Mark Hamill crashes Return of the Jedi screening, awesomeness ensues

Amidst all of the Jacen Solo Day celebrations, Mark Hamill dropped by the CapeTown Film Festival’s screening of Return of the Jedi to discuss all things Star Wars. Among Hamil’s answers to questions was a response that gave his insight to CGI versus traditional effects:

“That’s what the challenge is, is to try and meet expectations of what you guys want. I think there’s nothing wrong with CGI, but I think you have to have a balance, because the camera perceives the width and the depth and the weight – even if it’s a miniature model, the camera just realizes that. So when you have too much CGI and the clouds are CGI and the trees are CGI and the buildings are CGI, you’re getting to a point where the figure in the shot is like a hybrid of an animated film and live-action. And I want it to have an organic look so that we don’t get into Roger Rabbit territory.” He then added, with a laugh, “But I don’t imagine that the priority is what I want!”

For a more in-depth recap of the interview and other fun from the event, be sure to head over to Club Jade and read over James’ writeup.

Via Club Jade. Video courtesy of Jason Ward.

Kathleen Kennedy says Lucasfilm won’t go all Into Darkness on Episode VII

Star Trek fans have been having to deal with J.J. Abrams being tight-lipped for ages in regards to Star Trek Into Darkness. He still hasn’t explicitly said who Benedict Cumberbatch is playing. Can you imagine trying to shroud Episode VII and the Sequel Trilogy in that kind of secrecy for the next two years? Thankfully, it appears Kathleen Kennedy can’t either.

No telling exactly how much information they’ll release or when, but at the very least it seems like they won’t be masking who’s playing what two weeks before the film releases.

Jedi News’ Mark Newbold talks yearly Star Wars films on BBC Breakfast

Last week we had Jedi News‘ Mark Newbold on the podcast. The result was perhaps the most fun episode of Tosche Station Radio we’ve ever recorded. Suffice to say, we’re fans of Mark (and you bet we’re looking for chances to get him back on the show).

After recording with us, Mark got to talk to a (hugely) bigger audience and sat down with BBC Breakfast to discuss the news that Lucasfilm will be producing a yearly Star Wars film starting in 2015 with Episode VII. Definitely give the above video a watch, Mark’s a tremendous personality and really knows his stuff.

After that, listen to him on the podcast linked above! /shamelessplug

Kennedy talks Episode VII, Star Wars spinoffs at CinemaCon

http://youtu.be/GDh-ZYRc3s8

If you’re hoping for Kennedy to slip up and reveal some Earth-shattering new details about Episode VII, the spinoff films, and the Sequel Trilogy, don’t get your hopes up. She did, however, confirm that J.J. Abrams currently is only signed up to direct Episode VII.

Tosche Station Radio #54: International Class

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Mark Newbold of JediNewsUK to discuss all things Star Wars!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. The Waru Express continues on the journey through the New Jedi Order. We also did a bit of Mythbusting: Did George Lucas order Anakin Solo’s death?

In Fixer’s Flash this week, Nanci’s kept herself busy by writing another story and reading through Part 1 of Dragonpocalypse by Matthew Bowers. Brian’s been off watching baseball and soccer, but also has been reading through science fiction thriller Season of Passage by Christopher Pike.

Deak’s Dirt starts with some news out of The Hunger Games fandom: Catching Fire’s teaser trailer was released on MTV. Meanwhile, a new (and final?) Star Trek Into Darkness trailer also hit the web. In other Star franchise news, Michael Giacchino says John Williams should score Episode VII. Martha Wells’ Leia novel gets a title. On the rumor front, someone claiming to have worked at Lucasfilm said that the next Star Wars animated project would be Star Wars: Reclamation. Don’t hold your breath, it was a fake. Tor.com looked at the Star Wars fandom with a piece they called You Take Your Star Wars, I’ll Take Mine. In Episode VII rumors, Harrison Ford chats with Letterman, Anthony Daniels says he’s not sitting by phone waiting for call. In actual news, Disney announced alternating episodes and standalones would be the plan to have a Star Wars film in theaters every year. Finally in sad news, Richard LeParmentier has passed away.

This week’s installment of Camie’s Concerns features a general Star Wars chat with friend of the show and JediNewsUK blogger Mark Newbold.

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.

Her Universe - Flaunt Your World - www.heruniverseshop.com Listen to a bestseller for $7.49 at audible.com!

