Rumor: Will Hutts Slide Their Way Into Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

HuttsIf you remember one thing about the first half of Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi, it’s probably the presence of one corpulent space-slug by the name of Jabba the Hutt. Apparently, there are now whispers that several others members of his species will appear in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens – and that they’ll be practical effects once again.

 

First, before we get into the news, I’d like to point out an article written by Jason Ward that I saw on MSW several months ago bringing the possible presence of Hutts in the movie, among other things. The article discussed information from an informant, including a bit of concept art discussed below:

Leia and the Hutts – There was a production sketch done very very early on which showed Princess Leia standing in the middle of several Hutts. She was wearing a maroon dress (political style) and was flanked by two soldiers (they looked to me like the Naboo guards from Phantom Menace but to others they looked like the rebel soldiers from the beginning of A New Hope.) The picture looked as if she was having a meeting with them. She certainly didn’t appear to be captive or under threat. I have no idea if this sketch has anything to do with the movie that is being shot as it was very early on.

 

A thing that I liked about that particular bit of information is that it gave us an idea of what Leia might do in the movie – after all, almost all of the focus on the old guard seemed to be evenly split between Han and Luke’s roles in the movie. Still, as production went by, very little else was spoken of Leia’s role in the movie or the appearance of some Hutts, and it began to seem like the idea of the meeting between the two parties was just a concept that dropped on the cutting-room floor early on in production.

 

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For a long while, it seemed like that was still the case – that is, until recently. Latino-Review columnist Da7e recently wrote a piece about Hutts, and I cannot lie – this is an interesting bit of news about the production, and it even says something about the franchise going forward.

The Hutts are the gangster kings of Tatooine and they have a history with Anakin Skywalker from podrace to the early days of The Clone Wars to the fall of Jabba in Return of the Jedi.
 
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.
 
How these Hutts are going to pop up is still in question. There were very early reports of concept art that featured Princess Leia meeting with the Hutts. That seems about right, considering she’s a Galactic politician and murdered Tatooine’s last lead Hutt in cold blood whilst in a metal slave bikini. Showing Leia dealing with that political situation would be a good way to show what a powerful politician she’s become.

The article also goes on to note that Gareth Edwards’s movie is in full swing at this point, and that Tatiana Maslany is the lead actress for it (whether or not she’s the lead role or just the leading lady is unclear right now).

 

star-wars-return-of-the-jedi-jabba-the-hut1

But wait! There’s more! Jason Ward was able to describe a few more details on the scene:

I heard this same information very recently from someone I really respect. That person had it confirmed from someone reputable. But there is a little more to the story. I was told four to five Hutts were constructed using the same techniques from Return of the Jedi. The puppets appear in the same shot and it was insanely difficult to do.

He also notes that the guards described in the scene I quoted at the top of the article look like the soldiers that were seen in the Greenham Common leaks. As it stands, this sounds like a good sign of the kind of effort Lucasfilm and Disney are putting into the project – it took as many as five people to operate Jabba at a given time, and given that we’re seeing as many as five Hutts on the screen at once (all of which are operated through practical effects instead of CGI, as was the case in the Special Edition of A New Hope and The Phantom Menace), this could mean that up to twenty-five people went into operating the Hutts. That’s dedication to your craft, and I can’t wait to see this on the screen if these reports are true.

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

42 thoughts on “Rumor: Will Hutts Slide Their Way Into Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

  • January 31, 2015 at 5:47 pm
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    Oh man! 25 Hutt operators on screen at one time!?! That would be pretty epic.

    • January 31, 2015 at 7:43 pm
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      everything from the OT except the kitchen sink…

      • January 31, 2015 at 8:39 pm
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        Because of course GL never put a Hutt in the PT 🙂

        • February 1, 2015 at 12:48 am
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          25 Hutt operators will always be better than a 25 polygon Jaba from ANH ’97.

