Category Archives: Rumors

Episode VII News Update

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So, our Intrepid Leaders are on their honeymoon, which means the B-team is subbing in this week (we’re sorry).   Here’s what we’ve got:

J.J. posted another video for UNICEF’s Force for Change, and this time, he’s showing off an X-wing in the video.  Take a look at Mashable.com.  Personally, I’m thrilled at yet another look at practical effect props showing up here, and I’m looking forward to a comparison of this X-wing to those from the original trilogy.

Meanwhile, Badass Digest claims to have plot details for Episode VII.  I don’t think I need to note how very, very, very unconfirmed that is, but if you’re wanting to stay unspoiled, you might want to avoid, just in case.  (TOTALLY UNCONFIRMED, BY THE WAY.  And some of it doesn’t make ANY sense.  Like, at all.)

That’s the news for this morning.  Naturally, since The Intrepid Leaders are on a boat, Bria and I are expecting some sort of exciting news to drop at some point this week.  (You might remember that Brian and Nanci were on a cruise when Episode VII was announced.)  We will be exacting revenge for this later.

Report: Lucasfilm wants to push Episode VII to 2016, Disney holds firm to 2015

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star-wars-episode-vii-logoIf the Hollywood Reporter is to be believed, Lucasfilm asked Disney to push Episode VII back to 2016 in part to accommodate for the departure of screenwriter Michael Arndt. Disney’s response? Stay on target for 2015.

With the Oct. 24 exit of Star Wars: Episode VII writer Michael Arndt, the studio is under the gun to keep the film on course for a 2015 release despite a script that several insiders say isn’t close to ready.

According to those close to the project, producer Kathleen Kennedy and most of the film’s creative team have asked Disney to push the release to 2016, but studio CEO Robert Iger is adamant that Episode VII — perhaps the franchise’s most anticipated installment since 1999’s The Phantom Menace — not budge. That has created enormous pressure on all involved, with director J.J. Abrams stepping in to take over scripting duties with Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote 1980’s Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, considered the best film in the series.

According to the report, while Kennedy is lobbying for a delayed release, director and screenwriter J.J. Abrams is more in-step with Disney CEO Bob Iger on releasing the film next summer.

I know that personally, I’d be more comfortable delaying the film a year to get it as polished as possible. That said, there’s a lot of very skilled and capable people involved with Episode VII, and if any crew is going to be able to hit all the marks to get the film out two summers from now, it’s them.

Of course, remember that this is all unverified. For all we know these insiders feeding information to the Hollywood Reporter may just be latching on to the moved release date idea and rumors because Disney’s got the well-oiled Marvel machine as well. For all we know, at Disney and Lucasfilm are on the same page for a summer 2015 release.

Rumor: Ford has deal for Episode VII in exchange for progress on Indy V?

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Indiana-JonesJedi News has a new rumor over the weekend that suggests there’s a deal in place to get Harrison Ford back for Episode VII. The catch? He wanted progress to be made on a fifth Indiana Jones installment. Additionally, this rumor suggests that Ford needed to see Han Solo’s arc throughout the entire trilogy, not just Episode VII, in order to agree to reprising the role.

Harrison Ford has made no secret that he wants to don the fedora and whip again. From a fan perspective, getting Indy V out of some sort of Episode VII deal would be pretty neat.

Rebels, Live Action, and Episode VII Rumor Roundup

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rebels logoAnd here we go.

First up, the big Rebels rumor right now is that the series may have a timeline placement. Making Star Wars (via the Bleeding Cool podcast) puts it around 8 years after Revenge of the Sith. Is this true? Who knows, but perhaps clarification is coming out of New York Comic Con next week.

Meanwhile in Episode VII land, Jedi News’ insider claims that Pinewood Studios will be handing the Cinderella stages over to Lucasfilm in November.

Rounding things out, a live-action Star Wars rumbling. According to Blue Sky Disney (via Club Jade), the success of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has Disney thinking about reviving the long-in production, long-on-the-backburner live action Star Wars television series. The trick? It would have to be retooled to be less dark so it could air on ABC.

UPDATE: Apply your grains of salt, but it’s rumored today that Saoirse Ronan, Ben Kingsley, and Sullivan Stapleton have read for Episode VII parts.

Rumor: A Christmas Release Date for Episode VII?

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star-wars-episode-vii-logoFile this one under ‘Seriously?!?’ with a skeptical eyebrow raise.  Badass Digest is claiming that Episode VII will have a mid-December release date.  Forgive us if we take this with a mountain of salt grains.  We were told at D23 that Episode VII would have a ‘summer 2015’ release date which fits with the assumption that Lucasfilm will stick with May.  Plus, Celebration VII was announced for April 2015 which is another reason to not take this as likely.

Of course, like with most rumors, there’s a possibility it could happen but this it’s highly doubtful.

