Snyder Rep Denies Stand-Alone Star Wars Film Rumor

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Yesterday, Vulture reported that 300 director Zack Snyder was in the running to get a stand-alone Star Wars film that would be based on the classic Seven Samurai.  A short while later, a Snyder rep got on the phone with The Hollywood Reporter and shot those rumors down.

But in an exclusive statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder’s spokesperson says: “While he is super-flattered because he is a huge fan, Zack is not involved in any way with the new Star Wars. He is currently in post on his two films, Man of Steel and 300: Battle of Artemisia.”

That means no Episode VII, VIII or IX and no offshoot movies, the rep confirms.

Well there you go. And as always, this is a reminder that until it comes from Lucasfilm itself, it’s just a rumor. Not confirmed. Just. A. Rumor.

EU Retrospective: Return of the Jedi

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I’ve finally made it through the Battle of Endor.  The Emperor is dead, the Rebels have won, huzzah!  (Cue everyone who knows otherwise laughing hysterically.)  Cue me also laughing hysterically because even though I’ve read through thousands of chronological years in the Expanded Universe, I’ve still only read 45 out of 130 books on my list.  Send help.  Please?

Tales of the Bounty Hunters
“Bounty Hunters.  We don’t need that scum.”  WELL SAID ADMIRAL PIETT.

Okay, okay, I jest.  Mostly.  This book is actually something that I would like to see more of in the Expanded Universe albeit with different characters and I’m thrilled we’ll be getting it with the digital novellas.  It’s five stories of about 70 pages each and they are essentially character studies for each bounty hunter.  If we could get these about members of Rogue and Wraith Squadron, I’ll be happy.  (Have you figured out my preferred characters yet?  If you have, you’ve probably also figured out my cunning plan to talk about my desire for more Rogue/Wraith short stories until Del Rey notices.)

The stories themselves are fine, I guess?  None of them really thrilled me but then again, I don’t really care about most bounty hunter characters.  I do, however, want to know if there are any other smugglers in the galaxy aside from Han Solo and Han Solo Light/Dash Rendar because the books I’ve been reading lately make it seem like there aren’t.  But there really should be because I’m really not sure how Han had enough time to do all the things he’s supposedly done and tick off all the people he supposedly has.

I think my favorite of the stories was probably the one with Bossk although Zuckuss’s does get bonus points for using Toryn Farr.  Boba Fett’s story amused me because it spends a solid couple of pages on Han Solo trying to figure out the best way to cause trouble and get thrown in jail for a few days because he’s bored.  (Let’s have a moment of silence for all the previously canon material about him that got blasted to smithereens by Attack of the Clones though.  Honestly, I’m more amused by how he was written here than anything else.)  Nothing else about these really stands out to me though.  Except that Dengar is just… sad.  In multiple meanings of the word.

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Rumor: Zack Snyder Working on Stand-Alone Star Wars Film?

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Well this is certainly something. Zack Snyder, who supposedly wasn’t in on a Sequel Trilogy film, is now rumored to be in on a parallel stand-alone Star Wars film. Vulture has the details.

Vulture has learned that while this may be specifically true — he won’t be doing Episode VII— it was a bit of misdirection: He is in fact developing a Star Wars project for Lucasfilm that is set within the series’ galaxy, though parallel to the next trilogy. It will be an as-yet-untitled Jedi epic loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai, with the ronin and katana being replaced by the Force-wielding knights and their iconic lightsabers.

It’s not clear just where Snyder’s untitled Jedi film would fall within the Star Wars chronology, but one insider expects it will not be considered part of the “numbered” episodes, but rather a stand-alone film set sometime post–Episode VI events, meaning the next phase of the franchise development is much broader than previously thought.

Just remember, everything you hear is a rumor until Lucasfilm announces it. Repeat after me: It’s not confirmed until Lucasfilm confirms it.

Cosplay Monday: Darth Traya

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It’s Cosplay Monday again, aka the post we fill with a cool costume every week to try and make your Monday morning more bearable.

This week, we’re spotlighting an awesome costume from the Knights of the Old Republic video games.  Check out DarthCuddle‘s costume of Darth Traya, aka Kreia from Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords!    Not only is it a cool looking costume that you don’t see very often but she looks amazing!  I’m especially impressed by the work she put into the headdress.

Kreia2 Kreia1

A Memoir of Light

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The Wheel of Time.  I know, with that one title, some of you are completely uninterested in this post now.  Please, bear with me, this is not what you think.  After I finished A Memory of Light this week, I was thinking about the story and how I would write a review of this book.  I was trying to consider how much I could talk about it.  I was concerned about spoiling elements of past books.  I was worried about the overall length of the book.

