I keep trying to do Halloween stuff but I can't FOCUS on anything but this shit! Dammit George couldn't you have waited a couple days? Now they're saying it'll be about Luke Skywalker "in his 30s or 40s." I say it'll skew more towards 30 or so. This still needs to be a youth-appeal franchise and to teenagers anyone over 35 is geriatric. Hmmm, blond actors around 30. Not too tall, not particularly muscular, boyish good looks. Lemme think about that. Makes sense. Disney just forked out four beeeelion dollars for a brand name, which is "Star Wars" but it's also "Luke Skywalker" and yeah I think there are many other highly valuable sub-brands in there too. "Leia Organa," "Han Solo," "R2D2," "Chewbacca," "C3P0" and "Millenium Falcon." What kind of greedy corporation would they be if they didn't milk all the value out of their expensive purchase? The irony is, the biggest sub-brand of all is "Darth Vader," but how can they exploit that brand? I wouldn't put it past them for the wheels to be turning...
If Pollock saw outlines from when Lucas was sketching out ideas for a 12-part film series, then Episodes VII, VIII, and IX were probably outlined with the idea that the Emperor wouldn't have been introduced and killed in preceding movies. The treatments that Lucas has turned over to Kennedy now are probably quite different from what Pollock saw.
This statement from The New Boss becomes very interesting when combined with the notion of the movies not being based on the books. "The main thing is to protect these characters, make sure that they continue to live in the way you created them." At 2:45. So the characters already exist. But the stories will be new, and not derived from any books or graphic novels. So that points to the OT characters in new stories. And I'm sure all rational people know why actors as old as Hammil, Fischer and Ford cannot be top lining a major summer popcorn blockbuster that absolutely must have youth appeal. [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyqlTi7lkhY[/yt]
Thought for today: did Disney by Lucasfilm because PotC is running out of steam? Things have been quiet on that front.
I really doubt that was EVER going to happen. I don't think Lucas would put out a Star Wars (at that time especially) that was conceived by someone other than himself. First, he'd have to share writing credit, then any new characters the Zahn books introduced would have to be split (merchandising).
This movie could be about anything. It's all speculation at this point. IMO, it'd be better for the movies to cut loose from the existing trilogies and try new characters and settings.
I thought it ran out of steam - creatively speaking - with the second movie, so it wouldn't surprise me...
LUCAS: "I've left pretty explicit instructions for there not to be any more features. There will definitely be no Episodes VII–IX. That's because there isn't any story. I mean, I never thought of anything. And now there have been novels about the events after Episode VI, which isn't at all what I would have done with it. The Star Wars story is really the tragedy of Darth Vader. That is the story. Once Vader dies, he doesn't come back to life, the Emperor doesn't get cloned and Luke doesn't get married..."
While I won't argue the PotC franchise is in a dire situation at the moment, Disney would have been idiots if they let slip the opportunity to buy one of the most popular movie franshises of all time. Even if the latest PotC was a record-breaking success, I think Disney would still make this play for Star Wars.
I already posted this in the TV/Media thread, but I'm posting it here too for anyone who doesn't catch it there. Entertainment Weekly interviewed Mark Hamill earlier today: More here
"Forget what you think you know about what happens to Luke Skywalker" tells me that it is an original story(i.e. not E. U.) about Luke, Hammill can still be Luke, but not a story that's already been told. This does not suggest a reboot, but a continuation. Besides, if it were a reboot, why would the name it Episode 7, why not just go with Star Wars:... or whatever? If it is a 40 year old Skywalker, then obviously he would be recast, but I have a feeling it's going to be Hammill and the announcement will be huge. I suppose that won't come for a long time.
I can see Luke being the Gandalf of the next new trilogy. Just put him in a brown Jedi robe and have him grow a beard.
The 4th movie made an insane amount of money. Creatively Star Wars died 30 years ago, yet we are gettingmore because they make money!
I didn't say the rumor didn't happen, I said that you got the nature of the rumor reversed. The books were rumored to be based on Lucas' notes for 7-9, which he had decided not to make. The story notes supposedly spawned the books, not the other way around as you would have it.
This is frikken exciting. I'm particularly excited that the story is coming from Lucas' outlines without him writing/directing. Lets be honest, Lucas himself acknowledges that he hates the actual screenwriting process. This is how the prequels should have been done from the beginning.
Same thing. But the rumor I described was around at the time, despite the fact that you were unaware of it. Whatever you're talking about is something else entirely.
It's been one day and I've already had to defend this development to 5 people IRL. "Oh there's teacake, she likes that sci fi stuff.. LET US WRING OUR HANDS OVER HER HEAD AT THIS HORROR!"