Report: The Clone Wars bonus content to be two arcs, layoffs at Lucasfilm Animation

tcw_s5logo_smFans are still reeling from the sudden winding-down of The Clone Wars. Over the weekend there was a Save The Clone Wars protest on Twitter that garnered nearly 7,000 tweets aimed at Disney to get them to reconsider their plans on ending the popular animated series. Fan sentiment is there for more TCW material, but the question is how much will fans get? Lucasfilm promised that bonus content would be released, so at the very least fans would get something more than the season five finale. According to TFN, it sounds like  there will be two additional arcs.

A source in the know tells me that Lucasfilm is only finishing two story arcs from the material that they had planned for The Clone Wars Season Six. Among the story arcs that will not emerge in this post-cancellation era is one that dealt with Boba Fett and the other bounty hunters who have menaced the heroes for several seasons. This story arc, which my source tells me was almost done, would have shown us the fates of Cad Bane and Aurra Sing.

Based on this report and the mere fact this material is being called “bonus content,” I doubt that there’s going to be much in the way of meaningful conclusions for lingering questions in this era. At least in an animated format, anyway. This could be an area where the Expanded Universe comes in to fill the void, either in comic or written form.

Additionally, it appears that layoffs occurred at Lucasfilm Animation last Friday. While it’s not unusual for an animation studio to experience layoffs after the conclusion of a project, it’s still a disappointment to fans and the employees involved. With any luck, they’ll be able to land work quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney proper comes calling for their services when it’s time to escalate work on the next Star Wars animated series.

New Her Universe Clothing Coming in May, Available for Star Wars Weekends

Over the weekend, Ashley Eckstein was at the Orlando Science Center to talk Star Wars, The Clone Wars, and Her Universe. During the proceedings, she also had some details of new Her Universe releases to share. Luckily for us, Nanci was at the event to record the details.

She also debuted a new Padme tee featuring artwork by Tsuneo Sanda.

New Padme Shirt

Also of note from Nanci, the Rogue Squadron tank/dress and the new Padme tee will be available at Star Wars Weekends. The new Clone Wars shirt that had been shown off earlier won’t be ready quite yet.

Harrison Ford thinks his return to Star Wars is “going to happen”

Harrison FordAs always, it’s not confirmed until Lucasfilm says it’s confirmed.

Chicago’s WGN TV met up with Harrison Ford yesterday and, as every media outlet seems  to be doing, asked him if he’s going to be involved with Episode VII and the Sequel Trilogy. Long story short? He said nothing is finalized but he’s pretty confident it’s going to happen.

Tosche Station Radio #50: Holy Frak 50!?

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Hands up if you saw the show getting to fifty episodes. Liars. We sure didn’t.

On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are running without show notes to discuss MegaCon, other conventions, and a look back at fifty episodes of the podcast that probably shouldn’t have lasted five. The notes are brief, because the hosts were flying on the seat of their pants. What better way to commemorate the milestone than with an episode that’s as disjointed and unprofessional as the first?

Both Brian and Nanci sincerely thank all of you for listening to the show and sticking with us for over a year. The first fifty episodes have been a blast and we hope the next fifty are even more enjoyable.

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!

Tosche Station Radio #49: Ended, The Clone Wars Have

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined friend of the show Grace to discuss The Clone Wars and fandom!

Kicking things off, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. The Waru Express visits the Hand of Thrawn, Scourge, and Survivor’s Quest. Next stop, Young Jedi Knights! The staff posted their list of the 15 Best Things in the Expanded Universe. Meanwhile, Brian offered his thoughts on the (at the time) possible end of The Clone Wars.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s kept herself busy by writing and submitting a short story. Brian attempted (but failed) to take advantage of getting a bunch of Marvel #1 issues from ComiXology. When the promotion does come back, he thinks readers should take advantage of it to pick up Hawkeye and Captain Marvel. He’s also getting set to fly across the country to Orlando. Why? Both Brian and Nanci are going to be at MegaCon on Saturday! If you’re going to be there, flag down the hosts for some nifty Tosche Station swag.

Deak’s Dirt kicks off with the Lucasfilm sale being profiled in Bloomberg Businessweek. The takeaway? George Lucas blabbed and said Lucasfilm and Hamill, Fisher, and Ford were in final talks to reprise their roles in the Sequel Trilogy. Unfortunately, Disney’s Bob Iger says nothing is confirmed but talks have taken place. Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing trailer and both of the hosts are very excited for a new take on Shakespeare. In further Episode VII news, Billy Dee Williams is rumored to have been approached to reprise his role as Lando. Finally in less-than-happy news, it was announced that there would be a new direction for Lucasfilm Animation. This means that The Clone Wars would be winding down and Detours has been indefinitely postponed. On the significantly more positive side, Lucasfilm did confirm that there will be a new animated series in a new era.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, Brian and Nanci are joined by friend of the show Grace for a discussion covering Star Wars, fandom, and most importantly this week, The Clone Wars. The crew take a look back at Season Five and the series as a whole.

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in our Ask us Anything segment.

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!

Joss Whedon discusses what he’d like to see in new Star Wars films

I meant to blog this on Monday but, well, things happened.

Digital Spy sat down with Joss Whedon over the weekend to chat about, among other things, what he’d like to see in a standalone Star Wars film if he were hypothetically given the opportunity to direct one.* Long story short? He wouldn’t bring back the original characters for them and would move in a new and fresh direction.

*Could you imagine the fandom’s reaction to that? 

Bob Iger says no Decision Made on Original Trilogy Actors Yet

Disney CEO Bob Iger sat down again with CNBC today to discuss the state of Disney. As these interviews seem to go, he was asked point blank about whether the Original Trilogy actors would be making a return to the new films.

But fans won’t know whether the old cast will make an appearance in the new movies. “George Lucas was quoted as saying they would, but we haven’t made an official announcement yet,” Iger said.

The takeaway from Iger in the video in the CNBC link is that there have been discussions with the actors, but everything is going to hinge on Michael Arndt’s script. Until that script is finished, no one will know for sure what the extent of the OT actors involvement with the new films will be.