Plotting VII • Principal Photography Reports

[CoGro]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/67256


Speculation and BSing, but I wouldn't see Han as being the "lead" supporting character over Luke. I can very easily imagine a film where Luke helps the leads on their main journey (ala Obi-wan) while Han and Leia play supporting roles.

It's going to be a challenge anyway to develop these new young leads; placing too much emphasis on a character whose purpose is to keep the space opera honest would feel out of place.

There's a lot of characters in this film already. I'm concerned about more "major" casting announcements.

[Zaius]

From recent speculation i imagine an ensemble aboard the Falcon, headed by Captain Solo jumping across the galaxy on the search for something. That could explain the greatest hits of SW in terms of planetary environments.

As always it's always a pleasure to read others speculation, here's some things that have crossed my mind of late ...

The era's style ... i recall GLs analogy ... PT- 1920's-'30's ... OT-1940's'50's ... would the core worlds cultural stylings be the 1970's'80's? ... neon/garish plastic minimal lines ?

OT things like the falcon and the Droids could be antiques if going by real world standards (R2 i guess would be exempt) But i wonder if 3p0 would have a new casing or something ? Possibly clear plastic
with some christmas lights flashing ... would there be newer models of R2s rolling around ?

I'm sure it's a given that we'll see star crafts of all sizes with visual links to the previous trilogies ... i predict a sleeker version of the X-wing and a benevolent Tie-iInterceptor syle vehicle in the mix.

Would there be some kind of vehicle/weapon similar in scale to the Death Star or something like a gargantuan hypergate somewhere in the story?

The Max Von Sydow character a leader/adviser of an Imperial remnant holding sway on some system (an opportunity for old school imagery)

Luke Skywalker teaching a young Yoda type.

Lightsabre battles with more of a contemporary spin (something a little more Ong Bak/The Raid)

[Cryostar]

I can still see the fight with the empire going on....

even 30 years past....hell, it's been 50+ years, and North Korea is still kicking around.

Something that big doesn't go away quickly, and there were plenty of systems that were happy with how the Empire was run.

I would imagine something along the lines of the Empire seeking a new "figure head" sith, then having that person go out of control.

[CoGro]

I would find it hard to buy the return of the Sith after 30 years, since its last defeat lasted 1000.

The threat I would buy the most is the Force going haywire itself. Mortis-level shit. George and others have said that this trilogy would be more philosophical so whereas the PT treated the Force more scientific and the OT more mythical, this could be a way to settle the Force's role in TGFFA. Should the Jedi even exist? Is training Force-sensitive beings destructive to balance in and of itself?

[pjvader]

nice bit of rumor here Mizzlewump March 2014

[Thundercracker]

So I wonder if these "Jedi Hunters" will be Force users or just individuals like Grievous who were trained in the arts of the lightsaber but have no Force powers?

[CoGro]

Assuming this is at all real, I'm going to assume that any lightsaber-wielding bad guys are Force users. I never really bought into Grievous as a threat because of the absence of Force powers. Any Jedi worth a damn should have been able to subdue him. I get he's a robot but Jedi are telekinetic; it really shouldn't be a fair fight.

As for the rumours themselves, I think it's interesting but I maintain that any story that tries to clone or resurrect Palpatine / the Sith undercuts the gravitas of Anakin's sacrifice. The sequels will suffer from sequelitis if they effectively undo the emotional weight of Anakin's redemption.

[Joe1138]

As for the rumours themselves, I think it's interesting but I maintain that any story that tries to clone or resurrect Palpatine / the Sith undercuts the gravitas of Anakin's sacrifice. The sequels will suffer from sequelitis if they effectively undo the emotional weight of Anakin's redemption.

I agree however, given the more substantive rumors we've been hearing for a little while now of a Han Solo-focused Episode VII, I doubt we're going to see any kind of cloned Sidious story arc in the new films. I think Abrams is a filmmaker who enjoys relying on nostalgia and call backs but he's not some raving sheep.

[CoGro]

I agree however, given the more substantive rumors we've been hearing for a little while now of a Han Solo-focused Episode VII, I doubt we're going to see any kind of cloned Sidious story arc in the new films. I think Abrams is a filmmaker who enjoys relying on nostalgia and call backs but he's not some raving sheep.

