Star Wars Holiday News Recap: Adam Driver on Episode VIII, Rogue One Bits and More
We planned to post this article a few days ago but for understandable reasons we just couldn’t do it. You’ve probably already read most of these bits of news, but nevertheless here are some of them that we think are worth mentioning…
Rogue One premiere in China.
Gareth Edwards, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen meet the Press in downtown Beijing.
Rogue One opens in the second biggest box office market in the world on January 6. More photos at The Hollywood Reporter.
New York Times has an even closer look at how ILM managed to make Grand Moff Tarkin appearing on the big screen, 22 years after the death of actor Peter Cushing.
It seems that the IMAX version of Rogue One was a special one…
The 15/70mm #IMAX film print of #RogueOne at the @EsquireImax. Best way to see it! A Darth Vader scene is different in the film version! pic.twitter.com/aMlz0VxbK2
— MABHollywood (@MABHollywood) December 16, 2016
Cool photos with some of the Rogue One cast:
The cast and crew of #RogueOne were photographed by London’s @MrWhisper as they arrived at the special launch party at the Tate Modern pic.twitter.com/jBrb3Wn7Oi
— Star Wars UK (@StarWarsUK) December 22, 2016
Fantastic interview with Doug Chiang on designing Rogue One with some cool images from the book The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (HERE).
Also Chiang will be a special guest at next year’s Star Wars Celebration Orlando:
Renowned #RogueOne Creative Director Doug Chiang comes to #SWCO! Tickets: https://t.co/kiFnraNmfQ #StarWars pic.twitter.com/mWsjkbYQab
— StarWars Celebration (@SW_Celebration) December 28, 2016
Special message to the Academy:
Some interviews with the Rogue One cast:
The cast spill some set secrets to BuzzFeed:
For the full interviews go HERE.
Mark Hamill on Rogue One:
Perfect Cast Astonishing Action Non-Stop Thrills Grabs U from the 1st frame & never lets go! Not just a great #SWMovie A #GreatMovie PERIOD! pic.twitter.com/hS25VYCVvP
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) December 17, 2016
I’m euphoric & exhilarated! Ingenious the way it deepens & expands the #SWUniverse yet works as a stand-alone movie #RogueOneDerful #Triumph pic.twitter.com/HXkXxTIzyd
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) December 17, 2016
Rogue One writer Gary Whitta reveals what was his cameo in the movie that was eventually cut.
On the Yavin 4 base with Lucasfilm’s mighty @raynemikele ❤#throwbackthursday #tbt #RogueOne pic.twitter.com/GrLnCerzDT
— Merry Whitta 🎄 (@garywhitta) December 22, 2016
In case Wookieepedia needs the info, my pilot’s name is Gray Leader and he died heroically on the cutting room floor.
— Merry Whitta 🎄 (@garywhitta) December 22, 2016
In a shocking revelation John Williams revealed that he actually has never seen a Star Wars movie in a theater (via TheMirror):
I let it go. I have not looked at the Star Wars films and that’s absolutely true. When I’m finished with a film, I’ve been living with it, we’ve been dubbing it, recording to it, and so on. You walk out of the studio and, “Ah, it’s finished.”
Now I don’t have an impulse to go to the theater and look at it. Maybe some people find that weird, or listen to recordings of my music very, very rarely.
Michael Fassbender revealed that he almost had a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (via EW):
“We talked about a role,” Fassbender told MTV’s Josh Horowitz on his Happy Sad Confused podcast. “We had a conversation. I’m pretty sure I was busy doing something else in the summer he was kickstarting that.”
There are not many possibilities, and my best guess is that he was considered for playing General Hux.
Adam Driver spoke with The Daily Beast and briefly talked about Episode VIII, praising director Rian Johnson, who has made a “remarkable movie”:
Q: The first time I went to Sundance I caught Brick and came away very impressed with Rian Johnson. What was it like working with him on Star Wars: Episode VIII?
A: He’s a brilliant filmmaker. And he wrote the script also, and he understands the importance of ambiguity and nuance. He wrote something that I think is remarkable.
