Read Some of Kasdan’s Original Handwritten Empire Script Pages

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Writing scripts longhand and on paper is a bit of a lost art form these days. The personal computer age seems to have changed everything, much like the mobile industry seems to be changing life yet again right before out eyes. So it’s always fun to look back on the old days from time to time.

Slashfilm recently got their hands on a few pages of Lawrence Kasdan’s original, handwritten draft of The Empire Strikes Back. It was all part of this year’s “May the 4th be with you” (AKA Star Wars Day) celebrations that now (unofficially) take place every year on May fourth.

The pages are fun to read and while many have seen the old drafts before, these handwritten pages give us a few more glimpses into the development of the film. In one of them, Yoda seems to imply that when you’re a full-on Jedi, you can “see” things differently. You can actually see the Force around everything which is an interesting concept. Another mentions a deleted scene where Luke is training on Dagobah and fighting off some training ball droids that shoot stun bolts at him, similar to the one that Obi-Wan used while on the Millennium Falcon in the original film. There are a few other bits including Han’s line “…just remember that, because I’ll be back,” which was later changed by Harrison Ford to “I know.”

It’s a small bit of film history you might enjoy.

Source: Slashfilm

New Animated Series Announced: Star Wars Rebels

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When George Lucas decided to retire and sell Lucasfilm, everyone expected a few changes. New President, Kathleen Kennedy, faced many challenges and had to make some hard decisions. Under the oppressively huge shadow of the multimedia juggernaut known as Disney, it appeared that some of those decisions might have instead fallen into the demand rather than decision category.

Being that Disney already had well-established multimedia divisions in place, the decision to dismantle certain entities such as LucasArts seemed to be aimed at avoiding competition with oneself.  Disney’s interactive arm already develops games and software, among other things. Why have another internal company creating games? I know they’ve hired EA, but I’m sure they’ll develop some stuff internally. Something similar could be said for Lucasfilm’s animation division. The successful Clone Wars animated series was abruptly canceled which upset many fans and left some story arcs incomplete. Almost a whole season sits in limbo, waiting to find its way to fans. Will Disney buy and air the final episodes? Probably not. Will they go straight to DVD? Possibly. We’ll see. I never really watched the show but what I did see was pretty good.

The show aired on Cartoon Network, a direct competitor to Disney’s television stations, including Disney XD which is the home to many of Disney’s shows including Spider-Man and Avengers cartoons as well as other animated and live action programs.

So why cancel the show in the first place? No one really knows for sure but it probably revolved around money somehow. Perhaps Disney didn’t want to buy the show out or just didn’t want anything to do with something touched by the Time Warner-owned Cartoon Network.

In any case, we’re getting something else now: Star Wars Rebels.

Many a fan, including myself have wondered when Lucasfilm would venture into this nearly untouched period of time before Episode IV concerning the “Jedi Purge,” in fanboy speak. I didn’t think we’d get it in animated form but just because one medium is involved, doesn’t mean others won’t follow. Once new characters and scenarios are established, endless books, comics, and perhaps even films will be sure to follow.

Here’s an excerpt from the Starwars.com press release:

Production has begun on Star Wars Rebels, an exciting, all-new animated television series based on one of the greatest entertainment franchises of all time. Scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

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.

Source: Starwars.com 

Why Brad Bird Turned Down Episode VII

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In a recent interview, famed director Brad Bird opened up about being an early name mentioned as a possible candidate to direct Star Wars: Episode VII. He recently revealed that he was not ultimately interested in the job and that the schedule Lucasfilm had in mind was what turned him off of the highly-anticipated project.

He went on to say . . . .