Mostly, though, I worried that I am not up to the task of writing this review.  I am not a book critic, I play one on the internet.  I write about genre fiction contained in a fairly narrow field.  This book is something that you could easily label as being literature.  Emily would jump on me about that statement.  Really, all books should be considered some form of literature, even if you don’t think it adds anything to the culture.  To me, though, this is a book that talks about a lot, and one of the things that this book in particular added to the series’ themes, the human condition.

That’s as much as I’m going to say about the plot of this, the last book of the Wheel of Time.

What I am going to talk about is my experience with this series.

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Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ Series not Dead yet

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While we were off podcasting last night, word dropped from Entertainment Weekly that Disney was looking at the live-action Star Wars series Lucasfilm has been working on for the last several years.

ABC entertainment president Paul Lee says he’s going to take a look at the long-gestating Star Wars live-action TV series now that the Disney deal to acquire Lucasfilm is complete.

“We’d love to do something with Lucasfilm, we’re not sure what yet,” Lee exclusively told EW. “We haven’t even sat down with them. We’re going to look at [the live-action series], we’re going to look at all of them, and see what’s right. We weren’t able to discuss this with them until [the acquisition] closed and it just closed. It’s definitely going to be part of the conversation.”

Also of note? Apparently Battlestar Galactica’s Ron Moore has been involved with the series.

Even many working in Hollywood don’t realize a live-action Star Wars TV series has been sitting on the shelf the past few years. The project was commissioned by longtime Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum, who enlisted writers such as Battlestar Galactica‘s Ron Moore and swore them to NDA secrecy on the plot details (more on the show’s storyline below). Fifty scripts were written. McCallum once called the scripts the most “provocative, bold and daring material that we’ve ever done.”

Now, it should be noted that while ABC is looking into the possibility of a live-action Star Wars TV series to go along with their Whedon-produced S.H.I.E.L.D series, it doesn’t mean the show would necessarily be the McCallum project. Right now it’s just one possibility on the table for Disney if they wish to put Star Wars on TV for a more adult audience.

Tosche Station Radio #41: Gender Stereotyping

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, Nanci and Brian take issue with gender stereotyping in fandom and science fiction.

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s new on the blogside. Nanci explained why she likes sci-fi even though she’s a woman. She also pontificated about why she doesn’t like long books. Meanwhile, Brian reviewed the new Star Wars #1. The hosts take a few minutes to discuss the new comic before moving into …

Fixer’s Flash, where this week, Nanci’s kept busy reading Scoundrels and waiting to hear back from publishers. Both she and Brian enjoyed the return of Once Upon a Time and went down memory lane to re-watch the X-Files pilot episode.

In Deak’s Dirt, things kick off with word that there’s a new Star Wars EU book coming. Zahn talks Scoundrels on the Official Blog. There’s also a new audiobook clip, if that’s your thing.  Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that theSequel Trilogy might feature a female lead.The Oscar nominations are out. How did our favorite genre entertainment fare? (Spoilers: not very well)

This week’s Camie’s Concerns looks into an article Nanci wrote earlier this week looking at gender stereotypes (and why they suck). Nanci responds to a Damon Lindelof (Star Trek 2009) quote and the hosts delve into why assuming women aren’t into science fiction is condescending. The hosts also discuss what really can be done to draw a bigger female audience without coming off as disparaging and out-of-touch.

Finally, the hosts wrap up the show by fielding questions from listeners in our Ask Us Anything segment.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of the Solo Sound network. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store or the Xbox Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook, Google+, 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.

EU Retrospective: The Empire Strikes Back

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Remember everything I said about dropping Shadow Games from the list?  Yeah, scratch that.  It arrived the day after New Year’s so I felt obliged to read it anyways.  Sorry, New Rebellion.  This retrospective is like fashion: one day you’re in and the next day you’re out.  But it’s okay because I’ve had A Very Zahn New Year which is making this go much faster.  Except for the part where I drank my way through a certain book.  That’s right, folks, you get another spam of my face via reaction pictures.

Shadow Games
When I first picked up this book, I was relieved to find out that it wasn’t about Jax.  No offense, buddy, but I just didn’t want to read about you again this soon.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I really care about Dash Rendar either.  Seriously though: it’s been awhile since I’ve read the books in this era.  Am I supposed to care about him beyond this rivalry with Han Solo?  I’m sure I’m forgetting something about him besides a tragic history.

Allow me to sum up the plot of this book for you: Lies, lies, lies, “I ain’t in this for your revolution, sister”, “I expect to be well paid”, and “Well, you’re pretty.”  Okay, it’s not a bad book and once I finally got myself to sit down and read it, it was fairly entertaining.  Unfortunately, it felt a little too much like I was reading an AU version of Han and Leia.  (Seriously though: I bet there’s a fanfic out there where Leia’s a popstar and Han is her bodyguard.)  Dash is going to be so offended when I call him a poor man’s Han Solo but oh well.  Like I said, the story was interesting enough but wow did all the levels of “Okay, so what I told you before was a lie” get to be a bit much at times.  Javul’s lucky she managed to stay alive with basically the entire galaxy after her.

