Tag Archives: Dave Filoni

Holonet Blast #18

Posted on by

Hello again, friends! By the time you are reading this I will be playing a new video game. This has nothing to do with anything, I’m just really excited to start Zero Horizon Dawn. Ready to feel emotions now? On to the news!

This week we had a few confirmations regarding Operation: Blue Milk stories. On Wednesday, author Cavan Scott announced in his newsletter that his story in A Certain Point of View is from the point of view of Obi-Wan Kenobi. More specifically, it is called “Time of Death” and focus on Obi-Wan’s….time of death. “You know how they say your life flashes in front of your eyes when you die? Well, now imagine what would be like for a Jedi.” Yikes, my emotions.

It was also confirmed that Nnedi Okorafor’s story is about the Dianoga (why is this story not in my eyeballs right this moment, it will be so fantastic, Okorafor writing the Dianoga is everything I’ve ever needed in life) and Meg Cabot’s story will focus on Aunt Beru and oh, look, my emotions hurt again.

Speaking of emotions hurting, Dave Filoni. Oh, Dave Filoni. On Thursday he tweeted a piece of art and a snippet of dialogue of Ahsoka meeting the Bendu before the season 2 finale of Rebels. In the words of Darth Bria the Wise regarding this, “Not news news: Dave Filoni hates your emotions.”

And finally, in some clarification news, the Forces of Destiny episodes (which finished premiering this morning) will be a TV special in the fall. Lucasfilm’s Tracy Cannobbio also clarified earlier that the episodes will be airing on the Disney Channel two at a time starting yesterday through July 30th. So if you want to see them on TV, watch the Disney Channel during prime time on Sunday night.

SDCC 2014: Rebels and Books

Posted on by

Two days down of San Diego Comic-Con and we’re already rolling in Star Wars news.  Well sort of.

Last night was the Rebels panel that featured the main cast along with Dave Filoni.  You can read StarWars.com’s liveblog of the event here.  While we didn’t get the official release date for Rebels (groan!), we did learn a few things.  The cast agrees that Vanessa Marshall is the biggest Star Wars fan out of all of them although apparently Freddie Prinze Jr. makes all the Force motions while recording.  The show will definitely be embracing the idea of this crew as a family and bringing in some comedy; both concepts they’re taking from the Original Trilogy.  Another point of note from the panel is that Filoni made mention of establishing a hierarchy of villains so if Darth Vader shows up, people should definitely be running.  Also, Rebels will be much more of a contained story than the Clone Wars as they won’t be jumping from character to character and creating new locations each week.

In addition to showing several clips from the show, they also debuted a second brand new trailer which you can watch below.

The Star Wars Books panel just wrapped up and needless to say, the highlight was the new book announcement.  Christie Golden will be penning a novel about Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos.  The book is due out in Summer 2015 and is taken from a plot line for the intended Season 7 of The Clone Wars.

asajj vos

As for the rest of the panel, it was moderated by Vanessa Marshall and there was a lot of discussion about John Jackson Miller’s forthcoming A New Dawn.  Vanessa has apparently read the book already and said it gave her a lot of insight into Hera.  Tarkin will be, as expected, akin to James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis and will take place very close to Revenge of the Sith.  Heir to the Jedi was described as a character study of Luke Skywalker and Lords of the Sith was dubbed “kind of a Vader/Palpatine road trip novel” by Jen Heddle.  You can read the rest of the live blog of the panel by the main site here.  I’d particularly suggest that readers take note of their comments about the newly minted Legends books.

If you’re looking for comic news though… well that’ll be dropping tomorrow during Marvel’s Cup of Joe Panel.  You’ve been warned.

Introducing Chopper: The Grumpy Astromech from Rebels

Posted on by

How about a bit of behind the scenes material from Star Wars: Rebels? Meet Chopper, the grumpy astromech.

In Star Wars, droids are always eager to help out their human masters, drop whatever it is they’re doing when called upon, and sometimes even sacrifice themselves to save others. Right?

Not quite. Introducing Chopper, a lazy, cranky (if ultimately goodhearted) astromech droid, and the latest character revealed from the highly anticipated Star Wars Rebels animated series. “If Artoo is the family dog,” said Dave Filoni, executive producer of the show, “Chopper is the cat.” Chopper is an essential crew member of the Ghost, tasked with keeping the starship running and operable for its band of heroes. In reality, thanks to his many “unique” upgrades and customizations, no other alien, human, or droid could handle the job.

Remaining Clone Wars content targeted for early 2014

Posted on by

tcw_s5logo_smAccording to former Clone Wars showrunner Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm is targeting early 2014 for the release of the show’s remaining bonus content.