“I’ve known (producer) Kathy Kennedy for a while and I know George Lucas. And they did come to me. But the problem was, the schedule they had in mind made it impossible to do…unless I dropped Tomorrowland. And I was just really deeply into this film at that point. It’s easy to say, ‘Just put it on hold.’ But you’re moving now; you don’t know if you’re going to be able to move later. Maybe it’s true of filmmakers like Cameron or Spielberg, but I have to act on momentum. We had reached a critical mass where it would’ve thrown the furniture around from the train stopping. I really want to see this movie. I love the Star Wars films, and I can’t wait to see what J.J. Abrams does, but it meant I’d have to shut down one dream to participate in another. I feel like with Tomorrowland we’re making something that’s really special and unique.”

Disney’s highly anticipated sequel trilogy blasts its way into theaters in 2015.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

J.J. Abrams On Jimmel Kimmel Live

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While making an exciting guest appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ promoting his latest science fiction film ( Star Trek: Into Darkness) director J.J. Abrams was offered some advice from a very select group of “die hard” Star Wars fans in the audience on what direction he should take with the upcoming Episode VII scheduled for release in 2015.

The suggestions? Well, let’s just say they’re quite interesting.

The last two audience members had some good suggestions. Do you agree?

 

 

Kenobi Gets a Cover

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John Jackson Millers’ eagerly awaited novel Star Wars: Kenobi finally has a cover to wrap around the August 27th novel that tells of Ben’s time on Tatooine protecting young Luke Skywalker.

Here’s a brief summary . . .

tuxTatooine—a harsh desert world where farmers toil in the heat of two suns while trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from the marauding Tusken Raiders. A backwater planet on the edge of civilized space. And an unlikely place to find a Jedi Master in hiding, or an orphaned infant boy on whose tiny shoulders rests the future of a galaxy.

Known to locals only as “Ben,” the bearded and robed offworlder is an enigmatic stranger who keeps to himself, shares nothing of his past, and goes to great pains to remain an outsider. But as tensions escalate between the farmers and a tribe of Sand People led by a ruthless war chief, Ben finds himself drawn into the fight, endangering the very mission that brought him to Tatooine.

Ben—Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars, traitor to the Empire, and protector of the galaxy’s last hope—can no more turn his back on evil than he can reject his Jedi training. And when blood is unjustly spilled, innocent lives threatened, and a ruthless opponent unmasked, Ben has no choice but to call on the wisdom of the Jedi—and the formidable power of the Force—in his never-ending fight for justice.

 

Source: Jedi News. UK

Disney & Lucasfilm Announce Episode VII Shooting Location

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Lucasfilm and Disney Studios announced today that Star Wars Episode VII (no title yet) will be filmed in the United Kingdom.

The news comes as no surprise to long time fans, as the other Star Wars Motion Picture Films have set up production there in past years.

The J.J Abrams directed Star Wars Episode VII  will start production soon in hopes of making the previously announced 2015 release date.

This is just the beginning of what’s to become an onslaught of official news coming from Disney Studios, so fans should stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

Star Wars on Twitter: 10 Insider Accounts to Follow

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Do you Tweet?

If you’re anything like me, you don’t have a lot of original information to Tweet about that is relevant to anyone else.  That doesn’t stop me from following others who Tweet an awful lot… about a great many things.

Star Wars is a cultural icon that gets a lot of Twitter action, whether it is from actors, people who worked on the films, or just fans like you and me.  News will be coming fast as release dates for new movies approach, video game announcements appear, info gets leaked, and people get hired.  We’ve already seen J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt get tossed into the Star Wars fire, but neither of them have a direct twitter account (that I could find anyway).  George Lucas, Simon Kinberg, Lawrence Kasdan, Kathleen Kennedy… none of them are Twitterers.

Since many of these big names that you would want to follow if you are a Star Wars fan and want Star Wars insider information aren’t on Twitter, I’ve included a short list of those that you might want to follow.

