The concept of a a live-action Star Wars TV series seems all-but lost to time, and perhaps with good reason. According to a God of War game director working for George Lucas at the time, the series might have thought to humanize Emperor Palpatine by revealing the backstory of a “heartless” female gangster who “totally destroyed him as a person.”
It’s not uncommon for trailers to feature scenes that never make it to theaters, or for specific scenes to look slightly different than they did in early teasers, owing to changes in visual FX during production. Such is the case with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and while some of the scenes featured in the trailers weren’t included in the theatrical version, those deleted scenes are included on the new Blu-ray release. But there was one thing from the initial trailers that wasn’t restored: a reference to George Lucas’ prequels.
Back in 1997, George Lucas re-released the original Star Wars trilogy in digitally altered “special editions,” and asserted that these were the only “true” editions of the classic films. The original, unaltered versions became rare — you can find them on VHS, and they are included on a DVD release (though the transfer is poor), and there are some original 35mm prints floating around, but fans have been desperate for Lucasfilm to restore and re-release the unaltered versions on Blu-ray. While we wait for something that may never come, one anonymous group has uncovered an original 35mm print and cleaned it up.
J.J. Abrams revved up the engine on the ol’ Star Wars ship, launching the series on a new journey with The Force Awakens, but declining to return for the subsequent sequels. Instead, Rian Johnson (Looper) and Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) will be steering the franchise from here on out, directing Episodes 8 and 9, respectively. Johnson is in production on Episode 8 right now, and according to The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley, the script is “very good.” How good? Abrams regrets turning down the chance to direct it.
George Lucas recently commented about why he walked away from Star Wars and it’s all your fault. In a new video interview for Vanity Fair, the Star Wars creator voiced some of his frustrations with the past of the franchise and his hopes for the future, yielding some uncharacteristically candid soundbites.
Harrison Ford appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night to talk publicly for the first time about breaking his ankle on the set of Star Wars, crashing his plane and how Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an “incredible” movie. Oh, we should also mention he did all this while dressed up as a hot dog.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams made a concerted effort to return more practical effects to his Star Wars film and the new trilogy. While no one will come out and say it, this seems like a direct response to George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, which featured a lot of CGI. In fact, in The Phantom Menace, there’s only shot in the entire movie that has no CGI. That’s just one of the facts packed into the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies, which goes back in time with the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy!
When the rumors began to spread that Lucasfilm wanted Chris Pratt to star in a new Indiana Jones reboot, many “insiders” tried to refute those claims by saying an Indiana Jones reboot would never happen. But now, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed that a new Indiana Jones movie is on the way, saying it “will one day be made” at Disney.