Tag: the force awakens

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Does Episode VII already have an editor?

Captain AmericaIn a press release yesterday announcing that Captain America: The Winter Soldier has begun filming, Marvel credits Mary Jo Markey with also being the editor for Episode VII. Surprise!

Markey has edited much of J.J. Abrams’ work – including both his Star Treks – so it’s by no means a stretch that she’ll work on Episode VII as well. But it’s certainly not something we expect to learn from a Marvel press release!

UPDATE: Jedi News points out that IMDB also lists another frequent Abrams editor, Maryann Brandon, but IMDB is generally not to be trusted at this point. (And this raises a question… Did Marvel get their info about Markey and EpVII from IMDB? Either way, until Lucasfilm or Bad Robot weigh in, this is questionable.)

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Roundup: What is Peter Jackson doing with Episode VIII?

Tricksy Hobbit!April Fools! Here’s one we missed: First Showing spotted what appears to be an Episode VIII script or treatment that appears very briefly in Peter Jackson’s latest Hobbit behind-the-scenes video, which was released on Monday. Of course, there are also appear to be scripts that say The Silmarillion, which I don’t believe anyone even has the film rights for, so take it as you will. I’m sure you can guess how I’m leaning. Well played, hobbitses.

Box office. The Motley Fool predicts that Episode VII will make a lot of money. Not just a a lot of money (because duh) but that it will go where only James Cameron has gone before: To make $2 billion worldwide. Well, if anyone can, it would be Star Wars… Right?

People. J.J. Abrams talks Star Wars and Star Trek with SFX, while Harrison Ford’s lips are sealed on Entertainment Tonight Oh the humanity. Or maybe he’s just tortured his publicist enough this week.

Back… To the future! Movies.com gathers some Lucas’ quotes on earlier plans for extending the saga.

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Harrison Ford on J.J. Abrams: “A wonderful talent. Extraordinary guy.”

Harrison Ford isn’t talking Episode VII yet – but he has plenty of praise for director J.J. Abrams, who he worked with in 1991’s Regarding Henry

“I think he’s fantastic,” Ford said in a recent interview. “I did his first movie, ‘Regarding Henry,’ with Mike Nichols. A wonderful talent. Extraordinary guy.”

He also played coy on playing Han Solo again, sort of: “Um, I don’t even want to discuss that. It’s great. Ain’t it great?” He was a little more cagey in his MTV interview:

“It might be nice, depending on the circumstances, to revisit any one of those characters. What interests me now is the opportunity to work at all and to work in ambitious projects. I can’t think that way,” Ford said. “What I’m looking for is the next opportunity, the next ambitious opportunity. It doesn’t matter if it’s one of those. If it’s one of those, great. If it’s not, that’s fine too.”

And on past criticisms of George Lucas:

“I might have said things in the past that were characterizations of how I felt at the time,” he said. “That was then. This is now. It doesn’t matter.”

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J.J Abrams talks Episode VII, plus a great fan poster

Fan art: Episode VII poster by Adam Schickling Empire talked to director J.J. Abrams about Episode VII and Star Trek. No real revelations, but some intersting comments for fans of the franchises.

“I don’t know because we’re just getting started. So it’s a great question that I hope I’ll have a good answer to when I know what the answer is. There are infinitely more questions than answers right now, but to me, they’re not that dissimilar. Though I came at these both from very different places, where they both meet is a place of ‘Ooh, that’s really exciting.’ And even though I was never a Star Trek fan, I felt like there was a version of it that would make me excited, that I would think ‘that’s cool, that feels right, I actually would want to see that.

“How we were going to get there, what the choices were going to be, who was going to be in it – all of those things I knew would have to be figured out, but it was all based on a foundation of this indescribable, guttural passion for something that could be. It’s a similar feeling that I have with Star Wars. I feel like I can identify a hunger for what I would want to see again and that is an incredibly exciting place to begin a project. The movies, the worlds could not be more different but that feeling that there’s something amazing here is the thing that they share.”

He also talks about how Kathleen Kennedy was able to change his mind, and about talking to Steven Spielberg.

And above is a fantastic fan poster by artist Adam Schickling!

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Rumor: Episode VII to feature “disciple” of Palpatine

SEQUEL TRILOGY RUMORS: Take seriously at your own risk.Cosmic Book News has a source claiming that Episode VII will feature, in addition to Skywalker and Solo offspring, a Palpatine flunky:

A disciple of Emperor Palpatine aims to rebuild the Sith Armies of the Old Republic and destroy the Jedi where the Skywalker children will be thrust into battle and face their inner demons of their Skywalker lineage.

They also claim the movie will take place 30 years after the original trilogy, no shock to anyone who can do a bit of math.

It’s plausible, of course, but also fairly reminiscent of a lot of the early Expanded Universe plots, which were lousy with Imperial flunkies and random darksiders. (via)

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Video: Celebrities talk Episode VII

Total Film has been asking celebrities about Episode VII, from the obvious (Ewan McGregor, Joss Whedon) to the totally random (Michelle Williams, Eli Roth, Mila Kunis, Mark Strong.)

Would you like to see any of these folks in the sequels or standalones?

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Bob Iger: No decision yet on bringing back original trilogy actors for Episode VII

Bob Iger on CNBC (3/12)Bob Iger was talking Lucasfilm on CNBC again, and he told them that there’s still no decision on bringing back the original actors. Or rather, that despite George Lucas’ comments last week, “We haven’t made an official announcement yet.” Indeed.

He does say that there have been “discussions” with the actors, but they’re waiting on Arndt’s script to make a final decision.

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Rumor: Billy Dee Williams asked to return as Lando for Episode VII?

Lando CalrissianIt seems that that Billy Dee Williams has been asked to return for Episode VII, according to a report by Film Buff, but he hasn’t made a decison yet.

There’s a pretty good chance that Solo and/or Skywalker kids will be a part of the new trilogy: Does this mean we could be seeing a young Calrissian as well? We don’t know if they’ll use anything from the novels (and it’s by no means a sure thing that they will) but Lando does have a son, Chance Calrissian.

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Roundup: Whedon says Star Wars should “move forward,” Billy Dee is up for a return

whedonWhat if? When asked about the Star Wars standalone films by Digital Spy Joss Whedon says he wouldn’t bring back the original trilogy characters like, as rumored, Han Solo and Boba Fett. Yeah, I’m with him on that: These standalone options we’ve thus heard are by far the weakest part of this whole new era for me.

Actors. Billy Dee Williams told attendees at Emerald City Comic Con that he hasn’t been approached for Episode VII, but that he’d be all for it. Meanwhile, Zoe Saldana wants in. “I want to be a sexy something, like a princess from another planet,” she told E! at the Oscars.

Expect this to continue. In perhaps an effort to keep Star Wars from overtaking the press cycle for Star Trek Into Darkness, J.J. Abrams said it’s “too early” to talk about Episode VII. Diplomatic, but are people going to stop asking? Probably not.