Intergalactic Crime Family The Hutts Might Return To Rule The Underworld In 'THE FORCE AWAKENS'

Latino Review has an interesting bit of news concerning what aliens we might be seeing return for The Force Awakens. They've learned that J.J. Abrams had a couple of expensive Hutts created for the film, and there is talk they could end-up being redressed or altered to be included in the spin-offs.

Here's what the site has to say about the Hutts returning.

Well, I can forward that timeline for you today: there are Hutts in The Force Awakens, we know because those Hutts have been practically built. I know there is more than one Hutt, but unsure how many exactly are going to show up. The process of constructing these Hutts began over a year ago, so you can imagine how my ears perked up when it was rumored that the Star Wars spin-off film would be “sharing assets” with The Force Awakens, despite being in different time periods. Last time I speculated this would mostly be ships and interiors, but how hard can it be to re-dress a Hutt? Reaching out to a source, I was told: “I’m sure their existence could have factored in to them being included, or the expenditure was made because it was all coordinated.” In other words: if JJ wanted expensive Hutts, it might have been okay since they could be used down the line.

The site previously reported that to save money on the productions Lucasfilm would be repurposing sets and props across different films. This makes a lot of sense and could allow the studio to turnout more in-camera shots, which according to Oscar Isaac during his interview on The Daily Show is "mostly practical with limited green screen work".

The Hutt Fleet

In the case of the Hutts, they are just as important and influential as the Empire itself along with the Mandalorians. Considering they basically run the criminal underworld which includes bounty hunters, smugglers, pirates and assassins in their employment. Controlling entire systems, planets and commanding fleets of their own attack ships. There inclusion wouldn't be a spoiler in the least, considering they have been heavily involved in the Clone Wars and will likely have a role to play in Rebels as well.

We're not just talking about Jabba, as there are many different Hutts operating all over the galaxy not just on Tatooine. It's possible that we could see Jabba's replacement in The Force Awakens, since it's said we could be returning to desert planet which might be homestead of Daisy Ridley's Rey.

A lot of leaked concept art points to the return to Tatooine include Rey's home which is made out of a destroyed AT-AT imperial walker.

This isn't the first time we've heard the Hutts mentioned for new Star Wars films.

AICN reported that Lucas had been talking-up story ideas Jabba during the meetings for the spin-offs. Then again, they were also citing a Yoda spin-off becoming the first of the standalone films which at this point isn't the case.

Oh - and I've also heard tale of a JABBA story that Lucas has floated to some of his buddies.  

By the sounds of things Gareth Edwards' film could very well be a combo of a lot of these ideas which could include bounty hunters, Han Solo and Boba Fett. We know that all them have a history together which could be explored in the spin-offs.

SOURCE: LATINO REVIEW

Rian Johnson's 'STAR WARS' Films Get Dates; Tatiana Maslany Rumored Frontrunner For Spin-Off

Schmoes Know, who I've recently mended relations with found a decent Star Wars rumor concerning Gareth Edwards' Star Wars spin-off.

They heard via Total Geeks that Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany is now the frontrunner for the unnamed female lead role in the film. Being a rumor it's pending better confirmation but it's something to strongly consider.

In the article they also point-out an EW report that Tatiana recently dropped out of a play and was replaced by actress Amanda Seyfried, this could mean that she's indeed getting ready to prep for the role.

Other actresses reportedly in the running include Rooney Mara, Kate Mara and Felicity Jones. It's expected that a role like this could crossover to other spin-off installments so there's an big commitment needed from the lead.

I have to believe that she wants this role badly after letting the Sarah Connor role in the new Terminator film go to Emilia Clarke.

Another bit of Star Wars news comes from Disney which announced dates for Rian Johnson's (Looper, Brothers Bloom, Brick) Episode VIII and Episode IX. Johnson is expected to write both films but is only confirmed to direct Episode VIII.

I have to imagine that they'll eventually announce him for the second sequel but are waiting on a completed script.

Bob Iger confirmed (via The Wrap) the dates are set for 2017 and 2019. Something we knew was coming but hadn't been made official by the studio.

“As one of the few people allowed to visit the set during filming… and one of the fewer who’s seen most of the footage… I can assure the millions of ‘Star Wars’ fans who have spent the last decade hoping for a new movie this one will be worth the wait. And it’s only the beginning of a new era of exceptional ‘Star Wars’ storytelling; next year we’ll release our first standalone movie based on these characters, followed by ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ in 2017, and we’ll finish this trilogy with ‘Episode IX’ in 2019,”

Rian is expected to continue the ground-work created by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan for The Force Awakens in the next two films. It's assumed the two sequels will indeed follow the new characters rather than Luke, Leia and Han being the focus of it.