  1. Starwars.com (@starwars) – who better to follow than the site itself?
  2. Kennedy/Marshall (@Kenedy/Marshall) – Kathleen Kennedy is now with Lucasfilm, but don’t be surprised if this company is involved somewhere (TV?)
  3. Bad Robot (@bad_robot) – JJ Abrams’ company will be involved.
  4. Disney Pictures (@DisneyPictures) – Disney… they own it, if it’s news they’ll know.
  5. ILM (@ILMVFX) – ILM is the best in the biz.  Can you imagine them not working on Star Wars?
  6. Leland Chee (@HolocronKeeper) – If he’s not involved on some level be afraid Expanded Universe fans… and all fans really. Continuity is important.
  7. Pablo Hidalgo (@infinata) – an insider with big connections.
  8. Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) – Have to believe that Hamill is going to be involved in this next chapter.
  9. Electronic Arts (@EA) – Get the Star Wars games rolling out!
  10. Star Wars Watch (@StarWarswatch) – I believe this is a fan page.  I Don’t know who runs this, but they seem to have a lot of info so I follow.

There are other Twitter accounts from all areas, including tons of fan sites, that post news and would be great ones to follow.  Many of them will have interviews, pictures, and other tidbits of information that leak out, but for the sake of being brief, I’ll leave my list  to these 10 for now.  There will be some who are more active than others, and there will be some new ones to follow when more Star Wars movie, game, or TV details come out.

Are these the best to follow?  I don’t know.  If you have better ones, put them in the comments.  I’d love to have access to Michael Arndt while he’s writing “the script”.

Are there others that I follow?  Yes!  Lots!  A couple of coming attractions I’m currently very interested in are San Diego Comic Con (@Comic_Con) and Star Wars Celebration Europe (@SW_Celebration).  News will definitely be coming out of these Twitter accounts this summer.

I listed 100 Star Wars Twitter pages to follow  in my personal just-for-fun list blog www.starwarslists.blogspot.com.  My Twitter handle is (@kcknight44).  I don’t have any insider news, but I’ll likely post what I see… and I look around a lot.

 

~kknight – is a lifelong Star Wars fanatic that is incredibly excited to be working with T-bone.  If you follow me on Twitter, don’t be shocked when I get the news out after you’ve already heard it.  I’m just getting started with this myself.

** Featured Image is from Adam Koford (@apelad) by way of the Starwars.com blog
** You can follow Starwarz.com and T-bone on Twitter as well!

Dave Filoni of “The Clone Wars” Post-cancellation Interview

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By now you have heard that the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is not returning for a 6th season.  RebelForce Radio posted the first post-cancellation interview with the driving force behind “The Clone Wars”, Dave Filoni, in which he reveals that he is still very much involved in Lucasfilm Animation and will be involved in future Star Wars projects.

Filoni couldn’t say much about that future, but did give some interesting insight into the show that he just finished working on and the mysterious bonus footage that exists from the show.

“When you look at Ahsoka and you see the evolution of her character from season one to season five, and you see the change in her, and in the attitude, and the performance by Ashley (Eckstein), it really symbolizes the kind of change and evolution of the entire series”, says Filoni.

“I’ve seen some fans say, ‘is there going to be a proper ending?’, and I don’t quite understand what they mean by a proper ending…  the ending for her is that she has survived … and that there are more stories to tell.”

Whether you were a fan of the show or not, you have to respect the fact that 100+ episodes later, we have much greater insight into that time period and what was happening with many familiar characters including everyone’s favorite good guy/bad guy Anakin Skywalker.  And more Star Wars is on the way!

One more interesting little tidbit from the interview:  The cast and crew had a little wrap party meal at the local In & Out Burger.  Their order number… 66!

Dave Filoni has the receipt to prove it.

Make sure to check out the entire interview with Dave Filoni over in the RebelForceRadio.com podcast.

 
Here’s the Bonus Footage from IGN’s youtube channel.

 

~kknight – is a lifelong Star Wars fanatic that is incredibly excited to be working with T-bone.  Ahsoka, surprisingly really to me, will be missed.

How Do You Celebrate May the 4th?

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“May the 4th be with you.”

Say it out loud once or twice and you’ll either get it, or Star Wars is not really a big influence in your life.  If you’re like me, May the 4th is way more exciting than the other second tier holidays.

