Over the weekend, Nanci appeared on a bonus episode of the Wrong Opinions About Movies podcast to discuss the Big Frakking Sale and what this means for the future of Star Wars, the Expanded Universe, and Disney. You can give the show a listen here.
Rumor: Screenwriters Meeting With Lucasfilm to Pitch Episode VII Concepts
Of all the various Episode VII and Star Wars rumors that emerged over the weekend (and you can head over to Club Jade for excellent coverage on that front), only one seemed to have legs and looked plausible. According to the LA Times, several screenwriters have been in contact with George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy in order to pitch their own ideas for the new live-action films.
In the months before Disney announced it would acquire “Star Wars” studio Lucasfilm, several different screenwriters paid visits to Lucasfilm’s Northern California compound to pitch George Lucas and his co-chair Kathleen Kennedy their ideas for the new live-action installment, the series’ seventh, according to a person familiar with the talks who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about them.
Now you might be wondering, why is Lucasfilm doing this? Didn’t Lucas give Disney his story treatments as part of the sale agreement? It could be that the treatments aren’t concrete rules for what the films will be and that whoever is brought in as director and screenwriter will have some say over where the new trilogy goes. Or it could be as simple as these meetings being an audition of sorts. They’re not going to divulge the content of the treatments, so right now they just want to see if there’s a screenwriter that will mesh with what Lucasfilm has in mind.
Or maybe they’re turning the bulk of the writing over to the screenwriter.
It’s too soon to tell exactly what the motivations are, but of all the rumors lately, these meetings are definitely in the plausible-to-likely category.
(via)
Cosplay Monday: Scooby Doo!
Scooby Doo, where are you? In our Cosplay Monday post, of course! This week’s costume comes from all the way across the pond. Check out this awesome costume group from the October MCM Expo in London with Ryan as Fred, Mitch as Shaggy, Emmy as Daphne, Anna as Velma, and, of course, Scooby Doo! I’ve never seen an entire group like this before and they pulled it off so well. Plus, it looks like they had a ton of fun wearing the costumes throughout the convention. Well done to every one involved!
You can see more pictures of the group on Emmy’s Facebook page: FairyPorchQueen Cosplay. (There’s even one where they’re investigating a Jawa…)
Comic Review: Captain Marvel #1-6
Sometimes, a comic book’s first arc can take you completely by surprise because of how just gosh darn good it is. I’ll admit that I had high expectations for the first issue of Captain Marvel and was thrilled when it exceeded them and the rest of the arc kept me entertained. Since July, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artists Dexter Soy and Emma Rios have delivered a solidly good book that looks like it will thankfully be around for awhile.
The first, and one of the most important things, that Captain Marvel did was give her a new costume and have her finally take on the mantel of ‘Captain Marvel’. Both of these were excellent upgrades, no matter what naysayers might tell you. As the editor points out in the letter page of the very first issue, her iconic black leotard with a yellow lightning bolt was not exactly a costume that most fathers want their daughters wearing for Halloween. The new costume is not only reasonable but it really helps define and emphasize her new codename which Captain America himself makes an excellent argument for in the first issue.
This very first arc is a time travel one, surprisingly enough. Shortly after taking the Captain Marvel mantel, Carol is left a plane by Helen Cobb, a friend and hero with many a flying record to her name. Carol decides to take the plane up and try and replicate one of Helen’s feats but finds herself sent back in time to 1943, right in the middle of a World War II fight off the coast of Peru.
It is there that she encounters one of the best parts of this arc, a group of Women’s Air Service Pilots called Banshee Squadron. Although they aren’t around for terribly long, they back up Carol in a crazy fight and each manage to hold their own. They are fantastic characters and I certainly wouldn’t be averse to seeing them receive a miniseries in the future. Carol fights back against the Japanese along side the Banshees until the plane reappears and she finds herself moved forward in time… just not all the way. Continue reading
Jedi Prince Retrospective: Mission from Mount Yoda
A DYING PLANET.
A DESPERATE MISSION.
AND A PROPHECY OF DOOM FOR THE REBEL ALLIANCE.
Another prophecy? Oh no! (But I still can’t get over Mount Frickin’ Yoda.)
Fanwork Friday: Disney Princess Leia
Well, it was bound to happen. And this drawing of a Disney-fied Princess Leia by suburbanbeatnik, complete with blaster, is pretty awesome.
Mark Hamill Has Known About Episode VII Since August
Pablo Hidalgo wasn’t the only person who’s been keeping this bombshell a secret. According to an interview at Entertianment Weekly, Mark Hamill says he and Carrie Fisher have known that a new trilogy was coming since August.
Of course, Entertainment Weekly tried to get more out of Hamill, but he doesn’t have much information to give up:
When you had lunch with George, did he get into any details with you about where the story would go in the next three films, or whether you would have a part in them?
Well, no, he was just talking about writers and the fact that he wouldn’t be directing. I guess he wanted us to know before everybody else knew. He said, “Now you can’t tell anybody!” [Laughs] Even now I’m nervous about saying anything. I just don’t know!
Let the fan speculation continue, I suppose.
George Lucas To Put Lucasfilm Sale Bounty into Education
If you hadn’t heard, George Lucas made a little bit of money this week by selling something he’s owned for a while. Just what will he be doing with that $4.05 billion suddenly flooding his bank account? Funnel the bulk of it straight into education.
By the end of the year, the $4.05 billion sale of Lucasfilm to Disney should be finalized. And since George Lucas owns 100 percent of his company – which has little to no debt – all that money goes to him.
After that, Lucas plans to quickly put the bulk of the money into a foundation which will primarily focus on educational issues, a spokesperson for Lucasfilm tells THR.
“George Lucas has expressed his intention, in the event the deal closes, to donate the majority of the proceeds to his philanthropic endeavors.”
It’s worth noting that George Lucas was one of the first individuals to sign The Giving Pledge, which promises to give away at least half his wealth.
Thoughts on the Big Frakking News: Disney Flourishes and Just What Is Episode VII?
“Oh man the Internet is going to explode when you sign this thing, George.”
Earlier today I posted a long and rambling mess of an article looking at my thoughts and gut feelings on what the Big News means for the Expanded Universe as a whole. Originally, this post was going to be part of that article but for the sake of readability, I had to break things up. In any case, here’s the second part of me trying to figure out just what the heck all this news means and how I feel about it all.
A new movie? New ownership? What in the world does this mean for publishing contracts? Is Disney going to put a flourish on Star Wars? Head over to the jump and watch me try to process all of this.
Thoughts on the Big Frakking News: The Impact on the Expanded Universe
Well that was a terrible day to schedule a work roadtrip.
To set the stage, I was sitting in a Taco Bell yesterday grabbing a quick bite to eat when I get a text from Nanci. Actually, several texts. Here’s a screencap of how the conversation went:
We are far less wholesome people than you think we are.
I drove home and recorded a podcast in which I didn’t say a whole lot because I was still working out just how I felt about all this. Well, the next day I’m still trying to figure it out, but I think I’m getting there. Originally this post was going to be a collection of thoughts on what I think this all could mean for the franchise and the fandom, but I wound up writing about a thousand words on just the impact on the Expanded Universe. So. Introducing Part 1! How this big frakking news impacts the EU. I’ll have a post up later with a scattering of thoughts on everything else. To the jump!