Wednesday, 4 March 2020
AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: CANNON MAN!
Luke Skywalker is back in his fighter pilot garb to man the laser turret of a Rebel Tank (prior used in filming at Norway), in posed publicity pictures of Mark Hamill for The Empire Strikes Back, taken around June 1979 on the Rebel Base hangar set at Elstree Studios.
There has been a lot of fan misreporting and persistent online lingering that one of the publicity images was linked to a scene in TESB that was deleted, in which Luke fires at attacking Wampas, part of an earlier filmed but deleted sequence where the ice creatures had broken into the base and attacked Rebels and R2-D2 (partially seen on Blu-ray). But it is not. Leigh Brackett's original unused script draft based on the original George Lucas outline for 'STAR WARS II' of late 1977 did indeed have a scene where the Wampa, at the worst possible time, attacked the hangar right in the middle of the Imperials ground assault, of which Luke fought a monster back only to be injured (resulting in Artoo flying him into space in the X-wing en route to Dagobah), but this never made it to the final shooting script by Lawrence Kasdan for shooting.
Tuesday, 3 March 2020
CLASSIC IMAGE: ROYAL PROTECTORS!
Loyal as ever, Captain Panaka (Hugh Quarshie) and his elite, skilled guard force are ready to do their Queen's bidding during the Battle for Naboo, as EPISODE I nears its action-packed conclusion.
Find out more about the original invasion and battle of Naboo this summer, with the eagerly awaited second book in the Padme Amidala/Handmaidens saga by E.K. Johnston: Queen's Peril, published in the UK by Egmont.
Get it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Queens-Peril-Emily-Johnston/dp/1368057144/ref=sr_1_1?crid=161LMUOLXU7C2&keywords=star+wars+queens+peril&qid=1583333918&sprefix=star+wars+queens+p%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-1
Labels:
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QUEEN'S PERIL NOVEL,
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Monday, 2 March 2020
CLASSIC IMAGE: HOT PURSUIT!
With the Millennium Falcon having made a speedy escape from Tatooine, an unimpressed Luke Skywalker watches Han Solo and Chewbacca work to evade Imperial pursuit, in this great image from the original Star Wars, showing lots more interior detail of the smuggling vehicle's cockpit.
Sunday, 1 March 2020
EPISODE IX: DISTANCE DUELLING!
In reality, they'e closer in location than they know they are. Nonetheless, the long distance duelling between the two unique Force opposites of Rey and Kylo Ren begins within one of the frozen streets of Kijimi, in this memorable moment from The Rise of Skywalker, released in all US territory home entertainment formats this month.
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| The limited edition BEST BUY US steelbook cover for EPISODE IX's release. |
Saturday, 29 February 2020
'SOLO': BAD HAIR DAY!
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| Image: Jon Kasdan/Twitter. |
Going deeper into the mysterious Kessel maw/maelstrom, an electrical storm subtly hits the Falcon, giving its occupants some new hairstyles, in particular Chewie! A humorous moment that was filmed but ultimately cut from Solo: A Star Wars Story, though it made it into both Mur Lafferty's novelisation of the film and Joel Schrieber's junior novel.
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| Concept art for the scene. |
Friday, 28 February 2020
EPISODE VIII: HOPE - IN THE NICK OF TIME!
Luke Skywalker has made his incredible reappearance to the Resistance as the Battle of Crait enters its most desperate phase, said an emotional goodbye to his sister, and now confronts a soon gobsmacked First Order. But the greatest challenge for our hero is yet to come, in a memorably epic sequence from The Last Jedi that also proves to be the ultimate bluff to both re-trigger 'hope' and buy survival time for his friends escape.
Mark Hamill talks about what was the 'end' of Luke Skywalker, and the road to his 2017 sequel return:
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2018/06/26/mark-hamill-on-the-weirdly-tragic-trajectory-of-luke-skywalker
Archival EPISODE IX related snippet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoFKUz1TaWA
Thursday, 27 February 2020
EPISODE IX: COMING TO UK HOME ENTERTAINMENT IN APRIL!
Arriving on all UK Home Entertainment formats from April 20th, 2020, the final epic chapter of the Skywalker saga that is Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, from Lucasfilm/Disney, will surely further smash sales records in the territory, following on from its earlier March 20th US release...
Disc details:
Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.
BONUS FEATURES all in 1.78:1 Aspect ratio
- The Skywalker Legacy
- Pasaana Pursuit: Creating The Speeder Chase
- Aliens In The Desert
- D-O: Key To The Past
- Warwick & Son
- Cast Of Creatures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5bkMcpz_1M
Wednesday, 26 February 2020
'THE CLONE WARS - THE FINAL SEASON' - NOW AIRING ON DISNEY+ US
At last, with the proper closure the series deserved now realised- welcome back, and a big thumbs-up to Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm!
Trailers and clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLW2jkd6E7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_x5W-mvk0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2mIW8s94W8&feature=emb_logo
Official site:
https://www.starwars.com/series/star-wars-the-clone-wars
Tuesday, 25 February 2020
ROGUE ONE: UNDER A DIFFERENT SPOTLIGHT!
The lovable Wookiee/Wampa hybrid creature Moroff, from the Neal Scanlan workshop, and sadly all too underutilized in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, goes before a different set of cameras as seen here, scanned in all angles and ways for potential CGI use and for the eventual detailed toy range fot which his character will be a part of continued SW merchandising history.
Monday, 24 February 2020
CLASSIC ART: SCARY DOMINION!
The idea of Darth Vader's own personal fortress home/'castle' may have been lost from the later Lawrence Kasdan script for The Empire Strikes Back, but its powerful and doom laden artistic legacy lives on, especially via Joe Johnson and Ralph McQuarrie's conceptual work during late 1977/early 78, in this great early ideas work for The Force Awakens, at a location we presume to be Mustafar, from artist Brett Northcutt - an image where the TIE Interceptors emerge like bats flying out from a haunted realm. By the time of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Vader's personal domain would be chillingly realized.
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