I'm totally in love with the fact Rian is going to be working within the Star Wars universe, if you get the chance check-out Looper which is currently on Netflix instant.



The spin-offs had previously been made official with Gareth Edwards' film coming December 16th, 2016 and Josh Trank's film coming December 2018, basically this does confirm previous reports that starting this year we'll be getting a new Star Wars film every year.

SOURCE: SCHMOES KNOW & THE WRAP 

Disney Rebooting INDIANA JONES With Chris Pratt?; Actor Could Replace Harrison Ford

Our good friends over at Latino Review have been proven right yet again.

Deadline is confirming their previous report that Lucasfilm and Disney were planning on rebooting the Indiana Jones franchise with a new actor. They are reporting the studio is in early talks with rising star Chris Pratt to replace Harrison Ford as the titular hero.

While this might be great news for Pratt fans he's a busy bee these days, as he's about to shoot a remake of The Magnificent Seven alongside Denzel Washington. He also is expected to shoot a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy in early 2016 and possibly a sequel to Jurassic World something soon if it does well this summer.


Bradley Cooper seemed like a mighty fine option at the time but looks to be too high-profile at this point. His huge box office for American Sniper and his three Oscar nominations might make him too expensive at this point.

We already know that his Guardians co-star can fit the role as Star-Lord's character was greatly influenced by Jones. It's possible that Chris might not be able to juggle three franchise roles like this, but let's try to be optimistic.

This could also explain why he turned down Sony's offer to play Nathan Drake in the Uncharted film.


UPDATES: 

Latino Review is adding that Disney is looking to release the film in 2018-2019 while Variety puts Chris Hemsworth into the mix as well.







SOURCE: DEADLINE

Jessica Chastain Absolutely Wants A STAR WARS Role

We're starting to see the Star Wars universe open-up with many female roles being available for actresses, something that wasn't the case under George Lucas. I think we have to thank Lucasfilm head Kathy Kennedy and the filmmakers for making the effort to give women a fair shot in this new era of the series.

I've already pointed-out that both The Force Awakens and Gareth Edwards' untitled spin-off will have a strong female presence like we've never seen before with the films.

Daisy Ridley's character in Awakens is said to be a bit more of main character than most are expecting, since she's one of the only people I've seen in concept art wielding a lightsaber. There are even two big supporting roles being filled by Gwendoline Christie and Lupita Nyong'o.

In the casting of Gareth Edwards' film it's looking like the lead role might actually be a female character. Since we've been hearing about four actresses in the running for the part which include Tatiana Maslany, Rooney Mara, Felicity Jones and Kate Mara. Currently, no male actors have started creeped into the casting conversation for the project. This might be hinting to this film becoming the first female driven Star Wars movie.

This aspect might see even more high profiled actors and actresses signing-up to be apart of the universe since we're getting one Star Wars installment every year in December starting in 2015, there will be plenty of roles to go around.

The next installments include Episode VIII coming from Looper's Rian Johnson in December 2017 and then another untiled spin-off from Fantastic Four's Josh Trank likely in December 2018.

Well, someone at Digital Spy asked two-time Oscar nominated actress Jessica Chastain (Crimson Peak, Zero Dark Thirty, The Help, The Debt, Tree of Life) about Star Wars since her A Most Violent Year co-star Oscar Isaac is apart Force Awakens. The interviewer curious if she had aspirations for the franchise, here is what Chastain had to say.

Yes, they never sent me the script. I would have absolutely been in Star Wars, I would have loved to be in Star Wars, I know they're going to make more so.. [points to herself].. Listen, I'm an actor because I love film I love going to the movies I love comedies and so many different kinds of films, sci-fi, drama, horror films I love them all. And I'd love to do anything it just has to be a good role. You know like I don't want to just stand there and hold a spoon, I really want to do something fun and I would absolutely would love it. 

I personally think the more Oscar caliber talent the better when it comes to Star Wars and we know that Chastain is a workhorse actress and wouldn't shy away from a huge workload these projects demand.

She's been dying to get a meatier role in comic book film genre, but had to turn down Marvel because of lacklustre roles in Iron Man 3 and Ant-Man. Although, she would make a badass Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel we at least know wants to be apart of Star Wars.

SOURCE: DIGITAL SPY

Tatiana Maslany And Rooney Mara Testing For STAR WARS Spin-Off Lead Role

The Hollywood Reporter is giving us our first casting news concerning Gareth Edwards' (Godzilla, Monsters) untitled Star Wars spin-off. Actresses Tatiana Maslany and Rooney Mara are testing for the unnamed female lead in the film.

