Star Wars Weekly Buzz: Ian Kenny Confirmed for “Han Solo”; Alternate Ending for Revenge of the Sith Revealed and More

This week on our Star Wars Weekly Buzz: the original ending of Revenge of the Sith had a very different role for Padme; Actor Ian Kenny confirmed for the Han Solo spin-off film; We finally get the full “Animated Origins” panel from Celebration Orlando; A look at the Escape from Jakku sequence from TFA in its full IMAX glory; Hasbro reveals new NERF blaster; The latest from Pablo Hidalgo, and more!

 

 

The guys from JediNews found a confirmation in the latest issue of Star Wars Insider that actor Ian Kenny is indeed part of the cast of the untitled Han Solo spin-off film.

 

 

As you can see Kenny is just being mentioned and no further details are revealed.

 

 

 

In Revenge of the Sith, Padmé (Natalie Portman) travels to Mustafar to confront Anakin (Hayden Christensen) in a last ditch effort to save him from falling to the darkside. Well, it appears that that ending wasn’t always a part of the plan.

Recently, Digital Spy has uncovered a previously unknown ending that has Padme doing something completely out of character. Instead of begging and pleading for Anakin to “come back” to the light, she actually attempts to kill him with a knife (as seen in the concept art above). Concept artist Iain McCaig, spoke about the sequence during an Academy of Art University event in 2016.

 

With her knife pressed against his neck, she realises she still loves him to much to do the deed.

 

In the lost interview, McCaig also revealed that originally Padmé played a much more important role in what would eventually become the Rebel Alliance. Good stuff!

 

You can read the complete article here.

 

 

 

 

The full Star Wars Celebration Dave Filoni and Pablo Hidalgo panel has been released online over @ StarWars.com. Finally you can view Filoni’s clips, artwork and videos that weren’t shown during its Live #SWCO broadcast.

Also, get the full look at the awesome Bane and Boba’s showdown at HIGH NOON.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group recently sat down with StarWars.com to discuss the real-world and filmmaking influences behind the blockbuster smash hit Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In the interview, Hidalgo spoke briefly about how they based some of Galen Erso’s ‘Rogue One’ character on the ‘father of the atomic bomb’, J. Robert Oppenheimer.

 

 

“You could understand what it might be like to be a sequestered scientist working on a piece of a doomsday weapon if you look to these non-Star Wars precedents,” Hidalgo explains. The key to giving Rogue One an emotional center was the introduction of Galen Erso, the Oppenheimer-archetype. Like Galen’s own discovery of a catalyst that would forever change the fate of the galaxy, the character itself proved critical to plotting the emotional core of the film. “We call it the Death Star,” Galen says in his message to Jyn, “There is no better name,” echoing the narration from Hiroshima, “For [Oppenheimer] it was a moment of terrible truth.”

 

You can read the entire article here.

 

 

 

 

 

We finally get a chance to see the Escape from Jakku chase sequence that was shot using IMAX cameras (via reddit). If You Remember, J.J. Abrams only shot one scene in Star Wars: Episode VII in full 70mm IMAX. Here’s your chance to watch Rey, Finn and BB-8 escape the boring planet of Jakku just like director J.J. Abrams intended.

 

Here’s the clip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tested‘s prop master Adam Savage has created a cool Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back costume that features Chewbacca carrying an animatronic C-3PO. In the video below, Adam uses his incredible knowledge and skills to turn two costumes into one that’s wearable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Philharmoic has announced a series of concerts that will feature John Williams most memorable Star Wars music. Soon fans will be able to see and hear the legendary composers music performed by one of the world’s finest assembly of musicians.

The performances will begin with the score for the original 1977 Star Wars film on September 15 and 16th, continue with spectacular The Empire Strikes Back on September 26-28th, return to a Galaxy Far, Far Away with Return of the Jedi on October 4-5th, and end with recent The Force Awakens on October 6-7th.

 

 

 

For more details on the concert series, visit their official site.