I don't think JJ would do it either, but he's also shown that he's not afraid to bring "popular" or "recognizable" characters back - i.e. Khan. I'm going to believe that he'll stick with the narrative that Sidious is dead.

In any case, this:

http://www.theforce.net/story/front/No_ ... 158505.asp

For whatever that's worth.

[Cryostar]

We can't tell you how we know, but we know!


WE'RE TFN! WE'RE STILL RELEVANT!

[bearvomit]

lots of rumor and speculation at Latino Review now. Basically, go crack open the art books for the original trilogy and look at anything designed by McQuarrie and you'll see it in the new trilogy. Black storm troopers, unused Vader helmet designs, and the plot has to do with both the good and bad guys searching for Luke....

read more here: Latino Review

[CoGro]

I actually like the idea of Luke being the mcguffin for the film. I hope it's true and they don't introduce Luke until an hour into the film and he has an amazing entrance. Hamill is such a pro, you know he'll make it awesome and earnest and not cheesy.

[VT-16]

Never cared about Vader's sacrifice being anything more than him saving his son. The whole balancing thing started with TPM, that stellar entry into the series. Bring on Palps again, I say.

[VT-16]

Some new scoop about the "look and feel" of 7: (joblo.com VII notes)

Not a lot here to report in terms of story details, but some very interesting tidbits that tease some new and old concepts.

- In general the setting looks kind of post-apocalyptic with a lot of leftover vestige from the empire. It seems much more dark and rough than the prequels. The feeling was that it has not been easy in the last 30 years since RETURN OF THE JEDI, probably with a very long war to truly "end" the empire.

- There are still white storm troopers in action. The empire is probably not completely dead.

[BlackCriminalGangster2050]

Some new scoop about the "look and feel" of 7: (joblo.com VII notes)

Not a lot here to report in terms of story details, but some very interesting tidbits that tease some new and old concepts.

- In general the setting looks kind of post-apocalyptic with a lot of leftover vestige from the empire. It seems much more dark and rough than the prequels. The feeling was that it has not been easy in the last 30 years since RETURN OF THE JEDI, probably with a very long war to truly "end" the empire.

- There are still white storm troopers in action. The empire is probably not completely dead.

damn, does joblo.com not credit any of the sites where it's culled its scoops from? All that stuff (Marvel also) originated over the past few days from Latino Review and IndieRevolver. I don't know what's worse, a site that wants you to believe that they're the source of everything, or the bratty kids who currently run TFN and think that they can coast by on a reputation that was already dead in the water by the very early 2000's.

As for the actual report, the post-apocalyptic thing makes sense; if the Prequels were the shiny pre-war era and the OT was the war era, it works that this post/not-so-post-war era feels like that...just look at the state that Iraq or Afghanistan are currently in.

[CoGro]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/67758

So I've read this a few other places too and it's a legitimate problem. Would be very disappointing if they had to delay the release of Episode VII to 2016. I just can't believe that Ford - even at 72 - won't be able to at least shoot close up scenes, sitting down scenes and low intensity scenes within 2-3 months. My frail 85 pound grandmother broke a hip at 93 and could walk (with a walker) in 2 months; Ford's in great shape.

[Bandersnatch]

AICN: "Han Solo is pretty much the main character of EPISODE VII, leading a galaxy-wide search party for Luke Skywalker."

[E_CHU_TA!]

Per LR: the bad guys = Mando's & witches. This rumor conforms with my own theorizing. Gwendoline Christie looks like Pre Vizsla's granddaughter and, if witches are present, it’s understandable why some thought that Ventress was in the film. A big question is whether Nyong'o’s character is a Dathomiri with the last name of Kenobi.

[Alexrd]

Per LR: the bad guys = Mando's & witches.

Looks like someone has been watching TCW.

Honestly, I don't buy it...

[MannyOrtez]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/67758

So I've read this a few other places too and it's a legitimate problem. Would be very disappointing if they had to delay the release of Episode VII to 2016. I just can't believe that Ford - even at 72 - won't be able to at least shoot close up scenes, sitting down scenes and low intensity scenes within 2-3 months. My frail 85 pound grandmother broke a hip at 93 and could walk (with a walker) in 2 months; Ford's in great shape.

