Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
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
With the release of Sushi Girl, Entertainment Tonight caught up with Mark Hamill recently to discuss his latest film. Of course, it isn’t an interview with him unless Star Wars and, specifically, Episode VII is brought up. Is Hamill involved?
“They’re talking to us,” he reveals. “George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we’d be interested. He did say that if we didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out. … I can tell you right away that we haven’t signed any contracts. We’re in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed — on their end, not mine. They’re more busy than I am.”
And does Hamill have any inside information about the story to share with the masses?
“I probably learn more from Entertainment Tonight than I do directly from Lucasfilm – like for instance, when George told us he wanted to do the next trilogy, he didn’t tell us it was going to be done for Disney. He saved that little nugget, and I read it online like anybody else.”
Nope!
Do be sure to read the whole interview with Mark Hamill. There’s some great insight as to what he thinks the new films should be about, tonally and thematically. In a nutshell, he’d like to see things return to where they were in the Original Trilogy. More lighthearted, adventurous and hopeful.
In case you had forgotten, Jurassic Park 4 is very much a thing. Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy was knee deep in the development process for a while. Key word: was. According to Kennedy’s husband and producer Frank Marshall, she’s left the production to focus on Lucasfilm-y things.
@jackdelamare No, Ms. Kennedy has moved onto Star Wars and will not be producing JP4. She’s traded raptors for TIE fighters.
— Frank Marshall (@LeDoctor) February 17, 2013
Marvel golden boy Josh Whedon sat down with TV Line yesterday to discuss the upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D television series, explaining that it’s got a chance to be something different than what viewers are used to seeing on the airwaves these days.
I’m excited about the show because it’s a very hopeful show. It’s not about murder, and it’s not about crime, and it’s not people looking into their own belly buttons. It’s about people who are trying to help each other, and that’s one of the things I loved about comic books. They had costumes and the villains were cool [but] they stood for something, and I like doing a show that does that
As for film characters showing up the series? Well, Clark Gregg will be there, but don’t expect too much Maria Hill because her schedule will “permit very little.”
For more, head over to TV line and read their interview with Whedon.
When it comes to familiar faces and talent returning to the Star Wars universe, I could take or leave Harrison Ford. There’s really only one person I think is a requirement to return, and that’s composer John Williams. I can’t imagine the universe without his distinctive scoring touches. Thankfully, there may be some hope based on comments Williams made at a recent concert:
We’re about to play Star Wars [audience interrupts with cheers] and each time we play it, I’m reminded of the first time we played it decades ago. Neither I, nor George, nor anyone else involved thought this would go far or in a few years there would be a sequel and I’d have to revisit the themes…and years later another trilogy. Now we’re hearing of a new set of movies coming in 2015, 2016…so I need to make sure I’m still ready to go in a few years for what I hope would be continued work with George…
If he’s willing and able, it would be absolutely foolish for Abrams and Kennedy to select someone else to score the films. Here’s hoping Williams returns for one more go at the Star Wars universe.
Usual warning: there’s no grain of salt big enough for Episode VII rumors.
That out of the way, the Latino Review is reporting that Harrison Ford supposedly in agreement to don the Bloodstripes again and reprise his role as Han Solo. Perhaps a change of pace from the distancing Ford has put between himself on the character, but then again, we thought there would be no way he’d ever wear a fedora and answer to the name Indiana Jones again. It isn’t wildly out of the realm of possibility.
For what it’s worth, there were rumblings a little while back that Ford was at least interested in the idea of playing Han again.
On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Dunc from Club Jade to discuss Marvel’s new chick-lit initiative (this initiative featuring significantly less Nick Fury) and genre fiction in the Star Wars Expanded Universe!
Before diving into anything else, the hosts discuss a big change to the podcast. Tosche Station Radio is leaving the Solo Sound Network to join Majestic Giraffe productions. Don’t worry, very little will be changing! We’d like to thank Austin and the Solo Sound crew for being such a gracious home for the first year of the podcast and putting us in a position to succeed.
To kick off the festivities, Nanci highlights what’s new on the blog. Bria encountered Wraith Squadron and the Han and Leia love boat. Guess which one produced more feels, as the kids say. Brian reviewed Star Wars #2 by Brian Woods. Did he think it was an improvement?
