UPDATE 5! May The Fourth Be With You! Behind the Scenes of The Force Awakens. More Photos Revealed! Interview with J.J. Abrams.
The most famous Star Wars fan holiday has arrived, and word on street is that some interesting information about Star Wars: The Force Awakens (and possibly other Star Wars news) will be making the rounds to celebrate the occasion!
…And, by “word on the street”, I mean that a pretty blunt implication that stuff is about to go down tomorrow from the Keeper Of The Holocron himself:
If you thought that once #swca was over, breaking Star Wars news would slow down for a bit, think again. #StarWarsDay
— Leland Chee (@HolocronKeeper) May 3, 2015
Leland Chee is a high-ranking individual in the Lucasfilm Story Group, so if he’s saying something important is bound to happen, then… Well, hold on to your butts. Especially if it’s anything on par with what they revealed at Celebration Anaheim. Stay tuned as we find out what news the day brings with it.
UPDATE!
Vanity Fair updated their article about The Force Awakens with some behind the scenes footage. We can confirm now that Adam Driver is Kylo Ren and Lupita Nyong’o is playing a mo-cap character as previous rumors suggested:
Excerpts from the article:
Sitting in an edit bay at his Bad Robot production office and pointing to a frame of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams told Vanity Fair contributing editor Bruce Handy, “I have a thought about putting Jar Jar Binks’s bones in the desert there. I’m serious! Only three people will notice, but they’ll love it.”
Abrams screened a footage for him (VF editor), including a scene that featured a Jawa-like creature popping up out of the desert. Abrams called it “a classic, old-school seesaw puppet. We just buried it in the sand, and Neal Scanlan, the creature guy, pushed down on one side and the thing came up on the other side.” When his team offered to smooth out the effect digitally, Abrams responded, “It’s so old-school and crazy. We could improve this thing, but at some point do we lose the wonderful preposterousness?”
Abrams himself was surprised by Harrison Ford’s performance and said that Ford “was excited to get back in those shoes again, which was really interesting because I thought he hadn’t been a fan. I kept hearing those rumors when I was a kid.” Abrams did have one specific note for the veteran actor: “I knew that he had done in some movies a kind of more growly thing, and I didn’t want Han to be growly.” Whatever Abrams said must have worked because, as the director himself put it, “There was a fire in his eyes that you see in the movie.”
Full article HERE.
A confirmation that it’s Peter Mayhew in the Chewbacca costume:
@TheWookieeRoars Incredible to see you back in the Falcon, Peter. Happy #StarWarsDay !
— Star Wars UK (@StarWarsUK) May 4, 2015
Thanks to Cantina member Jake Wolfe for the screencaps:
UPDATE 2!
Chancellor George Osborne announced on Twitter that Lucasfilm invested about £100m in TFA, creating 3,000 jobs. Also he revealed that Episode VIII will be the fourth Star Wars sequel to be shot in the UK.
Pleased to announce #StarWarsVIII will be filmed here in UK @PinewoodStudios – great news for @starwars fans & our UK creative industries — George Osborne (@George_Osborne) May 4, 2015
Episode VIII to be #MadeinBritain, bringing 100m investment and 3,000 jobs here. #MayThe4thBeWithYou
— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) May 4, 2015
UPDATE 3!
And even more photos from Vanity Fair:
And while we may not know which side of the Resistance (the film’s new term for the Rebel Alliance) Lupita Nyong’o’s C.G.I. character, Maz Kanata, is on, we do know from the caption on this eye-popping rogue’s gallery photo that she’s a pirate.
This behind-the-scenes shot of J.J. Abrams directing Daisy Ridley’s Rey on her trusty speeder gives us another look at the strange creatures inhabiting the desert planet Jakku. We still don’t know her character’s last name, but fans suspect that it’s one Star Wars fans know well.
UPDATE 4!
And the official confirmation that Gwendoline Christie is Captain Phasma, an officer of the First Order! (via starwars-universe.com)
UPDATE 5!
As promised Vanity Fair shared with its subscribers another interesting story from the galaxy far, far away. This time an interview with J.J. Abrams.
Bruce Handy: Your movie is taking place 30-something years after Return of the Jedi. Are you going to give it some of that fill-in-blanks quality, in terms of whatever’s happened in the Star Wars galaxy across those decades?
J.J. Abrams: Well, what’s cool is we’ve obviously had a lot of time [during the development process] to talk about what’s happened outside of the borders of the story that you’re seeing. So there are, of course, references to things, and some are very oblique so that hopefully the audience can infer what the characters are referring to. We used to have more references to things that we pulled out because they almost felt like they were trying too hard to allude to something. I think that the key is—and whether we’ve accomplished that or not is, of course, up to the audience—but the key is that references be essential so that you don’t reference a lot of things that feel like, oh, we’re laying pipe for, you know, an animated series or further movies. It should feel like things are being referenced for a reason.
Bruce Handy: Tell me about what it was like working on the new film both as its writer-director and as a hard-core Star Wars fan going back to your childhood.
J.J. Abrams: Maybe the weirdest moment, which came months after production, was the first time I sat down with John Williams to show him about a half an hour of the movie. I can’t describe the feeling. All I will say is, just to state the facts of it: I am about to show John Williams 30 minutes of a Star Wars movie that he has not seen [and] that I directed. That’s probably as surreal as it gets in my professional life experience.
Bruce Handy: The first three Star Wars movies had a certain knowingness, because of the way the characters are, so archetypal, and the way they reference a lot of film history, like Luke gazing out at the two setting suns the way someone would in a John Ford Western. That was such a part of the whole “movie brat” thing in the 70s, that George Lucas was a part of. Did you fool around with any of those kinds of nods at movie history?
J.J. Abrams: There are a few specific references that are kind of my own little stupid, secret ones. But what I realized early on was it was all about point of view—meaning it’s not like you just objectively throw in a star field or a spaceship or a desert planet or whatever the thing. The question is, who is that person in that experience? Why does it matter to them? What are they desperate for or afraid of? For me, you could reference all the stuff you want, but the experience of the audience in this is that they’ve got to be sitting with someone who happens to be on-screen going through these experiences. And then that’s not just a desert planet; it could be the most desperate place in the world. Or that’s not just a spaceship flying by; it could be the greatest, most heroic moment of your life. That, to me, has been the constant struggle: to make sure that none of these things are treated like either they’re a museum piece and we’re trying to honor them or they’re gratuitous and thrown in because, well, it’s a Star Wars movie so you’ve got to put these things in. Everything has got to be essential to the characters in the film.
You’ll geek out over this, too.
Special thanks to Vanity Fair for making this May the 4th, really something special with lots to remember. 🙂
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.
Here’s a Vanity Fair article covering new information.
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-the-force-awakens-vanity-fair-cover
An article on what we learned from it will pop up later today.
SPOILERS!!!!
SPOILERS!!!!
SPOILERS!!!!
https://youtu.be/yRwuD68NHoI
Interesting!
So it looks like Nupita is playing the alien Rose… and perhaps this is a confirmation that Driver is Kylo Ren? Or is that a tease I wonder?
I’m not sure if it’s different than other mo-cap techniques… but it’s interesting to see that they tossed like a hundred cameras on *Lupita (sorry for earlier spelling error)
Heh. Nupita Lyong’o. 😛
Now we know who leaked the set photos to TMZ.
…a little short for a Stormtrooper?
She’s 6’3″
She has a lot of references points on her body as well as face which I find interesting.
Her character is slightly taller than Yoda, orange-yellow in colour and has long arms.
Kylo -> Loky -> Luke
The multiple camera array is used for photogrammetry scanning which captures geometry and rgb textures. The markers are for more precise controls of the animated rig used by animators. Using both techniques is a good way to get as much digital assets as possible…
Did anyone notice the two dice hanging from the ceiling of the millenium falcon’s cockpit? I wonder if that’s just for the Vanity shoot. Gotta be right?
http://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2014/06/millennium-falcon-dice-bought-for-37-on.html
They were in the original too as a sort of joke/easter egg type thing
Oops meant to push reply and pushed report….
I read many months ago the the falcon was complete all the way to the dice bought for 30.00 on ebay. So I believe they were there the whole time.
Except in the caption on the top left of the Captain Phasma photo, it say’s shes playing Maz Kanata. Who is the pirate that owns the castle all the creatures are hanging out in in that other photo (according to the Vanity Fair article).
MSW said according to V.F. Maz Kanata is Lupita’ character.
Makingstarwars says “your welcome.”
(I just didn’t hear anyone say “thank you.”)
Why would anyone say “thank you” to MakingStawars when it is King3000 and Vanity Fair we should be thanking.
If anything the Vanity Fair issue discredits MSW’s decoding of their “documents”.
MSW is a site that just recently fired their patsy Manabyte for assholery in the first degree.
And that’s how, my friends, the magic of cinema disappears…
Say what? Who said the “magic” is disappearing? Aren’t you one of those practical effects worshippers?
So how are we explaining we see Adam Driver in a X-Wing pilot suit and in Kylo Ren’s armor? Just wondering what the theories are at the moment.
I guess that wasnt driver. He may have been Isaac… he wore that suit in pics
These are the two pictures in question. There isn’t much to go off of. It definitely seems more like Drver’s face, but that would make less sense. http://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Adam.jpg http://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Adam-02.jpg
I believe the major theory is that Driver is in the X-Wing costume in a flashback.
