing is still unconfirmed!

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Media Awareness 101: What makes Episode VII/VIII/IX news confirmed?

Short answer: It’s on StarWars.com.

Long answer: It’s on StarWars.com, and is reported by media outlets as such. The outlet will either source/link StarWars.com or have quotes from Lucasfilm people using their actual names.

For a recent example of an outlet actually breaking news with Lucasfilm’s blessing, let’s look at IGN’s original report of David Tennant in The Clone Wars. It has extensive quotes from Dave Filoni and a video clip – which was exclusive to them when the story broke. (StarWars.com later posted it as a preview of the episode.) So far, Lucasfilm hasn’t been doing this with Episode VII news – the Arndt item simply appeared on the site – perhaps because they know that everyone is going to write about it anyway. The Tennant news simply isn’t as big, and getting it onto a mainstream outlet gives it an extra boost that will reach casual fans (and people like Doctor Who fans) who aren’t regularly watching The Clone Wars. This is also probably why Del Rey gave Entertainment Weekly that Scoundrels exclusive EU fandom spent a day agonizing over back in March.

Obviously, an outlet reporting something from unnamed sources – as is the case with last night’s Kasdan/Kinberg stories from Deadline and THR – are not confirmed.

Other outlets writing about those stories does not confirm them, either. Words like ‘reports’ and ‘reportedly’ are basically just a journalistic way of saying ‘rumors.’ It might give them a little more weight – I tend to use the word ‘report’ if I think something is just a tad more plausible than things like, say, Vader rising from the dead. But in essence? They mean exactly the same thing: It’s not official yet, just things people or the media are saying. That doesn’t make them fact, no matter how many people run the story.

Because nothing is confirmed until Lucasfilm says it is. Lucasfilm and, now, Disney. Not Major Entertainment News Outlet #47 reporting off Major Entertainment News Outlet #86. And trust me, we are watching.

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Rumor: Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg approached to script, produce Episodes VIII or IX?

Deadline is reporting today that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg have been approached by Disney to script Episode VIII and Episode IX.

The Hollywood Reporter has their own report, saying Kasdan and Kinberg will work as a pair on one of the films – and join Kathleen Kennedy as producers.

UPDATE: THR says Wednesday that the deal is done, but StarWars.com is staying mum.

Kasdan is a Lucasfilm veteran, responsible for the screenplays of Empire Strikes Back (sharing credit with Leigh Brackett,) Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Kinberg has some franchise experience as well – the 2009 Sherlock Holmes – though I’m not sure X-Men: The Last Stand and Jumper speak in his favor.

Kasdan returning would be a boon – but remember, it’s only a rumor. Lucasfilm has only confirmed that Michael Arndt will be handling the screenplay for Episode VII. (via)