I did like the droid though.  He was snarky and entertaining.  Leebo, you and your pet Mouse Droid can stay.

(In all fairness, my general exasperation with the book and with how much I’m looking forward to taking a break could be unfairly coloring my opinion here so take it with a grain of salt.)

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Bioware’s David Gaider Discusses Fandom, Toxic Enviornments, and Fan Entitlement

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Fandom is simultaneously a wonderful and horrid thing.

One person exposed to both sides of the coin is David Gaider, the lead writer on Bioware’s Dragon Age video game series. For a bit of background, Bioware has what the call the Bioware Social Network, an online community of forums for gamers to troubleshoot technical issues, seek out gameplay help, and offer feedback to the writers and developers.

Over the last few years, however, the feedback portion of BSN in particular has become an increasingly hostile and toxic environment. Worse, it started taking its toll on Gaider.

I tend to largely avoid [BSN] these days, myself. Why? Because spending too much time there starts to make me feel negative— not just about the games we make, but about myself and life in general. That’s not a good feeling to have. I’m sure there are folks there who would bristle at that comment, suggesting that all negative feedback is justifiable and that ignoring it is the equivalent of us sticking our heads in the sand. How will we ever improve unless we listen to their scolding and take our lumps like good little developers? That is, of course, ignoring the idea that we haven’t already digested a mountain of feedback— both positive and negative— and there’s really only so much of it you can take. Eventually you make decisions (informed by that feedback, though only in part— it can only ever be in part) and move on.

And I’m sure there are also people there who would say that there’s plenty of useful, thoughtful feedback. Not all of it consists of angry ranting. You can, in fact, meet and talk to some very keen and intelligent posters. And that’s very true. If it weren’t true, I wouldn’t go there at all. Yet the signal-to-noise ratio does seem to be worsening, and eventually you get the feeling like you’re at one of those parties where all anyone is doing is bitching. It doesn’t matter what they’re bitching about so much as, sooner or later, that’s all you can really hear. Engaging starts to mean partaking in the bitching until you feel like that’s all you’re doing. Even when I try to rise above, those who are most negative will seek me out in order to get a rise out of me— and not unsuccessfully. I am only human, and I’ll end up responding to score points just as they do, and end up feeling shitty for having done so.

I imagine that can happen to any online community. Eventually the polite, reasonable folks stop feeling like it’s a group of people they want to hang around. So they leave, and those who remain start to see only those who agree with them— and, because that’s all they see, they think that’s all there is. Everyone feels as they do, according to them. Once the tipping point is passed, you’re left with the extremes… those who hate, and those who dislike the haters enough to endure the toxic atmosphere to try and combat them. Each clash between those groups drives more of the others away.

The whole post is a fascinating read. Head over to David Gaider’s Tumblr to read the rest.

Spielberg’s ‘Robopocalypse’ Indefinitely Postponed

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A while back we heard word of an interesting looking project Steven Spielberg had attached himself to: Robopocalypse. Based on a novel by Daniel H. Wilson, it looked to be your usual tale of Robots turning against humanity (when will we ever learn?). The interesting twist was who was attached to it. Drew Goddard of Cloverfield and Cabin in the Woods writing fame, Anne Hathaway, and Chris Hemsworth were either slated or rumored to be part of the film in some capacity.

Originally the film was set for an April 2014 release. Now? Well, it’s future just got a whole lot murkier.

Spielberg has indicated boredom with action films in some recent interviews, and though no explanation was offered for the delay, aside from a statement from Spielberg’s rep that it wasn’t ready and was too expensive to move forward without a polished script, the Lincolnfilmmaker may simply not be as enamored with the brutal extinction story as he once was.

DreamWorks purchased the rights to Daniel H. Wilson’s novel well before it was published in June 2011.

It was originally set to be ready for this July, but last May 20th Century Fox (which is co-financing the film with DreamWorks, and Disney’s Touchstone distributing) announced it would be pushed to April 2014.

Now …? It’s a question of when the robot revolution will take place, but if.

Of course, this naturally sparked some conversation on Twitter as to whether this postponement means Spielberg is switching his focus to another science fiction project. Episode VII, perhaps? I very much doubt it. Spielberg has expressed multiple times that he’s not keen on taking the helm of his friend George’s property.

Postponement of Robopocalypse or not, Spielberg’s probably not directing Episode VII.

(h/t Scott Hume on Twitter)