Tag: the last jedi

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Why we’re not going to see an Episode VIII trailer until 2017

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I’ve seen a few people hoping that we’ll get an Episode VIII trailer with Rogue One. And while I’m as eager to see something new from VIII as anyone else, I don’t see it happening. At all. (And technically didn’t we already get a teaser?)

Here’s the thing: If they drop us something substantial for Episode VII, it will absolutely dominate the Star Wars news cycle for days, if not weeks. In other words: If they drop an Episode VIII teaser in the next 9 days, it takes attention away Rogue One. A lot of attention.

Lucasfilm doesn’t want to distract from Rogue One, and they don’t want to confuse people. I suspect we’ve all heard from (or of) people who are confused about Rogue One. Maybe they think it’s VIII; Maybe they don’t get it, period. It’s new territory, after all. Throwing brand-new Episode VIII footage around is only going to muddy those waters.

That doesn’t apply to all of us. Some of us multitask our fandom. We live and breathe Star Wars. But not every fan does. Not every fan is glued to social media, collecting every crumb. Not every fan needs that. And hell, maybe they’re healthier for it. (I won’t presume.)

VIII: Cape!We’re long past comparing the run up to VIII to that for The Force Awakens: Episode VII was the first live-action Star Wars movie in ten years, at the helm of a re-purposed franchise. Of course, we got the first teaser a year ahead of time. Of course, the timeline was different. From the initial announcement until it showed up on Blu-ray, it was the focal point of a $4B franchise. Right now? That focal point is Rogue One. And with Star Wars films coming every year, this is our new baseline.

No one is ignoring VIII, and certainly not the press – actors will talk, questions will be asked. Some of them may get (very vague) answers that turn into dozens of headlines. But we’re not going to get anything huge from the official sources.

There’s plenty of time for Episode VIII in 2017. It will absolutely have a huge presence in Orlando next April. (Maybe we get a teaser – or a title – before Celebration in Orlando, but remember Rogue One‘s first teaser? April.) But through at least January, Lucasfilm needs to sell Rogue One. And only Rogue One.

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New look at Orlando’s Star Wars Land (and some Star Tours news)

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The Disney Parks blog has shared a new image of the Star Wars area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. You can get a high-res version of the image at their blog.

The filename contains the term ‘Delos,’ which jumped out at me – too much Westworld? – but a quick Google search shows it’s a codename that’s been in use for a while regarding the early part of the project, with ‘Atlantis’ being used for the next phase.

Also part of the announcement is news that they’re working on an Episode VIII addition to Star Tours. (Given how much filming was done in Ireland, Ahch-To might be a good bet, but it’s probably far too early for solid guessing.) There’s no mention of Rogue One – and if they were adding something for 2016, we’d probably have heard by now. Given that Star Tours has a rather loose relation to timeline or canon, I wonder if they’re waiting to see how the film is received? Or perhaps until after the events of Rogue One are less spoilery?

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Catching up with Episode VIII: New stormtrooper, Rey’s parentage (and speculation thereof)

fn-2199-cropMaking Star Wars has word of a new type of stormtrooper who’ll (reportedly) appear in Episode VIII, as well as some small changes on the standard troopers.

→ This Daisy Ridley interview with Vulture has been making the rounds, mainly because she says we’ll see the answer to Rey’s parentage question “in a year,” and, well, the internet.

→ Speaking of Rey’s parentage, there’s a bonkers but just crazy enough to maybe theory over at Force Material. It’s based on a “paranoid ‘70s conspiracy thriller” and hell, it still makes more sense than Snoke being Plagueis or any of the other bullshit we’ve had to put up with. But mostly, it amused me, and how often do fan theories manage that? (Not often.)

→ Your moment of zen: Mark Hamill and his VIII beard have a fashion gig.

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Adam Driver on Star Wars directors and how the Episode VIII script has “nuance and ambiguity”

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Adam Driver is the latest Star Wars star to show up at the Toronto International Film Festival. (We previously heard from Lupita Nyong’o.) He’s actually there for Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson, but of course no one can resist asking him about Star Wars.

In the Toronto Sun, Driver praises Star Wars directors J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, citing their “very specific vision.” He went into further detail (on director technique, anyway) with Collider, and compared the VIII script to Empire… Sort of:

It’s great. It’s similar to how The Empire Strikes Back has a different tone. For that people always go “oooh, it’s dark” but I don’t know that it necessarily is. It’s just different in tone in a way that I think is great and necessary but also very clear. He trusts [that] his audience is ready for nuance and ambiguity. He’s not dumbing anything down for someone and that’s really fun to play.

He also talks about originally being overwhelmed with the scope of Star Wars, and how Abrams helped break that down. A full interview will be coming to Collider soon, and Patterson will be in theaters at the end of the year.

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Lupita Nyong’o hasn’t shot for Episode VIII yet

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In an interview with Collider, Lupita Nyong’o said that she hadn’t yet shot for Episode VIII, which wrapped primary photography in the summer. “That’s in my future,” she said of working with VIII director Rian Johnson.

viii-rj-tumblr-040416wNyong’o was announced as part of the VIII cast when production began, and Johnson did share a picture of what appeared to be motion capture of her character, Maz Kanata – a test, perhaps? (Part of me wonders now if they swapped in Maz for another digital character who has yet to be revealed or finalized. Or maybe she’s just part of the standard demo?)

The most logical answer for when Nyong’o films for VIII would be the ubiquitous reshoots, which probably won’t happen until next year. In the meantime she has Queen of Katwe opening at the end of the month and Marvel’s Black Panther coming up for 2018.