Disney Buys LucasFilm

I predict Han Solo will die episode 7. I recall Ford saying he wanted Han to die in episode 6, and methinks that’s the only way they could lure him back. Then, 2 years later they can release the first “one off” film focusing on Han’s back-story, and the “circle will be complete” with him. It’s also a good marketing gimmick to get people excited about a Han Solo film without Harrison Ford.

I never read any of the Star Wars novels, but I understand that Han and Leia had force sensitive kids? That seems like a likely starting point for any new trilogy. Hopefully if they do follow that sort of storyline the kids are not actually “kids” but young adults similiar to luke age wise from episode 4.

Also the use of Han in the new trilogy allows fo the use of one of the great unsung heroes of the original trilogy, the Millenium falcon itself. I really hope that they keep the characters from the other series to a minimum and allows for some new heroes and stories to grow, but if the millenium falcon continued to be the “bucket of bolts” in the next three movies, i wouldnt be disappointed.

As a rough sketch, this is almost exactly how the Del Rey era EU plays out, with some parts to great success, relatively speaking.

Of course, that probably means we won’t get to see that in the movies, unless they specifically try to align with the later books.

The Millenium Falcon was super cool, and it has a ton of back-story only alluded to in the original films (Han winning it from Lando, the Kessel run etc). There could be some fertile territory in all that as part of the ‘Han’ story?

Except that what Zahn wrote was not space fantasy, it was mediocre sci-fi with the main characters’ names find/replaced with the core cast of Star Wars, and it didn’t feel a goddamn thing like Star Wars. Luke in particular bore zero resemblance to the character in the films, and I remain confused and sad every time someone holds these C-list paperweights up as something to strive for in terms of storytelling in the Star Wars universe.

They’re better than most of the other EU novels, but that’s saying almost nothing kind about them. The characters of Thrawn and Mara Jade have potential, but they would need to be removed from the Zahn novels and inserted into something worth making a movie about.

Thankfully, they are not using the EU at all and are working from scratch. I would definitely be in favor of using Han’s presence as an opportunity to let the new heroes of the new films “borrow” the Falcon.

Now there’s an idea I can really get behind.

Luke may be in as well.

http://m.etonline.com/movies/130759_Mark_Hamill_on_Star_Wars_VII_Sushi_Girl_Spinoff_Movies/index.html

First off, will he appear in Star Wars VII? “They’re talking to us,” he reveals. “George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we’d be interested. He did say that if we didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t cast another actor in our parts - they would write us out. … I can tell you right away that we haven’t signed any contracts. We’re in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed – on their end, not mine. They’re more busy than I am.”

Not gonna put Zahn’s books up on a pedestal, but I thought he did a decent job portaying the characters after the life-changing events of the movie trilogy. I would not want Luke to be anything like he was in RotJ. He should be a changed man.

Here is someone who writes a bit more on character development in the Zahn books.

We’ll just have to disagree on pretty much every point you make here. It may not be your idea of what Star Wars feels like, but I think it fits in very well. If there’s a writer (Lucas included) who’s managed to capture the Starwars feel better since the original trilogy, I haven’t read (or seen) it.

Thankfully, they are not using the EU at all and are working from scratch.

Not that I have any love at all for the EU, but the idea of new writers going out to “reinvent” the Star Wars universe doesn’t exactly fill me with joy and expectations of anything great.

Carrie Fisher is confirmed for the new film, so it is now officiel that Leia becomes a Disney Princess.

Lol, I like that, I’m going to steal it. :)

Businessweek article on the Lucasfilm acquisition that gives a lot of insight into the deal: How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for ‘Star Wars’

Fun fact: Lucas did treatments for all three sequel trilogy films and started script production before the deal was made to make Lucasfilm more attractive.

So, more midichlorians.

Apparently, LucasFilm has pulled a hat-trick and signed Hamill, Fisher, and Ford, according to a statement from Lucas himself.

Classic George. I guarantee that Disney wanted to keep that under their hats for a big reveal cover with a bunch of magazines. Why do I have a feeling that he’ll be close at hand with comments the whole way through this process even though he’s “retired”?

I hope they’re not much more than glorified cameos. I want a new story not more of the same crap Abrams pulled in the ST reboot with the Spock time travel shit.

Start fresh for petes sake…

Patton Oswalt pitches his Episode VII idea. Not bad.

I just found the the non-canon Star Wars wiki: banthapedia. I like the idea at least.

Trivia
The Galaxy’s only Tauntaun Sith was Darth Dank.

Wow, learn something new everyday.

In one of the Star Wars novels, the Courtship of Princess Leia, the Rancor beasts are portrayed as force sensitive. This, of course, led to me drawing a Rancor beast wielding an enormous lightsaber. I probably still have it in storage somewhere…

Well, that may not be such a bad thing - after all, the best SW films were where he was in a more collaborative position, rather than totally in charge. If he just contributes ideas that the team can take or leave, it might work out quite well, “SW consultant” might be just the perfect niche for him.

Oh I don’t think George will be very involved at all from a production point of view. In fact, if Disney’s smart they’ll keep him far, far away. What I meant was that he’d reveal secrets and make comments based on what he knows.