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    Celebration Europe II: New Star Wars Rebels Details & Art Revealed!

    July 27, 2013
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    Some more big news has come out of Celebration Europe II, as some new details were revealed about the animated series Star Wars Rebels, as well as the logo and some concept art for the show! Below are the new details about the show from StarWars.com, including the two pieces of concept art that shows a space battle featuring a new ship called the ghost, and a TIE Fighter that’s shown crashing on a planet.

    [blockquote cite=]Star Wars Rebels Executive Producer Dave Filoni pulled back the curtain on Lucasfilm’s highly anticipated animated series for Star Wars Celebration Europe attendees today, discussing the huge influence of original Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie on the look and feel of the show, and revealing the series’ unique logo and select designs.

    Filoni talked at length about the use of McQuarrie art as a springboard for the series, showcasing many works from the original trilogy, including landscapes and characters, and detailing how they inform the visual identity of Star Wars Rebels.

    For Star Wars Rebels, fans were given their first look at the Ghost, which will be the main character’s ship and play a big part in the series, as well as a computer rendering of a very McQuarrie-esque Stormtrooper, the interior of a Star Destroyer, and more. The show’s logo, a minimalist yet powerful design, is notable for its orange and black color scheme, which recalls the flight suit colors of Rebel pilots in the original Star Wars trilogy.

    While unable to attend in person, Executive Producers Simon Kinberg and Greg Weisman shared their excitement for the series in a video message recorded specifically for Celebration attendees.

    The series is set between the events of Episode III and IV — an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. It takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape.
    Star Wars Rebels will be produced by Lucasfilm Animation, featuring many of the key talents that made Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, and will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.[/blockquote]

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    It’s great to finally get an idea of what the look of the show is going to be like through these cool pieces of concept art, and it just makes make me more excited for the show. I absolutely can’t wait to see it when it premieres next year!

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    Celebration Europe II: John Williams To Score Episode VII!

    July 27, 2013
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    It has just been announced at Celebration Europe II that John Williams will indeed be back for to score Episode VII! The announcement was made by Kathleen Kennedy during her panel, and a new video has just been released that features John Williams talking about coming back for Episode VII and working with Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams. You can that out in the video above, and below is the official announcement from StarWars.com

    [blockquote cite=]John Williams, the legendary composer who crafted the iconic, sweeping music of all six films in the Star Wars saga, is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced today at Star Wars Celebration Europe. Williams’ grand orchestral compositions for Star Wars are among the most beloved and recognizable in movie history, from the classic “Main Title” theme introduced in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope to the ominous “Imperial March” from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back to the stirring “Duel of the Fates” from the prequel trilogy.

    Williams, whose career spans over six decades, has won five Academy Awards and has scored some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of all time, including Jaws, the Indiana Jones series, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Lincoln, and countless others.

    The composer joins a growing list of all-star creators including director J.J. Abrams, screenwriter Michael Arndt, and consultants Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg, who are shaping Star Wars: Episode VII, currently set for a 2015 release.[/blockquote]

    Needless to say, it’s great to have John Williams back to score Episode VII, and I absolutely can’t wait to hear the new music he’ll compose for the movie!

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    Celebration Europe II: Highlights From Secrets Of The Clone Wars Panel

    July 26, 2013
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    One of the most anticipated panels from Celebration Europe II that I was looking forward to hearing about, was the Secrets Of The Clone Wars with Dave Filoni and Pablo Hidalgo, Fortunately for fans who couldn’t attend the event, the good folks over at Star Wars UnderWorld were able to tweet out some highlights of the panel, which will no doubt both excite, and disappoint some Clone Wars fans with some of the stuff Dave revealed at the panel. Here are the highlights:
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    Filoni just described a rejected story concept for how TCW would tie into ROTS! Was ultimately rejected by GL

    Filoni tried multiple times to have Ahsoka riding a wolf during TCW

    There was going to be a Yoda/Wookiees arc…

    Just saw a very early animation from Wookiees arc…wow! This would have been cool!

    Ventress story was going to get “very dramatic”

    Hidalgo says elements from live action series have been hinted at since season 2 of Clone Wars

    Hidalgo stresses that even though we may not see stories as Clone Wars episodes, they may show up in another film

    Filoni hints that Sith temple is from Yoda arc!

    Looking at concept art of Jedi sisters from order 66 bonus content trailer!

    Plo Koon is getting a character model update!

    Former Chancellor Valorum to appear inBonus Content!

    Cad Bane’s ship to appear in Bonus Content!