The film is said to focus on a crack team of bounty hunters gathering intel and blueprints of the Death Star. This has been our first hint that lead could be a female character.

It's release date has been set for December 15th, 2016 and production is expected to start-up very soon as reflected by this casting news. The script was provided by Gary Whitta (Walking Dead, Book of Eli) and is said to be getting rewrites from Simon Kinberg (Fantastic Four, Rebels, X-Men Days of Future Past).

Tatiana is best known for her well received series Orphan Black where she plays multiple roles in the show which is reason for her direct praise. She also was in the running for the Sarah Connor role in Terminator: Genisys losing out to Games of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke .



Rooney Mara recently broke-out thanks to her Oscar nominated role in David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.



They also mention that Oscar nominee Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Like Crazy) is also on a wish-list but won't be testing as of yet.

Another bit of info that has come out is that Simon Kinberg and Lawrence Kasdan have indeed worked together on the script for Josh Trank's (Fantastic Four, Chronicle) other Star Wars spin-off movie.

Trank's film might actually turnout to be that Boba Fett film we've been hearing Kasdan had been writing. Then again, Gareth's film is said to focus on bounty hunters.

SOURCE: THR

Are We Getting Female Stormtroopers In STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS?

BBC's Lizo Mzimba is reporting that unknown British actress Amybeth Hargreaves will be playing a female stormtrooper in Star Wars The Force Awakens. His source being Spotlight UK a casting website.

Bit of @StarWars news from @SpotlightUK. Amybeth Hargreaves plays female Stormtrooper in The Force Awakens. http://t.co/2nDnhfSaTM
— lizo mzimba (@lizo_mzimba) January 16, 2015

There had been rumors that Gwendoline Christie could be playing a stormtrooper but we really haven't learned if there will be indeed women in the ranks. It's starting to look like race or gender isn't an issue with the Empire's recruiting policies.

This could also mean we'll be seeing more women in the film than we previously thought.

Amybeth's role might not be that big but we've seen Lucasfilm give unknowns sizeable parts already. Dasiy Ridley, taking a lead role but is pretty much unknown compared to the rest of the cast. I do expect Amybeth might have scenes with fellow trooper John Boyega.

It's also possible Amybeth could be an extra or doubling for another actor in the film.

This news could ruffle feathers as anything new revealed in The Force Awakens has seen backlash, even a new lightsaber design or new practical droid puts fans on edge. Although, we've seen many different droids and lightsaber designs over the years.

Some closed-minded fans went nuts when it was revealed that Attack The Block actor John Boyega was revealed as a Stormtrooper on the run. The naysayers of this choice coming off as racists and rightly so, considering the contention was about Boyega being black.

Lucasfilm would come to the defence of the character choice and confirm that stormtroopers of the post-Clone Wars era are not clones. Leaving the door open for lots of diverse casting in the film for all types of roles, not just for stormtroopers.

Almost every single move Lucasfilm, filmmakers and Kathy Kennedy will make will be put through a microscope by detractors and fans alike. A hard fact considering the franchise is so beloved and die-hards are still upset of the quality of the prequels.

A majority of the "new" designs we are seeing are actually inspired by original unused artwork from the original film. A bulk of Daisy Ridley's costume design is actually inspired by the Starkiller designs when Luke was originally going to be girl.

Daisy won't be the only lady in the universe.

I remember when some writers/bloggers were outraged there weren't more female cast members announced in the early casting days of Force Awakens. As unknown actress Daisy Ridley was the only new female addition at the time.

This seemed very premature as actresses such as Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o and Games of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie would be named as additional cast members taking decently sized roles in the film. Other ladies added to the lineup included Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Jessica Henwick, and Christina Chong.

Concept art by Ralph McQuarrie.

I am not ignoring that Star Wars has a lousy track record when it comes to female roles in the past, but that might have more to do with George Lucas than anyone else.

Lucas even changed Luke Skywalker's original gender from a girl to a boy. This concept art from legendary artist Ralph McQuarrie features early designs of a female version of Luke which looks oddly familiar to someone in that Force Awakens trailer.

Did you know we almost had female pilots in Return of The Jedi?

While Leia had her moments the rest of the female characters didn't really do much in the original trilogy.

This almost wasn't the case and it was heartbreaking to learn that Lucas had cut-out a number of female pilots in Return of The Jedi. At least three of them were removed from the film (could be a lot more), one being an elderly woman which could have been pretty damn powerful imagery in that goofy film with space teddy bears.

There is some hope that with Lucas out of the way we'll be seeing other female characters given meatier roles in the saga and spin-offs.