I think the problem is if you can't shoot the full coverage now, it's probably cheaper for them to just delay production. It's even cheaper to slap together some shitty rewrite and just keep rolling, but fortunately it sounds like Abrams doesn't want to do that. Unfortunately, it sounds like Disney doesn't want to delay anything. But it's hard to know since there's 8 million articles on it and they all say slightly different version of the same two basic facts.

This is disconcerting news and I hope they handle it appropriately. The idea of a Kasdan written script with Han at the focus has me excited. The thought of them having to scrap that all has me depressed. The broken ankle is either going to cost them a lot of money or a lot of quality. I hope they decide the former is more expendable, and that the quality will justify the investment.

[CoGro]

http://www.latino-review.com/news/billi ... pisode-vii

This is the rock bottom of the "I'm bored with no real Star Wars news so let's just make shit up to get hits" phase.

[Mike_Droideka]

Latino Review is this generations SS (posting from year 1998).

[Cryostar]

That was low....

not saying it isn't true....just low.

[pjvader]

here is todays BS from the UK tabloids



if there were to be flashbacks (well it is from the creator of lost) then they would use CG like they did for leia on the star tours rides (i would assume) unless its pre ANH

[Zaius]

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/07/ru ... -dean.html

[Mike_Droideka]

Kira Carsen is the name of a character in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
I would think they'd go for something they've not already used before.

http://swtor.wikia.com/wiki/Kira_Carsen

[BlackCriminalGangster2050]

Star Wars 7 Plot Details Revealed

That sounds really intriguing, and slightly ridiculous, to me so far---but it's a good ridiculous.

[CoGro]

Not only is it a load of shit, but it's idiotic.

[Mike_Droideka]

How does a hand and lightsaber not burn up when entering a planet's atmosphere?

A lot of thought went into that lie.

[bearvomit]

do we not have any more insiders that visit this site? I remember back in Prequel days quite a few people who would drop plot points here... from time to time.

[Treadwell]

Star Wars 7 Plot Details Revealed

"... Instead of R2 coming to Tatooine it's a hand falling from the sky, but the basic sweep of the story is similar... There's more, of course - this is just the broadest of outlines, a basic synopsis... I'm hearing extremely positive things about the action, and very, very good things about the characters themselves and the way the actors are bringing them to life... "



"What do you think? How does the basic plot of Star Wars: The Hand Of Skywalker (not the real title!) sound to you?"

Like the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way...?

[CoGro]

In the event this plays out, here's a point-of-view that I can buy into.


I like the idea that we pan down to a ship crash landing on a planet. That kicks things off with a bang.

"As you know, our block-ad is completely legal..."

[BobTheGoon]

Aside from the fact that the whole "leak" is dumb and almost certainly bullshit, as I can't imagine the story will hew that closely to ANH, why is every blog and news outlet assuming the hand would have been lost "recently" relative to the events of Episode 7? Maybe it's the hand from Cloud City?

I was always under the impression that it's Luke's hand (still holding the lightsaber) we see falling when he comes through the portal and catches a hold the antenna with his knees, but lots of other people think it's just falling debris put in to show scale and heighten the peril.

Maybe some Ugnaut or 4-Lom or someone grabbed the hand and saber and it has its own adventures. I'm sure that was explored in some now-even-more-irrelevant EU story but Luke would have some pretty bad luck to sustain three severe hand injuries (including multiple amputations) in as many films.

Regardless, no way Disney is going to let their new $4bn kids movie open with a closeup of a severed hand that gets carried around decomposing for two hours. I would be the most morbid toy accessory since BBQ Anakin.

[Bandersnatch]

Maybe it's the hand from Cloud City?

And it's been floating around for decades, still holding on to his lightsaber?

I like the idea that we pan down to a ship crash landing on a planet.

I like that idea too. Perhaps they find the shipwreck, and on board or nearby is a lightsaber. That would be intriguing, as opposed to contrived, imo.

[BobTheGoon]

And it's been floating around for decades, still holding on to his lightsaber?

Well, if it ended up in space somehow (I doubt we're going to get a montage/backstory on where his hand has been for the last 30 years) it'd be nice and preserved in the vacuum. Not that it would ever survive re-entry. I think the whole report is made up.

[pjvader]

And it's been floating around for decades, still holding on to his lightsaber?