    Going to Tatooine, Tusken Raiders involved

    Hidalgo says they are still working on how to distribute Bonus Content, may be outside the box, could include unfinished animation

    Filoni: Yoda and Anakin have a more personal connection

    Filoni: There is a scene that deals with repercussion of end of season 5. Unsure of if it will be seen…

    Filoni says he didn’t put many EU characters in the series, because he didn’t want to change them too much

    Filoni suggested wrapping the series up during timeline of ROTS, audience would see what other characters were doing during the film

    Filoni says he’s surprised at how much fans love Zillo Beast. However, no plot was ever finalized for cloned Zillo…

    Filoni: Lots of clone action coming up, probably not Republic Commandos, though…

    [/blockquote]

    There’s definitely some cool stuff to look forward to in the “Bonus Content” that’s for sure, but it’s also a bit disappointing to know some of the cool stuff they had planned, but now we wont get to see on The Clone Wars. But at least Dave was able to share with the fans some of the ideas they had for future stories, and not just keep them secret for awhile. I’m also encouraged about the idea of some of the unused stories showing up in future films!

    Thanks to the Star Wars Underworld for providing the highlights of the panel.

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    The Clone Wars Season 5 & Complete Series Box Set Officially Announced!

    July 26, 2013
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    The Clone Wars Season 5 Blu-Ray and DVD release has now been officially announced by Lucasfilm, and will be released on October 15, 2013. Also releasing that day will be the complete series Collectors Edition, which will include all 5 seasons of the series, and a brand new art book. Below is the official announcement from StarWars.com, and you can check out the trailer for the releases in the video above.
    [blockquote cite=]

    Just announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe: the Star Wars: The Clone Wars box sets you’re looking for.

    Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Five, the final season of the hit series, will release on October 15, 2013, on Blu-ray (2-disc, $59.97 MSRP) and DVD (3-disc, $49.98 MSRP). The collection delivers all 20 episodes, two as director’s cuts never seen on TV, and supplements them with a host of behind the scenes bonus materials, cast and crew interviews, and deleted and alternate scenes, revealing the magic behind the making of the cutting-edge series.

    In its Emmy-winning fifth season, the gripping Star Wars story moves closer to the grim events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and several major players face their destinies as the galaxy plunges into darkness. Planets are rocked by revolution, ancient Jedi secrets are explored, and Ahsoka Tano — the spirited Padawan so central to the series — faces a major crisis that will change her forever.

    For those wanting to relive every moment of the epic series from the beginning comes the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Seasons 1-5 Collector’s Edition, also releasing on October 15, 2013, on Blu-ray (14-disc, $149.99 MSRP) and DVD (19-disc, $119.98 MSRP). All previous complete season sets have been collected here for the first time. With unique packaging, the Collector’s Edition also includes a brand new 54-page Art of The Clone Wars booklet that showcases concept art from across all five seasons, with many pieces never before published.

    [/blockquote]

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    Unfortunately, it looks like there will be no “Bonus Content” episodes included in either set, so we’re still going to have to wait and see when and how we’ll be seeing those episodes. But until then, I’m sure all Clone Wars fans will be anxiously awaiting the release of Season 5 on Blu-Ray and DVD, as it looks like it’s going to be another great box set with awesome special features!

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    Celebration Europe II Begins With A Star Wars Celebrity Press Conference

    July 25, 2013
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    While Celebration Europe officially begins tomorrow the 26th, the event got kicked off today with a special press conference that featured many big Star Wars actors such as Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Jeremy Bulloch, Ian McDiarmid, Warwick Davis, and Anthony Daniels. The press conference was hosted by David Collins, who is Celebration Europe’s Digital Stage host, and below are some of the things that were discussed at the panel from the official Star Wars Blog.

    [blockquote cite=]Hamill notes that this is his fifth Celebration. Fisher doesn’t know how many she’s been to. “I have no idea. How would you remember that?” she jokes.

    Collins asks if they have any fond memories of Return of the Jedi, as this is the film’s 30th anniversary. “It had this feeling of closure,” Hamill says. “It was sad in a way, because you’d never see these people again.” Fisher jokes that she knew she’d be here, on stage in Germany, talking about it 30 years later.

    What makes Star Wars endure? “The fact that the most evil creature in the universe could be defeated by teddy bears,” McDiarmid jokes. “It’s a terrific story. We’re always held by terrific stories.”[/blockquote]

    You can check out a full recap of the press conference over at the official Star Wars Blog, where the actors recall their memories of Return of the Jedi, past celebrations, and more.