Having female characters given all types of roles could help bridge that gap-between Star Wars being a film for boys to a film that can be enjoyed by both girls and boys equally. Since all the strong female characters are relegated to the books, along with the cartoons like Clone Wars and Rebels. It would be a nice change to see them on screen as well.

Another female X-Wing pilot left on the sidelines by Lucas.

SOURCE: BBC

STAR WARS Producer Simon Kinberg Taking Over Spin-Off Writing Duties From Gary Whitta?

Just a couple of days ago it was confirmed that screenwriter Gary Whitta (Book of Eli, Walking Dead) would be leaving Gareth Edwards' untitled Star Wars spin-off. The writer would be moving-on to focus on adapting Mark Millar's comic Starlight for 20th Century Fox.

Another writer was expected to take his place since the film has a release date of December 16, 2016. As a new rumor coming from Slash Film suggests that Rebels writer-producer Simon Kinberg could be taking over where Whitta left-off.

/Film has learned, but was unable to confirm, that it will be Simon Kinberg. At Lucasfilm, Kinberg is a consultant on The Force Awakens, a writer and producer on Star Wars Rebels, and writer of at least one standalone movie. Whether or not that became this film or is another remains unclear. But Kinberg will be taking over duties for Whitta on this movie.

This shouldn't be too shocking to anyone who has been following the Lucasfilm development deals for future Star Wars projects. It was announced a while back by Lucasfilm that both Simon Kinberg (X-Men Days of Future Past, Fantastic Four) and Lawarence Kasdan (Raiders of The Lost Ark) would be handling the Star Wars spin-offs, taking-on duties of both writers and producers.

Kasdan was said to be penning the Boba Fett movie scrupt which has been in the works for at least four years. The bounty hunter's creator Joe Johnston confirmed he was pitching a Fett film to George Lucas back in 2011. Fett was mentioned along with Han Solo and Yoda as characters potentially getting spin-off installments.

Larry would later be called-up to rewrite The Force Awakens script with director J.J. Abrams. A huge promotion for him but sort of expected since Larry had penned but Empire Strikes Back and Return of The Jedi previously.

Simon is another story, helping spearhead the successful animated series Star Wars Rebels. Like The Cone Wars, is series that is canonical to the original trilogies and new films. A huge task for any writer or producer to keep in order.

He's also heavily involved with other major projects at 20th Century Fox and Sony. Partnering with Neill Blomkamp on his films Elysium and Chappie. He's also instrumental in the development of Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises as writer-producer.

Seeing Kinberg make the jump to writing the Star Wars spin-off films feels like it was already apart of his original deal with Lucasfilm. Considering that Simon was an established screenwriter before signing-on for his Star Wars deal.

As per usual the details surrounding the film from Godzilla director Gareth Edwards are varied and unconfirmed.

However, there was talk from reliable Slash Film that the movie could revolve around a group of bounty hunters who are tasked to secure the Death Star plans. These plans helped the rebels destroy it during the original film.

Could this end-up being out Boba Fett movie since he's the most notorious bounty hunter?

You might remember that LucasArts was planning on release a video game with the working title Star Wars 1313 (demo footage above). It seemingly would focus on the underworld of the Star Wars universe which included thieves and bounty hunters.

After it's eventually cancelation along with a Darth Maul game, it was revealed 1313 was in fact a Boba Fett game with players being placed in the role of the legendary bounty-hunting Mandalorian. Concept art revealed that he would be working with a team of fellow bounty hunters in the game.

While it's possible the Lucasfilm/Disney merger could have killed many of the games LucasArts had in development. They could have also given it the axe because of this Boba Fett movie was in the works and the wanted to fold the game into the film's development. Again, this first spin-off is said to focus on a team bounty hunters and would be set around the time Boba was still alive.

In my opinion, this very likely could be the Boba Fett centric film we've been hearing about for years.


SOURCE: SLASHFILM

Disney Confirms New INDIANA JONES Movies, Cue Chris Pratt Casting Campaign!

During an interview with Disney's CEO Bob Iger, Variety got confirmation that new Indiana Jones movies are in the pipeline. Variety's Marc Graser took to twitter to relay this information, that Lucasfilm is indeed going to make new movies. Which sounds like something we've been hearing for sometime. The assumption is that Lucasfilm's Kathy Kennedy would be heading-up the production on those films.