Sweetest day?  Presidents Day?  Earth Day?  International Talk Like a Pirate Day?  I’d rank May the 4th way above these… in fact, I’d put it in the realm of Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.  You don’t get work off, but you celebrate with something a little cheesy, fun, or crazy.

So, HOW do you celebrate May the 4th?  I have some suggestions.  I’m probably going to do nearly all of them, but you can pick and choose.  If you really wanted to go all out, it could be like Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Memorial Day all rolled into one.  Dress up, give gifts, smooch a cute girl in a Twi’lek costume and remember those Star Wars people and things we have lost over the last year.  RIP Clone Wars and Lucasarts 🙁

  1. Quote Star Wars lines to anyone and everyone who will listen.  They are applicable in all situations.  Someone says they’ll try to make it to your Star Wars party?  “Do or do not, there is no try.”  Someone calls you an idiot?  “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”  They get angry?  “I can feel your anger.  It gives you focus, makes you stronger.”  *you may want to duck at some point.
  2. Send Star Wars e-cards, memes, and tweets.  Quotes are good for this as well. www.starwars.com/ecards has even done some work for you, or you can always google it.
  3. Change your facebook picture to your favorite Star Wars character.  If you have photoshop skills this becomes even more fun.  While you’re at it, photoshop all your friends into Star Wars characters… they’ll thank you later.
  4. Lots of places have Star Wars related festivities.  Check your local libraries, restaurants, bars, comic book stores, etc.  I’m going to Star Wars Trivia at a local pizza place; Empire Pizza… you should not be surprised at this name.
  5. Check with your area 501st garrison.  I’m lucky enough to have one in my area.  Shout out to the Carolina Garrison!  If they aren’t doing something in your area… MOVE!
  6. Throw a party and serve Wookiee cookies, blue milk, or any creation you can come up with.  Cake is always good.  Other suggestions you say? Tie fritters?  Boba Fettucine?  Pizza the Hutt?  Why am I doing all the work?
  7. Watch the Star Wars movies for the 124th time.  If you don’t have all day, just watch this and this one too (PG-13).
  8. Finally, due to the alignment of the planets, May the 4th is also FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!  Go to your local comic book store and buy something.  Anything.  Support these hard working people or when you really need them they may not be there for you.

In all seriousness… go buy a comic and be a kid for the day.

Leave your thoughts and how you plan on celebrating in the comments section.

 

~kknight – is a lifelong Star Wars fanatic that is incredibly excited to be working with T-bone.  May the 4th be with you all!

New Reporter: J Mac, Standing By

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Hello, friends of the universe. I’m J Mac and I am going to be reporting on T-Bone’s site as we all ride this new wave of Star Wars activity.

First, thanks to T-bone for letting me be a part of his site. Our history goes back all the way to Episode II – over 10 years ago! I am thankful to be a part of things and the fact this site has been around for so long is a testament to all his hard work and passion over the years. So a very big thank you to T-Bone!

As an introduction, I thought I would write about Star Wars fandom and how it drives us in this galaxy far, far away.

As for me, I have been around long enough to have seen every Star Wars movie during its original release. Back in the 1970’s, when the only way to see a movie after it had left the theater was via reissue, I saw Star Wars in the summers of 1977, 1978, and 1979 just to get that crazy rush like millions of others. As a boy, this made a major impact with who I was to become as a person. It introduced me to a love of movies, helped me to dream big, and even now makes me yearn to be that farm boy that blew up the Death Star. I still call my car “Red Five.”

As I grew older and the other films were released, I had all the toys, posters, t-shirts, trading cards, comics, and anything else that happened to have a Star Wars logo on it. That was the kid version of me. Once the Original Trilogy was complete, things calmed down but soon enough, more started to happen. Kenner released new figures, Shadows of the Empire came out, the Special Editions were released, and then the Prequels were announced.

However, the rules had changed. I was an adult, the Internet was spreading information, and I was only limited by what I wanted to do in my head.

