The original Star Wars trilogy might be coming back
Lucasfilm is rumoured to be re-releasing the unaltered Star Wars trilogy, The Last Jedi is going in for reshoots and the untitled Han Solo film is getting a title in today's Star Wars news round-up.
This Is 40
Star Wars fans could be about to get what we’ve been demanding for years, and it might be announced at Star Wars Celebration.
Here’s what we know for sure: A “very special tribute to the 40th anniversary of Star Wars” will kick off Celebration Orlando on Thursday April 13. The panel, hosted by Warwick Davis, will feature Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and special guests (one of whom may or may not be George Lucas), among many other “not-to-be-missed surprises”.
The panel was teased in today’s episode of The Star Wars Show.
Here’s what’s being rumoured: Making Star Wars is reporting that Lucasfilm is gearing up to announce the release of the unaltered 1977, 1980 and 1983 cuts of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, respectively.
What better time to do so than at the 40th anniversary panel? Better yet, what if they announce it now, and the unaltered cuts actually screen at Celebration?
While I desperately want this to happen, I’m going to pour a little cold water on this one by pointing out that the ‘unaltered’ cut of Star Wars is a unicorn at this point, because Lucas has been tinkering with the film ever since its opening weekend.
(I’m sure the folks at Making Star Wars know that, and were just choosing not to be pedants about it, because we all know what’s meant by ‘unaltered cut’ — the one without CGI Jabba and without Greedo shooting first.)
The bigger issue, and the one that’s always gotten in the way of this announcement, is that George Lucas would prefer we watched the Special Editions instead of the unaltered cuts. And if Lucasfilm do manage to get him on stage at the 40th anniversary panel, it’d be kind of weird to choose that moment to announce that they’re going to ignore his wishes and re-release the unaltered cuts.
Then again, maybe building up fan demand for the unaltered cuts has always been George’s master plan, and everything is proceeding as he has foreseen…
The key art poster for #SWCO is so so so beautiful. Hope everyone loves it as much as I do. pic.twitter.com/VciQ99XLzH
— Daniel Kennedy (@DanielKennedyDK) February 22, 2017
Reshoot first, ask questions later
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is rumoured to be heading for reshoots next month. Take this one with a heaping helping of salt, but Omega Underground is reporting that Universal Extras Casting has put out the call for extras and walk-on roles for a major feature film in Scotland and Ireland next month.
Since The Last Jedi was filmed in both of those countries, they’ve come to the reasonable conclusion that the casting call must be for reshoots for that film.
There were all sorts of hysterical reactions to the Rogue One reshoots last year, but since that movie turned out fine (and since reshoots are just a fact of life for major studio films now, including The Force Awakens), here’s hoping nobody gets bent out of shape about it this time.
Especially because — and this is purely speculation — the death of Carrie Fisher could well have led to some necessary changes to the film that Rian Johnson couldn’t possibly have foreseen during principal photography.
Titled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film
We are hearing that the title for the #HanSolo film will be revealed during D23 in July (14-16). The event will be much bigger this year. https://t.co/Lo1aRCwjhX
— SWNN (@StarWarsNewsNet) February 22, 2017
Star Wars News Net’s Chad Stevens is reporting that the Han Solo prequel – currently being filmed under the working title Red Cup – will be given a name at Disney’s D23 expo.
This makes a lot of sense, because The Last Jedi will surely be the focus of Star Wars Celebration, but Lucasfilm is still going to need to get the Han Solo title out there soon if the film is really going to hit that May 25 2018 release date.
D23 will be held at the Anaheim Convention Centre from July 14-16.
Chirrut, we’re home
You’ll soon be able to watch the cast of Rogue One die over and over again in the comfort of your own home. The film will be available on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere from March 24 and on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, and On-Demand from April 4.
The list of features is lengthy, but the absence of a director’s commentary or any deleted scenes is awfully conspicuous.
A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM’s John Knoll came up with the movie’s concept – and why it’s the right film to launch the Star Wars stand-alone films.
Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know Rogue One’s defiant, resourceful survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to life onscreen.
Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex, driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance and passion.
K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan Tudyk’s performance.
Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.
Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader, and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.
The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary…and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time.
Visions of Hope: The Look of Rogue One – The filmmakers describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.
The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the vibrant young princess of “Star Wars: A New Hope” – as well as one of her most memorable foes – back to the screen.
Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate Rogue One’s premiere and look forward into the future, to the Star Wars stories yet to be told.
Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden throughout the movie that connect “Rogue One” to the Star Wars universe.
Unlike The Force Awakens, which didn’t come out in 3D until six months after the release of the standard Blu-Ray, Rogue One will be available in 3D straight away.
This leads me to believe that they’re not holding the director’s commentary and the deleted scenes for a later release — we’re just not getting them, period.
Considering the controversy surrounding the reshoots, this is probably a smart move on Disney and Lucasfilm’s part, but it would have been great to get the true, warts-and-all story of what actually happened on set, and what actually happened in the scenes that were sizzled in the trailers but didn’t appear in the film.
I guess we’ll just have to wait for JW Rinzler’s inevitable tell-all book in 30 years.
Look at the size of that thing!
Disney has confirmed that key scenes in Star Wars: The Last Jedi have been shot with IMAX cameras (just as they were for The Force Awakens).
Technically, any film can be shown on an IMAX screen, but films that were actually shot with the IMAX camera are able to make the most of the giant canvas.
Upcoming Disney flicks Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and The Wasp, The Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Wreck-It Ralph 2, Indiana Jones 5, A Wrinkle in Time and Mulan will also be partly shot with IMAX cameras, while Avengers: Infinity War and the untitled Infinity War sequel will be shot entirely in the IMAX format, befitting the epic scope of these team-up films.
Star Wars and IMAX actually go waaaaay back – it was IMAX co-creator Roman Kroitor who inspired ‘The Force’ with a line in Arthur Lipsett’s 21-87, a 1963 short that had a profound influence on George Lucas’ career.
In space, no one can hear you scream
Marvel Comics have previewed artist Marco Checchetto’s work on the upcoming Screaming Citadel one-shot that will kick off the summer crossover between Jason Aaron’s ongoing Star Wars title and Kieron Gillen’s Doctor Aphra spin-off.
The crossover is being billed as a Star Wars horror story, which is something we haven’t seen much of (especially in the new canon), so I’m excited to see what they do with it.
You can flick through the sketchbook, and read about Checchetto’s influences (including Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula), at Marvel.com.
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