SW - Episode 7: Mary Sue wakes up but there's no coffee. RAGE.

[Lucas]

Here we go:

http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-vii-set-to-roll-cameras-may-2014.html

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII SET TO ROLL CAMERAS MAY 2014

March 17, 2014

Disney and Lucasfilm are excited to announce that principal photography on Star Wars: Episode VII, directed by J.J. Abrams, will commence May 2014, and will be based at London's historic Pinewood Studios.

This will be the first Star Wars film to start shooting in the month of May. Lucasfilm has documented the first day of principal photography for every installment of the Star Wars saga:

March 22, 1976 -- The first day of principal photography in Tozeur, Tunisia, for Star Wars. A crew of 130 ventures into the desert in 42 trucks and cars, including eight army trucks full of equipment. The first shot was completed at 9:35 a.m.

March 5, 1979 -- The first day of principal photography in Finse, Norway, for The Empire Strikes Back. The crew endures the subzero temperatures, frostbite, heavy winds, and avalanches to pull off the first shot within 65 minutes of setup.

January 11, 1982 -- The first day of principal photography at EMI Elstree Studios outside of London for Return of the Jedi. Although inside a studio, the set must weather a sandstorm in a scene that would ultimately be cut from the film.

June 26, 1997 -- The first day of principal photography at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England, for The Phantom Menace. Ending a long absence from the director's chair, George Lucas shoots a sequence in a bluescreen-lined set with actors Ian McDiarmid and Ray Park.

June 26, 2000 -- The first day of principal photography for Attack of the Clones at Fox Studios Australia. In their new home Down Under, the production crew once again photographs actor Ian McDiarmid three years to the day after Episode I started shooting.

June 30, 2003 -- The first day of principal photography for Revenge of the Sith at Fox Studios Australia. The first scenes shot feature Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, respectively, along with R2-D2.

It has also been confirmed that Star Wars: Episode VII is set about 30 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and will star a trio of new young leads along with some very familiar faces. No further details on casting or plot are available at this time.

Star Wars: Episode VII will release in theaters on December 18, 2015.

StarWars.com. All Star Wars, all the time.

[Merusk]

I feel so dirty for being excited. My son will be 12 when it comes out and I can't wait.

[tazelbain]

A bag full of Sith
Wheeling out the Corpses
The Forcening
The Next Generation
Luke and Mouseketeers

[Lucas]

I don't really know what to expect, honestly.  Among Abrams works as a Director (not counting writing, tv series etc.) I only watched "Super 8", and I really enjoyed it; yep, still have to watch the new Star Trek movies and the whole "lens flares" madness :D .

- Can he give a new direction to the franchise while conquering the hearts and minds of the old, grumpy fans (after the much debated prequels) ? I don't really know if, beside (of course) a money-grabbing purpose, there is still something new and original left in the SW universe and its related themes worth of exploring, IMO.

[shiznitz]

Thank the fucking gods Lucas is no longer involved.

[Malakili]

They are in the beneficial position that the prequels were utter garbage.  All they have to do is make some decent space adventure movies with some star warsy stuff in them. 

[Merusk]

The old and grumpy fans are, at best, in their early 30s. It's safe to ignore them because if they haven't walked by now they won't. If they have there's little you can do to get them back.  Either way it doesn't matter because it's about prolonging the brand, not appeasing a bunch of angry man-children who somehow got their feelings hurt almost 2 decades ago.

The fans of the prequels are in their 20s and younger and yes they exist. These are about them and introducing it to new groups of young kids. Sith is 10 years old now, and Menace is 16. There's plenty of new teens and younger willing to go see a new set of movies.

If they stick with the original theme of Space Opera instead of "Exploring the Star Wars political drama" that was the prequels they'll do OK. That's why the Clone Wars was so successful as a series. It kept to that theme very well, while doing little bits of sci-fantasy drama that a jaded adult could roll their eyes at for not being 'gritty enough' but kids will enjoy.  Sort of like the original trilogy which is absurd at its base.  Abrams treatment of Star Trek shows he can do this very well. Pity he did it to that franchise first.

[HaemishM]

Any time I think of a new Star Wars movie/TV show/whatever, whether Lucas is involved or not, I think "Fuck off." I just can't be arsed to give a fuck anymore. And yet, I will follow this like the idiot that I am.

[Lucas]

Any time I think of a new Star Wars movie/TV show/whatever, whether Lucas is involved or not, I think "Fuck off." I just can't be arsed to give a fuck anymore. And yet, I will follow this like the idiot that I am.

Hmm..."Star Wars Episode VII: The Idiots' Club" sounds good as a topic title 

[DraconianOne]

The old and grumpy fans are, at best, in their early 30s.

Not sure how you worked this out.

[Surlyboi]

I'm an old and grumpy fan in my 40s.

[Trippy]

Yeah. The youngest you could be now and still (barely) remember watching the first in its original run would be 40 if you were 3 at the time.

[Ingmar]

Hey hey, I'm 39 and was 3 at the time!

[Paelos]

Disney's Pirates of the Rebel Alliance.