Episode I was surrounded by a hype machine that made the film impossible live up to, but I was thankful just to be able to travel back to that universe. I found out about a special preview of the trailer in Boston before  The Waterboy and I secured tickets to the midnight show that May. I saw Episode I  more times then I can remember. I was not as disenchanted as others were and I’m still one of the proud few that really love The Prequels.

Over the next six years I was consumed with spoilers, wrote a few articles for an awesome site, and have many great memories. I got to see Episode II and Episode III early, went to Star Wars weekends, enjoyed each midnight showing with the best of fans, and collected some cool things along the way.

I’ve left out so much about my personal fandom, but I’ll just add that I built a home theater room with a 106 inch projector screen to celebrate the Blu-ray release. Everyone has their own level of fandom. Each one has persona feelings and sentimental attachments different from the next. I think that’s the energy that drives Star Wars today. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, and it binds our galaxy together.

Now we look forward to Episode VII in 2015 and other spin-off films released each year after, plus whatever else Disney comes up with. For me, there are definitely some bittersweet feelings. Episode VII will be the first Star Wars movie I did not see in the theater with my dad, but my daughter will be old enough to go for the first time and that’s good news.

One thing is for sure. Whether your fandom means buying everything Star Wars or you’re just a fan that likes to watch the movies when possible, I’ll be right here with you and we’ll all enjoy the next run together.

As a reporter on this site, I hope to bring you some great news and announcements, give you some unique insight, and be a part of the excitement as we get closer to 2015 and beyond.

Please leave me some comments below and thanks for reading.

— J Mac

Shadows of the Empire Fan Film on Kickstarter

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Shadows of the Empire is hands down my favorite Expanded Universe story. I feel it’s one of the only ones that really captured the essence of the other Star Wars films. Neatly sandwiched between Empire and Jedi, it filled a gap which definitely needed filling.

It read just like one of the films. It had a great story, a really cool villain, all the usual characters (except Han who was still frozen at the time), plus enough new bits and pieces to keep it fresh and interesting.

Those who were around and following it at the time will remember that it was a huge media blitz consisting of a book, comic adaptation, video game, soundtrack score, action figures, toys, trading cards and more. I loved the book and even interviewed the author for this site.

So when I saw that some fan-filmmakers started a Kickstarter drive to make the film, my interest was naturally piqued. They’re looking to raise $10,000.

Head over and check out the Kickstarter page. If you’re interested, back the project.

A Saga in the Stars: A Tribute to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE • MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!

The Force is strong with Nucleus in LA as the gallery presents one of its biggest tribute exhibitions yet in honor of the Star Wars franchise. Welcoming a diverse group of international talent celebrating their favorite Star Wars characters and moments, join the gallery as it transforms into a galaxy far, far away with a collection of original works inspired by this saga in the stars. Learn more

OVER 60 ARTISTS
SHAG • Ana Bagayan • Nimit Malavia • TADO
Allen Williams • Justin Gerard • Ralph Mcquarrie & many more

SELECT PREVIEW

OPENING RECEPTION
Join us Saturday, May 4, 7:00PM-11:00PM
$5 Admission, Open to Public, All-Ages ,No RSVP
FREE Admission for those in Star Wars-themed costume

OPENING RECEPTION HIGHLIGHTS

  • Live Lightsaber Duel
  • Costume Contest
  • Artists in Attendance
  • Live Dj
  • Star Wars-themed refreshments
  • & More to be announced

VIEW THE ARTWORK ONLINE
Prior to the opening reception, collectors and non-local fans can sign up here to view the featured works in an online gallery. The online gallery will be made public at midnight May 4th here. The exhibit will be on display at Gallery Nucleus through May 26, 2013.

VENUE ADDRESS:
Nucleus
210 E Main St
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-458-7482
(15 mins outside of downtown LA)

Star Wars: Battlefront III: What Could Have Been…

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With news of Disney shutting down LucasArts, there came a disturbance in the Force… as if a million voices cried out in terror.

