Episode VII News Update

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Emily

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.

Tosche Station Radio #88: Han Solo’s From Corellia

Posted on July 11, 2014 by admin

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This week in Tosche Station Radio we go back to a favorite standby: canon, continuity, and worldbuilding.

Not a whole lot of new original content on the blog this week, but Bria did review Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows.

In Fixer’s Flash, it’s been a whole lot of TV and movies. A trip to the Kennedy Space Center occurred, and Nanci started reading The Serpent’s Head by Bryan Young.

Deak’s Dirt starts with Episode VII news. Crystal Clarke and Pip Anderson have been cast. They came from the open call and seem to be the roles of “Rachel” and “Thomas.” Bad Robot reports via Twitter that Episode VII will be filmed in IMAX and post-converted to 3D. In Rebels news, Lucasfilm has confirmed that David Oyelowo will be voicing Agent Kallus. Starwars.com also posted a video chronicling the genesis of the real life Chopper the droid. Rebels will be featured at SDCC, including Dave Filoni and the entire voice cast. There will also be collecting panels, a Hasbro panel, A New Dawn panel, among others. Speaking of A New Dawn, Star Wars Books has posted the dust jacket. Mike Cooper transcribes the blurb. Finally, Amazon will be releasing 2014 Star Wars literature sampler on July 15. Will feature samples from the four upcoming releases, A New Dawn, Tarkin, Heir to the Jedi, and Lords of the SIth

This week in Bigg’s Bull$#!% kicks off with even more Episode VII release date speculation. Dunc from Club Jade has an insightful analysis on why pushing back the release date might be wise. Is Pip Anderson the new Ray Park? Who knows!

Camie’s Concerns dives into continuity and canon. What are the problems that come when you blindly wipe away world building? What should stay, what should go, and what are the consequences to changing the background?

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.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Tosche Station Radio #87: Fording the Ramp

Posted on June 28, 2014 by admin

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Star Wars Weekends, conventions, and broken Harrison Ford appendages are on the docket for this all new Tosche Station Radio.

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight What’s New on the Blog. Bria reviewed Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #2, Legacy #16, and Rebel Heist #3. Emily reviewed Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #6. Conventions 101 by Bria. We didn’t make this, but we loved it so much we had to talk about it: Guardians of a Galaxy Far, Far Away.

In Fixer’s Flash, the hosts kept busy with Star Wars Weekends and a healthy dose of Steve Blum and Mark Hamill. They also went and saw X-Men: Days of Future Past and found some time to culture themselves with Into the Woods. Of course, it’s World Cup Mania so soccer has gotten into the mix as well.

Deak’s Dirt starts with Her Universe debuting a new Marvel line and Transformers products. Congrats to the Star Wars Insider on celebrating 150 issues! Congrats are also in order to Club Jade, which celebrated its 10 year blogoversary this month. George Lucas museum is heading to Chicago. ABattlefront trailer shown at E3. Shuffling release dates: Heir to the Jedi coming on February 17, Lords of the Sith coming on April 21. Josh Trank to direct second standalone film. Rian Johnson to direct Episode VIII, pen a treatment for Episode IX.

In Biggs’ Bull$#!%, there are more rumors about plot. Most importantly, it’s the ongoing Saga of Harrison Ford’s Broken Appendage. First he broke his ankle. Lucasfilm confirmed and said shooting will continue while he recuperates. Then his publicist said he broke his leg and had surgery. Despite previous reports, the accident involved a door, not the Millennium Falcon ramp. Lucasfilm is still staying mum on the story. The latest rumor is that Ford’s recovery will take 6 months, shooting is being rescheduled, and the Episode VII release date will be moved. Lucasfilm has told TFN that there will be no delay, but rumors persist that Abrams and Kennedy want to move the release date to May 4, 2016, while Bob Iger says “no way”

Camie’s Concerns kicks off convention season with a look at three of the big ones coming up this summer. The hosts also take time to discuss Bria’s blog post offering convention advice for first-timers. Be sure to tune back in two weeks from now when we have Brandy from the Star Wars track at Dragon Con to discuss the track and the convention.

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field a question in Ask us Anything.

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.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Tosche Station Radio #83: Extra Extra

Posted on April 19, 2014 by admin

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It’s catching up on the news and rumors on this week’s Tosche Station Radio!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria reviewed Legacy 13 and The Star Wars #7. Emily reviewed Serenity #3. Emily also called out Wookieepedia for their victim blaming attitude over their April Fool’s Joke. Brian tore apart Wookieepedia’s half-baked apology. Bria wrote a Winter Soldier themed Marvel comics primer.

In Fixer’s Flash, the hosts went and saw Winter Soldier and saw some slightly less geeky films. They also went to Megacon and somehow squeezed in time to visit the Kennedy Space Center. The Saturn V is big, folks.

