So Much for the Trailer...

I’m back on the bloggers chair after a long hibernation!! Any way, let’s get down to business…

Hayden Christensen to return as Anakin?

Thanks to a blog dedicated to Hayden Christensen we managed to find out that Lucasfilm has been promoting the Saga via China's CCTV-6  channel in a special 30 minute interview with Hayden Christensen and Anthony Daniels (voice of C-3PO). George Lucas, JJ Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy and a couple of others make appearances in that and other videos that can be found in the link below: http://www.m1905.com/video/play/728583.shtml 

Besides the fact that it's great to see Hayden again talking about Star Wars, it also brings to mind a couple of other things that are going on inside the mind of Lucasfilm. As China has become an increasingly more important country in terms of box office results, this special was probably a move by Lucasfilm in order to bring the Chinese up to the hype of Episode VII and get those who haven't seen the films interested about it. And what better way to introduce Star Wars than to bring the main character into this special? 

Despite the fact that Hayden said his appearance in the upcoming film was "unlikely" let's remember also that JJ Abrams denied his involvement in Episode VII only to later appear as director 2 months later...so how knows? 

So even if Hayden doesn't make an appearance in Episode VII, it's good to see that Lucasfilm hasn't forgotten of seeing the importance of the saga as a whole, despite what some may be led to believe. And who's to say that we won't see Hayden again as Anakin in the future? 

JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan Take Over the Script

Star Wars fans where expecting some form of news on October 30th due to the anniversary of the Disney acquisition. However, something rather strange and unexpected popped up earlier, and it was a different kind of news from the one the fans wanted to hear. 

For some unknown reason, Michael Arndt is no longer working on the script of Episode VII. Director JJ Abrams, and old time screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan have taken over. We also got the good news that Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood and Roger Guyett, who had all previously worked in Star Wars, will be returning (no word on John Knoll or Dennis Muren). 

Obviously, this kind of news helps bring in the surface new rumors, and a rash response from the side of the fans. One such rumor claimed that Arndt's story and characters were thrown out the way and that the story was started from zero once again. 

There is no way that rumor has any chance of being even remotely true. For starters, we know from an interview made to Jett Lucas that George has been "constantly talking to JJ". I simply don't see JJ and Kasdan throwing the script and starting over with George under some form of supervision. Not only that, but it's also been repeatedly confirmed that Episode VII will be released in the Summer of 2015, regardless of what the rumors say. A rewrite of the script so close to shooting would only delay things further. 

Jedi News gave in a similar theory that I have, which is basically that Arndt was hired to finish the script up to a certain point, and later somebody else would take over. This is supported with Kathy Kennedy's announcement that "Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point". 

Having Lawrence Kasdan as a major screenwriter is good in the sense that the guy has a good picture of what Star Wars is, having worked with George previously and known the plans of the prequels decades before they were made. As far as JJ goes, I'm confident he will deliver. 

Of course, we won't know for sure what exactly goes on behind the scenes for some time. We should, nevertheless, remain optimistic that things will turn out great.

The Star Wars Optimist

Before I can jump in into this pretty big and fishy topic, in which I'm pretty sure plenty will disagree, let me just say one thing before I start: I am naturally an optimist. I like to think that intelligent, not mindless optimism, is the only realistic strategy through life. If Luke hadn't been optimistic when he went inside the Death Star, he would have fallen to the dark side and become the new apprentice of the Emperor. Worse, Vader wouldn't have been redeemed, and the galaxy wouldn't have been saved.  So at the end of the day, when it comes to a moral that Star Wars teaches us, of which their are several, is that we have to persist and get back up after bad things happen. If we don't, then it will only make our lives miserable. 

That is a lesson that many fans have either forgotten about, or are simply ignoring, when it comes to the future of Star Wars under Disney. Some are saying that Disney will ignore the prequels when it comes to Episode VII, others are doubtful that the Clone Wars Bonus Content will be released, others have been getting upset over rather neutral comments from JJ Abrams, etc, etc, etc.

And you know what? I can't take this pessimism. I'm sorry. By thinking negatively not only are you being unhappy, several around you will be faced with that same unhappiness.

Sure, I'm not saying that this has been an ''easy'' year for fans anyway. I understand that many still feel sad over the cancellation of Clone Wars and 1313, and so forth. But friends, their are plenty of reasons to wake up the next day and feel good about your life and about Star Wars. As some say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and this one I think explains it better than anything I may argue in the future:

If this doesn't give you any faith in the future of Star Wars, Fine. Go ahead and be cynical and say that you aren't pessimists, but realists and that I am a delusionary dreamer. But at the end of the day, what does that give you? 

In the end, the fans will only be optimistic about Episode VII if their is anything to be hopeful about. With George having meetings with JJ and Kathy, their are reasons to remain hopeful. 