    Be sure to keep it here at Frontlines for further news and announcements made at Celebration Europe II this weekend.

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    RUMOR: Are Ryan Gosling & Zac Efron Being Considered For Episode VII?

    July 25, 2013
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    In the latest Episode VII casting rumors, the website Latino Review is reporting that both Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron are being considered for two different roles in Episode VII by Disney and Lucasfilm. Here is the info that Latino Review is reporting as to what roles those two actors may be up for:

    [blockquote cite=]”As for what role Efron would be playing, we don’t know. He could be a Solo kid. But what I was told for sure is the Gosling went in for Skywalker’s son. Yes, that’s right Luke’s kid.”

    “Interesting thing is that Episode 7 is taking place thirty years after Return of the Jedi.”[/blockquote]

    The article also reported that Leonardo DiCaprio was actually up for a role in Episode VII, but had to turn it down due to him wanting to be involved in the upcoming  Robotech film that’s in development.

    Of course we wont know if this casting rumor is true until we get an official announcement from Lucasfilm or Disney, but it’s still fun to discuss and speculate these casting rumors for a new Star Wars film!

    You can check out the full story about this rumor over at Latino Review

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    Some Info On The Clone Wars Season 5 Blu-Ray/DVD Releases

    July 24, 2013
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    Our friends over at Rebel Force Radio have gotten some early info as to when we can expect the release of The Clone Wars season 5 Blu-Ray and DVD set, as well as what special features we can look forward to. Via the Rebel Force Radio Facebook page, they are hearing that season 5 will be released on October 15th, 2013 on Blu-Ray and DVD. The cover will feature Obi-Wan in his red Mandalorian Death Watch armor, and will include such special features as video commentaries on every episode that will be about 3-6 minutes in length, as well as the Blu-Ray having the same Jedi Temple Archives special feature that previous seasons have had. They are also hearing that a special Collectors Edition box set that will include all 5 seasons of The Clone Wars will be released on the same day as well.

    The only bad news about this information is that Rebel Force Radio has also learned that the “Bonus Content” episodes are not planned to be included in the Season 5 Set, and no word if it will be included in the Collectors Edition set either.  They are expecting this information to be officially announced on Friday July 26th, which is also when Celebration Europe begins, so we’ll be sure to bring you all the latest information on The Clone Wars season 5 Blu-Ray and DVD release as they get announced, as well as any other announcements that are made at Celebration Europe!

     

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    SDCC ’13: Highlights From Star Wars Comics: Here and Now Panel

    July 19, 2013
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    While Star Wars wont have the biggest presence at this year’s Comic Con, the first main panel was held today for Star Wars comics, where the creators of the current Star Wars comics talked about what we can expect for future stories in the current ongoing titles, as well as some new titles that are coming up. On the panel were Jeremy Atkins, PR for Dark Horse, editor and writer Randy Stradley, artist Carlos D’Anda, Doug Wheatley, Corinna Bechko, Gabriel Hardman, Gabe Eltaeb, Zack Giallongo, and Brian Thies.

    Below is a nice recap of the panel from Newsarama highlighting each title, as well as some new information revealed during the fan Q&A.
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    Dawn of the Jedi

    The next arc is called Force Wars, and Xesh joins the Je’dai in defense of the Tython system.There are enemies called the Flesh Raiders who kill and eat their enemies. That five-issue series starts in November. We more light sabers, flying rancors, and force powers.

    Dark Times

    A Spark Remains is the next arc, which has Vader in some hot water. “And there’s mushy stuff,” Stradley teased while showing a panel of a romantic scene. Wheatley, artist on the series said he loves that the protagonist gets to learn about who Darth Vader really is, what his power really is for the first time. “We’ve been talking about the events in this story since the start of Dark Times. And Vader gets his butt kicked! Kind of. Maybe.”

    Star Wars

    In an upcoming issue, Luke and Wedge sneak onto a Star Destroyer. “Everything goes off without a hitch – until it comes to getting off the ship,” teased Stradley. Luke and Leia will also be going back to Tattooine, where Luke has some unfinished business.

    In another upcoming issue, Leia will pay a visit to the remains of Alderaan and “makes a terrifying discovery there.”

    Star Wars: Ewoks

    A new title that starts with a series called “Shadows of Endor.” There are Ewoks from both Return of the Jedi and from the cartoon series. It takes place right when the Empire has first landed and started to build. “There’s a legendary monster that has awakened due to the activities of the Empire,” said the writer. They also go up against thier rivals the Dulocks. A shot of an Ewok slamming an axe into a Stormtrooper’s head drew some gasps and excitement from the crowd.