Disney's Bob Iger: "We'd love to make another Indiana Jones movie but we're pacing ourselves right now," launching Star Wars first.
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 10, 2014

LatinoReview reported on this development a long time ago. Pointing to plans to reboot the entire franchise with a new actor. It's unlikely they'll have Harrison Ford reprise the role considering his age, and the fact Disney will want a bunch of movies. Not just one final installment with Ford, they heard Bradley Cooper was being eyed to take the role. LR also took a lot of shit, and met with denials from producers. This news seemingly vindicates some aspects of the original report.

With Harrison Ford at age 72 the action-heavy role seems like it just might not be a good match anymore. We can't blame the fact he's also aged-out of tangling with Nazis, which were his main antagonists in two films. The only interesting tidbit to come out The Kingdom of The Crystal Skulls was his eventual involvement in WWII. Of course this was never explored, which is a huge shame.

There are plenty of stories to pursue with a reboot, and that era hasn't been entirely explored in the trilogy. I'm sure everyone is picturing Chris Pratt (Guardians of The Galaxy, Jurassic World)  in the role, and considering that he's already their radar it's very likely he could be considered. Pratt recently passed on Drake role in Sony's Uncharted movie, a character which is considered a modern Indiana Jones.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Gareth Edwards' STAR WARS Spin-Off A Pre-NEW HOPE Heist Film And Is This BOBA FETT?

We've been quite curious what Lucasfilm has been planning with these Star Wars spin-offs. They've hired both Godzilla's Gareth Edwards and Fantastic Four's Josh Trank to direct two of these unnamed films. While we've heard rumblings that they could be solo films focusing on Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett.

SlashFilm has got their hands on possible story details concerning Gareth Edward's Star Wars spin-off. Considering all the leaks going on over at Lucasfilm it wouldn't be shocking if this was solid info. Apparently, the film will be set before the events of A New Hope (Episode IV), and will involve a heist to steal the Death Star plans. Something that was greatly teased in the original film. The group of people put together to pull-off this heist, just happen to be bounty hunters and not rebels.

It should be noted that this is the same world that Boba Fett inhabits, and he'll very much be active during these events. We've heard for a while now that indeed one of these spin-offs would focus on the mysterious bounty hunter, who had his secret past ruined by Attack of The Clones. LatinoReview has said that his origin would be greatly altered in spin-offs. Basically, forget that whole clone thing it's going to be fixed by Lucasfilm.

The cancelled Star Wars game 1313, was also going to explore Fett's origins and the teaser for the game opens with a heist. The talk is the project along with others in development were cancelled, so that those characters and stories could be saved for Disney owned content. Lots of speculation pointed to a future Boba Fett film being the main reason for the game's demise.

A Boba Fett movie has been in the works for some time. It was only in the last year or so that it's been rumored Larry Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Force Awakens) penned a Boba Fett script. Joe Johnston (Captain America, Jurassic Park 3) Fett's creator was pitching movie ideas to Lucasfilm back in 2011. We know that Kasdan and Simon Kinberg were originally hired by the studio to oversee it's spin-offs, but obviously Larry helped out with Force Awakens. It's quite possible screenwriter Garry Whitta could be developing a script based on an original outline from Kasdan.

Could this mean Gareth Edward's Star Wars film will focus on Boba Fett?

SOURCE: SLASHFILM

AJ Edwards In-Talks To Direct MACE WINDU Movie For Lucasfilm?

Director AJ Edwards (The Better Angels) addressed rumors he was involved with new Star Wars films on Reddit. He confirmed he was in-talks for a film that would focus on jedi knight Mace Windu. Keeping mum on the rest of the details, or if it was a sure thing. Edwards is known for working closely with director Terrence Malick, helping him on four films. Those include The New World, Tree of Life, To The Wonder and his next film Knight of Cups. Hearing him speak during interviews gives the impression he's not the joking type and is dead-serious.

Lucasfilm is moving forward with at least two other spin-offs with directors Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) and Josh Trank (Chronicle, Fantastic Four). The spin-offs would be released between the main episodic installments. A Boba Fett film is possibly being written by Larry Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of The Lost Ark, The Force Awakens). There has also been chatter that Han Solo and Obi Wan Kenobi could be getting their own films too.



We saw Mace's arm hacked-off with a lightsaber and thrown out a window. However, Samuel L. Jackson has pointed out you never actually saw him die. Leaving the window open for him to return, and we have a good idea that Jackson would love to reprise the role. Since he actively campaigned Lucas to land a role in Phantom Menace. Windu along with Kenobi were the few highlights of the prequels, and I'm sure you won't hear much groaning if he got a spin-off.

It's extremely doubtful we'll see that Nick Fury movie Marvel was developing years back, the great thing about Star Wars age isn't a big factor for jedi. The future of Sam's role within the MCU might be coming to end soon once they head-out to the cosmic side for Infinity War. He also has an excellent relationship with Disney and Lucasfilm.

