While pop culture junkies like to joke about the fact that Lucasfilm’s new extended universe approach means the sun will burn out before we go another year without a Star Wars movie, what we really need to resign ourselves for is decades of production rumors. Every director with an ounce of style and a half-successful movie under their belt will now be a popular match for a standalone Star Wars film. So when directors such as Guillermo de Toro — who possesses far more than just an “ounce” of style — are rumored to maybe-sorta be in the market for their own Star Wars movie, that means its time to buckle up for the long haul.
While Star Wars: The Force Awakens was an international smash hit, it wasn’t devoid of criticism. Some people felt that the film veered a little close to the storyline of the original Star Wars film; others felt that the family friendly action didn’t quite line up with the darker tone they expected from movies like The Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Sith. So to those fans, I offer you the above deleted scene (via i09) where Chewbacca rips out the arm of Unkar Plutt. It may be another throwback to the original movies, but at least it’s one with a little bit of bite.
One of the biggest questions we were left with at the end of The Force Awakens, aside from “Do you think Luke makes his own organic soap out there on that space island?” was “Who the heck are Rey’s parents?” It’s a question that won’t be answered in the Star Wars universe until Episode VIII hits theaters late next year…unless you’re a real smarty-pants like Daisy Ridley.
The big emotional climax of Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn’t a lightsaber battle or a dogfight in space or even two characters talking. The last scene of 2015’s Star Wars saga revival follows Rey, a young woman from a desert planet, as she finally locates Luke Skywalker, the reclusive former hero of the galactic Rebellion. Without saying a word, Rey approaches Luke, reaches into her bag, and offers the Jedi master his old lightsaber.
It’s pretty well known that Steven Spielberg was a major force (h’yuck) in getting J.J. Abrams the assignment directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm wanted a director. Spielberg wanted Abrams to get the gig. “I brought J.J.’s name up,” he said in a roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought J.J. would be the best person to direct Episode VII and I called J.J. and said ‘Would you do it if it was offered to you?’” Abrams was initially reluctant (he thought his wife wouldn’t want him to take any more time-consuming franchise gigs), so Spielberg actually took Abrams and his wife Katie out to dinner on Lucasfilm’s behalf, asked Katie if it was cool if J.J. directed Star Wars, and basically made a Love Connection of the whole thing. The rest was history.
As movies have gotten bigger, the call for more and more computer generated effects has become louder, which some might say defeats the point of making the film. The Star Wars films have ridden this wave from practical effects like puppetry and meticulously detailed sets in the ’70s and ’80s to the CGI-heavy world of today, where there can sometimes be whole scenes made entirely from computer generated textures.
The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens last Christmas was one of the most anticipated events of the season, and naturally everyone had an opinion. From Twitter misanthropes to awestruck fan site die-hards, all four corners of the internet were buzzing with approval or disappointment.
One of the biggest questions (of many) to come out of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was, Who are Rey’s parents? Much is made in the film of Rey being an orphan and left behind on Jakku with Unkar Plutt, slowly counting down the days until her family returns for her (spoiler alert: they never do)...
It shouldn’t be very surprising that a guy who killed his own father in cold blood is a dark, effed up dude. Yet, this latest news about Kylo Ren somehow paints a picture of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens villain as even more disturbing than we originally thought.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes to Digital HD on April 1 and to DVD and Blu-ray on April 5 and it will bring with it seven new deleted scenes of footage you’ve never seen before. Today, to tease some of those scenes, we have some never before seen photos of those never before seen scenes to get you excited for the upcoming release...
Have you seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Yes, of course you have. You’ve probably seen it like three or four times. Hell I have a baby who was born three days after the movie came out, I haven’t slept in three months, and even I’ve seen it twice.
Whether you’re buying a hard copy of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on DVD or Blu-ray, or instead opting for a digital copy via iTunes, you want to know what else you’re getting for your hard-earned money. Yes, you get a copy of the movie, but about the special features? While Lucasfilm has yet to officially confirm what will be included on the DVD or Blu-ray copies, a Swedish retailer has posted the full set of extras on their pre-order site, giving us a glimpse of what to expect.
In addition to the other box office records it’s already broken, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is on the verge of topping Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time, worldwide. But the franchise isn’t the only thing breaking box office records — so is one of its stars. Thanks to the huge success of The Force Awakens, Harrison Ford is now the highest-grossing actor in box office history…in America, anyway.
At long last, the screenings of Star Wars: the Force Awakens have begun to gradually trickle down through the populace. Last night in Los Angeles, the most beautiful and famous among us had the privilege of bearing witness to J.J. Abrams’ go at a seventh installment of the treasured sci-fi franchise...
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens less than a month away from release and anticipation reaching a feverish level unseen in movie fans since 1999, the timing is right for SNL to gently skewer the upcoming sequel. The sketch is really just an excuse for the cast to break out a bunch of impersonations they’ve obviously been keeping in their back pockets while letting them interact with actual Star Wars cast members, but c’mon, that’s all the excuse you need, really.
Back in October, Ashley Fleetwood, the wife of Daniel Fleetwood, a terminally ill Star Wars fan, started the #ForceForDaniel campaign to help her husband see Star Wars: The Force Awakens before he died. Daniel, a lifelong fan who camped out for tickets to see the prequel trilogy, was given only two months to live in July and both he and his wife knew he wasn’t going to be able to make it until opening day. On November 5, Disney, Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams made Daniel’s dying wish come true by bringing Star Wars: The Force Awakens to his home in Spring, Texas.
Daniel Fleetwood died last night, just five days after his Star Wars screening, at the age of 32.
Harrison Ford appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night to talk publicly for the first time about breaking his ankle on the set of Star Wars, crashing his plane and how Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an “incredible” movie. Oh, we should also mention he did all this while dressed up as a hot dog.
Has there ever been as much hype for one movie trailer as there is right now for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer? (Except maybe the last Star Wars trailer? And, maybe the Star Wars trailer before that?) Fan anticipation has been at a fever pitch for the last few days, but the waiting is finally over. Enough hype, it’s time for you to actually sit down, take a deep breath and watch official, final Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer in all its glory.
Back in 2012, Disney and Netflix struck a deal that would allow all of Disney’s films — including Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars properties — to stream exclusively on Netflix Instant, starting on January 1, 2016. As that date approaches, many have speculated openly about the Star Wars films finally coming to Netflix. There were even rumors recently that Netflix was prepping their database for the Star Wars movies, though Netflix denied those reports. While they have yet to comment specifically on the existing six films in the Star Wars library, Netflix did confirm that, as of now, they do not have the rights to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but are currently in negotiations to bring that title to their streaming library.