 

 

 

 

 

Star Wars Revisited Is Nearing Completion

 

 

Star Wars Revisited has been a ongoing fan edit project produced by a guy named Adywan. The project originally started back in 2004, when the long time fan found himself “most” displeased with the mess the Star Wars Special Editions had become. Over the years, Ady found himself tinkering, removing and replacing several Special Edition George Lucas inserted shots with the intention to restore the Original Trilogy to the way he remembered it. This week he was able to finally work on the final MODEL shot for his current The Empire Strikes Back restoration project.

On this day in 1980, The Empire Strikes back received it’s World premiere……
On this day in 1968, i was born…….
And, on this day, the very final model created for ESB:R is being filmed. Just a few finishing touches to the miniature set, like straightening out the ceiling lights and getting the Falcon into the correct position, and it’s ready to go. The miniature will be mixed in with the original set in post, which is why you can see certain uncompleted sections of the model.

We are so close to the end now. After this, all that is left are the Wampa shots. The mouth mechanism has been sorted, so filming the Wampa is back on. Fingers crossed that the completed version will hold up on camera and work in the final version.

Star Wars Revisited Miniature Set

 

The Empire Strikes Back Original Hoth Set

 

StarWarsNewNet wishes Ady good luck as he enters the final stages of his amazing fan edit project.

 

Follow Ady and his quest here.

 

 

 

 

Virtual Reality Could Help Future “Star Wars” Filmmakers Better Plan Their Movies

 

 

Google showed of an exciting new Virtual reality tool called Seurat at its recent Google I/O developer conference in Silicon Valley, California. Recently Google has been partnering with Lucasfilm’s ILMxLab in an effort to focus on new technologies and better ways for filmmakers to plan their shoots.

Imagine a Star Wars director having the ability to look around a set before anything is actually built. Seurat could go a long way to help Star Wars director meet the demand of their deadline.

“When I see people in our demo looking at the floor on their hands and knees, down to inspect the curvature of every bend and twist, I really think we’re onto something,” said Lewey Geselowitz, a senior UX engineer at ILMxLabs in a video.

 

 

You can read more about the tools progress here.

 

 

 

 

Hasbro reveals new NERF Rival Star Wars Battlefront blaster:

 

NERF RIVAL STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT APOLLO XV-700 Blaster and Face Mask set
(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $89.99/Available: Spring 2017)
Gear up like a Mandalorian warrior with the NERF RIVAL STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT APOLLO XV-700 blaster and face mask set! This special edition blaster and mask set features distinct Mandalorian decoration and comes with a fabric Mandalorian insignia patch. Experience intense, head-to-head competition with the precision and power of the NERF RIVAL APOLLO XV-700 blaster, sending foam rounds soaring into the air at a velocity of 100 fps, and featuring easy re-load magazine. Mask boasts a breathable design and elastic band for adjustable fit. Mask is not a protective device. Set includes reusable display box, blaster, face mask, and 7 NERF RIVAL foam rounds. Available exclusively at Gamestop.

 

 

 

The Last Jedi trailer edited like The Return of the Jedi trailer from 1983:

 

 

 

 

 

Unearthed The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition TV Spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twitter Land

 

 

Anthony Daniels tease us about Crait (the planet above):

 

 

It appears that Daniels is referring to filming a new Crait sequence for Disney World/Land’s Star Tours ride, not TLJ. (thanks to mcsbro from the comments)

 

 

Reminder about the breathtaking behind the scenes photos from Return of the Jedi by Brian Griffin:

 

 

 

You can check out all the 9 photos at Griffin’s site here.

 

 

 

 

Interesting fact:

 

 

 

 

Felicity Jones is engaged to her film-director boyfriend Charles Guard!

 

 

 

 

And SWNN’s award for the best Celebration costume goes to…

 

 

 

 

Not the first time we seen the title “The Last Jedi”

 

 

 

 

Not long Ago…

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday!

 

 

 

 

 

Who is your favorite Rogue One character?