40% of this film is flashbacking. It’s like an intergalactic Family Guy movie.
I’d say it’s 100% flashback given it’s a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away that’s just me though…
Except it’s Isaac, not Driver.
It’s not Isaac. The picture shows a skinny lanky person.
No….maybe it’s neither. Unknown extra- X Wing pilot perhaps?
I’m willing to bet maybe he tries to infiltrate the resistance ranks somehow. Maybe early on before anyone knows his face or something.
What I’d like to see is driver is infiltrating the rebel base (being a sith with a mask is unrecognizable) gets discovered as not belonging there, whips out a saber, cuts some dudes in half and escapes in an x-wing under cannon fire and deploying x-wing fighters chasing him off the planet.
The likely answer: Flashbacks to before Kylo turned to the dark side
The possible answer: the pictures aren’t driver and we were mistaken
My favorite answer: Kylo will have a double life working for rebels, but secretly being the supreme commander of the First Order.
OR THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS PLAYED BY HIM… THEY ARE TWINS.
Holy shit
I second this. Why has no one else thought of this?
Parent Trap in space.
i hope they don’t go for that “double take” thing….plenty of great actors out there. Too predictable 🙁
I still don’t get why people assume that the guy in x-wing pilot suit is Adam Driver. I think it really doesn’t look like him. Maybe i’m wrong…
Let’s assume he is Han and Leia’s son, and when he is ‘Bad Kylo’ he wears the mask keeping his real identity secret, then he can still be ‘in’ the resistance, though effectively a ‘first order’ spy. The big question is, do we see him only with the mask as ‘bad Kylo’ and without as Han junior, then get a big reveal when he takes the mask off towards the end. Possibly the mask-less screen shot hints that we see ‘bad Kylo’ without the mask by atleast half way, though it’s just a photo, he could have filmed the scene with the mask…
What are you talking about? Nowhere have I seen adam driver in an x wing suit! >_>
That was not Adam Driver. It was Oscar Isaac.
What is up with the pictures of the man with the messed up face a while ago? What if drivers character gets messed up in the movie and has to wear the mask
because that photo of ADAM DRIVER WAS ACTUALL OSCAR ISSACS BUT THOUGHT TO BE DRIVER THERE FELLOW FANS SIMPLE EXPLINATION
I was just hoping to see Adam Driver shirtless…
What the hell is wrong with Vanity Fair??? It’s NOT a reboot!!! Why even confuse people and call it that? They are sequels!
The Empire is rebooting not the film’s if you read it correctly.
Is Kylo Ren missing a leg?
Can’t wait for cool stuff today! AND By the way…..my 9 years old sons birthday MAY 4th……..no joke…….amazing cause both my wife and I love Star Wars and our son was born on the day…..there is a God eh 🙂
You mean it was the will of the Shwartz.
Ain’t no God. THE FORCE!
Happy birthday to your baby 😉
Is no one aware that Driver is the son of Han/Leia? He is the evil brother of Rey who fights as a Rebel/homeboy’s with Poe and goes to the dark side? Poe fall’s in love with Rey etc etc.
Censorship.
Even here.
Saying there is no god = automatic deletion.
Saying a god is indirectly responsible for Star Wars: Totally cool.
Granted, this is no website for religious matters..but then why does the offending post remain while the replies to said post are gone?I’d like to hear it from the moderator who used the scissors.
Star Wars
It doesn’t really matter. If he had said “Star Trek is dead: Star Wars is eternal!” it would’ve been the same convention of thought. It’s when we decide that he is insulting a god that may or may not exist that everyone wants to pull out the inquisition devices and “make hi pay”. If God did not strike him dead for his zeal, then I doubt that you should cast stones, unless you’re going to try and claim that you are sinless.
Since sin is a made up device used to brainwash people into shaming themselves for stepping out of line I would have to say that yes, I am sinless. As is anyone else who has a functioning brain.
May the 4th be with your 9 yo son. That’s 4ever cool!
It’s my birthday too!!!
Ha, cool. Happy (late) birthday to your son – my birthday’s on May the 4th as well! Awesome!
Actually, Leland has been known to make mistakes . . . from time to time.
Oh, dear!
Oh, dear!
Happy SW Day! here it started!
Are we going to see Leia??
And on the fourth day, God created Star Wars…
@Marc, god please don’t.
what? not offensive to God…
Which God?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha oh wait your probably serious….
Oh look the ignorant came out to play.
Scientology is the one true religion
Jesus was the son of God not god himself but like u said happy star wars day.
One and the same. Son of God = God in the flesh and part of the Holy Trinity.
Read the Bible. Jesus is the Son and God, but the unGodly will never understand that.
WOW! Adam Driver in Kylo-garb is AWESOME! Now it just remains to be known of whether or not he operates as a dual identity.
Personally I think Kylo looks cooler without the mask…
That’s what I was thinking. Why does this dude need a mask?! Get him some orange lenses, put on some pale make up and he’s ready to go. Happy May the 4th and so on …!
These are behind the scenes photos taken solely for this photo shoot. Expect nothing revealing other than confirmation on some roles and very minor information about the story setting.
Rumors of Kylo Ren’s dual identity are quite frankly the exact kind of outlandish speculation that results from fans over thinking everything.
yeah you sure are right but seeing him in a xwing pilot’s suit make him whether on a dual role or in a flashback before he turns to the dark side.
More time passes and more the plot of the new trilogy is following the old EU. I don’t know the relations between the new and old actors but in the trailer (in the french version), Luke says “You ‘ve this power too” ; in french, it’s “Vous avez ce pouvoir, vous aussi”. “Vous” in english can be translate to whether a polite “you”, whether it defines two or more people. In this case, as a french guy, i want to interprate this like Luke is talking to at least two people (surely Rey, Poe and maybe Finn). Why Luke was using the polite “you” to speak to the young people ? and in my mind, it’s obvious he was talking to them. i’m out of the discussion now and i guess ive lost my point here. Yes, it brings me to the point where i think we’ll see the old eu is still not dead and i believe it’s still a strong source of inspiration for JJ & Co. it’s an obvious comparison, for me again, between Kylo Ren and Jacen Solo. Luke was telling the Force in strong in my family and then “You have this power too.” My assumptions ? Luke had one or more child he never knew about, Leia and Han never got married (because wait a minute, it’s Han Solo we are talking about) Poe is the son of Leia with a Mister Dameron), and Rey is the daughter of whether Solo or Skywalker. Why we only know about the family name of Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren ? they aren’t spoilers by themselves. OMG i can’t wait. It’s still 6 months more gnawing the thins bones they are throwing to us
I really think that the “vous” was the polite “vous” for “tu”. Luke is probably talking to someone he’s not that familiar with. With the french translation they usually use the “vous” for the “tu”.
At least the outlandish think. You will forever be Disney’s main yes-man, or ” Mindless philosopher.”
Yep confo that Kylo is Driver and Lupita is a CG character!!
awesome clip from vanity Fair.
Mystery box confirmed not to work.
Mystery box is not about secrets, watch the Ted talk.
I’ve tried not to read any more spoilers
but I had to look .
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren looks good.
So much for the ones saying it was Gleeson playing him .
Anyway , I can’t help but think the black alien dog like creature in the pirates photo,
looks like the one from Planet 51.
Guess I will have to toss out all the spoilers I read over the past few months.
Although Spoilerman was right on some of them.
i know you read my theorys i guess i was wrong but hey its better that adam plays him than gwendolyn stacie
Who’s “Gwendolyn Stacie”?
I thinks it’s G. Christie’s twin sister?
Heh. “Gwen Stacy” is a female character from the Spider-Man comics of the sixties/early seventies as well as the last two Spider-Man flicks.
Yes!! The Millennium Falcon IS in the movie. So excited about this. Such a long wait until December but it will be worth it!
“Yes!! The Millennium Falcon IS in the movie.”
You didn’t gather that from the two teaser trailers?
Notice how this moron argues with himself. It’s the same person.
Disagree.
… any TRUE Star Wars fan knows that May 25th is Star Wars Day. not this May the 4th Margaret Thatcher bullsh*t
what da…
Settle down, Kramer.
Dude, get over this May 25th crap. I consider it more of an anniversary for Star Wars, than actual Star Wars Day… May the 4th is star wars day. Everyone celebrates it, even, you know, LucasFilms.
Well Margaret Thatcher and the Tories evidently celebrated then too?
May 25th is special. Frank Oz was born on that day…aka Yoda.
LOLLLLLL!!!!
For my household, today shall forever be known as “Margaret Thatcher Bullshit Day”
Thanks chief.
Damn, spoilers indeed.
I don’t want to know any more about the film but I can’t look away. December is a long way away.
Same here mate… I just can’t resist these goodies…
Maybe we will get news on Mel Brook’s new sequel
Spaceballs: Still Hanging Around or Erectile Dysfunction
Dan’s Vpyage
WRONG > : [ I refuse to accept that Kylo Ren is Adam Driver, everyone knows he is really tatooine.
Uhh, that’s a planet, Skeetch.
*swoosh*
the joke went completely over your head huh?
So other than reveals of new characters played by MvS.Serkis and Domnhall Gleeson,I am really looking forward to seeing how Luke and Leia look in this movie.