LucasArts was the developer responsible for such classic games as the Monkey Island series, the Indiana Jones series, Full Throttle & Grim Fandango. And though those games were all critical & commercial successes, it was the Star Wars games that really got fans excited.

From real-time strategy games such as Empire at War, third-person games like The Force Unleashed series, and first-person games of the X-Wing series, Jedi Knight series, and Battlefront series, LucasArts allowed us to explore the Star Wars universe like never before.

Here is some leaked multi-player gameplay footage of a project named “Wingman” or “Version Two” which was allegedly going to be Battlefront III, and it makes the closing of LucasArts all the more painful.

For more on how poorly Disney handled LucasArts, read this Kotaku article.

Note: the footage has no sound.

Source: Kotaku

Did Darth Vader Suffer From BPD?

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Linda, a friend of the site, submitted an interesting article that I felt obliged to share.

Most of the time, we watch movies without thinking too hard. We want to be entertained and get lost in someone else’s world for a while in order to forget the real world we live in. Star Wars is great for that.

When films get very popular, however, people have a tendency to over-think every aspect of the film, the story, the characters and everything in between. Darth Vader is most definitely one of the most popular and recognizable characters in motion picture history. He’s been studied head to (artificial) toe time and time again but some time back, a group of French psychiatrists put Darth Vader on the couch and tried to figure out just what was wrong with him. Why was he so evil? What made him that way?

They decided that he suffered from something called Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD. Without knowing much about it, it sounds about right, doesn’t it? I personally think there was a lot more at work than just a personality disorder, but I’m no doctor.

Best selling author and expert on BPD, Randi Kreger, came across the article and decided to set the record straight on her blog on Psychology Today. She takes on the diagnosis and backs it up with facts.  It’s an interesting read and while she appreciates the fact that using a popular cultural icon to raise awareness is a smart move, the diagnosis just doesn’t hold water.

Sources: Fox News , Psychology Today, BPD Central

 

Wookiee Madness! The Russ Manning Comic Strips

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It’s Wookiees Gone Wild!

From the moment Chewbacca graced the silver screen in 1977, the word Wookiee (two e’s at the end, please) became a household name. Until Episode III, we only saw Wookiees as background characters. There was the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978, but many fans (and even George Lucas) don’t like to think back on that bit of riveting TV as part of the real Star Wars universe.

Back in 1979, however, there was a weekly comic strip that ran in many newspapers by Russ Manning. It was a fun strip that ventured into all kinds of areas and explored many plotlines. Many planets were traveled to, including Kashyyyk – home of the Wookiees.  The planet name was going through a bit of a transitional phase at that time. It was part of the 1978 Holiday Special, but was pronounced “Kazook.” In the Russ Manning comics it’s spelled Kazhyyyk (with a z). The expanded universe finally got a hold of itself soon after and decided that the proper spelling would be Kashyyyk and that one stuck.

Special thanks go out to my friends Rich Handley and Matt Bracher for these great scans.

Here’s a short description from Rich about the strip:

These are the only Star Wars comic stories from the L.A. Times newspaper strips (except for “Planet of Kadril”) that have never been reprinted by Dark Horse Comics. They represent one of two stories that ran on Sundays during the “Gambler’s World” storyline, which ran Mondays to Saturdays. (The other story was the one about Constancia, which was reprinted in a K*B Toys one-shot by Dark Horse.) Neither of the Sunday-only stories was printed with a title.

Here’s a quick word from Matt:

The impetus is that they were ALL posted on alt.binaries.starwars at some point and I’m re-experiencing their beauty and wonder. The poster even included a week of Russ Manning dailies that I’ve never seen before; part of the Tatooine story that never saw print. (Although, missing are the two weeks of dailies that Al Williamson did adapting the first film.)

What a great trip down memory lane for comic lovers.  Enjoy!

Russ Manning Comics Set 1

 

Russ Manning Comics Set 2