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Star Wars: In Production [Rumors/SPOILERS for All Films Past, Present, & Future]

I'd like to note that Finn was originally conceived as a white character going by the concept art, so I don't think J. J. really realized how much he was going to disappoint a black audience by not having Finn turn out to be the Jedi. I don't know if it's a white person blindspot to not think about that or if he just didn't want to rewrite everything once they decided to cast Boyega, but I don't think it's intentional to have the black character be secondary to the white character in this instance.

Technically, the character wasn't written as white. He was simply written. Kennedy made a point of that before.
 

Rootbeer

Banned
Technically, the character wasn't written as white. He was simply written. Kennedy made a point of that before.

Yup, was going to say this earlier. They did not write it as a specfic race. If the early concept art was white that isn't surprising either, since if a character is not written with a particular look in mind the most likely depiction for early concepts is probably white given the history of star wars (lots of british and white americans) and hollywood in general. Shouldn't be a revelation to anyone.
She says that but then you look at the concept art...
So what is it you believe, did KK, JJ or someone else tell the concept artists that the characters were white? I honestly don't believe it. The artists go by their imagination to fill in gaps of any missing information and that's just how it panned out.
 

Pappasman

Member
I just really, really hope that none of the main three protagonists are related to previously known characters.

Probably going to be disappointed on that....
 

prag16

Banned
I just really, really hope that none of the main three protagonists are related to previously known characters.

Probably going to be disappointed on that....
The story arc is about the Skywalkers it's not core Star Wars with out them (and/or Solos).

That's just the way it is.
 
The Anthology (or Spinoffs or Star Wars Stories) series is where non-Skywalker stuff will be going down.

But if it's got an episode number on it? Skywalker shit is involved.
 

Pappasman

Member
Ya good points. After thinking about it more I guess it wouldn't bother me if Rey and Kylo are related to Luke and Han. Finn as Lando's kid? I hope not.
 
The guys behind me in the queue at Toys r us worked on the film.

They confirmed a lot of stuff and showed me a ton of pictures to back up their claim. Also videos from the sets. I saw what Maz's place looks like and a lot of background characters and props. I also know what the Knights of Ren will wear. A glossy black/dark mask but it looks like the eyes, noses and mouth eaten/burned away.

J44iVwH.jpg


Sort of like this but really shiny and bubbled up and burnt around the holes.

They also said Hasbro was the first on set and vetoed a ton of cool designs because they would be too hard to translate into toys. They were very unhappy with this. And felt the production was hampered by it.

They think the film will be the third best Star Wars film. Better than the prequels but there are apparently some frustrating things that stop it being amazing.

They said there are no references to the prequels and they are basically ignored by the film. Carrying on as if they didn't happen.

The new trooper blasters are 3D printed and fragile as hell. Peter Mayhew was only used for sit down stuff as we all guessed. His double does most of the heavy lifting. The rest of the stuff is a blur. Very cool and exciting stuff.
 

greatgeek

Banned
Sir, you are a scholar and a gentleman(crow).
They think the film will be the third best Star Wars film. Better than the prequels but there are apparently some frustrating things that stop it being amazing.
I'm perfectly ok with this.
Did they confirm any of the parentage rumors?
 
"I never should have rescued you!"

Finn does some rescuing.

Loved the lines. Really got me excited.

That Knights of Ren sketch is fucking scary.
 
They think the film will be the third best Star Wars film. Better than the prequels but there are apparently some frustrating things that stop it being amazing.

It's an obvious question to ask, but did he elaborate on what these "frustrating things" are? Are there legitimate issues with the narrative/performances/etc. that hamper the film, or is he referring to a "Luke's only in the film for a minute/Han dies = unhappy critical response" type of scenario? Those specific plot movements may indeed be a flaw in the storytelling, depending on how they're depicted, but I can easily imagine people being pissed off regardless of anything.

edit: I'm not suggesting that the dude would straight-up drop such a degree of spoilage in the line right there, but I'm still curious if it's an actual quality vs. perceived expectations sort of thing here.