I spy with my little eye some tauntaun concept art. Can’t be caught in a snowstorm without yer tauntaun!
edit: actually I think that’s fan art JJ has pinned up to the wall
i need to see Skywalker!!….its gonna be awesome seeing luke again….but for me its serkis’s character that’s most intriguing….happy may the 4th everybody!!!
I feel you on that. In a way its kinda cool that they aren’t showing Hamill and Serkis in anything because it reinforces their potentially major significance to the plot. We’re only being given the stuff that we can’t truly figure out the story from ; )
The Mystery Box is strong with this one…
Yes I can’t wait to see Luke!! I feelike we may get another new teaser just as a big surprise.
Heard that! I’ve been waiting 32 years to see Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. I ended reading this page with a cry of, “No Luke! Still!? Still!!!”
Then cursed a blue streak for a solid minute.
I here you! I’ve been waiting for thirty-five years, since I first read about the sequels in 1980’s Time Magazine article. Almost there . . .
Put the hat to Harrison and you’ve got Indiana in the Millenium Falcon haha. It’s almost the same freakin jacket, like both characters melt together and it’s awesome!
i like the british street lights behind the snowtroopers. gives sullust a nice suburban touch.
OMG, Adam Driver/kylo Ren is not a cyborg in the fotoshoot. Who is the Cyborg in the concept art Pictures? ….Luke?
Actually my insider sources say that the Cyborg is really Tatooine.
But dont tell anyone.
Dan, that’s no moon . . . .
Ditched idea
Pretty sure its either unused placeholder art or “Uber” played by MVS.
Tell us its Plagueis! Darth Christie! Make a gif, post on Imgurrrr, Redidiot.
?
oops- Correction:
*sorry, Serkis, not MVS.
Leia
The Cyborg is Driver after he nearly dies.
Ahhh howcome we aren’t discussing the potential o Jar Jar’s bones laying half buried on Jakku?
You know why! Start the prequel bashing and praising you will….
… that Driver is Kylo. I still hope that there are actually 2 Kylo’s in the movie and Gleeson is the other one.
You’re disappointed that it didn’t meet your fairly specific expectation.
Had you ever stopped to consider you know next to nothing about the plot yet and that having two Kylos would make no sense whatsoever.
I haven’t seen anything about flying unicorns. It this film doesn’t have flying unicorns it’s going to bomb.
disappointed in the lack of talking potatoes. I still hope there are talking potatoes when the film comes out.
Don’t worry, there’s a king edward talking potato, called spudsey, on the bar in rose’s pub
Yes but does he have an evil talking potato twin?
Ren is like Palpatine! He lives double life. Sometimes he is dark lord and sometimes a x-wing pilot
…..with a time machine to be able to handle it, of course…
Does anyone else think the left side of Drivers face looks damaged in some way.
Kinda hard to tell if it’s just the way the light falls off or if he’s got kind of battle scars.
Looks like he has makeup on to make his face look pale and his eyes dark. Looks like he’s got heavy eyeliner on and possibly sith contacts in.
Like how Allan Rickman looked in Harry Potter.
I lightened the video. Almost looks like Driver has claw marks on his eyes.
Also..
The photo AnnieL took at the end is not the one on the cover..Rey is wearing a headscarf on the cover that she wasn’t on the set.
I think it confirms as some pointed out yesterday that the VF cover is almost certainly a composite image.
Probably had BB-8 shopped in afterwards and perhaps a headswap on Daisy Ridley from a different shot. Easily done in Photoshop.
I won’t be surprised. If my memory still works, JarJar was added over Ahmed Best in Tunisia photos for The Phantom Menace Vanity Fair.
If you watch the video clip you can see the working BB8 moving in the passenger seat aboard the MF.
no cgi in the cover photo..
Agreed..you can in the earlier part…but BB8 can’t been seen when Annie is taking that cover shot specifically.
Don’t mistake compositing a shot for CGi..two entirely different things.
I don’t think he would have been visible if he was stood on the floor of the MF with the rest of the crew where they are. Look how high up the doorway to the MF cockpit he is on the cover photo.
Which says either..he is stood on a massive pedestal to keep him in shot in which case I think we would have seen him on the video…or it was just easier to photograph him on his own , and put him on a separate layer in photoshop then decide where to put him afterwards.
How do you know the specific shot in the video is the cover photo. Good photographers take 12 or more images for the possibility of one shot for each pose scenario.
shit Harrison looks way you ger than he did in Indy 4, now, I can totally see him doing 5th installment. loving Chris Pratt but come on, Indiana IS Harrison. so happy to see my all time hero in such a great shape!
MAY THE 4th WITH YOU ALL!
On Star Wars Card Trader, they gave 40k instead of 25k due to May the 4th 🙂
I really hope that piano thing that was at the beginning of the video will not be in the movie, it ruins the John williams score that came after.
Still, Daisy ridley is hot.
And what if it was John Williams who added that piano note? He did write the music specifically for the trailer.
well, then I am disappointed. seriously. It doesn’t feel star wars.
If John Williams used synthesizers would you feel like it wasn’t Star Wars?
Fun fact. John used synths in parts of the original trilogy OST. And also used electric guitar on a track in Episode II.
But according to this guy a single piano key is “not Star Wars”… Makes so much sense.
Maybe he wanted to hear the Gungan celebration theme from near the end of The Phantom Menace.
Oh for god’s sake. I liked the extra embellishments on that theme used at the beginning of the second trailer, including the piano note. You know, as much as I’m not a fan of the prequels there was stuff I loved from that. Duel of the Fates being one. What a fantastic piece of music and it’s as embedded in my mind as “Star Wars” as much as anything else, yet on first hearing I though, “Woah, this isn’t very Star Wars like at all!” (And it really wasn’t).
Give it at least until your first watch through before you start whining about something as simple as the use of one particular instrument that YOU don’t feel suits Star Wars. In Williams (especially with JJ “ddirecting” him) I trust!
I actually kinda agree about the piano note… it felt out of place to me as well *BUT* I loved it. This is a new Star Wars, a new feel for the grown ups, & what’s “out of place” will be what’s perfect for these new films, because the old films were out of place as well… & thank (old era) Lucas for that.
You’re absolutely right man. As an 11 year old who had grown up with the original trilogy my entire life…I had the same initial shock of “WHAT!? A CHOIR SINGING LIKE MAD CRAZY!? THIS IS NOT STAR WARS!”…but then I got used to it and identify the entire PT to it…one of the only great lasting memories from it.
As for the PIANO NOTE…it actually brought a tear to my eye the moment I heard it. I don’t know why…it struck a chord with me. I absolutely love piano to be incorporated in soundtracks, and its the first time I heard it in star wars. I had the same initial shock, but immediately dismissed it because it WAS PERFECT in the moment…..that scene across the desert and then it all goes black…with the sound and then lukes voice. It was all so perfect. It may very well JUST FOR the trailer…..but I hope it isn’t!
Quite possibly the nitpickiest thing in the history of nitpicks.
Happy Star Wars Day! and May the Fourth be with you all!
The fourth will be with us always! The ball is gaining momentum!!!
thats just BB-8 😉
Vanity just posted more photos and info on their website!! May the fourth be with us all 🙂
Potential spoilers though
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-force-awakens-photos#4
Lupita’s character being a chief of space pirates just won me over! I mean how cool do they all look! i’m in love!
What are you talking about? Lupita? Where?
And her character name was revealed as Maz Kanata on the Christie photo from update 4
This film is starting to take shape, so far nothing seems particularly lame or mis-cast, it’s all looking pretty sharp…
Dare I say, this may be awesome…
Isn’t it interesting that we haven’t yet seen Leia? At SWCA, Carrie revealed that we won’t see the famous hair buns but there is something new that we will really like. I wonder what it is that they have to keep so secret?
LEIA IS THE FIRSTORDER EMPEROR! XD joking.
I guess they din’t want to spoil that she’s now a jedi too. I actually believe that there is some jedi order here. there was a guy casted as ‘padawan’, remember?
Yeah, the fact that there was a padawan and a Sith warrior cast makes me guess that there WAS a jedi order, but it failed or Kylo killed them and thats why Luke is in hiding. I can’t see any other reason luke would create an academy and then abandon it.
Surprisingly, this basically happened in the old EU. Jacen Solo’s fall to the dark side, sparked a new disdain for the Jedi and Luke got exiled. Although he pretty left on his own accord to figure out why his nephew turned to the darkside.
now prepare for all the insider scoops that reference Maz Kanata as though they knew it all along.
May the fourth be with you!
In the first update there is no spoiler alert.
Months knowing anything and suddendly i know who is kylo, what’s lupita doing and principal characters sitting in a cockpit.
And yes, i’m not happy with that. Just a silly thing, but i’m not happy to know those things…
Thank you…
These are officially released images and interviews. They are going to be all over social media and news stands. People are going to be talking about it on TV and at the coffee shop. These are things that lucasfilm want the public to know about their film. Is it really a spoiler? Not according to them. You’ll have to deal with it.
They are a diversion, a decoy for security
It makes absolutely no difference why they released the information. Its their story, their characters, their set, their movie. They can decide when and how they want to tell people about it. If you aren’t ok with that then you are on the wrong site.
Nooooo it’s nooot….. Good gracious man it’s the same vanity fair tradition as the phantom menace.