Well, if it ended up in space somehow (I doubt we're going to get a montage/backstory on where his hand has been for the last 30 years) it'd be nice and preserved in the vacuum. Not that it would ever survive re-entry. I think the whole report is made up.

it's lukes replacement robotic hand (supposedlly) not the one from cloud city maybe they have burn resistant robotics? doesnt bode well for vaders remains (we need more lighter fuel!)

[Treadwell]

If Luke's TESB hand ended up in space, someone would have to have put it there first. If anything, it would have fallen from Cloud City - inside Bespin's atmosphere - to the planet below...

[Bandersnatch]

Or maybe they recognize Luke's lightsaber because he made it by hand. Solo.

[E_CHU_TA!]

All this talk of severed hands reminds me of "The Monkey's Paw."

It can't be Vader's hand. It went ka-blewy with the Death Star II. If the rumor is true, it's probably Anakin's saber and the remains of Luke's hand from Bespin. In general, this hand McGuffin fits in well with Lucas' morbid sense of humor.

While we're discussing rumors: does everyone remember Star Wars: Reclamation? I still like the idea of an absentee Luke fighting crime as a mysterious underworld superhero.

Just to add to the conjuncture: has anyone else thought that Nyong'o may be playing that is Ahsoka Tano?

[Bandersnatch]

I thought that "Reclamation" thing from awhile back was awesome, personally.

I wouldn't mind Nyong'o playing a past character, but the question still is where the hell has she been for the past 50+ years?

[CoGro]

http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/10/star-wars ... ws-sitemap

Nothing we haven't already discussed, but I like this idea of why Luke went missing:

He left the Alliance and became a hermit

His destiny was largely fulfilled. From the first time we see him onscreen as an adult in A New Hope, his ‘mission’ was to defeat Vader and the Emperor at all costs.

Yoda and Ben even went to the extremes of hiding the truth about his parentage and his twin sister, so as not to distract him from this mission. In the end all went, pretty much, to plan, but Luke could feel that with the death of Palpatine and the final heroic act of Anakin that his own mission was complete.

Perhaps a galaxy free of Sith AND Jedi is a safer place to be. After all, the two greatest conflicts in galactic history have been orchestrated by Jedi and Sith.

I've been a buyer on the idea that the "enemy" is not a Sith in the ST but something bigger. Mortis-level shit. I think I read something some time ago that talked about the ST being more philosophical in its approach and I think confronting the Force itself would play into that.

[E_CHU_TA!]

http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/10/star-wars-episode-7-whats-luke-skywalker-been-up-to-for-the-last-30-years-4827219/?ITO=news-sitemap

Nothing we haven't already discussed, but I like this idea of why Luke went missing:


I've been a buyer on the idea that the "enemy" is not a Sith in the ST but something bigger. Mortis-level shit. I think I read something some time ago that talked about the ST being more philosophical in its approach and I think confronting the Force itself would play into that.

He left the Alliance and became a hermit

His destiny was largely fulfilled. From the first time we see him onscreen as an adult in A New Hope, his ‘mission’ was to defeat Vader and the Emperor at all costs.

Yoda and Ben even went to the extremes of hiding the truth about his parentage and his twin sister, so as not to distract him from this mission. In the end all went, pretty much, to plan, but Luke could feel that with the death of Palpatine and the final heroic act of Anakin that his own mission was complete.

Perhaps a galaxy free of Sith AND Jedi is a safer place to be. After all, the two greatest conflicts in galactic history have been orchestrated by Jedi and Sith.

Luke has a strong sense of responsibility. So, I don't see him simply walking away. Leia and Han need help rebuilding the Republic and Yoda said to "pass on what (he) has learned." After the credits of ROTJ roll, there's still a lot of work to be done.

I agree that the main threat doesn't have to be Force related. For instance, Obi-wan says that "if droids could think, none of use would be here." Maybe, the "enemy" is technology itself, and former imperialists, former rebels, Jedi, Dark Jedi / Sith, and Bounty Hunters all have to rally together for their own survival?

Regarding Mortis, it's possible that we've gotten the whole story already. Then again, who knows for sure.

[Treadwell]

He left the Alliance and became a hermit

His destiny was largely fulfilled. From the first time we see him onscreen as an adult in A New Hope, his ‘mission’ was to defeat Vader and the Emperor at all costs.

