by the fans for the fans

'Star Wars Episode 7' And Disney: Five Burning Questions
George Lucas' involvement and the direction of the series are just two of the questions surrounding Disney's planned 'Star Wars' sequel.

www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696473/star-w...sney-questions.jhtml

Not so long ago, right here in this very galaxy, Disney bought Lucasfilm, and a new "Star Wars" movie was born.

Disney's latest acquisition and the announcement of "Star Wars Episode 7" is easily one of the most energizing and polarizing pop culture announcements in recent history. A seventh film in the "Star Wars" series has long been rumored, and soon, it'll be a reality, under Disney's supervision no less.

But with the news only hours old, many questions still surround the return of the Jedi to the silver screen. Here are five of them.

Role Call
The implication of the "Episode 7" title is that we're out of prequel territory and into the land beyond the original trilogy. That's scary turf for a few reasons, one of the big ones being... well, who's going to return? It's hard to imagine Harrison Ford getting on board with a Han Solo reprise given his cold stance towards "Star Wars" over the years, unless a Millennium Falcon-load of cash arrives at his front door. It's easier to see how other franchise mainstays — like C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels or Chewbacca himself, Peter Mayhew — might return without the promise of similarly massive paychecks. There's also this dreaded possibility: recasting. We shudder to think.

Playing It By The Books
Even though the theatrical story ended with "Return of the Jedi," the "Star Wars" saga has continued in the form of novels, comic books, video games and beyond. There are countless stories chronicling the continuing adventures of Luke Skywalker and friends to mine from — but will Disney feel obligated to honor a continuity known only by the most faithful of "Star Wars" fans, or will they bring their own stories to bear upon a greater mainstream audience?

What About George?
Many fans will feel that the founder of this franchise needs to have his say in the ongoing story. Others, like those who were burned by the prequel trilogy and Lucas' seemingly endless "Star Wars" alterations, are likely yub-nubbing in their finest Ewok attire right now. No matter how involved Lucas is going forward, this much is clear: he just handed the keys to one of the biggest film franchises of all time over to one of the biggest corporations of all time. To riff on Darth Vader's own words, Lucas is the student, and Mickey is the master now.

Who Is The New George?
If Lucas is no longer repping the Rebellion, who does Disney get to step into the franchise's spotlight? A big name is needed to spearhead "Star Wars" going forward, someone with name recognition, a person with credibility in the geek community. "Star Trek" helmer J.J. Abrams is an obvious, but otherwise committed, choice, as is "Avengers" director Joss Whedon — though he already has his hands full with a Disney-owned franchise of his own. Regardless of who Disney selects, it can't just be Joe the Director; they need a name who will reassure fans that one of the most precious genre stories of all time is in safe hands.

This Is The Apocalypse, Right?
Has the Empire won? Like, did Luke and Leia and Han and everyone fail and all that is wrong in the world is happening now? Let's not get carried away. Disney's "Star Wars" is a scary idea, sure, but it's not necessarily a bad one. Heck, it might even be a good one. Think about the possibilities: Pixar-animated "Star Wars" yarns, the unaltered original trilogy on Blu-ray (where Lucas was stubborn on this point, Disney will only see dollar signs), and brand new adventures starring some of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema. More "Star Wars" comes with lots of risk, but also lots of potential reward. As Yoda so wisely called it: "Do, or do not. There is no try." For better or worse, Disney is doing it. And that takes some seriously sized space-balls.

OR IN BEST WORDS IN STAR WARS..


"I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened"

CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY'S AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE LUCASFILM LTD.

STAR WARS 7, 8 AND 9 ANNOUNCED.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 4:30pm
edge.media-server.com/m/p/c2nj5j33/lan/en

George Lucas Talks!

IT'S A TRAP!

Mark Hamill weighs in on the future of 'Star Wars' -- EXCLUSIVE


insidemovies.ew.com/2012/10/31/mark-hami...-episode-vii-disney/



Tuesday’s news that George Lucas is giving the keys to the Star Wars universe to The Walt Disney Company in a $4.05 billion mega-deal surprised fans around the world, including some famous filmmakers who grew up on the franchise. It even caught a key figure in that universe — Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill — by surprise. Reached by EW, Hamill — who currently does voice work on no fewer than four animated series and will co-star in the upcoming crime thriller Sushi Girl — shared a few thoughts on where Star Wars and its fabled creator go from here now that Lucas is handing over the reins (and the light sabers and blasters and all the rest) to new custodians and the next generation of filmmakers.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What did you make of the big news yesterday?
MARK HAMILL: Oh my gosh, what a shock that was! I had no idea that George was going to sell to Disney until I read it online like everybody else. He did tell us last summer about wanting to go on and do [Episodes] VII, VIII, and IX, and that [newly appointed Lucasfilm president] Kathleen Kennedy would be doing them. He seems to be in a really good place. He’s really happy. And that’s nice because I know that when we were making the movies, he was not a jolly guy on set. [Laughs] I always felt badly for him because he agonizes over details, and I’m sure after imagining it in his head for so many years, to see it realized — he’d look up and just hang his head and groan. Harrison [Ford], Carrie [Fisher], and I were always trying to cheer him up and joke him out of his doom and gloom. I missed his call yesterday, but I spoke to him maybe three weeks ago. But until we know more, it’s hard to make any comment other than congratulations to George.