I can't help but think Windu would be a perfect character to lead that Seven Samurai inspired jedi film Zack Snyder pitched to Lucasfilm. Having it set years after the events of Episode III, with the remaining jedi hiding from the clutches of the Empire. Depending on when they want the film to be set it could actually directly connected to the characters from Rebels.

SOURCE: REDDIT

BIG RUMOR ALERT! Lucasfilm Developing An OBI WAN KENOBI Spin-Off Film?

MakingStarWars (via SlashFilm) is seemingly revealing one of the next Lucasfilm spin-offs set within the Star Wars universe. Be warned, the site's article includes a large amount of possible spoilers for Episode VII.  We've already heard that spin-off possibilities could include movies focusing on Boba Fett (with a rumored script from franchise writer Larry Kasdan), Han Solo, Yoda and Red Five film with Luke Skywalker (I assume with a new actor playing Luke) expected in the lead. They are now claiming that the studio is strongly considering an Obi Wan Kenobi movie, stating that the studio has hired concept arts to with alongside a writer.

Lucasfilm has officially confirmed these spin-offs are happening by announcing directors Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and Josh Trank (Chronicles, Fantastic Four) for them. The studio has yet to announce what the titles of the two movies will be.

The one thing that bothers me about the report, is that they go out of their way to mention Lucasfilm was originally avoiding Sith/Jedi spin-offs. When we know that statement just isn't true, with Yoda and Red Five projects being linked by separate sources to the spin-off lineup. Red Five could easily not have Luke, but I'm sure it could upset some purists. The Yoda film has been long rumored from AICN, and we no idea why it was excluded from their report. Perhaps, the studio has ditched the Yoda film for Obi Wan Kenobi, since a lot of fans hated the idea of a Yoda spin-off. Destroying some of the mystery of the character, likely isn't the best idea.

There have been some Obi Wan books that have done well, and the character is still well liked. Thanks, to the underrated Clone Wars series a whole new generation is discovering the hero. The jedi knight is still well loved, and is one of the few characters from the prequel trilogy that managed to not be entirely hated. Kenobi will also be apart of Star Wars Rebels, the era which I assume a possible Obi Wan movie could take place. Actor Ewan McGregor has been vocal on his desire to return, and I think a lot of people would be fine with that as well.

A while back it was reported the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder had pitched a spin-off Star Was film that would be inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. An impressive take on lore, since the original film was inspired by The Hidden Fortress. When that news hit I had assumed that the group could include any number of hidden jedi across the universe, hiding from the Empire. However, it could have easily have Obi Wan as the lead character. This is just my opinion, but this idea still seems more viable than a Han Solo movie.

It also doesn't hurt that Snyder has been playing a cute game with director J.J. Abrams. Placing Star Wars characters into set BVS images, Abrams has also played back with his own images. However, Zack has been more agressive about it. I'm thinking even though he's heavily invovled with Warner Bros' DC film universe, he could eventually take a break to shoot a Star Wars movie. Since a spin-off wouldn't have massive time demand that one of the episodes would.


SOURCE: MAKINGSTARWARS

LOOPER Director Rian Johnson To Write/Direct STAR WARS EPISODES VIII And XI

Lucasfilm is putting together some of the best filmmakers for their new film universe. A new report from Deadline gives the best directing news to date. They say that Brick and Looper director Rian Johnson will take the Episodic reigns of Star Wars, for Episode VIII and Episode XI (some are claiming his is only doing the script treatment). This is confirming that Abrams won't be directing the next two installments, and his future within the Star Wars franchise is unknown.

We've been hearing for months that Lucasfilm has been meeting with directors to round out both the spin-offs and main trilogy. The Star Wars machine is now in full gear (taking cues from Marvel Studios) and needs to move forward. I believe J.J. was never going to direct the entire trilogy and his pre-production/script problems may have cemented that fate. They need the new generation like Rian Johnson, Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) and Josh Trank (Chronicle, Fantastic Four) to keep the franchise fresh and inventive.

Rian Johnson is dedicated filmmaker and has the vision/originality to push the boundaries of the franchise. Rather than just paying homage to what has come before, I expect Johnson will add greatly to the existing universe. Fans should rejoice that we finally have an indie director back directing Star Wars, if this doesn't shut-up film nerds I don't know what will.



SOURCE: DEADLINE

Lupita Nyong'o And Gwendoline Christine Join STAR WARS EPISODE VII

We officially have more ladies joining the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars Episode VII. There had been a bit of controversy, when Daisy Ridley was the only new female addition to the cast, among six new male cast members. A total of two actresses with eleven actors, was a bit embarrassing and earned a bit of backlash during the original casting announcement.

