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Star Wars

That was probably a smart move!!

J.J. Abrams Turned Down Star Wars 7 Gig Out of Loyalty to Star Trek

J.J. Abrams at one point could have traded in the Enterprise for a ride on the Millennium Falcon. But he didn’t and now we know why.

The director—who boldly resurrected Star Trek’s big-screen adventures with 2009’s reboot and now next summer’s highly anticipated Star Trek Into Darkness—confirms he was offered the chance to come aboard the new Star Wars films Disney announced after buying George Lucas’ empire.

But he opted not to because he didn’t want to abandon his commitment to Captain Kirk and company.

“There were very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things,” Abrams told Empire magazine via comingsoon.net. “I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.”

However, the filmmaker did wish the Mouse House and new Lucasfilm honcho Kathleen Kennedy, who’ll be overseeing the new Star Wars episodes, the very best, even if the two rival series end up possibly competing at the box office.

“I guess the franchises could go up against each other, but I’m not thinking that far ahead!” Abrams added. “I’m a huge fan of Star Wars, Empire and Jedi, and the idea of the world continuing is exciting and will be amazing. [Star Wars producer] Kathy Kennedy is a friend and there are no smarter producers. It’s in great hands.”

No word yet whom producers are looking at to take the helm of Star Wars: Episode VII, but various names rumored to be in the running include Matthew Vaughn, Darren Aronofsky, Alfonso Cuarón and even Steven Spielberg.

Star Trek Into Darkness hits theaters on May 17, while the next Star Wars installment isn’t expected to drop until 2015 at the earliest.

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Star Wars

I remain cautiously optimistic!!

New Star Wars Films: Quentin Tarantino Not So Thrilled

Fanboys would probably be forgiven for assuming Quentin Tarantino is excited for the new Star Wars movies Disney plans to release starting in 2015 after head Jedi George Lucas sold his empire to the Mouse House last month.

But while attending Thursday night’s Britannia Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel, the Pulp Fiction director acted like he’d rather have his ear cut off Resevoir Dogs-style than sit through another trilogy—be it Old Republic or New.

“I could so care less,” Tarantino told Entertainment Weekly.

Really, Quentin?

“No, sorry. Especially if Disney’s going to do it. I’m not interested in the Simon West version of Star Wars,” the Oscar-winning filmmaker added, apparently not a superfan of the guy who directed Con Air and The Expendables 2 either.

Alas, Tarantino didn’t indicate whether he’d be interested in helming any of the future installments—though given his penchant for R-rated Spaghetti Western shoot ’em ups and buckets of blood and gore in his own flicks, we can’t say Star Wars is necessarily his thing.

But heck, if he did direct, maybe he could work with Samuel L. Jackson again, right?

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Star Wars

He might be okay.

In the Works: Vaughn Rumored for New ‘Star Wars’ Installment; Ford Interested in Revisiting Han Solo

One of the exciting prospects for veteran Spielberg poducer Kathleen Kennedy as the new president at Disney-owned Lucasfilm is that she is more than capable of developing a strong script and luring gifted filmmakers to the planned “Star Wars” franchise reboot. Even without a script on hand, directors are lining up.

Director Matthew Vaughn (“Kick Ass,” “Layer Cake” and “X-Men: First Class”) is rumored to be in talks to direct the newly announced “Star Wars: Episode VII,” having recently dropped out of the next “X-Men” installment (old hand Bryan Singer is taking the reins). The news of “Episode VII” came last week during Disney’s announcement of the major purchase of Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion.

Meanwhile, Harrison Ford says he is open to the idea of playing Han Solo again in “Episode VII,” which reportedly takes up decades after 1983’s “Episode VI” left off. Presumably the older trio would hand off the story to a younger generation, a tried-and-true approach to rebooting a franchise, much as a senior Spock (Leonard Nimoy) did in J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek.”

EW reports that not only Ford, but “all three”–including Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia–are interested in being involved with the upcoming Star Wars film. EW speculates that if Ford were to draw up a new contract, it would involve a mandatory death scene for Solo. The character was originally meant to die in “Return of the Jedi,” but according to Ford, his bankability as an action figure kept Solo alive.