Casting Call from Episode VII Confirmed

Bryan Young from Big Shiny Robot and Eric Geller from TheForce.Net have officially confirmed after contact with a Lucasfilm employee that the casting call the website Schmoes Know leaked is the one from Episode VII. It's one of the very few rumors confirmed to be true of the film. 

Let's take a look at it: 

Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2013, 9:00 AM Pacific UNTITLED STUDIO FEATURE Feature Film Walt Disney Pictures/LucasFilm/Bad Robot SAG-AFTRA		Executive Producer: Tommy Harper Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk Director: JJ Abrams Writers: Michael Arndt Casting Directors: April Webster, Alyssa Weisberg & Nina Gold Casting Associate: Jessica Sherman Casting Assistant: Rachel Dill Start Date: Early 2014 Location: UK
SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY ASAP VIA BREAKDOWNS! ABSOLUTELY NO PHONE CALLS OR EMAIL PITCHES PLEASE!!!!

[YOUNG MAN] Early 20s.  Not classically handsome.  He is witty and smart.  Physically fit. [MAN] Late 20s.  Physically fit, handsome and confident. [YOUNG WOMAN] Late teens.  Physically fit, independent and with a great sense of humor. [YOUNG WOMAN #2] Late teens.  Tough, smart, physically fit. [MAN - 40S] Physically fit, military type. [MAN - 30ISH] An intellectual. [MAN - 65-75] Tough and opinionated.

We can infer a couple of things from this casting call:

1. The story treatments and characters likely came from George Lucas, given the fact that none of those descriptions fit already established EU characters.

2. The EU post ROTJ is essentially toast at this point. Not only do none of those descriptions fit the children of Leia and Han Solo, but also none of them fit the description of Luke's wife, Mara Jade. It is either because they have already cast an actor to play the role of Luke's wife (be Mara Jade or not), she is not going to show up in the film (either Luke is single or a widow) or her character's description is simply not on the casting call.

This is good news I guess, in the sense that the EU won't be a determining factor in the plot and story of the films, and is instead a product of George Lucas's imagination and possibly Michael Arndt. Here we only have 7 roles on a movie that will likely have as cast leading roles of anywhere from 12-19 actors. With Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford having all but confirmed their roles, and with the extremely likely possibility of the Droids being back, including maybe Peter Mayhew and Billy Dee Williams, we have approximately 14 characters in the can. So, from the looks of things, Mara Jade is not likely to be in the film.

However, their is one thing that worries me from the casting call, at it's the fact that their is no female role that could be considered for the Nightsisters. So it does beg the question: Who the hell is going to be the villain? A Sith can't be, or else you are destroying the purpose of the previous films. Something's got a give folks. At the same time, we don't know if they have already cast the female villain that would be the role of the head Nightsister.

Let's just hope that the villain issue is figured out, and that somehow, in someway, we are NOT throwing out the Prophecy of the Chosen One out the window. Or else, Michael Arndt and JJ have some explaining to do.

Does anyone have any idea of a male villain that could work and NOT be a Sith? Share your thoughts. 

BREAKING NEWS: Star Wars Rebels, new animated show announced for 2014

I was literally jumping up and down when I heard this announcement. Dave Filoni will now be executive producer on the new series, STAR WARS REBELS!!! SET BETWEEN EPISODE III AND IV!!! DARK TIMES!!!! DARTH VADER HUNTS DOWN JEDI!!!! DARTH MAUL GOES OFF AND FIGHTS OBI-WAN ON TATOOINE!!!

Ok, that last thing was pure conjecture, but if Maul's fate isn't sealed by the time the bonus content is released, at least their is the possibility of settling major Clone Wars characters into this era. Aah...the dream of several folks has come true. 

On another note, I do have a few questions: will George Lucas be involved like he was in the Clone Wars, or is he only interested in Episode VII? Will this show manage to attract the attention of the hateboys? All of these and more, I hope are answered soon enough, and others, we will know by fan reaction. 

Watch Pablo and my boy Dave speak here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bdfFos3PYQ

JJ Abrams will direct Episode VII

Well, my friends. The wait is finally over. Lightning has struck. 

After months of speculation, Lucasfilm has announced that JJ Abrams will be the director of the 7th episode of Star Wars. 

I think I need to know more about what exactly is going on, in terms of story development and such, to know for sure if this was a good move. Besides the fact that I absolutely hated Cloverfield, according to our friend Lazy Padawan from the Star Wars Prequel Appreciation Society, Abrams has said before that he didn't like the prequels. Of course, I am not sure of the legitimacy of such claims, for two reasons. First, it doesn't make sense that George Lucas would hire a director to run his beloved Star Wars, if he has no respect at all for half of the franchise. Second, according to a recent interview from Grantland, his relationship to Episodes I-III isn't neccessarily that he hates them: 

''Abrams’s life spans Star Wars’ originals-prequels divide. Born in 1966, Abrams grew up “basically relating to Luke Skywalker,” and thought of Darth Vader as “evil incarnate.” His kids, however, grew up with the prequels. They related to Anakin. “If you had said during Christmas of ‘77 that when I had kids they’re going to be raised by Darth Vader,” Abrams said, “I would never have believed you.”