Star Wars fans – I have some exciting news! We have wrapped production on all of the remaining Star Wars: The Clone Wars episodes, and while that might be sad news in one way, it’s good news in another. It means you will finally get to see them. When, exactly, is a detail I cannot yet share. I can confirm that in early 2014 you will be watching the final episodes of The Clone Wars, including one of Master Yoda’s most challenging missions. So, get ready. We’ve got Clone Wars and Rebels coming at you in 2014. Animated Star Wars is alive and well. Trust in the Force my friends.
– Dave

Still no word on exactly how this content will be released (As Club Jade reminds us, Pablo Hidalgo said Lucasfilm was looking at “out-of-the-box” ideas for distribution at D23), but at least there’s a window to look forward to. The content will get out there, it’ll just take a little bit more patience.

Star Wars Rebels Gets A Logo

Posted on by

rebels logoDave Filoni took the stage this morning at Celebration Europe to talk about the new forthcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels.  Although there was no trailer since nothing’s been animated yet, the official logo for the show was revealed, as seen to the right.

He also said that the new show be very different visually from The Clone Wars and that the artistic influences of Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art will definitely be evident.  Said Filoni, “We wanted to create a look for this part of Star Wars that precedes A New Hope by just a little bit.” and “We have created a set of digital brushes that replicate McQuarrie’s style…We’re going for something that’s much more an illustrative look.”  They’re hoping to try and match the look of the Original Trilogy.

Most of what Filoni showed was concept art for the new show and the artwork included a brand new ship that will be central to the main character of the show- the Ghost.

You can read a liveblog of the entire panel by the official site here.

Coming Fall 2014: Star Wars Rebels!

Posted on by

Dave Filoni’s been teasing us for days now with his mentions of TIE Fighters and now it’s confirmed.  A new animated series, Star Wars Rebels, is coming to the Disney Channel in Fall 2014!

The action-filled series is set between the events of Episode III and IV — an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. Star Wars Rebels takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape. Details about the show are a closely guarded secret at this point.

Many of those involved with producing The Clone Wars will also be involved with this new show.  Simon Kinberg, Dave Filoni, and Greg Weisman will all serve as Executive Producers for the new show.  Celebration Europe attendees will be the first to get a look at Rebels.

You can read the complete press release over at the official site: StarWars.com

One bonus content ‘Clone Wars’ arc features Plo Koon and the mystery of Syfo-Dias

Posted on by

tcw_s5logo_smOver at USA Today, Dave Filoni discussed some of the remaining Clone Wars bonus content.

One of the arcs stars Jedi Master Plo Koon (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), who finds a lost lightsaber while on a mission on a sandstorm-laden planet with a platoon of clone troopers. It’s the beginning of a mystery, and one that will make the Jedi question their role in the Clone Wars and the universe itself, according to Filoni.

“The Jedi have been fighting a war with an army that was commissioned by one of their own, Jedi Master Syfo-Dias,” he says. “But who was Syfo-Dias, and what happened to him? The dark lord of the Sith has woven an intricate web to ensnare the Jedi, but it is not full-proof and sometimes a small clue, and a bit of chance, can lead to the unraveling of the best-laid plans.”

No word yet on when or where the content will air. If I had to guess, it will be a direct-to-DVD arrangement.

Dave Filoni Involved With New Star Wars Cartoon

Posted on by

FiloniIGN has a recap from Dave Filoni’s sit down with Rebel Forces Radio yesterday. Among the highlights? He’s apparently involved in the early processes of a new Star Wars cartoon.

“At this point, I am involved in some early production discussions and exploration of what we’ll be doing with Star Wars animation in the future, which is really exciting for me and I have some friendly faces around me, of course, that are helping me on the project. So it’s a transition time, as I’ve said before, and I think it will lead to an exciting time and hopefully I’ll see things grow again.”

What is this new cartoon? New idea yet, but I kind of figured this would happen. Lucasfilm Animation was somewhat of a redundant department after the Disney acquisition, because if Disney has anything, it’s a world-class animation shop. That said, even if Lucasfilm Animation were to shut down or downsize, Disney is smart enough to pick off that talent and retain them for future projects. Don’t be surprised if not only Dave Filoni but the bulk of his creative crew find their way to this new project.

It’s also worth noting that Lucasfilm isn’t the only company experiencing downsizing in their visual effects and animation departments. Over in the comments at Club Jade, Pablo Hidalgo pointed out that Tippett Studios and numerous other VFX shops were experiencing layoffs. The downsizing at Lucasfilm Animation might have less to do with Disney and more to do with a changing entertainment landscape.

Celebration VI Coverage: Joel Aron and Dave Filoni Q&A and SUDDENLY GEORGE LUCAS

Posted on by

We’re kicking off the third day of Celebration VI with the anticipated Joel Aron and Dave FiloniClone Wars Q&A. Lots of new clips and details about Season Five were revealed, some of which might be considered spoiler-y. Also, there was a surprise guest. To the cut!

Continue reading →