Deak’s Dirt starts with Celebration Anaheim hosts being announced. Wars Reads Day is returning for a third year. Kevin Hearne turned in his Luke Skywalker novel. Harrison Ford did a Reddit AMA. No, Bennedict Cumberbatch won’t be in Star Wars. ABC and Disney will be giving bloggers (not us) a look at Rebels. Karen Gillan’s hair might be appearing in Episode VII. Obi-Wan Kenobi wins This Is Madness. Alan Horn says Episode VII is mostly cast and it’s being shot now. In addition to The Big Bang Theory, The Goldbergs will be getting its own Star Wars episode. Starwars.com gets a facelift. Finally, Disney Publishing announces four new Star Wars YA books

In Biggs’ Bull#*$&, Jeremy Bullock was on a Star Wars panel at SLC Comic Con, and maybe let something slip? Is he in something? Only time will tell. Frequent rumor: Episode VII to return to Tatooine. Related: Is Episode VII filming in Abu Dhabi? Is this the first look at the Episode VII set? Rumor: Dominic Monaghan to play a Jedi? Oxford Educated actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers rumored to be up for role. Based on previous rumors and casting calls, people are saying she might be playing a descendent of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Report: Peter Mayhew is back to play Chewie, EU fans go supernova.

Biggs Bull#*$& goes off the rails to sort of become Camie’s Concerns this week as the hosts discuss why Hermit Luke is a bad idea and why a direct descendant of Obi-Wan doesn’t make sense either.

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.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Tosche Station Radio #79: Teachable Moments

Posted on February 5, 2014 by admin

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, it’s learning moments from the Expanded Universe.

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria reviewed Darth Maul: Lockdown the first EU book on the 2014 calendar. In comics, Emily reviewed the new Serenity comic, Leaves on the Wind #1, while Bria reviewed Legacy #11 and The Star Wars #5. Brian reminds everyone to go watch Gargoyles. The Hondo Caravan visited Dathomir and Mortis, broke out of the Citadel and dove underwater with Captain Ackbar. Finally, we talked about Diversity a lot in the past three weeks. Nanci explained why Diversity for Diversity’s Sake is not a Bad Thing. Brian deconstructed Four Stupid Arguments Against Diversity. Bria discussed Diversity Among the Stars (And the Royals of Alderaan).

On Fixer’s Flash, the hosts weren’t up to much geeky stuff thanks to both Bowls of the Super and Puppy variety. They are planning to go see a sing-along version of Frozen.

Deak’s Dirt starts with Christie Golden reminding us that Sword of the Jedi is on hold. Episode VII stuff: According to USA Today, JJ Abrams says the script is done and filming is slated to begin May. Carrie Fisher told TV Guide that she, Mark, and Harrison will begin work in March or April. Rumor – Judi Dench playing Mon Mothma? The Rebels movie rumored to air this summer. We also met the latest character from Rebels, Chopper the droid.

In Camie’s Concerns, the hosts take a look at what Rebels and the Sequel Trilogy can learn from the Expanded Universe. Both good and bad.

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.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Episode VII Roundup: J.J. Abrams says things and stuff

Posted on January 21, 2014 by admin

Let’s start out with the actual news-y things, because there hasn’t been enough of that pertaining to Episode VII of late. According to USA Today, J.J. Abrams has confirmed that the script is finished and that filming is slated to begin in May. But what’s the script about? Well…

“We can’t talk about story yet,” said the director, who plans to travel to England soon to begin work on the seventh film in the long-running saga. As far as casting, he had no details but said they will come “soon, and I look forward to that so that we can get past it and we can get on with it.”

No surprise they can’t talk about it yet. At least we’re starting to get some rumblings that casting will be coming soon. We’d like to get past it as well, J.J.

Meanwhile in a separate report from The Wrap, Abrams says that there have indeed been talks with Jesse Plemons, despite the latter denying there was anything there.

Over in the rumor mill side of things, the popular weekend rumbling was that Lucasfilm has approached Judi Dench to play Mon Mothma. Again, this one is a rumor. For my take, if you can get Judi Dench, go for it, but it would be cool to see her play something other than the obvious aged up Mon Mothma. How about a female Jedi Master with more than two lines of actual dialog?

And finally, Carrie Fisher told TV Guide that she, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford will be starting work on Episode VII in March or April.

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

Posted on October 31, 2013 by admin

If 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.

Rebels, Live Action, and Episode VII Rumor Roundup

Posted on October 1, 2013 by admin

And 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.

@JustinL81 Let’s put a pin in this, and bring it up again after the NYCC panel. 😉

— Pablo Hidalgo (@infinata) September 29, 2013

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?

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Bria

File 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?

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Bria

Sound 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)