Also it's totally fitting that toy companies are dictating the creative direction of the film, given that practically the same thing happened with ROTJ.
 
It's an obvious question to ask, but did he elaborate on what these "frustrating things" are? Are there legitimate issues with the narrative/performances/etc. that hamper the film, or is he referring to a "Luke's only in the film for a minute/Han dies = unhappy critical response" type of scenario? Those specific plot movements may indeed be a flaw in the storytelling, depending on how they're depicted, but I can easily imagine people being pissed off regardless of anything.

edit: I'm not suggesting that the dude would straight-up drop such a degree of spoilage in the line right there, but I'm still curious if it's an actual quality vs. perceived expectations sort of thing here.

Also it's totally fitting that toy companies are dictating the creative direction of the film, given that practically the same thing happened with ROTJ.

From his implication and area of expertise I gathered they were general 'feel' issues (vague I know) rather than scripts or character or script beats. I fear that given this golden opportunity and the freedom to ask I was at a complete lost for the right questions. The pictures and video had shook me up and most of my questions were about parts of the production he had little to do with.

Oh another point I remembered. BB8 was only a puppet throughout the production. Most controlled by a green body suited man. The real prop we saw moving earlier this year on stage was made after production wrapped. We knew this already but the green suited puppeteer is a little snippet that is new to me. Seems obvious but a nice tid bit.

I said as much about Hasbro and they grudgingly agreed. It is Star Wars - it's always been merchandise led.
 

sphagnum

Banned
So someone on TFN already blew through The Weapon of a Jedi and said that they believe it hints at what planet Luke will be hiding on during TFA. I'll spoiler this more because it gives away plot details for TWoaJ more than TFA:
Luke goes to Devaron and finds the Jedi Temple of Eedit, the one from TCW that Savage Opress attacked. He vows to return one day and rebuild the temple. Interesting choice for a planet if that really is where Luke is hiding in TFA, and it would be a nice reference to TCW as well.
 
8TalDbB.jpg


My haul from last night and this morning. I was first in line this morning and some fucker ran ahead of me a snagged the only black series trooper.
 

Cheebo

Banned
Star Wars merchandise brought in 3 billion in revenue last year lets not forget. A non-movie year. When it comes down to it the biggest money maker is the toys, not the films. Hasbro having veto power for better or for worse makes sense because in the end this is where the real cash is made.

Even Lucas has mentioned this before that the films didn't make him much money or make him very rich, it was the toys that made him a billionaire.
 

Kuros

Member
Star Wars merchandise brought in 3 billion in revenue last year lets not forget. A non-movie year. When it comes down to it the biggest money maker is the toys, not the films. Hasbro having veto power for better or for worse makes sense because in the end this is where the real cash is made.

Even Lucas has mentioned this before that the films didn't make him much money or make him very rich, it was the toys that made him a billionaire.

Yeah Fox will have made most of the actual money from the films as the studio. Lucas will have got his % however and obviously the merchandise deal is what made him a billionaire.

There were some supreme business decisions made during the making of the first movie. Lucas keeping the merch. Alec Guiness with his gross % deal etc.

When you look at the numbers even the merchandise is pulling Star Wars was a steal for Disney at 4 billion but i don't think the money was the main reason he sold. More so passing it on to someone who would take care of it. Its not like he needed another 4 billion. Hah.
 
Making Star Wars has a review of the book Aftermath up.

http://makingstarwars.net/2015/09/star-wars-aftermath-by-chuck-wendig-petes-review/


Looks like the Sith are gone. The Imperial he mentions towards the end is speaking of Palpatine sending people into unknown space to search for the source of his power. So the dark side of the force isnt destroyed, but i bet this is where we will find The Knights of Ren. They must be an order the is older than the Sith, and perhaps they avoided the main parts of the galaxy to do their own thing. I need to read the Luke Skywalker book as some of that will provide hints to the force awakens. Going to be doing some reading on the beach this weekend.
 