Why do you come to this site, then? You can’t have it both ways.
Don’t visit a star wars 7 news website then. In fact don’t go on the internet at all or read any magazines or newspapers.
Or google Star Wars 7 cause that’s tons of spoilers waiting right there in the headlines.
Where I first saw the Adam Driver photo
appear.
So I decided to just spoil it all anyway,
which is why I’m here.
I’m in love with the Maz Kanata’s castle picture. Such a Cantina/Jabba’s Palace vibe!
i feel the same way…love the variety of creature designs and how they keep with the spirit of the OT while introducing new elements
Weird that a bunch of aliens that look like they’re from Mos Espa seem “with the spirit of the OT” to someone.
Liebovitz’s work here is strikingly mediocre. She’s a “famous photographer,” but any of a dozen local shooters could have turned out competent work of similar quality.
She brought nothing special but her over-hyped name.
You know nothing about photography then.
congratulations on your ignorance, she’s a wonderful photographer
Shame on Kennedy she didn’t hire you and your webcam.
I teach photography and have worked as a commercial photographer for 10 years. The photography here is mediocre.
Agreed. She should stick to lame pictures of babies.
You’re thinking of Anne Geddes you nut
Perhaps you could send some samples to Vanity Fair and ask if Ms Leibovitz has time to critique your work?
I wouldn’t call it “mediocre,” but it’s certainly nothing special.
WOW! I LOVE those Heronomous Bach-like creatures and Bruegel-esque humans (at least how they look in the light of that composit photo). That old blind looking man, that toothy black critter, the guy with the tentacle for a snout and the red dude on the left are exactly the kind of thing I’ve been wanting to see. My only slight concern is too much hair product on one or two of the humans but all in all it’s very OT but with the best aspects of the pod racers too (Quadrinero etc). Very Star Wars but not redundant in a literal sense to what we’ve already seen. They look very timeless, at least in that picture.
you meant Hieronymus Bosch
You may not agree with Dick Cheney’s politics, but man that guy can score a film.
I actually laughed out loud when I read the “Dick Cheney” thing.
Ahhh… funny stuff.
I’m loving the 80s puppet and animatronics vibe. It looks fantastic.
That’s true her pictures here look soso. But how easy is it to build and maintain a name like that. Not easy. Or more people would get a name. And partly magazines like to use someone with a big name, gives them something to pr.
Lovin all of the great costumes, prosthetics and makeup I’m seeing! A lot of those species I’m not familiar with. Could they be new additions?
Wow, there’s a Rancor-like guy!
I don’t think I’d want to see Jar Jar’s bones. I dislike the character in the sense that he’s stylistically inconsistent with the OT, not in the sense of “I hate this person and I want to see him suffer.” I’d rather just see Ahmed Best playing a small but awesome serious part where you actually see his face.
I very much like to see Jar Jar’s bones!
But even more I’d like to see him eaten by a Rancor or stumble into the Sarlac!
Filoni, make it happen!
http://i.imgur.com/RLaIZu0.jpg
Anakin Leibowitz
Big guy in the middle of that group shot looks like whatever species Dax was
He does. He seems to have a pet/slave humanoid with him
I thought that, too. Then I got annoyed, because Dex makes me think of all the things I didn’t like about AOTC (and the whole prequel trilogy, really). I thought that scene was awkward and terrible. Ewan was interacting with a video game character, and I just couldn’t buy that those two had this old buddy thing. And Ewan clearly wasn’t acting with the character. It was like he was guessing, and Lucas and the animators didn’t create the right character to go with Ewan’s acting. So stupid. It’s also stupid how much it bothers me, but I can’t help it.
But actually, looking closer, he looks more like Bossk.
Here is a higher rez version of that shot with the group of aliens… dudes!
Look at the detail in comparison to OT aliens cantina bar scene, they *really* went to town on this! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh man!
http://boards.theforce.net/threads/lupita-nyongo-maz-kanata-in-episode-vii.50020658/page-52
LOVELY to see John Williams looking all good in that last picture. I’m almost as hyped for his score as I am the actually movie. I have faith in him!
AWESOME to see Driver’s face unmasked in the Kylo Ren getup. He looks very Menacing!
Oscar Isaac is looking bad ass, I feel he is going to own his character, in his words: “the best freaking pilot in the galaxy”.
With the picture of the aliens the only thing I’m not crazy about is the face of the largest seated alien. It seems less realistic and less distinct than the rest. His body is wonderfully Boskk-like. They could CG a Boskk head on him and have him be a trandoshan, though in general I think they should be sparing in their use of familiar alien species so the familiarity has more impact.
It’s too early to tell but this looks like a scene from a Guillermo del Toro or Terry Gilliam film. I think they might have not included any Twileks or other familiar races for the purpose of the shoot. At least I hope so.
The best part of that pic is that I can spot at least 3 races from the EU, and then there is that droid! And it is so awesome that they are seemingly using minor races from the EU!
Stofolupinoid… if you watch the Abrams Trek movies there are a lot of parts where the aliens are both practical & CGI, like Scotty’s assistant is a physical costumed person but there are CGI elements on the face like his eyes. I suspect these films will make use of similar techniques to make things look more convincing, but I don’t think these aliens need much help!
What are the names of the creatures from the EU? I Want to look them up.
Yay! So excited.
The thumbnail photo looks weirdly edited.
Notice how the guy next the end on the right has a peg-leg ..very pirate !
Maybe that’s Simon Pegg? See what I did there? 😉
That’s actually an interesting pun which makes it very, very plausible.
He’s definitely one of the people in costume.
So who is the person we can barely see behind the android character..someone with dark skin..turqiouse wrist bands and a blaster.
Why can’t we see them properly ??
its Lando’s daughter, Finn’s sister.
we don’t see herproperly because of wide spread racism in Star Wars franchise
is the black armoured guy behind the red character wearing an old school stormtrooper armour?
He sure is! Try and download large copy of the digital pic and enlarge that helmet..you can clearly see it’s an OT Stormtrooper.
He also has “FEAR” written in Aurebesh across the front of his helmet.
looks like the alien “rose” has a name… Maz Kanata, I like it. Much better than Jar Jar
. i hope theres a krayt dragon on tattoine
Yeah well, too bad “Captain Phasma” isn’t any better than “General Grievous”. Can’t have it all, I guess.
I see what YOU mean. But I like that name alot. It’s fun and it’s so sci fi. I garentee you that the name will grow on all of the temporary pesimists!
So where’s the naysayer gang? I don’t see them showing up in the usual places. Some of those dunces were kind of funny and I enjoyed the back and forth but you had to ruin it. The thing is pleebs, TFN is most often right on the money whenever a shot by shot analysis goes before a movie comes out. They got it right with Episode 2 and 3 and I don’t see why Episode 7 will be wrong. The Luke is a cyborg, Tatooine-Jakku and Plagueis mongerers are still around. Should be entertaining in the short term.
I don’t mind being wrong about a lot of the spoilers I read,it’s just fun entertainment going on message boards with guessing this or that.
My favorite theory was Jakku is Naboo renamed.
A lot of the spoilers were right in the past few months though.
If Jakku was actually Naboo after a cataclysm, that would make sense as to why JJ would put Jar Jar’s bones in the sand like he was saying in this article.
Prolly not.
But it would have been interesting..to have seen a destroyed ancient site looking kind of like Naboo .
Good perception.
What’s TFN? The force.net? That forum is run by a bunch of social justice losers that forbid anyone saying innocuous things like “Daisy Ridley is hot” meanwhile they go on about which male actors they hope to see shirtless.
I assume Leibovitz had to take like 20 shots til she got one with Harrison actually smiling. ^^
Awesome pic of Captain Phasmaa doing the rounds
Wow, I’m loving the pictures! The whole cast looks amazing, especially Darth Driver! Happy May the Fourth!!
People keep saying he’s Han and Leia’s son…but with those ears he could be Nien Nunb’s kid
The shot with Ren leading the snowtroopers is a composite. notice how much more clearly defined he is. Also, the snowtropper shot is shown in the video with no Ren.
What a weird choice for Ren part. Wasn’t there a better shot of him?
He does look like a younger version of Prof. Snape.
I was just thinking that… He looks like a mash up of Snape and angry Anakin.
Hmm…no. To me he looks more like a skinnier, taller version of Jon Snow, actually.
Fanboys aren’t qualified to tell. It is like the whole “old/young hands” nonsense.
Umm..watch the friggen video..the first 10 seconds. Same exact scene… no Ren. Also look at the photograph, the image of Ren has none of the atmospheric effects that are partially obscuring the snowtroppers
First we had Captain Phasma, now we’ve got Captain Obvious.
Don’t be a jerk.
Calling someone a jerk is such a jerk thing to do.
Not if they’re being impolite.
Awesome! that robot from all those creatures picture reminds me to Huyang, The droid of the Clone Wars that keeps the materials to do the lightsabers! They’re not the same, but looks like influenced by it 🙂 http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131019225858/starwars/images/7/75/Huyang-ATOS.png
Lupitas character name is on the Phasma pic too
Phasma Confirmed as Christie as leaked.
Totally matches the concept art of the chrome storm trooper that other sites were saying was fake.
So is Maz Kanata not actually in the picture?
