Star Wars Episode VII News: Week 4

Star Wars to be filmed on IMAX?

       This week's otherwise slow "Star Wars" news trickle was punctuated with the announcement that a casting call had been announced in the UK for a 7 foot, 3 inch tall male, with broad shoulders and face. The movie that issued by casting call was officially "Untitled Studio Feature" produced by the Walt Disney Company and directed by J.J. Abrams. This doesn't leave much room for speculation as to what the movie could be. With Peter Mayhew, the original Chewbacca, apparently out of the running for the sequel with a double knee replacement surgery, the studio executives at Disney have decided to replace him with another extremely tall person. But Peter Mayhew isn't done yet. He is petitioning for the classic role even though he can barely walk. He is dedicated.

     In other news, J.J. Abrams has decided to keep the emotional tone of the next installment as real as possible. Here he is quoted as saying, 

     "It's been nice see that how important it is and to be reminded how important it is to so many people. We all know that [creator George Lucas's] dream has become almost a religion to some people. I remember reading a thing somewhere, someone wrote about just wanting [the new film] to feel real; to feel authentic. I remember I felt that way when I was 11 years old when I saw the first one. As much of a fairy tale as it was, it felt real. And to me, that is exactly right." It feels right that he wants to recapture the magic of the original Star Wars instead of going the way of a certain prequel film series. But the most important news of all: According to Metro Entertainment, part of Episode VII will be shot with IMAX cameras. 

     The CEO of IMAX, Richard Gelfond, has been in talks with J.J. Abrams about filming parts of Episode VII in IMAX. Only key scenes will be filmed in IMAX, according to some reports, due to the fact that Episode VII will be using 35 mm film, officially confirmed by Disney. IMAX uses 70 mm film, which is much larger and more cumbersome than 35 mm. But it looks AWESOME.

This rumor is based on truth, because J.J. Abrams did film key scenes of Star Trek Into Darkness on IMAX. If it is true, it would impact the movie's aesthetic feel and look, as well as make it more detailed. It would be a good decision on the part of Disney. J.J. Abrams' hope for an authentic Star Wars: Episode VII is looking more like reality. 

     

Star Wars Episode VII News: Week 3

Star Wars to be Edited in L.A.?

     This week, Benedict Cumberbatch denied rumors of his casting in Star Wars, but stated he did actually want to be in it. Acccording to him, "Everyone who wants to be a part of that film, they (Disney) know." In other news. Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in four Star Wars movies, might not be able to play him in the next installment, due to both of his kneecaps being replaced. Barely getting out of bed, it seems unlikely that he'll reprise his iconic role.

     The first rumored title of Episode VII is "A New Dawn", first reported by TalkBacker, that a "potential title" has been leaked via two anonymous sources. This sounds pretty sketchy, so I'll take this one with a grain of salt. Also, According to Latino Review, the Millenium Falcon will be returning, coming from yet another anonymous source. The report states, "All of post-production a re-shoots are to work around Abrams and Actors schedules. 90% of shooting in London. Also, they are building the Millenium Falcon on at Pinewood. Interior is done." Once again, grain of salt. But this next report could actually have merit. And it involves J.J. Abrams.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bad Robot is developing a green room and sound studios in Sana Monica. This particular building already has editing studios, a screening room, which can double as a movie set, and various office spaces. It might mean that the studio is just moving the editing to L.A., but it could also mean pick ups could be shot there.This news comes after J.J. Abrams told interviewers earlier this year that his wife, kids, and himself were unhappy that production of Episode VII would be moved to Pinewood Studios in London, where all six Star Wars movies have shot at. He has shot all of his movies in Los Angeles, even personally financing part of Star Trek Into Darkness in order to keep it local. Could this new development in Bad Robot's facilities have anything to do with this? I'll let you decide.

But the answer is yes.

Star Wars Episode VII News: Week 2

Episode VII to be Shot on Film

     After the last post, Star Wars news began picking up speed. After the 2015 rumor, another cropped up about Episode VII shooting to start January 21, 2014, the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This would seem to further support the claim that the movie will be released December 2015, although Disney has yet to confirm this. In casting news, five faces to be watching: According to Latino Review, Alex Pettyfer and Rachel Hurd-Wood have auditioned for roles in Episode VII. Also, Film Chronicle reported that Benedict Cumberland, who played Khan in the new Star Trek movie, would like to be in Star Wars. However, less than a day later, his representative denied these rumors were true. The last casting announcement came from Jedi News, which states that Ksenia Solo (That's a real name) is expected to play Han Solo's daughter. Also, Liam McIntyre is expected to have a role in the movie. Also, Billy Dee Williams has started a campaign to bring back Lando Calrissian in the sequel.

     But this is the most important news of all, and it has been officially confirmed by Disney and Lucasfilm: Star Wars: Episode VII will be shot on film, specifically, Kodak film stock 5219. According to J.J. Abrams, it feels more real. This is very important as the last two prequels, heavily criticized as looking too sanitized, were shot on digital cameras. This means that J.J. Abrams is trying to bring the old feel of the original trilogy back to the franchise, and this is much appreciated by fans. This could mean a Star Wars focused on story and plot rather than amazing visual effects and digital environments, because it's difficult to CGI everything if you're shooting on film. Anyways, I'd much prefer lens flares to a computer generated fake looking movie.