[Lucas]

Some rumors over at "Jedi News" via TheForce.net :

http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Report_Pinewood_Studios_Hosting_Star_Wars_Episode_VII_Set_Visits_For_Media_Vendors_157063.asp

And of course casting rumors abound:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/star-wars-episode-vii-to-begin-filming-in-may-1201137849/

Err, interesting about Adam Driver as the main villain: I mean, I watch Girls with my GF and we both enjoy it (*shameful face*), but I've yet to see any other of his roles, so it's quite hard to imagine the transition from Girls to SW.

[01101010]

Yeah. The youngest you could be now and still (barely) remember watching the first in its original run would be 40 if you were 3 at the time.

That's me! And I was at a drive-in in my mom's pinto station wagon in my pajamas. That is about all I recall though. 

[Merusk]

The old and grumpy fans are, at best, in their early 30s.

Not sure how you worked this out.

"At best" meaning the kids who saw any of the originals prior to the prequels.  It's not as if the youngest end of the fans watched ANH and everyone born between 77 and 1998 said, 'eh fuck it I missed the first one.' I was going for the low end of people prior to 1998 who would care enough to grouse.  Grumpypusses about the prequels seem to disappear after age 30, if they care at all.  It's all Gen X being emo.

[Surlyboi]

The first one opened on my sixth birthday. I saw it that day.

[Khaldun]

I was 12. So add that one up, motherfuckers.

[Tannhauser]

I was 14 and saw it on opening weekend. Get off my lawn.

[Lucas]

There are also talks about oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/12-years-a-slave-oscar-winner-lupita-nyongo-up-for-a-potential-star-wars-episode-vii-role-20140314
------
Finally, it's off topic, but along with the SW confirmation, I really enjoyed the tidbit about Brad Bird writing "The Incredibles 2". Can't wait for that 

[Phildo]

The first one opened on my sixth birthday. I saw it that day.

A blessing and a curse, having a birthday during George Lucas Release Week.  I'm sad I'm not old enough to remember the original trilogy, but at least I got Phantom Menace for my 17th?

[Bunk]

It's amazing what nostalgia can do to blind you. I lined up around the parking lot for Phantom Menace and came back the next day to watch it again. Took a third viewing after the hype had worn off to start realizing what I was really watching. Still went and saw the next two on their opening days though.

Don't remember if I saw SW in the theatre, I do remember ESB - I was nine and my uncle took me to see it.
My real clear SW memory is of getting our first VHS machine and renting Star Wars. And then watching it nine times in one weekend.

[Sky]

Somewhere I have a picture of me in my Steel Curtain knit hat holding a Darth Vader trading card at our local theater for Star Wars (it's not A New Hope, it's Star Wars.). My parents put up with me watching it several times.

[angry.bob]

I was twelve when the first movie came out in the theaters. It was literally the most amazing thing that I had ever seen. It sounds corny but television had a total of four channels, one of them was mostly static, and they all played shit for housewives. Movies were not a lot better. The stuff happening on that screen blazed a new trail and changed movies forever, even if you consider Lucas an incompetent hack. Remember, these movies are not for us. Fuck, for some us they're not even for our kids, but our grandkids.

Like Milk & Cheese said, a child and their comic books is heartwarming, but a fatty neckbeard with 40 long boxes in his parent's attic needs beate3n to death. Or something like that.

[apocrypha]

Err, interesting about Adam Driver as the main villain: I mean, I watch Girls with my GF and we both enjoy it (*shameful face*), but I've yet to see any other of his roles, so it's quite hard to imagine the transition from Girls to SW.

Hmm, why shameful face? Girls is good TV. I'm uncertain how Adam Driver will work as a villain opposite 70 year olds, but interested to see.

However, JJ Abrams treats audiences as if they were morons who are incapable of paying attention to a plot, therefore my hopes for this film aren't high.

[HaemishM]

I was 6 when I saw Star Wars in the theater and was just amazed. Empire was even more amazing but even in my teen years, I recognized that Jedi, while a completion of sorts, was still too cutesy by half with those goddamn Ewoks. I loved Phantom Menace at release, but only for the amazing lightsaber fights with Darth Maul. Everything around that and everything since has been complete and utter shit. It isn't even in the same boat as ewoks - it isn't just that the movies were made for kids, the prequels were complete and utter shit from the get-go with the aforementioned action pieces the only things redeemable about the entire trilogy.

Which is why I say this new series can go fuck itself. Even without Lucas, the Star Wars brand has long since become synonymous with utter idiotic drivel. Nothing good remains from those original 2 movies that changed cinematic history.

[Riggswolfe]

I was 6 when I saw Star Wars in the theater and was just amazed. Empire was even more amazing but even in my teen years, I recognized that Jedi, while a completion of sorts, was still too cutesy by half with those goddamn Ewoks. I loved Phantom Menace at release, but only for the amazing lightsaber fights with Darth Maul. Everything around that and everything since has been complete and utter shit. It isn't even in the same boat as ewoks - it isn't just that the movies were made for kids, the prequels were complete and utter shit from the get-go with the aforementioned action pieces the only things redeemable about the entire trilogy.