So you met with George this past summer and he told you about his plans to make another trilogy?
Yeah, last August, he asked Carrie and I to have lunch with him and we did. I thought he was going to talk about either his retirement or the Star Wars TV series that I’ve heard about — which I don’t think we were going to be involved in anyway, because that takes place between the prequels and the ones we were in and, if Luke were in them, he’d be anywhere from a toddler to a teenager so they’d get an age-appropriate actor — or the 3-D releases. So when he said, “We decided we’re going to do Episodes VII, VIII, and IX,” I was just gobsmacked. “What? Are you nuts?!” [Laughs] I can see both sides of it. Because in a way, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end and we all lived happily ever after and that’s the way it should be — and it’s great that people have fond memories, if they do have fond memories. But on the other hand, there’s this ravenous desire on the part of the true believers to have more and more and more material. It’s one of those things: people either just don’t care for it or are passionate about it. I guess that defines what cult movies are all about. We’ll see. I’m anxious to know what’s going on, but the main story [yesterday] was the sale to Disney. I have mixed feelings about that, but they haven’t done badly by Marvel and the Muppets and Pixar. It’s one of those big decisions that at first seems unusual but then the more you look at it, the more it makes sense.

When you had lunch with George, did he get into any details with you about where the story would go in the next three films, or whether you would have a part in them?
Well, no, he was just talking about writers and the fact that he wouldn’t be directing. I guess he wanted us to know before everybody else knew. He said, “Now you can’t tell anybody!” [Laughs] Even now I’m nervous about saying anything. I just don’t know!

STAR WARS GAMES BY DISNEY...

Update: The future of AAA console games from LucasArts seems to be in doubt. Disney CEO Robert Iger spoke at an investor's call, which Polygon picked up: "We're likely to focus more on social and mobile than we are on console. We'll look opportunistically at console, most likely in licensing rather than publishing, but we think that given the nature of these characters and how well known they are, and the storytelling, that they lend themselves quite nicely, as they've already demonstrated to the other platforms."

www.shacknews.com/article/76439/lucasarts-acquired-by-disney



LucasArts acquired by Disney
by Andrew Yoon, Oct 30, 2012 1:30pm PDT
Related Topics – Star Wars 1313, LucasArts, Disney

The Walt Disney Company has acquired Lucasfilm and its subsidiaries, including its LucasArts video gaming division, in a deal that's valued at $4.05 billion.

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," George Lucas said in the announcement. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."

According to the announcement, the "present intent" is for all Lucas employees, including LucasArts, to remain in their current locations.

With the company's iconic properties going to Disney, a new film trilogy is being planned. Star Wars: Episode 7 is targeted for a 2015 release, with more films expected "well into the future." Hey, how about a Grim Fandango revival, guys?

LucasArts was working on Star Wars 1313 before the acquisition. According to a company representative, "for the time being all projects are business as usual. We are excited about all the possibilities that Disney brings."

Update: The future of AAA console games from LucasArts seems to be in doubt. Disney CEO Robert Iger spoke at an investor's call, which Polygon picked up: "We're likely to focus more on social and mobile than we are on console. We'll look opportunistically at console, most likely in licensing rather than publishing, but we think that given the nature of these characters and how well known they are, and the storytelling, that they lend themselves quite nicely, as they've already demonstrated to the other platforms."

.....It's been a few days and I still don't know if I think this is a good thing or not. It's not like Disney hasn't had their fingers in the Star Wars Franchise in some form before now but still. They said the new films (from what I read it seems that 3 more films is not the end of it either) will be sequals to the original films. So post Endor. Now 10 years ago I'd be drooling in a corner with my vast collection of SW novels with a glazed look in my eyes dreaming of some of these amazingly well written stories on the big screen. Today I'm sitting on a pile of my SW novels (X-Wing series and Truce at Bakura in particular, yeah had them out of storage the day before this news came out lol) half excited and half terrified as to what will happen. The post Endor books were mostly produced together between the authors and GL so that there was a continuity between the books. I always appreciated this extra work and it's effect on the SW universe. What will these new films do though? are they going to blaze a new trail? Will they bring any of the published stories to the screen? Or will they be new stories that acknowledge the history laid down by the novels but not bring a specific book to the theater?

Personally I would prefer the second two of those. It's just a wish on my own part however I guess my baseline desire is to not see the stories and history laid down by so many very talented authors ignored in these coming films. To either see them used directly (doubtful) or to at least see them as respected laid down history just as much as the first six films.

Just a thought from me, I don't hold this to be the end all and heaven knows I would still go see the films even if they did create their own new history. I'm a big enough geek that seeing Star Destroyers, Imperial Uniforms, TIE's and XWings on the big screen with today's Visual Effects is too much for me to resist.


Now If you will excuse me I have X-Wings Collector series Loaded up and the Frigate Redemption to save today.

Part 2: George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy: Getting Started on the New Star Wars Films

Michael Arndt to Write Screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII[/b]


starwars.com/news/michael-arndt-to-write...ars-episode-vii.html


As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As reveal
ed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).



Michael Arndt
www.imdb.com/name/nm1578335/


Star Wars: Episode VII (announced).....2015

The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind (screenplay) (pre-production)..........2015

Phineas and Ferb (screenplay) (pre-production).....2014

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (screenplay)filming)...2013

Oblivion (screenplay) (post-production).........2013

Toy Story 3 (screenplay).........2012

Little Miss Sunshine (written by).......2006