SW - Star Wars

[addiesin]

 

[TM2YC]

^ I remember when putting

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Vader breathing at the end of a trailer

was chills, now it's getting closer to a yawn. I'm interested in seeing Ben's life on Tatooine pre-SW but all the other nonsense, not so much.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

Considering I've had zero interest in this and I don't even like Ewan, the trailer actually managed to conjure in me something on the verge of positive anticipation. But I'm not going to let it gestate.

 

[Gaith]

So, I read the Vanity Fair Kathleen Kennedy interview. Lucasfilm did a big, splashy tone teaser for Rogue Squadron as their next movie, but now Kennedy says "we kind of pushed off to the side for the moment. Patty is developing the script further. Then we will talk about how that connects to the central spine that we’re working on."

She also said, of the rumored Kevin Feige project:

"[That’s] the rumor mill. Kevin, I think everybody knows, is a huge Star Wars fan. He’s clearly been inspired by Star Wars in the way in which he’s handled Marvel. I know he’s got a lot on his plate right now. I would love to see at some point what movie he might come up with. But right now, no. There isn’t anything specifically on the horizon." [UPDATE: This interview with Kennedy was in March, and last week screenwriter Michael Waldron told Variety he was working on a script for the rumored Feige project: “We’re finally into it in earnest.”]

So, in two months, the Feige project went from "[not] specifically on the horizon" to active development. In short: can anything this CEO says concerning the franchise's future plans be trusted??

 

[Bobson Dugnutt]

can anything this CEO says concerning the franchise's future plans be trusted??

She’s really no different to George, who constantly and frequently changed his mind and what he said publicly about future movies or characters or sequels or prequels or TV shows, or Vader or anything. It’s the nature of being the head of LF, constant revision.

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

Yeah, I mean with a guy like Feige he’s not going to drop everything even for Star Wars. I’m sure even now she’d say something like “well, they’re working on a script but there is nothing definite on the schedule yet.”

Honestly, a year ago everyone was calling for Favreau and Filoni to be put in charge of LF. After seeing the making of Book of Boba Fett, that would be a huge mistake. All they talk about is answering questions no one needs answered. Star Wars feels played out. The fans (including some of the fans who get to make these projects) seem fixated on the past with no vision on how to create something new within the framework of the very rich SW universe. TLJ, while far from perfect, at least tried to take things in a new direction and breathe some fresh air into the franchise. But with the reaction to that movie, it seems fan service is the name of the game.

 

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Besides those 2 Mando episodes in Boba Fett, I think that series was the worst live-action thing created in the SW universe since 2002. Probably on the same level as Rise of Skywalker.

I regret watching that week to week, waiting for it to get better

 

[TomH1138]

SW Celebration was this weekend, and we got a lot of new fun announcements. (Do announcements of upcoming projects count as spoilers? I don't think so, but I'll put it in spoiler space just in case.) Items are listed by probable order of release.

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"Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords" re-release set for Nintendo Switch - coming June 8
New LEGO Star Wars special - "Summer Vacation" - dropping on Aug. 5
"Andor" trailer released - premiere date announced: Aug. 31
"Tales of the Jedi" series announced - short animated vignettes from Dave Filoni - sometime later this year
Two new comics set during the High Republic to release in October from Marvel
"Willow" trailer released - premiere date announced: Nov. 20
Fifth "Indiana Jones" film slated for June 30, 2023
"Mandalorian" Season 3 trailer released - planned for sometime in 2023
"Jedi: Fallen Order" video game sequel announced - "Jedi: Survivor" coming sometime in 2023
"Ahsoka" first look featured some new images - coming in 2023
"Young Jedi Adventures" - an animated show aimed at the Disney Junior crowd, set during the High Republic era - coming in 2023
A brand-new live-action series - "Skeleton Crew" - starring Jude Law and set in Mando timeline, from "Spider-Man: No Way Home" director Jon Watts - coming sometime in 2023
(No mention of "The Acolyte" yet, but it's still in production based on articles outside of the convention. Also, the convention isn't over yet.)
(Additionally, Kathleen Kennedy mentioned in an interview to an online magazine during the convention that Taika Waititi's SW feature film is the closest to getting released, but wouldn't hold too firmly to the previously set December 2023 date given to the shelved "Rogue Squadron.")