The pair of ladies couldn't be better and will be exciting additions to the franchise. First, we have Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong'o (Non-Stop, 12 Years A Slave), who had been rumored for meetings since the winter. The second is rising Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christine, who also recently filmed a role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the Saga Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film. Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

SOURCE: LUCASFILM

Lucasfilm Announces FANTASTIC FOUR's Josh Trank Will Direct A Standalone STAR WARS Movie

Lucasfilm is going full-force with their future Star Wars plans. Episode VII is currently filming and it was revealed Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) would be directing an unnamed spin-off (likely Boba Fett) for a Decemeber, 2016 release. They have named another director for second unnamed standalone film. Chronicle and Fantastic Four director Josh Trank has been hired for the nameless Star Wars project. I'm assuming it will have a December release date in 2018.

The studio fails to name the project or even give any details, but it's rumored it could be their Han Solo movie. It's said to focus on the early smuggling days of Solo, a prequel of sorts. Another possibly is a Red Five movie, which could focus on the group of legendary X-Wing pilots (including Luke Skywalker) who took-on the Empire. We also heard about the studio considering a Yoda movie, the least interesting of the bunch (unless it's combined with Zack Snyder's Seven Samurai pitch).

SOURCE: LUCASFILM

GODZILLA's Gareth Edwards Directing STAR WARS Spin-Off Coming December 2016

THR is reporting a new development concerning the Star Wars spin-offs. They say that Godzilla and Monsters director Gareth Edwards has been hired by Lucasfilm to direct one of their unnamed spin-offs. It's been rumored for months the first one could be the Boba Fett movie. It's rumroed to have a script penned by Lawrence Kasdan (Return of The Jedi, Empire Strikes Back, Episode VII), while the other films don't have completed scripts.

UPDATE: The release date is set for December 2016, which very well could mean this is Boba Fett. Along with the addition that Gary Whitta (After Earth, Book of Eli, Akira) has written the film. Fett is rumored to be the first spin-off released, and was expected to take the 2016 spot.

SOURCE: THR

FILMS THAT SHOULD BE MADE: Zack Snyder's SEVEN SAMURAI Inspired STAR WARS Spin-Off

Disney has confirmed that Star Wars spin-offs are coming and we should expect three of them. The release dates haven't been revealed but are expected to be 2017, 2019 and 2020, with main Episodes 7-9 to be released between them. We hear that Larry Kasdan is still working on a Boba Fett script, but that apparently hasn't been greenlit by the studio. Other possible spin-off movies include ones based around Yoda and Han Solo (there has also been talk of movies based on Jabba The Hutt and Star Wars: Rebels).



During the days of, who is going to direct Star Wars: Episode VII? An interesting story arose from the trades, which pointed to a Star Wars pitch from director Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300, Man of Steel). His film would be greatly inspired by Akira Kurosawa's classic film The Seven Samurai. A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.



Something George Lucas had previously did with New Hope, taking direct cue's from Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. Not mention lifting entire shots and scenes from the film.

Snyder would eventually deny the pitch every took place, a common practice these days as directors and actors will deny any involvement to press about potential projects. In Zack's case likely due to his then unannounced commitments to the Man of Steel sequel Batman Vs Superman and now Justice League, which he was also taking with Warner Bros. about. Abrams himself lied about his involvement with Episode VII, until he was announced by Lucasfilm as it's director. It should be noted that when it comes to Star Wars just expect everything to be denied, until a press release from their site confirms it.

My impression is that Zack both signed a non-disclosure agreement with Lucasfilm, as did a majority of other directors who were courted around the same time (Matthew Vaughn..ect), and he also didn't want to look like his idea was being rejected by the studio. For all intensive purposes it looks like that film may never happen, as Zack's commitments to the DCU have increased. He could be called upon to direct even more DC movies in the future.



It's also possible that Zack might ask to leave Warner Bros. to make other movies, such as Christopher Nolan did between Batman films with The Prestige and Inception. When Justice League wraps, that would make it three back-to-back DCU installments from Snyder. I'm sure he'll want a bit of break from the comic book genre. Synder proved with the Krypton scenes in Man of Steel, he could have an interesting take visually on the Star Wars universe. I still believe this could end up happening, but it's a long-shot.