Seems strange that she’s not in the picture when it’s her palace, be like having jabba’s throne room but without Jabba sat there.
It’s true! Specially because Vanity Fair always gets the CG characters on the photos (As far as I remember: JarJar and Grievous).
Maybe they want to keep the surprise. Anyway, I always imagined Rose as a kind of little, humble and wise alien woman. All of a sudden this little girl seems to be such a badass 😀
Judged her by her size did we. and the name Rose, kinda innocuous. Though we haven’t actually seen her yet so she could look like anything. She could even be the one playing Chubby Bossk!! Seriously though, if she’s got a palace she better have a throne of some sort.
Now that Clooney is married and Dr. McDreamy is killed off, Oscar had better be ready for the deluge of attention from the fortysomething cougar crowd. Age is only a number, right??? 😉
I think the red pirate is the guy who won Force For Change. Lucky guy!
…OT STORMTROOPER painted black/gold is seen to the left of the ‘red pirate’!
No I don’t think so. I see a nose and a mouth.
Awesome. Simply awesome.
The creature that is second from the right in the front in the group photo looks like Azmorigan from Rebels.
Oh! So right!!
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20150120055828/starwars/images/6/66/Azmorigan.png
There’s a lot of TheCloneWars and Rebels inspiration in this creatures 🙂 First time feeling that this universe is coming together.
I think Maz Katana is the Alien wearing droid like armour looking a bit like a female c3p0
1)You wouldn’t need Motion Capture for that
2)That’s not armor, that’s a droid
Maz Katana could be the big alien in center on the “throne” type thing. Very Jabba-ish to have a translator on the left, a dog and female pet / slave / dancer.
No Maz is the character who was codenamed ‘Rose’ during production. She’s the alien creature that hands Leia the lightsaber in the second teaser.
Yo that’s so dope! Nice inspection.
So the question remains…Who the heck is Gleeson?!
Phasma looks like a stormtrooper / cylon mix..
I am Groot.
Kylo: “Luke never told you what happended to your son at his Jedi academy?”
Han: “He told me enough! He told me you killed him.”
Kylo: “No.” (Takes off helmet) “I AM YOUR SON!”
That shot of Kylo and the Snowtroopers looks pretty much like a Photoshop composing. I think they used a still from that little promo film and added Kylo later.
Kylo looks like he lost left leg and part of his butt XD
Tis but a scratch!
I concur. The snowtrooper shot is shown in the video. No Ren. Looks like they took a video still and added a shot of Ren from the standalone shoot shown in the pictures.
kind of anticlimactic to have this mysterious masked character for two trailers and now just show him derping around in the snow.
It’s true, but maybe they’re playing the contrary effect, the dramatic irony, in which we will see Kylo Ren as a rebel pilot. We will all know he’s Kylo Ren but the characters don’t. This effect has been played in Indiana Jones before but I can’t remember it in Star Wars.
Absolutely agree, he looks effeminate, as menacing as a wet lettuice leaf.
Captain Phasma looks more like a 1970’s Cylon than a stormtrooper
Not a bad thing. Battle Star Galactica was baaaaaaaaaaad ass.
PS it was a total rip off of Star Wars for TV.
Yea. Now were ripping off battlestar galactica with the captain phasma name!Like yo we can do that to but with more class and more discreetly.
I wonder if Kylo Ren actually looks like a normal Adam Driver under the mask as shown in the photos. It’s possible he just removed his mask for some reveal shots of himself. When we see the actual character in the film he could look very different underneath. There would be no point for make up or prosthetics in scenes where he would just be wearing the mask.
Or his face could be “destroyed” during the film, and subsequenly becomes the cyborg like character we’ve seen in concept art. That would give an interesting ark to the character, and a lot of sense to that “Hamlet like” shot.
I’m starting to think Luke is the cyborg – as many of us initially thought. What we never considered is that he could be BOTH a cyborg and still a Jedi … I know he looks evil in one of those concept art pieces … but what if Luke was disfigured during certain events between this film and the last and there’s not much left of him? I mean … every piece of concept art shows that cyborg character with a robotic hand … and in the trailer, there’s the hand on artoo … and a face hidden in a dark hood. He doesn’t have to be a Sith to be a cyborg.
Thoughts? The beard he grew could be a red herring. { although a logistic pain in the neck during production if true } Course, this could just be early Kylo Ren art before settling on a mask instead. But that robotic hand … is very specific.
Sorry if this has been discussed already.
Wasn’t there someone saying “you’ll be surprised when you see Luke in this movie”? Probably it was in a MSW article.
Whatever, if this is happening, I’m quite affraid 🙁 I wouldn’t like to see that…
It’s kinda weird as there’s a concept art showing
SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER The cyborg trapping a girl that we can supose it’s Rey SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER SPOILER SPOILER SOPILER
Weird. But who knows…
SORRY! Meant to attach spoiler on my post as it refers to leaked concept art.
I agree. In any case, if it is true … it is very provocative.
There IS no cyborg. That’s clearly been established by now that that was either concept art from the old script, or it’s (spoilers) Adam Driver during Rey’s interrogation in the castle. Luke is not evil.
There IS no cyborg. That’s clearly been established by now that that was either concept art from the old script, or it’s (spoilers) Kylo Ren during Rey’s interrogation in the castle. The cyborg holding Vader’s helmet is Kylo Ren, before it was decided he was going to have a helmet rather than be a cyborg. Luke Skywalker is 100% not evil nor a cyborg. Those were old theories that MSW made up, but the truth has since been clarified by them.
I’m not entirely convinced. The reason I say that, is, the robotic hand. That’s LUKE – no question. And, we haven’t seen his face yet …. hmmm …
That means nothing. Luke’s had a robotic hand for over 30 yrs. in-universe and real life time both.
Unless technology in the galaxy’s reached the point where they can grow limbs back, he will still have a prosthetic hand in the ST, whatever his face might look like.
Do you not see the contradictions there? They made that stuff up and NOW they tell the “truth”?
Or maybe they continue to make stuff up, hm?
I feel what your saying. Take a close look at the facial structure of the early cyborg art and tell me that does not look like luke’s facial structure.
This will be a day long remembered…….
It has seen the end of Kenobi; it will soon see the end of the rebellion.”
According to Vanity Fair’s website, Poe is stepping down from his X-Wing. I thought he was flying the black X-wing. Did I miss something?
Perhaps he gets promoted during the movie and is awarded the new black X-Wing…..
Totally thought the character in the foreground of the Rey/JJ photo was Hondo Ohnaka for a split second.
Kathleen Kennedy is kinda sexy to me.
Kathleen is classy, competent and enthusiastic about Star Wars. That adds to her appeal. 🙂
I feel like she’s barely aged since Raiders.
Ugh! Official photos and synopses are NOT spoilers. I don’t care if you don’t want to know this stuff now, stop calling them spoilers.
If we counted anything some people don’t want to know as spoilers we would have to put warnings on things like trailers, official title announcements, and toys. This is stuff they want people to see at this point.
I almost prefer Kylo without the helmet – Driver just looks so uber cool;seriously love every photo today – can`t wait to have an action figure of every pirate in picture,so many awesome looking characters!…Star Wars is definitely going in the right direction under JJ.
action figues?
what are you 5 years old be a man
If you look down on figure collecting, what should I do with my time that you approve of?
You spend your day commenting on a science fiction film fan page. take a step back and reevaluate who you bash with annonymity. You’re the child here.
What are you some sort of naive star wars fan imposter? You know how much that shit is worth? Even for the genuine sake of collecting it is still cultural. The more time passes, the more valuable star wars collectibles become. Shit they are worth alot of money NOW, imagine 20 years from now!
Agree. He reminds me of Anakin in ep3.
A lot of people thought that Driver was Han’s son. They were wrong!
and why is that?
He clearly isn’t Han’s son, cause driver is an actor and Han a fiktive character.
Ok, can anyone see on the Chrome Trooper if there’s a light sabre hilt? I figure in game of Thrones if she can wield a bigass sword, she can easily handle a Lightsabre!
A Stormtrooper with a lightsaber doesn’t look good. I don’t care what McQuarrie painted. He was a very good artist but still they make way too much fuzz about him.
“Get used to it.”
And expect it to get “worse” as time moves on. You think you’ve seen diversity in TFA? Wait ’til you’ve seen Star Wars 10-20 years from now.
It’s not Bout being PC. It’s about creating cool characters. Star Wars has always been about echoing our own world. There are plenty of women figureheads. Way more than there were 40 years ago including in the military. Is it so far fetched that when they were developing his character one of the creatives pictured a bad ass female? What would be ridiculous is if they intentionally made characters male to avoid looking PC.
Has no one read Star Wars Legacy yet?
Female storm trooper in that series and
it is not surprising to me to see the idea used in the movie.
The empire is the bad guys… I dont understand why people want the good ideas for characters to be used on the bad guys…
they is bad…
“What would be ridiculous is if they intentionally made characters male to avoid looking PC.”
Or if they made characters female just to look PC.
what a warped perception of the world. and of Star Wars. Have fun complaining about every other decision they make. Was every one complaining about how PC it was for Billy Dee Williams being cast in 1979? No. They enjoyed the movie.
Actually I’m sure there were people complaining except the web wasn’t around back then for people to complain on.
actually, smart ass, I remember people complaining. People weren’t inherantly “better” back in the 70s, you know.