 

 

 

 

That’s a big helmet to fill in:

 

 

 

 

Mark Hamill is the best!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the thread of the week from our forum The Cantina:

 

 

 

 

The latest from Pablo Hidalgo.

 

First some wise words about the Japanese leaflet we posted a few days ago about:

 

 

While it is indeed an interesting topic to talk about, it’s definitely more likely to be just a normal promo trick to tease the Japanese fans, than a real info. And still, is there really anyone who thinks that TLJ won’t offer any surprises? We were told several times the the mystery Rey’s parentage will be revealed in TLJ. The level of shock on a certain surprise is very subjective though. So we really shouldn’t put too much thought in all this.

 

 

More on Darth Vader’s lightsaber from Return of the Jedi:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for more next week.

 

 

+ posts

22 thoughts on “Star Wars Weekly Buzz: Ian Kenny Confirmed for “Han Solo”; Alternate Ending for Revenge of the Sith Revealed and More

  • May 19, 2017 at 8:06 pm
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    I’m pretty sure Anthony Daniels is referring to filming a new Crait sequence for Disney World/Land’s Star Tours ride.

    • May 19, 2017 at 8:34 pm
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      Definitely agree! The subtitle for the ride is “The Adventure Continues” and C-3PO serves as the pilot on the new iteration of the ride. Plus, Crait seems like the perfect place for a Star Torus segment given the small sequence we’ve seen in the trailer involving the speeders.

  • May 19, 2017 at 8:23 pm
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    I don’t think the different ending with Padme would of worked to be honest. The relationship between her and Anakin is so forced (no pun intended), that it wouldn’t have the emotional weight required. Out of all the issues with the PT its the dynamic between Anakin, Padme and Obi-wan that I hate the most.

  • May 19, 2017 at 8:48 pm
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    Seeing Padme plant the seeds for the Rebellion would have been cool to see. Ironic that Anakin’s wife would be responsible for the creation of the alliance that would rival his empire.

    • May 19, 2017 at 11:38 pm
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      I agree, I understand why they were removed (they wanted to reduce the politic side). I hope they are still considered canon (nothing contradicts current canon).

    • May 20, 2017 at 1:22 am
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      not to be crass but… didn’t Anakin plant the seed *in* Padme that eventually rivaled and toppled his empire? 🙂

      But i agree, seeing Padme play a more direct role in immediately opposing Palpatine’s power grab would’ve been cool to see and I think aligned with her character.

      Then her deciding that the best way to save the Republic would be to kill Anakin? I think that would’ve been a lot more emotionally engaging and would’ve made more sense when Anakin starts to Force choke her before seeing Obi-Wan.

      • May 20, 2017 at 1:26 am
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        Ayyooo! Lol
        And Exactly! The force choke or a force push to a wall or something

      • May 20, 2017 at 1:37 am
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        You win the Internet today with that first sentence. Congrats.

      • May 21, 2017 at 6:51 am
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        Boom, well said.
        I much prefer the actual ending for Padme, although getting a scene showing the formation of a political opposition to Palpatine (like the cut scene, but better) would have nice, and would not have necessarily conflicted with the Padme/Annakin final scenes.
        Padme’s character, relationship, and physical condition in Ep3, just weren’t compatible with her killing him. She died more sad than angry, insisting there was still good in him, and this nicely foreshadows Vader’s eventual redemption to Luke/family.

    • May 20, 2017 at 2:44 am
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      Yeah that would have been a GREAT GREAT idea but Lucas seemed to despise anything that would connect the Prequels to the OT — so we got the garbage we got.

      • May 20, 2017 at 9:06 am
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        Oh, another history revisionist!

        Did you even watch the star wars films? There is A TON in the prequels that connect to the OT. Maybe not in TPM, but AOTC and Sith are FILLED with connective tissue. FILLED! Like, if you hate the films, thats fine, but at least be honest about the reasons you hate em.

        Oh and for the record, they did have a “setting up the rebellion” subplot in Sith, featuring the actress that eventually played Mon Montha in Rogue One. It got cut for time.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jzxtlj1BEI
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLEgbN0AUn4

      • May 22, 2017 at 3:15 pm
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        This is the most incorrect thing you ever have said. And that is quite an achievement.