    • February 1, 2015 at 12:56 am
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      The two main Hutt clans are at war with one another. Which clan is Leia negotiating with? ST

  • January 31, 2015 at 5:50 pm
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    Awesome!

  • January 31, 2015 at 6:05 pm
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    Gardulla the Hutt i hope is one of them! Gardulla was Anikins slave owner before Watto.

    • February 1, 2015 at 1:12 am
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      Gardulla appeared in the opening of the Pod Race in the TPM. This character can possibly tie the whole Saga as well if on board for ST.

      • February 1, 2015 at 9:10 pm
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        That was Jabba.

        • February 2, 2015 at 5:19 am
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          No that was Gardulla. Jabba is in the foreground and if you look to his left, in the background there is another Hutt.

  • January 31, 2015 at 6:29 pm
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    Calling it now… this is a brief scene, probably where Leia is introduced into the film.

    She is negotiating with the Hutts, probably osme trade thing, maybe hoping to get them as allies against the empire.

    75% chance that this meeting with the Hutts will be interrupted by the Arrival of the heroes and/or millennium falcon.

  • January 31, 2015 at 6:41 pm
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    As long as I don’t see a female hutt with lipstick, I’m ok with it.

    • February 1, 2015 at 7:56 am
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      Hutts are hermaphrodites.

      …Sorry you had to learn that.

      • February 2, 2015 at 4:07 pm
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        True, however, they decidedly have male or female personas as they are referenced as he and she in the films and Clone Wars. For ex… Ziro’s mother in CW was mentioned, and Gardulla is referred to as a “she”.

      • February 2, 2015 at 8:24 pm
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        So, why did Jabba always have skantily clad women near him? I never understood that.

        • February 2, 2015 at 10:14 pm
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          1. Because he could.
          2. Because it was a way for him to exercise his dominance.
          3. Because the target audience in 1983 , now in their mid-40s are still thinking about that metal-kini…score one for lasting appeal. Atta boy George. 🙂

  • January 31, 2015 at 6:54 pm
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    I’ve said it before and I say it again, Rotta will be in this movie, now in charge there after jabba died.

    • January 31, 2015 at 7:12 pm
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      Yes except will rutta be able to fit on the screen like jabba ?

  • January 31, 2015 at 7:09 pm
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    I’m concearned about the execution. Hutts are extremely hard to do well. Jabba in ROTJ was one of the very best things about Star Wars but all his later appearances looked terrible to me. Nor do I think that having the Hutts be practical effects will automatically fix it as Hollywood’s current skill at practical effects is nowhere near what it was in 1982. ROTJ Jabba could be considered the absolute pinnacle of the practical effects craft and that’s what these Hutts would have to measure up to (realistic language, accent and all) in order to maintain stylistic consistency.

    • January 31, 2015 at 7:26 pm
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      I don’t know if I agree… that first force for change video indicates otherwise.

      • January 31, 2015 at 10:33 pm
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        The Force For change video is part of what makes me nervous about our ability to create practical effects today. I like the concept and spirit of it but I don’t think the creature stands up to being so well lit or being on screen for that long. One of the strengths they had in the heyday of practical effects was humility, meaning they didn’t give the audience a chance to look too close at a creature even when they had spent millions on it.

    • January 31, 2015 at 7:43 pm
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      The skill IS there, it’s more a question of money. Where you invest your money is where you’re gonna get the best output 9/10 times.

      • February 1, 2015 at 12:34 am
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        A grand donation from Pizza the Hut should do the trick.

  • January 31, 2015 at 7:53 pm
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    Mmm I’d rather have a scene with a new interstingly designed alien species. Except Jabba in VI Hutts in SW are silly.

  • January 31, 2015 at 8:05 pm
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    The Hutts in Clone Wars always bothered me because they are Italian mafia Dons. It completely brings me out of the experience when I see ridiculous real life references like that.

    • January 31, 2015 at 8:18 pm
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      Yeah I agree TCW Hutts were lame! Though OT was full of real life references, but in a vague/awesome way.