You wouldn’t hire Brienne of Tarth to be your storm trooper?
I’m about as anti-PC and you can get and I have no problem with Christie as a trooper commander.
Enough of this blahblah about so called pc by you uncivilized retards, I’ve had enough. grow a dick and annoy somewhere else.
PC is a thing. Whether you want to admit it or not. It is a problem within the entertainment industry. To just take it from them all the time to seem “with the program” is what’s wrong with the industry.
How many knights in the Middle Ages were female?
How many famous military leaders?
You can’t name one, can you?
Star Wars maybe fantasy but it’s still very important to convince viewers that what’s taking place is plausible.
Female Chrometroopers don’t fit the bill, and neither for that matter, does Rey’s character.
In the real world, only men are warriors and as much as the Feminazis hate this, it’s the truth.
Actually there were a handful of female warriors in the middle ages. Joan of Ark most notably. Viking raiding troops were often composed of up to 50% females, who famously, but not exclusively acted as shieldmaidens.
Modern armies in the west also have female soldiers, Israel even has mandatory military service for women.
Female stormtroopers aren’t much of a stretch. I’m as anti PC as it gets, but it doesn’t bother me.
Actually, there were some women fighters in the MIddle Ages, but more so in Asia and not so much in Britain. There also weren’t a lot of women political rulers (governors, mayors, etc) during that time too, so what is your point?
And for the sake of argument, Star Wars VII is made for audiences living in 2015, not the middle ages. Since there are plenty of female militia today, your argument falls flat on its face.
“Female stormtroopers aren’t much of a stretch”
Yeah, they are indeed a stretch because women don’t make good fighters. Because they lack physical strength. Because they aren’t aggressive.
Both key requirements for a being a dominant warrior.
Gender aside, I don’t think we should even know who’s underneath a Stormtroopers armor to begin with.
We didn’t need to know in the OT if they were men or robots. Revealing their faces detracts from their mysteriousness.
Same thing with Boba Fett. George should have never shown his real face in the PT.
Sexist people like Tim Snow is exactly why we need more strong female characters in Star Wars. I say let the women join the men on the battlefield. Let them fight, kill and die without any special privileges.
True equality.
Ha! You don’t know shit about history DUDE!
women aren’t warriors, really?
Try telling that to a female US marine, and they will probably punch you in the face (and rightfully so.)
it wouldn’t hurt.
On the battlefield, female marines are oftentimes liabilities. Same goes for female cops.
And just so you know, I don’t have anything against women.
I love women – when they’re being women and aren’t pretending to be men.
Do you have any evidence to back up your claim of female soldiers or cops being “liabilities” on the battlefield, other than your repetitive “women can’t possibly be warriors, they belong in a kitchen” tirades? Really, it’s such a tired, outdated opinion to have. Grow up and get a clue as to how the real world works…the one where there are plenty of women who could undoubtedly put you in your place without breaking a sweat. A woman in the military isn’t trying to “act like a man”, she’s exercising her right to defend her country. Maybe you should give these women the respect they deserve, instead of copping to some lame-ass sexist rhetoric that has zero basis in reality.
Yea Gwendoline Phasma in your face. I love it! Female first order officer chromed out! Dope! Love it! Well see I know that cause I’m a real sci fi fan. You wanna be a true sci fi fan then open your brain.
Stop being a narrow-minded, sexist dimwit.
so is this all the news we get on star wars day. lame
Oh get a grip
When the evil Shredder attacks… ;P
The woman with the camera looks like Walter Ioos Jr’s wife. Is Daisy Ridley doing a Sports Illustrated shoot soon? No thank you.
Great! Anything to make it easier to focus on her CHARACTER.
What is the name of the stills camera that woman is using please?
Looks like a Hasselblad H5D. They’ll run you anywhere from $10,000-40,000 though. 🙂
JJ Abrams. Y U no put familiar star wars aliens in your movie?
That’s what I was thinking, but these new ones look great! In fact, the small pink one looks like it could be from Utapau and the big middle one looks Trandoshian.
And if they included a bunch of familiar characters, someone would complain that he is only rehashing 40 year old characters. This is all about moving forward. They illustrate that in the promo material they’ve been putting out. We got Han, Chewie, the Falcon, old star destroyers, Luke’s lightsaber. I don’t blame them for pushing new designs and new characters. I bet we’ll see a lot of familiar aliens in the film tho.
I must have been looking at different photographs because I saw rehashed Ralph McQuarrie and nothing original.
We gotta move forward! It’s a big universe!
I hope we get to see alot more sw7 pictures today…and what about an official poster?…
In the Vanity Fair “background character” photo (the photo with the 20+ aliens, droids, etc.) there seems to be an OT Stormtrooper painted black/gold.. He is just to the left of the red devil-looking armored fellow at the far right of the pic.
I don’t know, maybe someone mentioned this, so many replies, but the piano piece in that video, I so hope that is part of the new soundtrack, Like a completely new motif wich will absolutely will grow on me, especially if that is arranged with a large orchestra!
I wonder if Kylo Ren is a clone of Anakin and someone else? Leia gave birth to him but something went wrong and he went mad and resented Han and Leia for it. Perhaps a group tried to resurrect Anakin with the hope that he would/could restore balance and be the saviour he was prophesied to be, but something went terribly wrong.
No other fandom reaches the most like the Star Wars fandom does LOL
There’s an easter egg in the pic of the pirates.
Lupita is standing behind the droid dressed as her Mo-Cap character.
um no she’s playing a small alien. She’s in the second teaser
Hear you nothing that I say?
“dressed as her Mo-Cap character”
Ha ha! Nice one! Could be, why not…
Interesting
Wow, you may be right about that. Probably are, in fact!
I am Tattoine.
the guy with black helmet (behind the red one)could be a relative important character. A new bounty hunter… It’s there but it’s not. (Like Fett in Jabba’s Palace, in the background) Mysterious silhouette
The first pic (of Kylo Ren unmasked and the snowtroopers) is obviously a composite photo.
The next anthology film will be about Boba Fett:
http://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-2nd-anthology-film-will-be-boba-fetts-origin-story/
The first pic dude looks so emo it’s comical. I really hope it’s just for the shoot.
He’s wearing black.. (A colour villains wear) .. so he’s automatically emo. Genius.. Just a quick google imagine search of emo will disprove what you’re saying quite frankly.
So brooding is emo now? Get over yourself!
Listen to you two protecting lil ole Kylo, he looks weak not broody
I think Kylo Ren is going to get severely mangled in this film and is gonna don a new Vader helmet hence ” Vaders return”
I’m seeing a lot of composites in these digital photos.
Hey guys, I’d love if you could check out my special podcast episode dedicated to May The Fourth. Let me know what you think!
http://www.jedicast.com/listen/2015/5/4/episode-2-special-may-the-4th-edition
http://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-2nd-anthology-film-will-be-boba-fetts-origin-story/
2018 spin off on Boba Fett’s origin?
I wonder what the guy in the dark hoody hiding way in the back of the pirate photo is all about. He looks a bit like Darth … no, can’t be, he is dead.
I believe kylo ren will start off as a rebel pilot, who’s force sensitive. He crashes on an abandoned planet on a routine mission and it’s all in the flashback. We soon find out – this isn’t all a plan. A plan to manipulate the most strongest, current force user to the dark side in order to build the first order (introduce uber). Adam driver – Kylo ren will be disfigured in the movie and will be forced to use a mask. I have a feeling he might not be able to talk at all, and it might be all body language…just a thought.
Just wanted to point something out here; Not only does Adam Driver look like an older Ezra Bridger, but it wasn’t revealed what the character of Ezra would look like until around the time we started hearing rumors that Adam had landed a role within episode 7. Could just be a coincidence of course…
Ezra would be like 50 to 60 wouldn’t he?
Maybe he uses some sort of Sith Sorcery to keep himself young….
Or he was frozen in carbonite. There are some pretty easy solutions to reconciling his age.
as long as it is’nt cheesy like “Red Matter”.
Ezra should be about as old as Luke or Leia, so I doubt that’s the case.
That said, there’s peculiar coincidence that Ezra seems to collect stormtrooper helmets, while Kylo Ren is rumored to collect old Sith artifacts. Hmm.
I always thought, before we even knew Adam Driver was playing Kylo Ren, that a likely origin story for Ren, was that he was an inquisitor or apprentice of sorts for Vader, kind of like Starkiller. What’s funny about that as well is that Ezra and Luke are actually roughly the same age, so it would be easy to have Vader see Ezra as a surrogate son of sorts as well, which would explain Ren’s obvious reverence for Vader (father figure), as suggested by some of the leaked concept art.
It would make additional sense for Ren to then start collecting things that formerly belonged to Vader, if he woke up all of a sudden to find that his master/father figure was no longer alive. His obsession with collecting relics that belonged to Vader could be explain as an attempt to hold onto the connection and/or bond he used to have with him.
Or, if some of the rumors are to be believed, if Ren is actually claiming to be Vader, that could also be explained as an attempt to maintain that connection with him. Psychologically, it makes perfect sense.
I don’t think that they would make everyone who is going to see this movie have to watch a cartoon on Disney XD first to understand who this person is. My guess is that he is a Solo kid and was trained under Luke and turned to the darkside and that is why he has Vader’s helmet because he would know where it was because of Luke. Ezra will not be involved with these movies. It makes no sense.