In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci finished up John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War and started working on a pair of her own short stories. She’s also been busy outlining her next novel! Brian, on the other hand, read through a pair of comics, Star Wars #2 by Brian Woods and Avengers Assemble #12 by Kelly Sue DeConnick. He enjoyed one significantly more than the other.
This week’s Deak’s Dirt starts with news that Hasbro’s Mara Jade action figure is shifting to the black series. She’s also still wearing the catsuit. Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg discussed Episode VII and the standalone films. In literature, Harry Potter will be getting new paperback covers for the 15th anniversary. Finally, Hollywood.com gathered up a collection of Expanded Universe authors talk about the Sequel Trilogy.
For Camie’s Concerns this week, the hosts are joined by Dunc from Club Jade to discuss Marvel’s new and somewhat odd chick-lit initiative. Wise marketing, or condescending towards their female demographic? Riffing off that, the roundtable discusses genre fiction in the Expanded Universe. Would a romance book work in this universe? What about other genres?
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.
Somewhere out there is a Yoda/Yaddle shipper.
We’re going to be recording a brand-new episode of Tosche Station Radio today at 5PM Pacific time! Dunc from Club Jade will be joining us this week to discuss Marvel’s bizarre new chick lit initiative as well as genre fiction in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. You can listen live and join the chat at our Livestream channel. Do be sure to tune in, because Dunc is missing a new episode of Community and will have my head if we’re talking into the void while it’s on.
Since there is a fair chance we’ve picked up some new listeners with yesterday’s move to Majestic Giraffe Productions, you may be interested in knowing that we run a segment called Ask Us Anything where you can fire off questions at Nanci and myself and we’ll answer them. Really, anything.
So if you have questions about Marvel’s chick-lit thing, Expanded Universe genre fiction, or any geeky or fandom related topic, send them our way in the comments of this post, on our Facebook page, or hit us on Twitter.
Hollywood.com recently rounded up a collection of current Expanded Universe authors to ask them what they hope to see in the Sequel Trilogy, what EU characters they’d look to see make an appearance, and what the ultimate fate of the Big Three should be. Reading through, I was struck by Aaron Allston’s answers in particular:
What I Hope to See from Episodes VII-IX: Could I see “Screenplay by Aaron Allston”? No?
Well, barring that, I’d like to see the story move away from the Skywalkers, Solos, even the Jedi a bit, reminding us that there are other people doing important things in the galaxy. I’d like to see a greater proportion of female characters. I want to see more spectacle — Tatooine junkyards and bongo interiors aren’t exactly challenges for ILM’s skills. And I hope to see a return to the lightheartedness and humor of A New Hope, putting the fatalism of the prequels behind us.
What secondary or Expanded Universe character I’d Like to See Get the Spotlight: This kind of depends on exactly when in the timeline Episodes VII through IX take place. Timothy Zahn’s Mara Jade would always be a good choice. The next-generation Solos and Skywalkers, such as Jaina Solo and Ben Skywalker, would be welcome. If any sort of espionage is in the offing, some sort of nod to my ownWraith Squadron characters would be a thrill for me.
But what I really hope to see most is any sort of appearance by recognizable EU characters, which would be an acknowledgement that the EU is a significant part of what constitutes Star Wars.
How I Want to See Luke, Han, or Leia Die: You know, I actually don’t want to see them die in the movies, and it’s not just because of affection for the characters…
…Me, I’m all for having Luke, Leia, and Han be in a scene showing them knocking back shots of Corellian brandy while playing cards. Then the screen can go through a 1940s-style wipe and the camera can zoom in on their descendants saving the galaxy for a new generation.
Allston pretty much summed up exactly what I’d love to see in these new films as well as what I think should happen with Luke, Han, and Leia. So many people seem eager to see those characters killed off in epic fashion, but I’m a fan of the quiet retirement approach. They’ve earned their victory lap and fade to black.
His overall sentiments on the Expanded Universe I think are also important to consider. Many forget, but for a long time, that was it for Star Wars. The only new story material being produced. It attracted a passionate following and helped to rejuvenate the fandom from the doldrums of the 80s and early 90s and keep it alive during the long stretches when it seemed like Lucasfilm was done producing material. Including any EU characters is a gesture to fans, authors, and editors who helped to keep things alive.
For more from Allston as well as Christie Golden, Michael Reaves, Troy Denning, James Luceno, John Jackson Miller, Drew Karpyshyn, and Paul S. Kemp, head to the Hollywood.com interview.