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Star Wars

I have a bad feeling about this!!

Disney to buy ‘Star Wars’ for $4.05B

Walt Disney Co has agreed to buy filmmaker George Lucas’s Lucasfilm Ltd and the “Star Wars” franchise for $4.05 billion in cash and stock, a blockbuster deal that adds one of the most beloved franchises in entertainment history to Disney’s lineup.

Disney said there would be a new series of “Star Wars” feature films as part of the deal, with the first movie expected in 2015. Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger, in prepared remarks for analysts, said the plan was to release a new movie in the series every two to three years thereafter.

Lucas, a Hollywood icon known for exercising control over the most minute details of the fictional universe he created, will remain as a creative consultant.

“It‘s now time for me to pass ’Star Wars’ on to a new generation of filmmakers,” he said in a statement. Besides “Star Wars,” the deal also includes rights to the “Indiana Jones” franchise, though Disney did not elaborate on any plans for that series.

Disney will pay about half the purchase price in cash and issue about 40 million shares at closing. Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo, in prepared remarks, said the deal would lower Disney’s earnings per share by a low single-digits percentage in fiscal 2013 and 2014.

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Star Wars

Nope, I won’t be buying them!!!

‘Star Wars’ changes on new Blu-ray release freak out fans
LucasFilm confirmed the rumors on the internet about the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga, with alterations to the films that have outraged fans.
Changes George Lucas has made to the films include added dialogue spoken by Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, specifically his yelling “Noooo!!”
Also included are an altered sound that Ben Kenobi makes in Star Wars (aka A New Hope), according to SlashFilm.com, as well as a digital change to Yoda and the Ewoks, who now blink, thanks to computer-generated digital technology.
Lucas has previously released special editions, adding new scenes and special effects, including the infamous “Hans shoots first” change in the 1997 Star Wars: Special Edition.
Criticisms about the “tinkering’ with the films state that its director has “destroyed the dramatic impact of the most iconic scenes in American film history.” Comments online to boycott the Blu-ray package claim that the purchase “sends a message it is okay to mess with the originals.”
The 9-disc release includes all six of the films: Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, and Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (Episodes IV – VI). 
Bonus features include audio commentary from George Lucas, archival interviews with cast and crew, deleted, extended and alternate scenes, footage of costume turnarounds and concept art. 
Star Wars documentaries in the package include A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010), Star Wars Spoofs (2011) and The Making of Star Wars (1977).
The September 16 release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray retails for US$139.99.
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Star Wars

Part of me is really excited about this!!!

Lucasfilm Reveals Star Wars Blu-ray Saga Details and Box Art
Lucasfilm previously announced that “all will be revealed” concerning the Star Wars Saga Blu-ray sets on May 4th at 6am PST with an e-mail message directing fans to the May the 4th Be with You – Star Wars Countdown page on StarWars.com. The details and images revealed include official box art, a disc-by-disc breakdown of the bonus content available in the Complete Saga Blu-ray box set, confirmation that each film will feature a DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 surround track, and another teaser of sorts:
“Fans will get an exclusive first look at some of the collection’s extensive special features at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International — which marks Lucasfilm’s 35th anniversary as a Comic-Con presence. In 1976, the fledgling film company was looking for innovative, grass-roots ways to promote its underdog release, a film no one expected to succeed — a space opera known (at the time) only as Star Wars. One of the first film companies to reach out directly to core audiences by way of fan conventions, Lucasfilm will return to the venue to showcase the full evolution of the epic story.”
The Complete Saga Blu-ray box set will offer full 1080p video presentations of the films, DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 surround tracks (it’s unclear whether these 6.1 mixes are matrixed or discrete) and more than forty hours of special features, including never-before-seen content from the Lucasfilm archives:
Disc 1: Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
Disc 2: Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
Disc 3: Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
Disc 4: Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
Disc 5: Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
Disc 6: Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
Disc 7: Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III
Deleted, extended and alternate scenes
Prop, maquette and costume turnarounds
Matte paintings and concept art
Supplementary interviews with cast and crew
Flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives
Additional Content
Disc 8: Star Wars Archives: Episodes IV-VI
Deleted, extended and alternate scenes
Prop, maquette and costume turnarounds
Matte paintings and concept art
Supplementary interviews with cast and crew
Flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives
Additional Content
Disc 9: The Star Wars Documentaries
Star Warriors (2007, Apx. 84 Minutes): Some Star Wars fans want to collect action figures…these fans want to be action figures! A tribute to the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, this insightful documentary shows how the super-fan club promotes interest in the films through charity and volunteer work at fundraisers and high-profile special events around the world.
A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Apx. 25 Minutes): George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm created to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie. The masters discuss and reminisce about one of the most beloved films of all time.
Star Wars Spoofs (2011, Apx. 91 Minutes): The farce is strong with this one! Enjoy a hilarious collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including outrageous clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more ó and don’t miss “Weird Al” Yankovic’s one-of-a-kind music video tribute to The Phantom Menace!
The Making of Star Wars (1977, Apx. 49 Minutes): Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Apx. 48 Minutes): Learn the secrets of making movies in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Apx. 48 Minutes): Go behind the scenes ó and into the costumes ó as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billie Dee Williams.
Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Apx. 26 Minutes): See how some of the special effects in Star Wars became even more special two decades later! George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the original dewback creatures from immovable rubber puppets (in the original 1977 release) to seemingly living, breathing creatures for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.
Star Wars Tech (2007, Apx. 46 Minutes): Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.