Ezra – in the cartoon, he collected helmets. Haven’t we seen Kylo Ren in different helmets?
Who would want Vaders helmet?
Someone who desires ancient smith relics or wants to impersonate / be inspired by vader. Perhaps a certain relative inspired by his grandpapa
TV show into restorations, live from Endor, will fix it up nicely and then auction it off.
True, true…. but Ezra is supposed to be approximately Luke and Leia’s age.
If Adam Driver is Kylo Ren then who is Andy Circus?
Also do you think Kylo will become a Darth, like Vader, Sidious, Maul and myself?
Andy “Circus” could be a clown, lion tamer, acrobat, strong man… who knows…
Yeah really, who is Andy “Circus”?
XD
Katy Kartwheels Husband?
Daisy has a unique beauty now that I see her up close, I understand why JJ casted her. I put my money on her being a Skywalker, not a solo. But that’s just a hunch mixed with my desire to see Mara Jade at some point.
The creatures all look nice and everything but the colors puble black and blue miss from the tapestry. This might mean that Jakkun is indeed another desert planet and not Tatooine,hence diffrent indigenous species.
My bet however is that Tatooine was renamed Jakkun after whatever SPOILER Luke supposedly did to its surface before he was forced into self exile.
Kylo Ren has surley something to do with Darth Revan, it ahs become apparent to me after the 2 trailers. I bet with Palpatine gone the young Kylo searches the galaxy for artifacts and clues on how to revive Revan. It would go nicely with the SWTOR storyline that was released and concluded in early 2015. Don’t forget, SWTOR is on the proccess of going cannon.
I liked the shots, however everything seems too plain for my taste, even a bit lazy, maybe that’s because I was mostly raised with the prequels. I do however understand the need to go back to the originals’ feeling which I also adore.
Hope JJ nails it because if he doesn’t the whole thing might not feel Starwarsy to me at all.
No-one gives a f*** about your TASTE.
TL;DR
The Old Republic game isn’t going to become canon. They already confirmed that at Celebration. Revan as much as I’d like to see him is going to stay in the Legends timeline. As for Tattoine being renamed? I doubt it. It would be pointless. We can have more than one desert planet.
Right. This would be JJ doing something to the plot for the sake of promotion (via surprise), which he states that he is not doing. But, who knows.
No… Jakku is not tatooine, and it never was…
Let me break it down, in the story they wanted to create they needed some unique visuals and story aspects…
Teh cataclysmic events taht happened on JAkku, the crashing of Star Destroyers, the post-apocalyptic sort of culture.
These would have been major changes to tatooine.
So instead of destroying the culture and history of a well-known and beloved Star Wars planet… They made a new planet so Star Wars fans wouldnt be pissy.
The idea that Tatooine is Jakku iscompletely and utterly ludicrous.
(BTW, there are moisture vaporators on Lothal)
And they ended up being pissy anyway SMH
“everything seems too plain for my taste, even a bit lazy, maybe that’s because I was mostly raised with the prequels.”
Huh? So you preferred the PT’s cartoonish SFX to the SFX seen thusfar in the TFA trailers?
The new effects look 10 X better. It’s not even in the same ballpark.
I maybe skeptical of JJ and some of the new cast, but based on the second trailer alone, there’s no doubt that they’ve nailed it SFX wise.
I agree 99%. But the Falcon flying still looks fake/digital to me. X-wings do look awesome.
TEN YEARS of DIFFERENCE in special effect development…
We’ve come far, to be sure. Bear in mind that 2002 saw the release of AToC and Minority Report. The latter holds up quite well, whereas the Battle of Geonosis . . . So the old adage is worth repeating: the tools matter but not as much as how they are used.
“My bet however is that Tatooine was renamed Jakkun after whatever SPOILER Luke supposedly did to its surface”
I doubt that, because the surface of Jakku just looks the same as the surface of Tatooine.
“everything seems too plain for my taste, even a bit lazy”
There I totally agree.
Things were going really great until George Osbourne appeared in one of the photos. Then it was like a massive grey cloud came over my fun. Oh well it as excellent up until that part in the photos thanks anyway.
Politician will always try to use what’s trending for propaganda. I mean, here in Italy we have… and he… the… oh, hell don’t get me started!
Star Wars 7
“The New Opportunity for people to B*tch incessantly”
thanks for adding your b*tching
I wonder what Disney is going to do once they run out of McQuarrie artwork to rip-off.
How is it a rip-off? He created concepts for Lucasfilm. Last I checked TFA is a Lucasfilm production.
You seem confused.
And stop spamming the comments every 2 minutes saying the same thing.
Exactly! It’s like saying that they took H.R. Giger’s Alien design from the movie “Alien” and ripped it off in Alien vs Predator. It is the same universe, so that kind of consistancy is a good thing.
The new look of the Star Destroyers, X-Wings, Stormtroopers, ect… are excellent, paying homage to the original artwork and special effects while keeping them updated and fresh. I for one personally couldn’t be more excited about what I am seeing!
The prequel trilogy used Ralph McQuarrie as a starting point.. The sequel trilogy used McQuarrie as the ending point.
RIP creativity, Lucasfilm.
If (and that’s a ig ‘if’) Lucas used McQuarrie as a starting point for the PT, then his compass is fucking broken. Also, I see how we have enough elements to establish that the Sequel Trilogy is using McQuarrie as “the ending point”.
Anyway, none of this really matter since creativity is not about “starting” or “ending points” but rather about how do you get to those points.
Oops, my bad: I meant “I DON’T see how we have enough elements to establish that the Sequel Trilogy is using McQuarrie a ‘the ending point'”.
The design team on The Force Awakens is a virtual Round Table of the greatest talents in the field. Their work honors and furthers everything that has gone before. It’s a much more subtle and difficult challenge than merely inventing new stuff wholecloth, which any designer will tell you is quite easy. They’re working with the old alphabet — a tradition long established in the arts and far from giving us flat or uninspired creations, some of the finest contributions to civilization are its fruit. Homer inspires Virgil, Virgil visits Dante. The Greeks entice the Romans; Vitruvius enchants Leonardo. Alphabets themselves — languages. Lexicons. From the same one — English — we get the full range from Shakespeare to Bukowski.
I suspect that lazy criticism of the Star Wars design team comes from envy. A phenomenon better known as “Sour Grapes.”
Bravo.. I’ll toke a bong-load in your honour
Your post is a great post!
It’s always great to hear Abrams talk about the movie that way. It somehow makes me even more excited to see it!
Sexist jerks should leave this chat room and the moderator should erase their comments. There’s no place in 2015 for sexist stupidity like that. People who think men are better than women belong in the dark ages. (This is a man writing this BTW)
Stop censoring people because you don’t agree with them, and get back to washing the dishes.
What does the year have to do with anything. Using the year is a logical fallacy. Good grief. You apparently lack history knowledge as well.
IMDB states in the cast that Adam driver is Kylo Ren and Billie Lourd plays a younger leia.
I like that Kylo Ren will show his face (assuming it’s not just a publicity shot). I also like that he looks like a normal person. However, I suspect he’ll suffer some facial mutilation at some point in the trilogy. A little severe lightsaber damage could really pull his look together!
^^ funny I was just thinking the EXACT OPPOSITE, but we’ll see, it’s a pretty bold [stupid] move to have a star wars villain that shows his face in his film debut. Boba Fett was awesome because we knew ZERO about him.
Darth Vader was awesome because we knew very little about him, and when we found out he was Luke’s dad, that actually made him MORE mysterious. Darth chose the PERFECT time to take his mask off: at the end.
Having Kylo with his mask off so early is a bit of a danger-zone IMO, because he go from awesome to angsty doofus in the snap of a finger.
I’m just got a bad feeling’ because I’ve yet to meet a non-Palpatine Star Wars Villain w/out a mask that DOESN’T BLOW. Count Dooku looks too normal, and surprise surprise, he is F#@$ing normal. Same with Hayden Christensen in general. General Greivous was lame even WITH the mask.
Yeah, so far Darth Vader and Sidious are still the only cool villains, Boba was only cool because he was an awesome blank-slate, a blank slate that is for some reason the entire cause of the clone wars and the enemy of the clones and a clone himself and LAME. [thank you, Lucas, for that] I’m worried Kylo is the new Hayden, and that is not a good thing to be in danger of, I’d rather have Darth Jar Binks, seriously, because at least the Dark Side would make the gungan more interesting.
Darth Maul was pretty bad ass. Why don’t you just wait until you see the film before passing judgement. I believe we are in for the ride of our Star Wars lifetime!
Driver can act circles around Hayden “Beach Rash” Christensen.. you just wait and see!
I think the point with Kylo Rent is that audience will know who is from the beginning, but none of the characters would know that friendly resistance pilot is a sith. It’s the same that happened with Palpatine, with a new character.
His mask is something “borrowed”, it’s not his own mask, so if they don’t kill him in the first movie (hopefully not), we can expect him wearing other things in the other movies. Who knows! It feels to me like a very original character.
I don’t like those aliens, especially how they have the same damn colour clothes on!
