Kemp duology is “on standby”

Over on Reddit today, author Paul S. Kemp was in the middle of an Ask Me Anything when someone asked up about the status of the duology he was signed to write a few years back. Kemp say much, but what he can say isn’t encouraging for those looking forward to it:

I wish I could say something.

Here’s the thing: The Disney deal and announcement of the new movies is a big deal. I’m on standby at the moment. That’s about all I can say. :-/

As Club Jade points out, if this duology is on standby because of the Disney deal and upcoming new film installments, that could very well be bad news for Christie Golden’s Sword of the Jedi. Of course, keep in mind there’s been little said about this duology since it was initially announced that Kemp had received a contract to write them. There has been uncertainty about this project since before the Lucasfilm sale to Disney went through.

Del Rey introduces the Star Wars Action Team

It’s not fully active yet, but the Del Rey team are geared up to introduce a fan promotion program that lets readers earn themselves points to win cool stuff. The details:

Del Rey Books is thrilled to announce the launch of the Del Rey Star Wars Action Team, or SWAT for short. Whether you’re a die-hard reader who’s consumed every one of the novels over the past 35 years, or a newbie jumping into the books for the first time, the SWAT is looking for a few dedicated recruits. It’s entirely free — all you need is a passion for Star Wars stories and a willingness to help spread the good word.

The way it works is quite simple:

1. Help spread the word.

2. Earn points and rankings.

3. Get stuff.

Once the SWAT site is live, you can register and begin getting the word out about your favorite Star Wars literature.

Rumor: Star Wars expansion to be largest in recent Disney parks history?

As always, thDisneyis is a rumor so use as many grains of salt as you need.

According to the Orlando Business Journal, Disney World will be getting a Star Wars expansion. It’s doubtful that anyone would be surprised if this happens. Why wouldn’t Disney use one of the most valuable intellectual properties in entertainment in their parks? What may be surprising is the scale Disney is considering for this expansion.

Guess what, Disney fans? That rumored Star Wars land/expansion at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will dwarf any other Disney-related expansion in its recent history.

At least that’s what a source with close connections to the park told me about all the growing chatter about a new Star Wars land project coming to Walt Disney World.

It’s expected that any type of Star Wars expansion could easily be north of $200 million in new investment at Mickey’s house, but the thought of something bigger is quite impressive.

Another interesting rumor is the expansion wouldn’t be contained to just Disney’s Hollywood Studios or any single park.

To find out just what that expansion might entail, I reached out to yet another source who seems to have a magical way of knowing things about Disney.

“My understanding is the Star Wars expansion will be similar to the Harry Potter expansion featuring new attractions, new creative merchandise and food and beverage options, as well as re-purposing older rides with the Star Wars theme,” said Chad Emerson, a Disney author and expert.

“There also have been conversations of re-themeing the Fantasmic! night show and introducing a new fireworks show with a Star Wars theme,” Emerson told me. The Fantasmic! show is on the opposite end of the theme park from its current Star Wars-themed area. He said that thought process by Disney shows the Mouse doesn’t see Star Wars as a ‘single area’ type of addition, but rather, as playing a larger role in the entire park.

“It’s not just an isolated land I hear they have in mind, and they are not just seeing this as a way to revitalizing a part of the park. Disney is seeing this Star Wars brand as something that will be sprinkled elsewhere throughout Hollywood Studios and elsewhere through out the resort,” he said.

Not so sure how keen I am about re-theming Fantasmic, which is perhaps Disney’s most iconic daily show at their parks. Expanding the presence of Star Wars to more than one area is interesting, though. Perhaps the Swiss Family Robinson Tarzan treehouse is going to be re-skinned to an Ewok theme.

Obviously here at Tosche Station, we’re keen on new Star Wars themed park developments. A few weeks ago we did a podcast on this very topic.

(Via Club Jade)

Tosche Station Radio #61: Bria’s EU Retrospective Retrospective

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Bria for a Waru Express spectacular!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Since the last episode, Bria checked in with 10 Star Wars spinoff film ideas and also reviewed Legacy #4.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci went off and saw Joss Whedon’s take on Much Ado About Nothing and read the latest installment of Overdraft by John Jackson Miller. Brian’s been reading Kenobi and applying for new jobs frantically. Bria hammered out a Crucible review and started reading A Once Crowned Sky by Tom King. She also saw Man of Steel and kicked off a Star Wars rewatch.