    Star Wars: Legacy

    Featuring Ania Solo, the descendant of Han and Leia, who Hardman says is “a nobody in the Star Wars Universe” when they start off. The first arc ends “with big stuff that I don’t want to spoil!” The second arc will see her go out into the wider galaxy with her new compatriots, and she’ll meet up with characters from the previous Legacy series. “It’s set in the future, but we really want it to have that original Star Wars feel to it. The challenge is bringing that feel and sensibility even if the iconography isn’t exactly the same. It’s an enormous amount of fun.”

    The Star Wars

    Stradley and Dark Horse originally asked about adapting the original screenpalay ten years ago. It finally took someone asking George directly, Dark Horse making ten pages of a comic with no green light, and he loved it. “It’s a Star Wars you’ve never seen before.” The book begins in September, 2013.

    Fan Q&A

    Regarding the sell to Disney-“So far we haven’t experienced any changes. We are on pins and needles to hear what the future holds for the license. We will find out sometime this year. In the meantime we are going full speed ahead, and we have new projects lined up. We can tell you that we’ll be publishing at least through the end of 2014.”

    The possibility of more Star Wars Invasion-“No plans for more Invasion at this time, but maybe if we keep the license. Tom Taylor is working on a new Star Wars project for us but we can’t announce it just yet. But it’s really awesome.”

    New Clone Wars era books, or stories centered on Clone Troopers or Stormtroopers- A new Darth Vader series is coming that includes a Clone trooper as a main POV character.

    [/blockquote]

    As someone who loves to read Star Wars Comics, I’m definitely looking forward to reading the new story arcs that are coming up for some of these titles. In particular the new Darth Vader series that’s told through a Clone Trooper  point of view. And I have to say, the new Ewok title announced has got me intrigued, and I will definitely be checking that one out!

    For a nice breakdown of the entire panel, you can check out the coverage over at Newsarama.

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    Angry Birds Star Wars II Announced

    July 15, 2013
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    After the success of the first Angry Birds Star Wars, it was only a matter of time before a sequel of the game would be made, and now it has been officially announced by Rovio Entertainment and Lucasfilm that Angry Birds Star Wars II will be released on September 19th, 2013. The sequel will focus on characters and levels from the prequel trilogy, and will have a new interactive feature called Telepod, which allows players to put physical toys of the Angry Birds Star Wars characters into the actual game. You can check out the trailer for the game in the video above, and below is the official announcement of the game from StarWars.com.

    [blockquote cite=]Angry Birds Star Wars II will follow the story of the three prequel Star Wars movies, including the introduction of never-before-seen Angry Birds Star Wars characters. For the first time in history, players can choose to “Join the Pork Side” and play as one of the villainous pigs.

    “Angry Birds Star Wars was a blockbuster hit for us and Lucasfilm with over 100 million downloads since its release. We are thrilled to be able to introduce the exciting next chapter in the Angry Birds Star Wars saga to our fans around the world,” said Jami Laes, Executive Vice President of Games at Rovio Entertainment. “Some of the most amazing character additions are versions of young Anakin, Mace Windu and Darth Maul. Hasbro’s TELEPODS technology also provides a great way to extend the experience beyond the app and bring a whole new dimension to the gameplay.”

    The TELEPODS line from Hasbro brings an additional interactive layer of gameplay and content to Angry Birds Star Wars II. In addition to the vast amount of content readily available in the game, new characters and super powers can be unlocked for players by placing one of the collectible TELEPODS physical characters from the Hasbro line on the phone or tablet camera and scanning it into the game. For the first time ever, players can choose which character they want to use in the app by “teleporting” their physical character into the game. Over thirty figures will be available at launch in September.

    “Hasbro worked closely with both Rovio and Lucasfilm to deliver a fully integrated TELEPODS experience with the new ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS II app. Now fans can enjoy unprecedented and seamless dual play in both physical and digital ANGRY BIRDS experiences,” said John Frascotti, Chief Marketing Officer, Hasbro, Inc. “TELEPODS represents a remarkable new way for consumers to play with Hasbro’s incredible portfolio of brands”

    Simultaneously with the launch of Angry Bird Star Wars II on September 19th, a new line of merchandise will be introduced to coincide with the game including a complete line of toys, apparel, accessories, books and plush from best in class licensing partners. Hasbro TELEPODS will arrive in retail by September for the game launch and be presented to the public for the first time at San Diego Comic-con 15 – 19 July.[/blockquote]

     

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