“The lessons I’ve learned from George, as a filmgoer, that have informed how I approach movies, as a filmmaker, are legion,” he continued.''

This clearly shows that Abrams has not only great respect for George but also has some understanding of the fact that their is a generation of people (including myself and Abrams kids) how grew up with the prequels and realizes how important both are to the franchise. He may not like certain aspects of the films, which is perfectly understandable, but saying that he ''doesn't like them'' is a bit of a stretch. 

On the other hand, he realizes he is going to have to deal with the hateboy nation's rage at some point: 

''What were the lessons of the Lucas vs. fanboydom? I asked.

“I think that you can’t always please everyone,” Abrams said. “And it is for me a heartening lesson to see that George has had his battles before, during, and after making films. When you see that you can’t please everyone, that includes studios, actors, the audience ... You’re always trying to do the best you can.”

The Star Wars people were pretty brutal, I said.

“It’s like, please,” Abrams said. “You’re having this conversation because the Force is with you.” Now — allegedly — it’s with him.''

The good thing about all of this, is that not only does Kathleen Kennedy have the support for Abrams, but also the support of Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood and Dennis Muren, all of whom have worked on previous Star Wars films, whom apparently will work in the next Star Wars film as well. This gives me optimism in the sense that the next Star Wars films will be worked by the guys who made the previous 3-6, although I would like more guys to return for the next film(s) such as John Knoll. 

More importantly however, than who will direct the next film, is the plot. And as far as that goes, the  future remains impossible to see. The dark side of the force clouds everything. 

Hopefully, if they start casting soon, we will get an idea of who is coming back, who is new, the time period it will take place, and somewhere along the way, we have to know how it will adhere to the next six films, and whether or not it will continue the established Expanded Universe (highly unlikely). 

The Other Big Fear

I would have to say, that their was something else I feared about the new Star Wars films at Disney's hands besides the fact of the EU's involvement in the story, and that was the fear that Star Wars would turn itself into James Bond. What I mean by that is that essentially I fear Star Wars can turn into a long running and never ending serial of movies, like Bond. With James Bond, this essentially works because they are all different interpretations of the same novels, but that is very different when you tackle with Star Wars, essentially due to the fact the movies are meant to represent the  real thing. For now, it hasn't been confirmed to whether or not Star Wars will continue after the Sequel Trilogy, but essentially I think it would be best if the story ends when George feels it best to end while he is alive, and not see it end when he is dead and the movies no longer have his story or vision. George will turn 71 by the  time the new Star Wars film is released, so it would be best if he stays in good health and allows the story to go on only until his vision is represented in it.

Of course, we can't know for sure how long people will live, so it's actually a good thing that George already has story treatments for 7, 8 and 9.

I haven't been able to find the interview made to Kathleen Kennedy in Entertainment Weekly about the future of Star Wars, but when I do, I will share the answers and my view here. And finally I would like to end this post by saying that from now on, I won't talk so much about what can go wrong in Star Wars, and I will try to be more optimistic about it. After all, as a very old wise man once said, ''fear is the path to the dark side.'';)

Entertainment Weekly to spoil details on the future of Star Wars

According to the EW website, tomorrow EW's magazine will hit the stands with the cover seen above. It will supposedly include and interview with the Executive producer of the new Star Wars films, Kathleen Kennedy, and will spill the details of what is yet to come. What really annoys me of all of this is the fact that they apparently will include a section which talks about what the fans want (and what they don't want), due to the fact that it's probably going to include a polarized point of view. Similarly to how they said that supposedly the fans didn't like the prequels (which is next to being a complete lie), they might say that the fans want to see the Thrawn trilogy adapted into the next movies, when that is not neccesarily true. Their are plenty of Star Wars fans (including myself) whom find the EU stories set after Return of the Jedi to be absolutely horrendous, and other Star Wars fans who simply don't even read that stuff. The second bulk of Star Wars fans are primarily the people on the ages from 28-14 years old, due to the fact that they grew up with the prequels, but they probably were too young or weren't even born when several EU books and comics set in that time period were released. They are more likely to actually ''get'' Star Wars as seen from George Lucas's vision (on contrary to some fanboys who are somewhat old and don't get it). Not to mention the new generation of 10-6 year olds who became fans thanks to The Clone Wars. Anyway, George apparently doesn't like what those stories did in that time period, and wants to make an original story in this set of movies. I won't be capable of buying this magazine tomorrow due to the fact that I live in Colombia, not the US, so I'll have to stick to whatever EW.com spills over the internet tomorrow.

Anyway, I hope that some nasty internet rumors are cleared out of the way with the interview that follows.