Making Star Wars has a review of the book Aftermath up.

http://makingstarwars.net/2015/09/star-wars-aftermath-by-chuck-wendig-petes-review/


Looks like the Sith are gone. The Imperial he mentions towards the end is speaking of Palpatine sending people into unknown space to search for the source of his power. So the dark side of the force isnt destroyed, but i bet this is where we will find The Knights of Ren. They must be an order the is older than the Sith, and perhaps they avoided the main parts of the galaxy to do their own thing. I need to read the Luke Skywalker book as some of that will provide hints to the force awakens. Going to be doing some reading on the beach this weekend.

The Luke book is just him on a planet between ANH and ESB where he has his first lightsaber duel with Sarco Plank (who is using a staff like Grevious' droids used), who looks to probably just be an Aurra Sing-style background character in TFA.

The Prologue and Epilogue of the Luke book (that's set right before TFA) doesn't even feature Luke. It's a young pilot asking C-3PO about the legendary Luke Skywalker.
 
The Luke book is just him on a planet between ANH and ESB where he has his first lightsaber duel with Sarco Plank (who is using a staff like Grevious' droids used), who looks to probably just be an Aurra Sing-style background character in TFA.

The Prologue and Epilogue of the Luke book (that's set right before TFA) doesn't even feature Luke. It's a young pilot asking C-3PO about the legendary Luke Skywalker.

Haha is that it? Well i can live with that. I am sure it will be a god read with Aftermath being decent. I am excited because Aftermath is possibly hinting at things to come that were not in the galaxy during the other movies.
 
Good news for Finn Fans. And a reminder that sometimes spoilers come from unlikely sources. Like Simo in the Star Wars OT thread, who looked at the costumes page at BuyCostumes and found some shit in the character descriptions.

Kylo Ren is the main villain in Star Wars VII. He was born shortly after the Battle of Endor and chose to follow the dark side of the Force. He is a member of the Knights of Ren, which led him to take on the surname of Ren. He is also an ally of the First Order and works with their leader Snoke. Kylo is known for wearing a dark hood, cloak, and a mask. He carries a unique, red light saber he built himself which resembles a broadsword with a crossguard.

Huh. That's kinda interesting. Makes him a little bit older than we might have been thinking, previously.

Finn served as a stormtrooper with the First Order for a period of time in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, during which he wore the standard white armor of a stormtrooper. Finn is sensitive to the force and is able to use a lightsaber. You can look like Finn with a white stormtrooper costume or with his more recognizable, casual outfit of a brown jacket, black shirt, and black pants.

Well then! Look at that shit.
 
Goddamn, what a weird place to find probably the most detailed descriptions of the characters yet.

And Kylo was born shortly after the Battle of Endor? It really sounds like his parents probably had a few too many celebrating with the Ewoks if you know what I mean (unless it was, like, right after) ;)
 
That's... a bit of an overkill.

Flashback: 1981

"Ok we need something better than the Death Star for the climax of the trilogy"

"Uh...but it was a giant death station that blew up planets tho...kinda shot your wad in the first reel George"

"...fuck"

"What if...and just go with me...we just do it again???"

"OK, put that down until we come with something better later"

Timejump: 2013

"OK we need something better than the Death Star for the climax of the first film of the trilogy"

"Death Star 2!"

"Did that already"

"...Death Star 3!"

"God no...hmm what's bigger than a planet"

"Well a solar system but that's just stupid"

"OK, put that down until we come with something better later."
 

MattyG

Banned
I can't remember if we know this or not based on rumors, but does it get taken care of by the end of the movie? I kind of hope it does so we don't have a whole trilogy devoted to another superweapon.
 