Anyway, lots of good trailers and a bunch of fun stuff to watch at the convention this weekend. No updates on "Lando" or "A Droid's Tale," previously announced at the 2020 Disney investor's meeting, which is odd because new shows have been fast-tracked after that. But still a good showing!

This is the 20th anniversary of "Attack of the Clones," and it was fun to hear the actors talking on a panel on it. Few people complained louder about the prequels than I did, but many unfortunately made their criticisms personal and abusive to the actors and others. A lot of it got taken way too far, and I've felt bad for those involved. So despite still not thinking the films are very good, it actually brought great warmth to my heart to see Hayden Christensen get a standing ovation at SW Celebration this year.

 

[TomH1138]

Here's a possible fun question: If someone were to ask you the ideal way to watch SW, what would be your recommended order for them, and (here's the possible fun part for this group) which edit would you use to show it to them?

Here's probably what I would recommend:

A New Hope - either 4K77 or Adywan's. (I haven't had a chance to see 4K80 or 4K83, so I have to exclude them from the choices below.)
Empire - Adywan's
Revenge of the Sith - watched here as a flashback in my variation of the Machete Order. I would probably go with @Hal9000 's "Labyrinth of Evil." I might also do a 3-in-1 edit here, but I don't know if I've seen a definitive one.
Return of the Jedi - Harmy's Despecialized

The Mandalorian (no fan edits available or really necessary)

Solo - @DigModiFicaTion 's The Coaxium Heist, naturally
Rogue One - I haven't seen any edits of this yet, although HAL's is on my list to see eventually.

Extra credit:

The Thrawn novels (I'm not a diehard EU fan, and I have long defended Disney's right to have a clean slate when it came to making new material. It just happens that in this case I found this particular trilogy more satisfying as sequels than what we got. If the hypothetical person I'm showing this order to insists on seeing the movie sequels instead, I'd probably go with HAL's again.)
Knights of the Old Republic - video game
Phantom Menace - I've seen a lot of good edits, although I have yet to see @octoroxx 's, which sound right up my alley.
Attack of the Clones - See above.
Clone Wars '03 - I don't recall an edit of this, but it's pretty much fine as is.
Clones Wars '08-'20 - Select episodes that I haven't decided yet.
Rebels - Select episodes that I haven't decided yet.


So...which ones would you pick, and in what order?

 

[Hal9000]

ANH, ESB, LOE, and ROTJ makes for a good time, tested and approved.

 

[TM2YC]

The influence of 'Lawrence of Arabia' on the look of Star Wars is well known but what is less well known is that Lucas got LoA star Omar Sharif to do the matte paintings:

 

[CalebScott]

I don't wanna be that guy, but they don't make 'em like they used to.

 

[Gaith]

So over on another forum I frequent, I was thinking of how lame the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel/experience sounds, and started brainstorming something better. Thought you all might enjoy my ramblings...

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I was thinking the other day Disney could have made something a many times cooler and more affordable with the money and space it's squandered on this nonsense: namely, the opportunity to star in a 15-20 minute Star Wars short film.

Consider the Star Trek Adventure, which ran at Universal Studios Florida from '91 to '96, and which, using only a blue screen and some rudimentary props and costumes, let people star in a short flick featuring the TOS cast:

Now imagine doing something like that with today's technology. Instead of a fuzzy VHS with primitive and obvious compositing, you'd get a razor-sharp HD image, a personalized Blu-ray and case, and a code that lets you and your friends stream your story from the Disney+ app worldwide.

Imagine how easily digital doubles, paired with deepfakery, could insert you into action sequences, augmented with a few minutes' worth of reaction shots filmed in person. Picture how smaller versions of the LED sets used in The Mandalorian could produce cinema-quality lighting effects for that scene on the alien planet. You could read your lines off strategically placed Teleprompters, or be a badass and memorize them beforehand in order to give your best possible performance. AI-powered rotoscoping would let you wield lightsabers that look nearly as good as those ones in the movies, and immersive game engine technology in the studio would give you tangible visual cues that make you a natural action performer during the battle sequences. (When you drove the flight stick portside, the starfield moved in perfect unison.)