Deak’s Dirt starts with a bunch of Expanded Universe news. Mercy Kill is out in paperback! You should go buy a copy. Razor’s Edge’s release date has been moved up to September 24. Also, if you’re waiting for a Scoundrels paperback, that date will be November 26. Knights Archive spotted a blurb for Darth Maul: Lockdown. Help support Time Traveled Tales, with stories by Star Wars authors Aaron Allston, Mike Stackpole, Tim Zahn, and friends of the blog Bryan Young and Janine Spendlove. Finally, congratulations to George Lucas and Mellody Hobson who were married at Skywalker Ranch over the weekend.

In Camie’s Concerns, Bria joins the show for a Waru Express retrospective. Over a hundred books  and there were definitely ups and downs. Bria shares her thoughts on the highlights, lowlights, and surprises from the written side of the Star Wars universe.

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in Ask Us Anything.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Her Universe - Flaunt Your World - www.heruniverseshop.com Listen to a bestseller for $7.49 at audible.com!

Razor’s Edge gets a new release date

For those of you looking forward to this book (that includes the staff here), great news! You’re going to get it a week earlier.

George Lucas and Mellody Hobson wed over the weekend

Congratulations to George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, who got married over the weekend according to a number of friends.

 

Tosche Station Radio #60: What We Did On Our Summer Vacation

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It’s a summer vacation kickoff on this episode of Tosche Station Radio!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. There’s not much this week since much of the staff were busy traveling, but Nanci took a look at nostalgia and Star Wars.

This week’s Fixer’s Flash starts with an announcement from the hosts. They got engaged! Outside of that, Nanci and Brian both finished off Crucible and have gotten into Kenobi by John Jackson Miller. While on a trip to Seattle, they visited the Science Fiction/EMP Museum and strolled through some of the geeky exhibits on display. Somewhere in there, they also find some time to watch some Stargate. Nanci got her Geek Trivia on and Brian went and saw Man of Steel.

Deak’s Dirt starts with news out of E3 in Anaheim. Battlefront III is finally happening and it got an official preview. In television news, According to Kevin Kiner, The Clone Wars bonus content could be up to 10 episodes. Speaking of the Clone Wars, the show nabbed two Emmy wins over the weekend. In the Episode VII corner, George Lucas is upbeat about an Abrams-led Star Wars. An Episode VII cast breakdown also leaked to the web. A few weeks ago, Nanci talked about taking a survey about Star Wars and Disney World during Star Wars Weekends. Now we have two reports about the inevitable expansion of Hollywood Studios.Theme Park Insider is reporting on two different ideas for a Star Wars Land. Meanwhile, Comic Book Movie says that the Star Wars additions are few.

On this week’s Camie’s Concerns, the hosts celebrate the first day of summer by investigating some geeky vacation ideas. Specifically, the fandom-y things you can do at theme parks. Nturally, there’s discussion of what kind of Star Wras-themed attractions Disney should consider putting into their parks. But for those looking for a geeky vacation to take this summer, the hosts offer their advice on where to go and what to see.

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions from listeners in Ask Us Anything. 

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Her Universe - Flaunt Your World - www.heruniverseshop.com Listen to a bestseller for $7.49 at audible.com!

Rumor: Rebels cast skews younger

Well, not YOUNGER younger, but think teenagers. Bleeding Cool has another rumor that will interest Star Wars fans.

The title of Lucasfilm’s upcoming animated series Star Wars: Rebels is loaded with extra meaning.

Not only is the show about the formation of the Rebel Alliance, taking place in the narrative space between Episodes III and IV, the title also riffs on the main characters. I’ve learned that most of them are teenagers. Rebellious teenagers? Well, that’s the reference, at least.

Club Jade wondered if that means a young Leia in the senate or Wedge in the fledgling Rebellion might be in the works. I’ll just say both of those ideas are lovely and I hope they’re being considered.