Yoda and Ben even went to the extremes of hiding the truth about his parentage and his twin sister, so as not to distract him from this mission. In the end all went, pretty much, to plan, but Luke could feel that with the death of Palpatine and the final heroic act of Anakin that his own mission was complete.

Perhaps a galaxy free of Sith AND Jedi is a safer place to be. After all, the two greatest conflicts in galactic history have been orchestrated by Jedi and Sith.

Still doesn't quite jive with me.

I can see he has fulfilled his destiny, completed his mission etc, but I don't see why that would be a motivation for him to lose contact with the sister he was willing to sacrifice everything for.

It's not like his former life - that life from when we first see him as an adult in ANH - still exists. Luke has nothing except the life he has made for himself.

It just doesn't sit right for me - a galaxy that is a safer place to be is one where Luke would choose to spend time with his friends, with his family.

If anything, the only reason I can see him leaving or going into hiding, is if he feels his mission isn't over... like he has some Jedi business to tend to, some big meditation to slip into.

I mean, that's what Ben and Yoda were doing, right? Just waiting, because they knew the shit was going to hit the fan...

[Alexrd]

"Pass on what you have learned."

I think that kills any idea of exile on Luke's part after the events of RotJ. That's his mission: to teach others and restore the Jedi Order.

[E_CHU_TA!]

The Star Wars: Reclamation slides had Leia’s relationship to Vader pegged as a big political minus. Due to public suspicion, the Senate may have strong-armed Luke away from the Jedi Order. So, Luke’s delegation to the sidelines may not be his choice.

To piggyback on my idea of evil machines and Reclamation’s self-replicating robots: what if the antagonists are an army of sentient Death Stars? I realize that this idea cribs Terminator. But, man vs technology is a philosophical matter in Lucas’ Star Wars mythology. So, thematically it would work.

It also follows a logical line. Meaning, the Separatists unlocked Pandora’s Box by creating a droid army. Next, the Empire flung the Box open by developing the ultimate super weapon. Finally, someone or something took it to the last stage by making a self-aware Death Star. Now, the galaxy is menaced by thousands of hostile self-replicating Death Stars.

I’m not sure that The Force would even by useful in that nightmare scenario.

[CoGro]

I want to hear classic bickering between R2 and Threepio.

I love the condescending tone that used to be in Threepio's voice:

"how do you know the hyperdrive is deactivated?"

The bickering of the OT is magical.

[Treadwell]

"But it's supposed to be freezing. How we're going to dry out all her clothes, I really don't know..."

Love stuff like that, because a couple of lines of dialogue have just added a whole new scene to the movie that plays out in our heads, even though we don't actually get to see it on screen. Smart writing.
It's great how the droids develop in TESB. You really start to get a sense of Artoo as an independent thinker, that he's got an idea of what is going on and how he can help.

[royalguard96]

The Star Wars: Reclamation slides had Leia’s relationship to Vader pegged as a big political minus. Due to public suspicion, the Senate may have strong-armed Luke away from the Jedi Order. So, Luke’s delegation to the sidelines may not be his choice.

To piggyback on my idea of evil machines and Reclamation’s self-replicating robots: what if the antagonists are an army of sentient Death Stars? I realize that this idea cribs Terminator. But, man vs technology is a philosophical matter in Lucas’ Star Wars mythology. So, thematically it would work.

It also follows a logical line. Meaning, the Separatists unlocked Pandora’s Box by creating a droid army. Next, the Empire flung the Box open by developing the ultimate super weapon. Finally, someone or something took it to the last stage by making a self-aware Death Star. Now, the galaxy is menaced by thousands of hostile self-replicating Death Stars.

I’m not sure that The Force would even by useful in that nightmare scenario.

This reminds me a bit of the Tales of the Bounty Hunters book, where IG-88 uploads his personality into the second Death Star. A lot of people made fun of that plot point in the book, but I always found it intriguing.

[Topeka]

I am fully prepared for Luke to sacrifice himself and become one with the Force. Thematic sense and all that. But before that, I do hope we get to see Jedi Master Skywalker just laying waste to a bunch of bad dudes. Epic, prequel-ish lightsaber action.

[Joe1138]

I am trying to remain as open minded about this project before seeing it as possible but I honestly don't understand why there would be any sort of Imperial presence in a story set some thirty years after the Empire was, for all intents and purposes, defeated.