      • February 1, 2015 at 12:48 am
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        Too relatable i think. We wanted to hear the alien slugs like Jabba, with more level of mystery and Authority, Cartoons are made to relate to kids, not to confuse them with Huttese i guess.

  • January 31, 2015 at 8:46 pm
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    Luke Skywalker in a metal bikini

    • February 1, 2015 at 7:57 am
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      Only if he keeps the Duck Dynasty beard.

  • January 31, 2015 at 9:10 pm
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    I hope they speak Huttese, not English.

  • January 31, 2015 at 9:45 pm
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    No interest in the Hutts at all, seriously, hopefully if its filmed, it doesn’t make the final cut.

    • February 1, 2015 at 12:43 am
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      Hutts are integral to the OT Solo/Organa arc. They live hundreds of years and may not have forgotten recent events of a relevant magnitude(Vader, Jabba etc..) . If they are not in the ST then in some way the ST is not classic Star Wars.

      • February 1, 2015 at 12:55 am
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        Obi-wan was integral to the OT. If he is not in the ST, then in some way the ST is not classic Star Wars.

        The Emperor was integral to the OT. If he is not in the ST, then in some way the ST is not classic Star Wars.

        The Death Star was integral to the OT. If it is not in the ST, then in some way the ST is not classic Star Wars.

        Sorry. I keep forgetting. Today, are we complaining that VII will be too much like the original Star Wars, or not enough like the OT? I think I missed today’s memo.

        • February 1, 2015 at 1:06 am
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          “If they are not in the ST then in some way the ST is not classic Star Wars.” I wouldn’t say this but Jabba IS Classic OT, CG or not. Using Hutts is somewhat keeping it classy if it looks right.

        • February 3, 2015 at 6:53 am
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          Keeping things classic Star Wars is not about repeating specific characters, places and situations from the OT (That just makes things redundant). Rather, it’s about keeping things stylistically consistent while exploring new places and characters. That is really hard to do.

  • February 1, 2015 at 12:33 am
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    “The Hutts are gangsters…”

  • February 1, 2015 at 1:39 am
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    Hmm… Gardulla once owned Anakin, and both Jabba and Rotta were aware of his existence. Han once smuggled for Jabba and ended up in a lot of debt to him and then became a prisoner that Jabba sentenced to die. Speaking of which, Luke (of clan Skywalker) goes to visit Jabba, threatens him and commences to wreck his place and the folks within it. In the process, Leia attempts to whisk away with (steal) one of Jabba’s “prized possessions” and ends up having to kill Jabba in the process.

    I wonder just what an ambassador Leia would be able to converse about with the Hutts at this point in the timeline, and what do they remember and/or know about who she is and who she is related to??? This could go so many different ways if it indeed is included into the story and movie.

  • February 1, 2015 at 11:35 am
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    I really hope not! I’m sick of Hutts already.

  • February 1, 2015 at 9:44 pm
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    From what we’ve seen so far I’m getting a really ROTJ vibe from at least the look of this film. Jedi was the most lavishly detailed and most elaborate and I think thats what JJ is going for.
    Jabba was an inspired creation, and I think typifies what Fan’s love about practical effects.

  • February 2, 2015 at 11:40 am
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    If it’s done by the “pig creature” sfx guys from that leaked TFA Abu Dabi pic, it still won’t look realistic. Not that that matters. The story is what matters. But good thing they threw out the story by that guy who made the story for Episode 4 and 5, and hired the guy who did the story for Felicity. Now it will be great.

  • February 3, 2015 at 5:16 am
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    Fuck, I’m wondering if artists today could even make a 1983 Jabba puppet anymore. Look at that god-awful Yoda puppet they made for the Phantom Menace film. I guess Stuart Freeborn was a genius for creating the Yoda and Jabba puppets. As for CGI, remember that 1997 CGI Jabba from SE-ANH! I remember turning to my brother and saying WTF quite loudly and getting shushed by quite a few people. Ha, what memories.

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