New Star Wars Films to Be Released Every Summer Starting in 2015

star-wars-episode-vii-logo

You get a Star Wars film! And you get a Star Wars film! And you…well, you get the point.

Today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that a new Star Wars film will be released each summer starting in 2015.

Episode VII will come first, followed by a standalone film in 2016. This alternating “episode-standalone” schedule will continue until, presumably, Episode IX is released (it felt really really really weird to type Episode IX as an actual thing that will happen, by the way). Bob Iger confirmed upcoming standalone films back in February, but this is the first we’ve heard of this aggressive release schedule. No note of how many standalone films will be produced, or if they will continue after the Sequel Trilogy ends.

We’re recording a new episode of Tosche Station tonight, so be sure to look out for a new episode with all of our thinky thoughts.

(via IGN and /film)

Michael Giacchino Says John Williams Should Score Episode VII

michael giacchinoThese days, there are seemingly two constants in the film universe. First, if there’s a Star Wars movie, John Williams is scoring it. Second, if there’s a J.J. Abrams movie, Michael Giacchino is scoring it.

Uh oh.

Given these two virtual certainties, a number of fans are wondering exactly who is going to score the next episodic installment of the Star Wars saga. Will it by franchise legacy composer Williams, or will J.J. Abrams bring in Giacchino? There’s no telling for sure yet, but Giacchino himself seems to think it should be Williams back at the conductor’s stand.

“He has been a great inspiration to me over the years,” he continued. “He has been a great teacher to me and good friend and I would love nothing more than to hear more of his music from that universe.”

“If it were up to me I would say ‘John, you must do it.’”

For whatever it’s worth, I do agree with Giacchino. If Williams is able and willing, he should be the one that scores Episode VII. If nothing else, maintaining a constant presence on the film score side of things will go a long ways in linking these three distinct eras of Star Wars together.

Tosche Station Radio #52: I Call Bull$#!*

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by staff writer Bria and Aaron Goins for a continuity throwdown!

Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. Shane discussed Bruce Timm leaving DC. For that wonderful holiday known as April Fools, we asked our friend and Star Wars newbie Lisa what she’d like to see in the Sequel Trilogy. Brian called bullshit on the idea that multiple universes can’t exist simultaneously in Star Wars. He also wrote about the Lucasarts closing shop.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci made an impromptu trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. She’s also kept herself busy reading Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn as well as the Orion Offensive by John Jackson Miller. Somehow in all that, she found the time to finish the first draft of her newest novel, Seer. Brian’s been working through his comic backlog but also started reading Season of Passage by Christopher Pike. Bria continued on her journey aboard the Waru Express by starting the New Jedi Order. She’s also been keeping busy at her other blog, the White Hot Room.

Deak’s Dirt starts with sad the sad news: LucasArts is shutting down. Also ILM employees were also laid off in the process. In convention news from Wondercon, Dark Horse is adapting The Star Wars based on Lucas’s original draft for A New Hope. Features older General Luke Skywalker, Anakin Starkiller, and Darth Vader (not a Sith, not in the suit). Meanwhile, there’s an excerpt for Into the Void by Tim Lebbon over on the Random House website, as well as the finished jacket. The This Is Madness bracket continued on, but are the hosts still paying attention to it? Harry Markov, Science Fiction Frequency Launches ‘Women in Genre’ Month, an effort to raise awareness and celebrate the women working in genre fiction. Doctor Who returned from hiatus and announced John Hurt would be guesting. In addition, BBC confirmed two guest stars for the 50th anniversary episode Game of Thrones also returned to the airwaves. Finally, there was more sad news as legendary film critic Roger Ebert passed away Thursday afternoon.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, the hosts rounded up Bria from our blog and White Hot Room as well as Aaron Goins of the Star Wars Bookworms podcast and the Star Wars Report blog to discuss the Sequel Trilogy, the Expanded Universe, and how they both can (or can’t) get along. Gear up for a bit of a friendly throwdown as the group discuss EU characters, the concept of the Multiverse, and whether or not Marvel is a good model for Star Wars moving forward.

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.

Her Universe - Flaunt Your World - www.heruniverseshop.com Listen to a bestseller for $7.49 at audible.com!