    • May 22, 2017 at 3:31 pm
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      She also planted the seeds for the Empire so we should not pretend she is a hero.

  • May 19, 2017 at 9:11 pm
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    Killing Anakin would’ve been the first sensible thing Padme ever did in that relationship.

  • May 19, 2017 at 9:27 pm
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    Lucas totally misunderstood his character. Padmé went from being a warrior queen to be a passive wife who can’t take any decision. This is understandable, considering her love for an actual killer, but making her attempt to Anakin’s life would have added a way higher emotional peak to the ending.

    • May 20, 2017 at 12:13 am
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      Well to be fair she was pregnant and about to pop in Ep. III, so it would have been hard for her to contribute physically as she had in I and II. BUT I agree having her attempt to take his life would have been a bold move for her.

    • May 20, 2017 at 12:04 pm
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      You haven’t known many battered women have you?

      • May 20, 2017 at 4:57 pm
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        But Padmé doesn’t seem battered. She loves Anakin; Anakin loves her, and treat her quite normally, while hiding the fact that he’s a murderer, ok… But before he choked her on Mustafar, there’s no reason for Padmé’s total passivity. I mean, no material reason. She foresees Palpatine’s betrayal; she understands what’s happening; in the deleted scenes she is involved with the birth of the Alliance; but in the actual movie she barely reacts, and, at the end, she dies not because of the injuries inflicted by Anakin, but because… SHE DOESN’T WANT TO LIVE ANYMORE?!?!

        This is deeply in contrast with Ep1 and Ep2 Padmé. I don’t mean that she had to take strong decisions with no actual thinking; but she at least had to try to open Anakin’s eyes, not just to rest in her fabulous apartment crying on herself. This would have made the character much more credible and compelling. Ep3 Padmé is less more than an object, and its purpose is quite only to serve as a pretext for Anakin’s fall to the dark side.

        Not my character. At all.

        • May 20, 2017 at 5:19 pm
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          I don’t know what “Fire JJ” or whatever his name is is trying to say about battered women. None of that applies here. And it was a silly, flippant remark.

          I think we can attribute Padme’s perceived passivity to her being pregnant. When pregnant, there is a psychological shift that puts your child (or children) absolutely first. She’s much more unlikely to put herself in the way of harm than she was when she was younger and not pregnant. In E3, we see a Padme that is both scared for her children and frustrated at her inability to get directly involved. For maybe one of the first times in her life, she’s somewhat helpless.

          I wasn’t crazy about her death. I would have had her survive the movie and die off-screen a couple of years later. As much as I understand that this is a fictional universe and every story will have “plot holes” (everyone’s favorite thing to point out in order to make themselves sound like insightful critics), Leia’s talking about her memories of her mother is a glaring oversight.

          That all being said, I always saw Padme’s death as tied to Anakin’s death. When Anakin died (turned into Darth Vader) part of Padme went with him. What was left of her was not able to continue. One of Vader’s first acts was to end the lives of a bunch of children. Padme’s last act was to bring children into the world. It’s actually pretty neat parallelism.

  • May 19, 2017 at 9:35 pm
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    Nope, Star Wars will always look better in Panavision 2.35:1

  • May 20, 2017 at 4:20 am
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    Well we know if Disney was running things she would have killed Anakin and Palpatine at the same time, without breaking a sweat.

  • May 22, 2017 at 3:31 pm
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    Yoda realized the only reason the Sith came popping up was because the Jedi unbalanced the force in favour of the light. It’s kinda impossible as a CEO of the Jedi Order to fire everyone so order 66 came at just the right timing for him. Perhaps he had foreseen most of it already, which is why he survived so easily. After the defeat of Vader and Palpi he left Luke do his thing, when Kylo went berserk he came back and told him he fckd up the same way he had done himself way earlier, he then sends him to the first temple. Big reveal solved.

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