Q: Do you ever step outside of your body and just geek out thinking, shit, I’m the villain of the new Star Wars franchise?
A: It is a trip! I’m not very good at analyzing it, I guess, or even making time to attach meaning to it. So much of it is luck, and timing. I work hard but I can work hard in a vacuum. I’ve been lucky to get these opportunities. It’s very surreal to me. In working on the jobs—and actually doing the thing—I block that stuff from my mind as much as possible, because it’s not good to get nostalgic or overthink it. That might be a good strength of mine: not thinking a lot. [Laughs]
Speaking of Episode VIII, some new reports resurfaced saying that General Leia will have a bigger role in Episode VIII. This was rumored for some time now. Also some reports claim that Leia was supposed to appear in Episode IX. This is also old news since Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow revealed long ago that both Skywalkers (Luke and Leia) will make their appearance in his movie. Nevertheless here’s what Deadline reports:
Carrie Fisher had already completed the next feature in the franchise, Star Wars: Episode VIII, a source close to the production told Deadline. It was expected the actress would return for Star Wars: Episode IX, but that won’t be shooting for about a year.
In the meantime, the next Lucasfilm pic to go before cameras is the stand-alone Han Solo, which Fisher is not in.
For Episode VIII, Leia had a larger role, we’re told, and her daughter, Billie Lourd also is in that film as well as in Force Awakens. How Lucasfilm will deal with the loss of one of the most beloved female characters in any franchise is not known, however, and the company is remaining mum.
Penguin Random House posted an excerpt from the final chapter of Chuck Wendig’s novel trilogy Aftermath:
About Empire’s End: Aftermath (Star Wars)
Following Star Wars: Aftermath and Star Wars: Life Debt, Chuck Wendig delivers the exhilarating conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy set in the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
As the final showdown between the New Republic and the Empire draws near, all eyes turn to a once-isolated planet: Jakku.
The Battle of Endor shattered the Empire, scattering its remaining forces across the galaxy. But the months following the Rebellion’s victory have not been easy. The fledgling New Republic has suffered a devastating attack from the Imperial remnant, forcing the new democracy to escalate their hunt for the hidden enemy.
For her role in the deadly ambush, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane is the most wanted Imperial war criminal—and one-time rebel pilot Norra Wexley, back in service at Leia’s urgent request, is leading the hunt. But more than just loyalty to the New Republic drives Norra forward: Her husband was turned into a murderous pawn in Sloane’s assassination plot, and now she wants vengeance as much as justice.
But Sloane, too, is on a furious quest: pursuing the treacherous Gallius Rax to the barren planet Jakku. As the true mastermind behind the Empire’s devastating attack, Rax has led the Empire to its defining moment. The cunning strategist has gathered the powerful remnants of the Empire’s war machine, preparing to execute the late Emperor Palpatine’s final plan. As the Imperial fleet orbits Jakku, an armada of Republic fighters closes in to finish what began at Endor. Norra and her crew soar into the heart of an apocalyptic clash that will leave land and sky alike scorched. And the future of the galaxy will finally be decided.
This was expected and mentioned before, but it’s always nice to hear it from Kathleen Kennedy herself:
The #HanSolo movie will shoot in Feb and we’ll see some #StarWarsEpisodeVIII stuff towards Spring says Lucasfllm President Kathleen Kennedy pic.twitter.com/dMkgXfdFz9
— lizo mzimba (@lizo_mzimba) December 15, 2016
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
Well technically he’s seen all the films because he composes to the footage. Should maybe be reworded as he’s never seen the full feature in theaters.
I guess that wouldn’t generate enough clicks.
That TIE Stalker concept art is so slick and sexy.
Just like you, baby.
So I’m guessing we were seeing Mustafar at night in III? I always figured the sky was so black due to the volcanic ash? It looks more like Sullust to me though.
Mustafar is bigger than that small area covering just a few miles we saw in EP3. It’s been confirmed by Lucasfilm that is Mustafar.
But isn’t Vader’s castle supposed to overlook the area where Obi-Wan struck him down?