Large parts of the filming process (reaction shots, expressions, voice-over, etc.) would be automated, thereby reducing costs, but some bits (the more dialogue-heavy stuff) would be overseen by in-person guides. For, say, $300 or so, you could spend 4-5 hours shooting a handful of scenes, and customize the story: do you escape by the skin of your teeth? Go down in flames as a heroic martyr, as your comrades vow to never forget you? Sell out your cause, and live in shameful luxury? Or perhaps discover a conscience, and suddenly throw your lot in with what's right, as your peers become enemies?

Over time, if the attraction is a hit, digital sets featuring fresh environments would make for an ever-improving and diversifiable experience. New locations and storylines would be introduced, and older ones would be phased out. Across multiple visits, you could reprise your role for a sequel or prequel. Spend a few minutes filming extra material, and you might cameo in a friend's movie, even if they film their story at a park continents away and years later, either reprising your own character, or as a whole new one. Maybe you brought a significant other to the park? Include them, too. (Due to war-themed content, however, all performers must be 21 and over, with exceptions for service members.) For those with physical/health limitations, moreover, as much action stuff as necessary could be deepfaked.

Once you've done your time in the studio and are back at the hotel, if you so choose (no pressure), you can review and choose your own best line deliveries in the comfort of your room. (Alternatively, the guides can do this for you.) Customize your character's starship's design (or maybe you did that days ago), and let the rendering/assembly complete overnight. For a truly memorable finish to your time in the spotlight, book a time to screen your movie for family and friends at the hotel, or even in a corner of Galaxy's Edge itself, in a specially built theater with cinema-quality projection and sound. (And if you ever go on a Disney cruise, your adventure is automatically brought along, for similar screenings at sea.)

Of course, before turning in after that hard day's work, you took a nice, hot bath... but you couldn't help wondering just what that "hair-raising mishap on Razell" your character mentioned was about. So, you make a quick selection on the datapad before bed, and the next morning, an astromech droid delivers a freshly printed paperback telling the whole thrilling story, with your character's unique name, physical description, etc, for the trip home. Did your character make a sudden change of side in the movie? Or maybe another character noted how your character is particularly known for their recklessness or caution? Well, with this novella, it all makes sense.

... Now, tell me that those few hours of admittedly pricey but still affordable activity wouldn't be far more memorable and enjoyable than an awkward 2+ days of LARPing that, rather than being as cinematic as the movies and shows, was heavily sanitized (because Galactic Starcruise is a family-friendly war experience, after all), and didn't let you take a nice swim and explore the rest of the parks the day after, as this one does!

 

[Gaith]

After Taika Waititi's recent comments about his Star Wars project, which suggested it hasn't even been greenlit, thus making an end-of-2023 release extremely improbable, I was wondering how long it's been since the announcement of a new film in the franchise. According to Wiki, "In February 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed the development of two Star Wars standalone films, one written by Lawrence Kasdan. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that Disney was working on a film featuring Solo." This, of course, came after the summer 2012 announcement of a sequel trilogy.

So, in the nine years and counting since early 2013, Lucasfilm hasn't announced (as in, named a director and a release date, and stuck with both) a single new Star Wars movie. In that time frame, they've only announced one new movie at all, Indy 5, which itself was known to be in active development since before 2013. Even given Disney's pivot to streaming content and the pandemic, that's... kind of bonkers, IMO.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

WOW! This had the same energy as the Rogue One space battle. One of the most impressive fanfilm space battles ever.

 

[matrixgrindhouse]

James Earl Jones is stepping down from voicing Darth Vader, but has given his blessing to having computer-generated versions of his performance to be used for future appearances of the character. In other words.... "He's more machine now than man."

James Earl Jones Signs Over Rights To Voice Of Darth Vader, Signalling Retirement From Legendary Role

James Earl Jones – one of the most distinctive voices in the history of film – appears to have made steps to step back from voicing the Star Wars character, Darth Vader, after nearly 40 years in the role. Vanity Fair reports that the actor, aged 91, has signed over the rights to his voice […]

www.yahoo.com

 

[Gaith]

This picture is ridiculous, but it's too ridiculous not to post, and it might have forever ruined the song for me (which is okay, because it's one creepy-ass song to begin with):

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

My Star Wars obsessed son is having a Star Wars themed slumber party for his 10th birthday.

Eight kids spending the night tonight. Pray for Mojo.

 

[DirtyCop1036]

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Running on a rocky beach.....I hope they have shoes on