Rumor: Ewan McGregor Back For Episode VII?

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star-wars-episode-vii-logoSound the rumor alert again.  The Latino Review is now saying that Ewan McGregor will be back for Episode VII.  The assumption for the rumor is that he’ll be back as a Force Ghost since (spoiler alert) Obi-Wan died in A New Hope.  The rumor also says that McGregor wants his own standalone film.

As per usual, take this rumor with a grain of salt.  We already know that Ewan’s said he’d be happy to play Obi-Wan again if they ask him so it’s plausible but this is a looooong way from confirmed.  However, like others, I don’t think we’d have any objections to an adaptation of Kenobi or a standalone film in general for Obi-Wan.  But until it’s on StarWars.com, it’s just a rumor.

(via ClubJade)

Rumor: Episode VII Filming In August?

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star-wars-episode-vii-logo

UPDATE: Turns out the title of this article is, in fact, a rumor.  A Lucasfilm spokesperson told Big Shiny Robot that Kathleen Kennedy as said that “Nothing has changed” and Episode VII will still begin shooting in 2014.  There was no comment on the codename.

Our friends over at Jedi News have a report up saying that a trusted source has told them that a deal has been struck to use Pinewood Studios in England for filming for the next ten years.

To quote their report:

Further to this we understand that the film has been in pre-production at Pinewood Studios for three and a half months in advance of an August 2013 shooting date. We hear they have block booked the studios for 10 years and that construction of offices and facilities on-site is underway. Also storage space is being located in the local area.

There’s also a mention in the report that Episode VII could be filming under the fake name of ‘Foodles Productions Ltd’.

As always, this is an unconfirmed rumor so take it with a grain of salt until we hear something official from Lucasfilm.

More Episode VII News and Rumors

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Star_Wars_logoThis weekend brought us more in the way of Episode VII news and rumors so here are a few pieces of news you might’ve missed.

First, Episode VII has a costume designer and it is not Trisha Biggar who worked on the Prequel Trilogy.  (Farewell gorgeous and elaborate dresses!)  Michael Kaplan confirmed with Clothes On Film that he will be the costume designer for Episode VII.  Kaplan has previously worked with JJ Abrams, mostly recently for Star Trek: Into Darkness, and is considered to be a regular collaborator with the director.

Next, we turn to the land of rumors.  According to Latino Review, actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) is supposedly in the running for a part in Episode VII.  The report does not specify what staring role Rhys Meyers could be up for and only that he is supposedly in talks.  Rhys Meyers is best known for playing Henry VIII on Showtime’s The Tudors and will be in the forthcoming Dracula show this fall.  As with all rumors, we’d like to remind you that this is not confirmed and should not be treated as fact.
(via Club Jade)

Finally, although Kathleen Kennedy has said that Episode VII won’t be surrounded with the same sort of secrecy that Star Trek: Into Darkness was, producer Bryan Burk’s comments in an interview with /Film indicate that there still might be a fair amount of secrecy:

I guess what I’m saying is it’s always that balance. It’s a hard thing. If I were to right now tell you all of the things that were going to happen in Star Wars in detail, the left side of your brain would say  ’Awesome,’ you guys would have this exclusive and know all of this stuff. But the right side is going to sit down one day and see the movie for the first time and you’d have all of that kind of spoiled, so it’s that balance of wanting to know everything and not wanting to know everything at the same time.

It’s like a magic trick and there’s nobody who wants to know how all of the magic tricks are done more than me. Then the second I learn how they are done, it’s like “Oh” and it kind of goes away.

So we might all be playing the ‘wait and see’ game in regards to spoilers or facts about Episode VII.  You can read the rest of Burk’s comments along with Damon Lindelof’s at the linked interview above.

Spoilers: Star Trek Into Darkness Brings Back Some Old Enemies

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SPOILER WARNING: The link below and the text beneath the jump contains spoilers for the upcoming film Star Trek Into Darkness.

Yahoo! is at it again, and it turns out that the new Star Trek film is going to be featuring some familiar faces–and no, we’re not talking about who Benedict Cumberbatch is playing, either.

Spoilers after the jump! Continue reading →

Rumor/Spoiler: EW accidentally leaks Star Trek 2 villain identity?

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Benedict-Cumberbatch-Star-Trek-Into-DarknessBelieve it or not, it’s a rumor that has nothing to do with Star Wars. We’ve all been wondering for months now, with breath just a little more baited after the Super Bowl teaser trailer…just who is Benedict Cumberbatch playing in Star Trek: Into Darkness?

Well, it turns out that Entertainment Weekly may have just accidentally let this carefully kept cat right out of the bag. According to The Atlantic Wire, as EW was working on updating their back issue pages, someone put a descriptor on the page.

So who is it? We won’t say right here, but if you’re ready for the big reveal, there be spoilers after the jump.

Continue reading →