Yeah I was kinda feeling the same. The faces on a few are very similar too, albeit obviously different species – oh hang on that didn’t really make any sense… And the pirate eye patches, ah har me hearties – hmmmm
I see blue, red, black, gray, yellow, brown . . .
At least as much variety as here:
https://deanoworldtravels.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/jabbas-palace.jpg
i hope john williams was honest to jj and told him what he really thought of the edit. Only if other creative people are honest, will the film get pushed to be tighter and stronger in the edit. With Kathy in control, and her huge back log of excellent films with great and not bad directors, I hope she gives us that. And with jj not in supreme control like lucas was in the prequils, people should also be in a position to push him to be more “starwars”. I imagine bob iger being the smart guy he is wants this to be the best success it can be – partly to make disney money, and partly i think because he is a fan and wants to see another great starwars movie to continue the story after jedi that he must have wanted to see since younger – I doubt he doesn’t have a personal interest alongside his professional one. All signs point to “this may be good” so far. And as a design professional, the craft costumes and aliens seem on target (however looking at the vanity fair shoot for phantom menace the tatooine monsters looked on track then too).
Can you define “design professional”?
i think JJ wants to make the absolute best film he has ever made. He knows the most people will see it. He knows people want it. He loves the subject. Its his dream. He has a great producer. He has a great financial backer. I am sure the edit, pace, music, effects and style will all be amazing.
The story/acting/actors chemistry could let us down. and those are very huge factors. Still with the JJ quotes about “a return to people you care about” and “character development” I imagine the acting and chemistry will be there…. so that leaves the story. And that is down to Lucas, Arndt and JJ. Lucas has done great and bad stories. Arndt has done great and fine. and JJ great and fine – so the odds are on above fine…. so it should actually be better than revenge of the sith i think. which will be nice. whens the next big release of information? SWCelebration Europe?
A “Design Professional” is someone who is paid to design things. People like dress makers, architects, concept artists, graphic designers, interior designers…the list could go on. Design Professional is just an all round term.
I dare you to go tell that to Emily Blunt’s face, and see how much of your face survives.
Yah know what’s retarded? Polarity, only the lazy deal in absolutes, and Obiwan.
Isn’t it past your bedtime?
aren’t there girls in Kandahar you could be rescuing?
Wow, you know, I REALLY WANTED to HATE JJ Abrams, but this is a great interview, even if this was scripted, at least the guy’s pretending in the right place.
Like, I’m really starting to respect Abrams’ point of view, which is saying a lot because I was SO ready to jump on the JJhate-wagon.
Like his point of view about actually TAKING OUT references depending on their NEED to be in the film, that’s some legit direction stuff. The guy seems pretty legit.
This interview [if true] kinda disproves everything that’s being thrown around like “fan-service” this, “lame cross-reference” that, like damn, it’s almost as if this guy actually wants to make a GOOD movie or something.
Serkis is Vaders secret apprentice who is Plagueis in disguise. THANKS DRA. Dinglbutt
Never seen so many bandwagon Plagueis fans in one place. “I just the read the novel.’ Almost as bad as bandwagon Seahawks fans.
Feminism is B/S. Womens rights was just a way to get women to work so they could be taxed, by duping them (and some men) into thinking it’s brilliant, doh. If I was a women (checks…) I wouldn’t want anything to do with having equal rights in a corrupt fecked up world like this.
What ??
By the way, women had to work in factories back in the days cause all the men were getting killed somewhere overseas during the war. They were building all the bullets, missiles and guns for the army.
Yes, I know that. I meant in general, not the war. The whole movement thing. Dear me…
You’re right, the whole thing is a lot of nonsense. Equal rights and fair pay are one thing, but striving to reduce natural male masculinity is a whole other thing altogether. What has happened is that a bunch of affluent and powerful pricks (men) have succumb to the wills and whims of (mostly hot) women with social ambitions and loud mouths. These type of men are accustomed to throwing money at most of the challenging issues that they encounter in life including dealing with and dating chicks. Instead of using their social savvy and conversational skills to “win the prize”, these guys have relegated themselves to letting women have their way, mostly, while paying them to do so. Naturally, all chicks want in on a piece of the action because ya know “I am a deserving woman too!” and now you have the hyper-inflated and massively over-represented call to action called modern feminism.
Admittedly, this is a slight simplification of the matter, and also, this is not necessarily the right place for this type of conversation, but I thought I’d chime in on the subject for what it’s worth.
Men: The name of the game is to get your money up as much and as best that you can so that you can compete and swim in the shark tank of dating, and so that you can be guarded against any litigation stemming from an untimely divorce or separation procedure.
Just a thought. In Spanish, Rey is “royalty”/ “monarch”. So perhaps its a name-trick by J.J to name Daisy’s character Rey. And everyone knows a royalty in the Star Wars universe, Leia. I think she is the grand daughter of Leia.
Maybe one day she’ll be called Rey Leonis. “Leonis” is Old German for “lion strength”, which would make Rey “The Lion King”.
In a sense, James Earl Jones could be both her father and grandfather. From a certain point of view… 😉
Rey does not mean royalty (REALEZA) or monarchy (MONARQUÍA) in Spanish. Rey means KING, as in a male ruler. And if that wasn’t enough, Rey is also a distinctly MALE name in Spanish.
The reason behind the name of Ridley’s character may/may not be related to the meaning of the Spanish word Rey, but please get your facts straight so as not to misinform non-Spanish speakers, yourself included.
This is the best interview, by far, that i have read. It’s early days but to me JJ is treating the audience like we have half a brain and don’t have to have everything spelt out for us. If we are not invested in the characters and don’t give two sh1ts about them then who cares if a spaceship is cool or a fight scene is rad, certainly not me. They killed the prequels because we just did’nt care about Anakin. Anakin’s demise should have been devastating.
oh did JJ say he has been laying some pipe. I wondered why Kathleen always smiling. 🙂
I agree, Anakin’s story fell flat from what I imagined. Ok I’m not George Lucas, but starting the story with him as a kid sucked. They should have started with the war in full swing and have the characters emerge from the disaster showing how it shaped them not the other way around. My take on it would have been Anakin and Owen Lars were gunners on a Republic Guard ship and meet Obi-Wan Kenobi mid battle after they crash land on some war scarred planet and let it all go from there.
Owen would not have involved himself in the Clone Wars. Ben would’ve recruited adult Anakin into it in Episode I, thus causing conflict between Owen, Ben and Anakin. We’ll see some of that in Episode IV.
Otherwise, great idea to start off Episode I in the middle of the Clone Wars. The Episode I we got was a boring waste of time, considering how little of the OT’s backstory was fleshed out here.
Who is to say they were Tatooine colonists prior to the OT. I like to think that when things go bad between Owen and Anakin, Owen becomes part of a Rebel Cell he meets Beru a Tatooine inhabitant (they fall in love) They are then tasked with raising Luke and hiding him. I mean going by the PT they (farmers) manage to have the savvy to keep him off the radar even though they are Anakin’s immediate family and he knows where they live. Ok Anakin thinks his kids are dead but come on. It would have been better if he didn’t know Padme was pregnant coupled with Owen going off grid so to speak as part of his responsibilities, it would make the scene when Luke finds their charred remains more poignant. I mean all the scenes in the OT with Luke, Owen and Beru are wasted when in the PT Owen just goes “Well I guess we’re brothers.” Aawww shucks…If you look at all the body language between Owen and Beru there so much back story relating to Anakin’s rise and fall as a jedi and Owen’s involvement in it all.
I know Disney wouldn’t dare but if there was the remotest chance they would redo the PT I hope they would do something like this or different enough to make the OT gel with it.
Obviously Obi-wan told them who Luke’s parents are. Now what Obi-wan tells them beyond that is anyone’s guess but judging by the convo that Owen and Beru have regarding Luke wanting to leave for the academy, it sounds like they are at least aware in principle of the maniac Anakin became, hence this-
Beru: He’s just not a farmer…he has too much of his father in him.
Owen: That’s what I’m afraid of.
Why would Owen say that if he doesn’t actually know some tidbits (from Obi-wan) about what the circumstances are surrounding Luke’s sudden need for foster care, while still being a newborn infant no less?? The fact that Anakin and Owen had family ties by marriage is what I’m sure aided Obi-wan in being able to hand Luke off to them ; ) .
OH OH H WAIT A SECOND ……..IS KYLO REN GETTING UNMASKED IN THE FILM…ANSWER PLEASE
Yes. His mask comes off at least once in the film.
Daisy is looking far too clean to be living rough in the desert.
She probably built her own custom made washer/dryer with old super stardestroyer parts. Girl power.
BUT got a man to do the washing because of equality and all that (hope this satisfies the femboys on here)
Just like Luke did, then. Except he probably needed to ask aunt Beru how to build (and use) the damn thing.
what if: Kylo Ren and Rey are twins, and are offspring of Han and Lea…..One on the Darkside and one on the light…
JJ Abrams: Everything has got to be essential to the characters in the film.
So JJ is using the exact same methodology that Lucas used in all 6 mvoies.
Hardly surprising.
Driver looks BADASS as a bad guy! Fits him perfectly! Good job on the casting JJ!
Are those street lamps in the background [to the right of Driver’s head?]
Yes there’s streetlights and evergreens in the backdrop because it’s the Pinewood, London studio lot.
And they kept them in the final photograph?
A photograph of a movie set. So?