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Star Wars

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!

Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray Details Coming May 4
LucasFilm and Fox are gearing up to spill all the beans in regards to the upcoming debut of the Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray.
A countdown timer has been set up with the tagline “May The 4th Be With You” on a web page at StarWars.com. Underneath the timer is the simple phrase “All Will Be Revealed.” To spare you the math, the exact day and time for the reveal is Wednesday, May 4 at 9am EST/6am PST.
Thus far all we know about the Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray is all six films will be available in a single box set as well as the prequel and original trilogies in their own box sets. LucasFilm has also confirmed that all-new deleted scenes will be included and previewed one featuring Luke at the beginning of Return of the Jedi last summer.
This reveal should fill in all the blanks and offer a complete look at the bonus features as well as the finalized packaging designs for all three sets. I’ll be certain to pass them along once available.
Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray has a September 16 release Date.

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Star Wars

I love it!!!

Categories
Star Wars

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

“Star Wars” Blu-ray sets to be released in September
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) ñ Fox Home Entertainment will release George Lucas’ “Star Wars’ films in three distinct Blu-ray sets in September.
‘Star Wars: The Complete Saga’ will feature all six live-action features, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes and an exploration of the exclusive ‘Star Wars’ archives.
“A Prequel Trilogy” will include Episodes I through III (“The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith”), and an “Original Blu-ray Trilogy” set will include Episodes IV-VI (1977’s “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”).
“The Complete Saga” will carry a suggested retail price of $139.99, and the “Trilogy” sets will go for $69.99. Amazon was taking pre-orders at lower prices on Thursday.
“The ‘Star Wars Saga’ is the most anticipated Blu-ray collection since the launch of the high-def format,” Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn said Thursday. “The epic franchise pioneered sound and visual presentation in theaters and is perfectly suited to do it again in the home, with a viewing experience only possible with Blu-ray.”

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Star Wars

Admit it…you want it!!!!

The dark side calls: ‘Darth Vader’ costume on sale
LONDON ñ For sale: A chance to embrace the dark side.
Christie’s auction house is selling an original Darth Vader costume from the “Star Wars” movie franchise.
The outfit ó a jet-black helmet, mask and armor ó is expected to sell Thursday for between 160,000 pounds and 230,000 pounds ($250,000 to $365,000).
Christie’s says the costume is thought to have been made for “The Empire Strikes Back,” the second film in George Lucas’s sci-fi series, released in 1980.
The auction house’s head of popular culture, Neil Roberts, says the costume is one of the most iconic in the history of cinema.
Christie’s did not name the seller, identified only as an American private collector.