It's hard to say where Lucasfilm will want to go with Han Solo, but I do believe incorporating the Seven Samurai elements into a Yoda film could work very well together. Establishing an untold mission Yoda and other exiled jedi took-on, could be a very compelling spin-off or standalone feature. Even more so if it was set within the new Rebels saga, which is apparently official canon. Having a rag-tag group of former jedi knights who have been on the run or hiding from the Empire, coming together for a common goal or one last heroic event. Before they truly dissolve the jedi order as Kenobi and Yoda did by hiding out on remote planets, and never contacting the other jedi again.



I'm sure Rebels will try to explain what has happened to the remaining the jedi across the universe, but this could specifically speak to Yoda, Ashoka Tano (finally appearing in the films) and even Kenobi. I just feel like Seven Samurai screams jedi knights, and if the legacy/expanded universe if off-limits. Placing it into Yoda movie, set within the timeline of Rebels could make for an extremely entertaining adventure. We could even see the Rebels team get into the mix, with new cowboy jedi Kanan and even possibly Ezra. That's already five of seven spots possibly filled with canon characters.

Of course, Synder could end-up locking into a crazy contract with Warner Bros. to direct all the DC films (which would be insane for both the studio and Zack). Placing this whole idea into limbo, which for all we know will be it's fate. I'm excited at the possibility of Zack tackling a Star Wars movie, even if can't even admit to his pitch ever happening. Allowing him to play within the Star Wars sandbox, could be one of the more bold moves Lucasfilm might make moving forward with these spin-offs.

STAR WARS UPDATES: Disney Confirms Three Spin-Offs And Sophie Turner Possibly Linked

Today, Disney's Bob Iger officially confirmed that Lucasfilm will be making "at least" three spin-off movies. We don't know exactly what they'll be, but Lawrence Kasdan (Episode VII, Empire Strikes Back, Return of The Jedi) has been linked for writing the Boba Fett movie. Other candidates include Jabba The Hutt, Yoda, Han Solo and a possible movie based on the new cartoon series Rebels.

Another tidbit was also mentioned by BadassDigest relaying the rumor that Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner is currently meeting with Bad Robot. Abrams' production company is working on the Star Wars films, so it's expected this could be connected to Episode VII. It's been revealed that casting hasn't completed, with actors such as Zac Efron and Lupita Nyong'o still in the mix.

Considering her red-locks it's hard not to think she'd make an excellent Mara Jade. Originally in the novels, she is the disciple of Darth Vader and marries Luke Skywalker. As Lucasfilm is scrapping legacy/expanded universe canon, it's possible they could insert her into the new trilogies. It wouldn't hurt to pair her up with Ben Skywalker, if they do indeed to focus on the children. That said, we really have no clue what characters will be used.

Good News, Another Major Female Lead To Be Cast In STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

THR is reporting that another major female role in Star Wars: Episode VII is yet to be cast. There had been good intentioned criticism concerning Daisy Ridley being the only new female cast member. Having two ladies in a cast of thirteen confirmed actors, was a bit shameful.

"Several sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that director J.J. Abrams has another substantial role to fill — and it's a female part. No further details are known."

Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyongo'O (12 Years A Slave, Non-Stop) has previously met with director J.J. Abrams for an unnamed role, which was possibly the same part Oxford actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers was linked for. The character is said to be related to Obi Wan Kenobi, but that hasn't been confirmed. Considering that they've already cast Oscar Isaac, placing Lupita in major role would be a very smart move.

SOURCE: THR

Lucasfilm Confirms And Reveals STAR WARS EPISODE VII Cast, Release Date Set For December 2015

Lucasfilm has officially announced the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII. We have confirmation that original actors such as Mark Hamill, Carrie FIsher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker will be returning in their respected roles.

They've also revealed that new additions include Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver and Max von Sydow, have also joined the Star Wars universe. We weren't expecting this reveal to include this many cast members, but it's a pleasant surprise. Their roles haven't been explained, and likely won't be for a long time. The studio did however snap a photo of the cast doing a table-read of the new script.

Andy Serkis (Tintin, King Kong, Hobbit, Lord of The Rings, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, Rise of The Planet of The Apes) is also mentioned in the press release. I have to assume he'll be playing a motion capture character, due to his extensive background with it. Yet, he's just a great actor so they could use him anyway they want to.

A release date has also been confirmed for December 18th, 2015.

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

SOURCE: LUCASFILM

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII Production Moving To Abu Dhabi Not Morocco

Looks like it's not Morocco that will be the home of Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode VII, but the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi and the surrounding area will be the site of production for at least four weeks starting in May. Adam Driver and Peter Mayhew have been the only cast members confirmed for the film.

"Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Star Wars: Episode VII will shoot in and around the city-state, which is part of the United Arab Emirates, beginning mid-May. Sources also say it would be a four-week shoot."

SOURCE: THR