What We’d Really Like to See in the Sequel Trilogy

Lately we’ve been talking a lot about continuity and canon and multiverses on the blog. But with Disney buying Star Wars, I think it’s time to face the fact that our fandom isn’t going to cater to hardcore fans any longer–the ones like us, who blog and podcast just for the fun of it, the ones who have seen the movies ad nauseum, the ones who go to conventions. No, it’s time for Disney to focus on a new frontier of fan–those who haven’t seen any Star Wars films. Only then can Disney truly begin its era from a blank slate, not only without any Expanded Universe knowledge bogging down new projects, but also the pesky film backstory as well.

I asked my good friend Lisa what she’d like to see in the Sequel Trilogy. She was kind enough to write the following editorial for us. There’s no denying her insights are mind-boggling. We can only hope that J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt take some of her ideas to heart. – Nanci 

* * *

No one is denying how epic the movies in the Star Wars universe can be. I just think we can all agree that a new set of movies is the perfect time to shift the scope to smaller, more personal stories. Working on a smaller scale will also help them move toward featuring fan-favorite characters who haven’t had enough screentime in the past.

Not to mention that while the star wars themselves are a serious topic, there is plenty of room in the ‘verse for humor. Every movie doesn’t have to be Fate and Choice and War and Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! As a veritable Star Wars expert, I think it’s finally my turn to throw my hat in the ring with a few ideas for movies that should absolutely become part of the next trilogy.

Imagine Eddie Murphy’s head under there and Fett gets even more amazing.

Bounty Hunters: We Do Need Their Scum

Everyone’s favorite bounty hunters take the lead: I know Boba Fett gets all of the attention (probably due to his admittedly impressive accordion skills and theme song), but there’s a lot more to these bounty hunters than meets the eye. If we gather them all together for a family reunion, there’s bound to be enough drama (and let’s be honest- explosions) for a dozen movies. Depending on when in the timeline it’s set, the story could tie in with events from the earlier movies or be something completely new. Humor, adventure, bickering with the clone you raised as your own child…it’s basically everything movie audiences are looking for. Bonus point: they can cast Eddie Murphy as all of the Fetts!

Han and Leia: The Disney Version

Disney’s newest princess will definitely kick ass and take names: Star Wars is a timeless tale that will be passed down to our children and our children’s children, much in the same way that classic fairy tales were passed down to us- through catchy songs and an unstoppable marketing team.. Now that Disney has their hand in the pot, it’s only natural for their newest princess to get her own animated feature, complete with musical numbers. Leia is perfect for the new, snarkier direction Disney’s been taking their animated features in, and Han Solo is absolutely the love interest our daughters deserve. Besides, let’s be honest here- fairy tales don’t really count until Disney tells us they do. Bonus point: hook those fake nerd girls while they’re young!

Stormtroopers in Love

Now imagine they’re kissing!

The stormtrooper rom-com we’ve all been waiting for: They are, by far, the most ubiquitous characters in the Star Wars universe, but how much do we actually know about the stormtroopers? I’m not talking about things like their collective inability to hit a target or the fact that they’re all named Harry. That’s the simple stuff. We need to go deeper, if they’re going to get their own feature. We need to learn the important things, like their hopes, their dreams, and their workout regimen. At the end of the day, I think they want what we all want- to find love and gluten-free desserts in an uncivilized world. Isn’t it time they got it? Bonus point: finally, a Star Wars movie you can see with your girlfriend!

Crossover Appeal

Once the Star Wars cinematic universe is established as an undeniable part of our movie culture, even to the people who for some crazy reason have never seen a Star Wars movie, it’ll be time for the franchise crossovers to begin. My personal votes are for the Fast and the Furious (2 Fast Tatooine Furious?) or Step Up (a wookiee vs. stormtrooper dance fight will literally end all war on this planet) franchises, but there are so many possibilities out there!

The crossover that’s been waiting to happen.

Star Wars, Marvel, and the Multiverse

In the Star Wars fandom, there’s always some war of words brewing between fans. We’ve seen the Ship Wars, the Prequel Trilogy consternation, the Clone Wars skirmishes. One that has been on slow simmer for years is cold war between Expanded Universe Completists and Film Purists. Countless words have been written defending the merits of one and tearing down another.

To say things have blown up since the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the announcement of the Sequel Trilogy would be an understatement. There seems to be a belief among the most ardent of Star Wars fans that the Expanded Universe and the Sequel Trilogy cannot exist simultaneously. One has to vanish in order for the other to thrive.

To borrow a phrase from Nanci earlier this week, I say bullshit.

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