I can't remember if we know this or not based on rumors, but does it get taken care of by the end of the movie? I kind of hope it does so we don't have a whole trilogy devoted to another superweapon.

Yeah. I believe Han sets it up and Poe knocks it out. I think.
 
I'd pay good money for a legit Finn jacket

what do ya'll figure on the theory that Finn isn't his real name on some "James Bond is a codename" type shit. "FN-2187" is his First Order designation. Now "2187" is a cute callback to the cell # that Leia was held captive in the Death Star from ANH, but I'm thinking "FN = Finn". That's why he doesn't have a last name; this isn't even his real first name.
 
I'd pay good money for a legit Finn jacket

what do ya'll figure on the theory that Finn isn't his real name on some "James Bond is a codename" type shit. "FN-2187" is his First Order designation. Now "2187" is a cute callback to the cell # that Leia was held captive in the Death Star from ANH, but I'm thinking "FN = Finn". That's why he doesn't have a last name; this isn't even his real first name.

I like this a lot.
 

tim1138

Member
I'd pay good money for a legit Finn jacket

what do ya'll figure on the theory that Finn isn't his real name on some "James Bond is a codename" type shit. "FN-2187" is his First Order designation. Now "2187" is a cute callback to the cell # that Leia was held captive in the Death Star from ANH, but I'm thinking "FN = Finn". That's why he doesn't have a last name; this isn't even his real first name.

So is he a clone or did the First Order stick to the Clone serial number designations (and trooper chosen nicknames) for their army?
 
What is my life? I got the BB-8 sphero. Yeah there is no point to this toy but i love it and had to have it. So happy. You think a firmware will release so the app doesnt need to be open for him to patrol around? That be super.
 

d1rtn4p

Member
Question for anyone who knows without spoiling anything. One thing I'm really hoping for is that Luke is a badass in the new movie. Kinda have this vision of him adding 30 years of badassness to him on top of where we left him in Jedi. Am I gonna be disappointed?
 
Good news for Finn Fans. And a reminder that sometimes spoilers come from unlikely sources. Like Simo in the Star Wars OT thread, who looked at the costumes page at BuyCostumes and found some shit in the character descriptions.



Huh. That's kinda interesting. Makes him a little bit older than we might have been thinking, previously.



Well then! Look at that shit.

Really hope the Finn news is true.

Question for anyone who knows without spoiling anything. One thing I'm really hoping for is that Luke is a badass in the new movie. Kinda have this vision of him adding 30 years of badassness to him on top of where we left him in Jedi. Am I gonna be disappointed?

Yes.

Curb your Luke enthusiasm, and hop on this Finn/Rey train pal.
 

Cheebo

Banned
Question for anyone who knows without spoiling anything. One thing I'm really hoping for is that Luke is a badass in the new movie. Kinda have this vision of him adding 30 years of badassness to him on top of where we left him in Jedi. Am I gonna be disappointed?
All I will say is look at the teasers and all the marketing products released. Use that to judge how much Luke you should expect.

This is the Finn and Rey rodeo.
 

Pappasman

Member
Question for anyone who knows without spoiling anything. One thing I'm really hoping for is that Luke is a badass in the new movie. Kinda have this vision of him adding 30 years of badassness to him on top of where we left him in Jedi. Am I gonna be disappointed?
Hahahahaha
 
Question for anyone who knows without spoiling anything. One thing I'm really hoping for is that Luke is a badass in the new movie. Kinda have this vision of him adding 30 years of badassness to him on top of where we left him in Jedi. Am I gonna be disappointed?

lol
 
I get it. Growing up with the original trilogy though, I was at least hoping to see him do something cool :) Something that shows how he's grown over 30 some years...

His story arch was pretty much settled in the original trilogy. He did not go over to the dark side and saved the galaxy with his love for his father.
 
I was trying to figure out a way to let the man down gently.

You guys basically wrapped a towel around some brass knuckles and socked him in the jaw.
 
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