Which is why I say this new series can go fuck itself. Even without Lucas, the Star Wars brand has long since become synonymous with utter idiotic drivel. Nothing good remains from those original 2 movies that changed cinematic history.

Revenge of the Sith was actually a pretty good Star Wars movie. I know it's hip to hate on the Prequels but it was. AOTC was....watchable. Barely. One time. And only because it had a creative lightsaber duel or two. The Phantom Menace has some good parts (the duels, the pod race) but is mostly shit.

The Clone Wars however, is the best thing to happen to Star Wars since the first two movies. If you didn't watch it because you're butt hurt about the prequels then you missed some really, really good stuff (with admittedly some stinker episodes and story arcs but what TV show doesn't have bad episodes?)

[HaemishM]

Revenge of the Sith was actually a pretty good Star Wars movie.

You could not possibly be more wrong. It was a fuckawful piece of shit that I knew was going to be a total waste of two hours the minute fucking Anakin scrapes his wing against Obi-Won's wing to get a droid off instead of USING THE GODDAMN FORCE. It just didn't give two fucks about consistency, character or anything besides ejaculating CGI all over me and thinking I'd be impressed by it after the last two pieces of shit. It wasn't even remotely close to being a good movie, Star Wars or otherwise. By the time "I'VE GOT THE HIGH GROUND!" and "NOOOOOOOO!!!!" appeared, I wanted to kill everyone involved in the production for skullfucking a good, profitable franchise.

As for the Clone Wars, I believe you. I've had enough people tell me it's a decent series. I just have to find the time to watch it... which I really don't have a lot of inspiration to do because I'm really sick to death of Star Wars.

[WayAbvPar]

I feel so dirty for being excited. My son will be 12 when it comes out and I can't wait.

Heh that is PRECISELY my reaction. My son won't be quite as old but he loves him some Star Wars (even if he hasn't sat through anything but IV to completion yet). It won't fill me with wonder like seeing the original did (I was 7, for the record, and still remember playing Star Wars at recess with my friends!). but getting to see my son enjoy his Star Wars will be fun. And expensive  


And Revenge of the Sith was TERRIBLE. Just horrifyingly bad. AOTC was the only watchable one of the prequels, and that is being generous.

[Soulflame]

I have yet to watch Revenge of the Sith in its entirety.  The bits I have seen were utterly utterly terrible.

Phantom Menace has maybe the first 10-15 minutes to its credit, then the fight between Darth Maul and the two Jedi.  The rest is pretty bad to utterly terrible.

Attack of the Clones is okayish.  I guess.  In comparison to the movies that bookend it.

[Malakili]

Attack of the Clones is okayish.  I guess.  In comparison to the movies that bookend it.

Attack of the Clones is the worst movie ever made.

It just didn't give two fucks about consistency, character or anything besides ejaculating CGI all over me and thinking I'd be impressed by it after the last two pieces of shit. It wasn't even remotely close to being a good movie, Star Wars or otherwise.

This is pretty much right.  

[Margalis]

AOTC vs ROTS is an interesting one.

ROTS has some of the worst acting I've ever seen in a major film. Then again, so does AOTC. ROTS also has some of the worst dialog I've ever heard in any film, But again, so does AOTC. The action in both is boring as shit and the characters all incredibly grating and unlikable.

I think I lean towards ROTS being worse simply because the high-level plot was so badly botched.  He had a bad dream so now he's evil. That's it. Three fucking movies of build up and that's it. After watching ROTS you're forced to think about what the hell these movies were about and why they existed. At least after watching AOTC you could still hope for a hail mary.

It's really sad to think about what the plot of the prequel series was on paper vs how it came out. Well-intentioned kid experiences hardship throughout his life and is slowly seduced by the dark side, believing it will give him the power to finally help those around him, but that ends tragically as he's motivated as much by hate and thirst for revenge as by good intentions. I'm sure that's how it looked. In reality it's annoying little shit grows up into arrogant douchebag prick, has a bad dream then a super evil looking guy who is obviously up to no good is like "yo, want to be evil now?" and he's like "totes" and then immediately kills his friends and some kids because now he's all evil.

Actually which one longer? Whichever one that is, that's the worse one.

[Khaldun]

Clones just bores me to tears aside from all the other prequel badness, like the agonizing romance scenes.

Sith and Phantom at least have a couple of passable lightsaber duels.

Plus, and "Clone Wars" has done more with this, the prequels accidentally do a pretty good job at convincing just about everybody that the Republic deserved to fall and the Jedi largely deserved to get killed. If Lucas had meant more actively to set this up as a kind of social tragedy: that even good things can't stay alive forever and breed their own downfall, that safety and security are traps, etc., the films could have been way better. But the list of things that go, "If Lucas..." and end "The films could have been way better" is a nearly infinite list.

If they're going to have Jedi in VII onward, it would be nice to see the whole concept of the Order completely rethought, and the Republic too, rather than just have everybody go wub-wub and restore all that shit for the next Sith fucker to try and knock down.

[Shannow]

Lucas is not involved, by default it will be better (anyone ever watch Redtails?...OMFG is that a fucking shit movie..more proof (if you needed it) that Lucas should've retired years ago)