Yup.
He wanted to always have the high ground
That castle was my favorite piece of architecture in the film and we saw it for all of 30 seconds.
Never saw Sullust in a movie before. The area was a mine area of some sorts where the duel happened in EP3.
It was mentioned in Jedi though.
Yes it was.
Derp
Yea that’s what I was thinking..we now know what Mustafar looks like during the day and at night.
im also thinking that it it is vaders castle we see in the background when we see the knights of Ren in reys vision on TFA. – so that section of dram is on mustafar but with rain?
I think that was the Bespin gantry but his castle was very OT inspired hence the confusion.
Sorry the inevitable question…Leia in ep9…i don’t want another actress, i don’t want CGI,…Maybe Leia Died between ep8 and ep9, and the tittles of the begining Explain it all…
i don’t want the character to be killed off screen, i’m hoping they give her a proper send off similar to the one paul walker got in fast 7.
yes,…why not, maybe a short scene at the beginning of 9, mixture of CGI and real actor as in rogue one,…why not,…but a short scene, please…
I’d be perfectly fine if they were to give her a send off scene with CGI. I think it would undermine the character if in episode 9 they just say she passed away somewhere we didn’t see.
If the rumors about Leia going into a coma as a result of her ship being hit, they would rewrite the ending that would have her die as a result instead of recovering from it. There is plenty of time to film reshoots with the other cast members. It would be a lot easier than trying to bring her back somehow in 9 in some awkward digital form.
They can’t recast leia, it is too soon to do a ‘Digital Make Up’ performance like R1.
There will be major reshoots and rewrites going on with episode 8 right now. Lucasfilm can handle this sensitively, I’m sure.
Why? The film is done.
I am agree, if they need to solve anything, and we don´t know this point, it should be done in EP IX.
But I wonder if we will ever know.
If her character was suposed to be around in Ep 9, then the’re going to have to rework a portion of the EP 8, to explain where she has gone. That will involve significant rescripting and reshoots. You don’t think the’re going to say she’s gone on a short vacation to dagobah do you?
She’s already rumored to have past in the film.
As long as that is the case, then they should be Ok.
I’d be okay if they did a digital recreation of Leia to supplement the footage in Episode VIII (to kill her off, of course).
That’s understandable & probably likely.
I do hope that they don’t have to edit Ep8 in such a way as to *reduce* the amount of time we’ll get to last see our SW princess.
If anything, I’d rather they use as much as planned/possible. Heck, even if adding digital recreation (/benefit of modern scanning/un-used Ep7/other scenes?) to Ep8 & her last filmed performance.
Can I request Fisher in your banner? Get rid of that white wooly nobody creature and have a little honorarium for our girl.
To be fair, Moroff is the shit. Or at least he would be if her in the movie for more than like 3 shots.
Moroff is mah home dawg.
He’s my home boy.
they really need to stop short changing the cool looking characters.
He was supposed to co-star, but was apparently impossible to manage because he was always off getting drunk with Zuvio in his trailer. Production ended up having to mostly shoot around him.
Uh, I understand the excitement behind imax releases, but, at least in my country, there are only two theaters, both distant. So they should either get more IMAX theatres around the world or be kind enough not to change anything between Imax and normal version in terms of content.
I love how close the cast of R1 seem, and it certainly seems genuine. The amount of TV work they’ve done for the film is dazzling too.
I love ’em all!
Thank you 🙂
That isn’t an excerpt from the final chaptef Aftermath. That’s a summary/synopsis/marketing blurb. There is no excerpt at the link either.
Sorry if this is old news, but does anyone know what’s different about the Vader scene in the IMAX version?
In the scene at Vader’s castle, there’s an alternate shot. Instead of seeing Vader from behind as the tank drains, there’s a shot from the side of the tank where the bacta fluid drains to just about his eyebrow-level.
That was in the version I saw at the El Capitan. Both shots in fact.
I’m jealous. Hopefully that shot leaks for everyone else to see.
Same here! The version that arrived at local theaters here in Bolivia was the one with the eyebrow shot