CLASSIC ART: THIRTY YEARS AND BEYOND...

The heroism and villainy of our favourite Classic Trilogy icons continues to resonate, in this fine artwork from Felipe Massafera, done for the film's 2007 Thirtieth Anniversary.

Continuing to frustrate the worldwide fan community, apart from the knowledge that the trusty space faring vessel the Millennium Falcon is returning somewhere down the line (either in EPISODE VI or a spin-off movie), as deliberately revealed via a recent conceptual painting on the revised LUCASFILM website, there has still been no official confirmation of the return of our main hero stars- Hamill, Fisher and Ford. With the disappointing rumours that a new Princess Leia was apparently being searched for by casting directors in London this week, the omens aren't looking good...

Message to LUCASFILM: analyse the Internet vibe. This is getting a very annoying situation now for worldwide fans. If they're in it, what's the problem in telling us, especially as we're so near principal photography? If they're not going to be in it, or are indeed being replaced with different actors (a la J.J. Abrams recent TREKs), get the news out of the way so we can adjust to it sooner rather than later...

CLASSIC IMAGE: SLEEPING DISORDER...

Awoken from sleep, a worried Padme watches silently as her nightmare plagued husband, Anakin Skywalker, departs their bed chamber. The true beginning of the end for our hero lovers starts here - the first couple bedroom scene in a STAR WARS movie - from EPISODE III...

“No, I didn’t see her that way (as a victim in SITH). Not necessarily. I mean, yeah, she died after all she went through, but everybody dies. Not everybody is a victim! I think Padme was strong. And what was great about the STAR WARS movies was that I got to play that character at three different ages; she was a little bit different each time. I also felt fortunate to be around George, who is one of the great minds of our time.”

NATALIE PORTMAN - STARLOG MAGAZINE 345 - MAY 2006

BEHIND THE SCENES: DARK SIDE CAMERA-WORK!

Alec Mills at the camera, with Mike Frift, Richard Marquand and friend. Image: via STAR WARS ARCHIVES FACEBOOK page.

Camera Operator Alec Mills and Associate Cameraman Mike Frift get ready to film a 1982 shot from RETURN OF THE JEDI on the immense Death Star II hangar at Elstree, supervised by director Richard Marquand with, we assume, Dave Prowse behind them as Darth Vader.

The guys over at The Bearded Trio website have set up a very worthy petition. With the busier than ever PINEWOOD STUDIOS, the new home of the upcoming STAR WARS Sequels, getting ready to build further soundstages in Wales - the late Richard Marquand's birth place - they think that one of the upcoming studios should be named after him in tribute. We at AFICIONADO thinks its a great idea and a lovely testament to the film-makers work on STAR WARS and his career in general. Please pass this link on and add your name/s to the petition, here: Petition | Name one of the stages at the new Pinewood Studios Cardiff after the late Richard Marquand | Change.org

DELETED SCENE: DANGEROUS DAYS AHEAD...

In the aftermath of the grim Geonosis hangar duel, a lightsaber slashed Obi-Wan Kenobi staggers to his feet, whilst Padme rushes to console the decapitated Anakin, in this brief scene that didn't make it to the final print of EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES. Note Hayden Christensen wearing a long blue glove that was to have been filled in with a digital stump.

FLASHBACK: 'STAR WARS - THE CLONE WARS' COMING DECEMBER 1988!

Cameras roll soon on the next STAR WARS movie- news circa 1987.

I always enjoyed reading STARBURST MAGAZINE growing up. It was a poor man's STARLOG in many respects by the time new ownership had assumed its publishing mantle in the mid-eighties, after a prior dip in circulation led to MARVEL quitting the title, but there was still lots of cult film and TV to be enjoyed within its pages. The Things To Come news section was always a firm staple of the magazine and the majority of the time the info they printed on upcoming projects was excellent. It's just a shame they got this one so wrong in their May 1987 issue 105 (especially putting up a teaser on their bottom right corner cover!) - still they were only off by eight and a bit years, and it at least put the saga back on the publicity radar for a little bit longer!

I continue to enjoy imagining/speculating how EPISODEs I to III would have looked had they been made with pre-CGI effects technology, and with Irvin Kershner or Richard Marquand possibly directing one each...

CLASSIC INDY: 'THE TEMPLE OF DOOM' HITS 30!

Hard to believe, but its the 30th Anniversary of a certain fortune and glory seeking archeologist's entering that nightmare labyrinth The Temple of Doom this May. Controversial with the film-makers and the public at the time of release due to its violence and often grim subject matter, I've always thought it was a terrific and very satisfying sequel- regardless of the criticisms.

▶ Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom Trailer - YouTube

Being the first sequel for Indiana Jones, though actually set before the events of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, TEMPLE OF DOOM proved that our intrepid hero was here to stay with audiences, featuring lots of ambitious sequences that the film-makers originally planned to used for the first film but had to cut out for various reasons. Future INDY sequels would prove a lot harder to satisfyingly conceive. Check out this great feature here: The Indiana Jones films that never were | Den of Geek

And look out for more of AFICIONADO's visual celebrations of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM in the coming months...

DELETED SCENE: RACE TO THE EAST PLATFORM

During Spring/Summer of 1979 on the backlot of Elstree Studios, a high up on a scaffold Second Unit filming team capture a Bespin exterior scene of Princess Leia and co. racing to rescue the carbon frozen Han Solo from Boba Fett. As far as we're aware, the finished shot, like several other planned outdoor scenes on the streets of the floating city, was either never completed/abandoned or cut/replaced. Instead, the sequence that appeared in the finished film was set indoors, though this was later changed to a partially outdoor environment by the time of 1997's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: SPECIAL EDITON, perhaps because George Lucas, who wanted the locale to be opened up more visually second time around, remembered that original outdoor shot that wasn't used.

Image: via Dave Stewart.

Check out Dave Stewart's superb visual list of TESB: SPECIAL EDITION changes here: Empire Special Edition Changes HD

COMING TO UK BLU-RAY AND DVD: 'ENDER'S GAME'

A different kind of war for Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield in ENDER'S GAME. Image: MOMENTUM PICTURES. 

Playing an altogether more different and grouchier character than Han Solo, our favourite Hollywood film star icon Harrison Ford returns to the sci-fi genre that launched his career in the space war epic with a moral centre that is ENDER'S GAME, based on the popular eighties book series by Orson Scott Card, finally brought to the screen with a visual passion by South African director Gavin Hood, who assembles a solid and intriguing cast of equally top raters, including Asa Butterfield (playing the gifted young hero of the story, Ender Wiggin), TRUE GRIT's fiercely independent and determined Mattie Ross- Hailee Steinfeld, and, fresh from his huge success in IRON MAN 3, Sir Ben Kingsley as the tattooed warrior Mazer Rackham.

Trailer: ▶ Ender's Game Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford Movie HD - YouTube

iTunes - Films - Ender's Game

FACEBOOK page: Ender's Game

Previous features: STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE: ENDER'S GAME

The effects showcase movie hits DVD and Blu-ray in the UK from March 10th 2014, and is available to download States-side now. Watch out for AFICIONADO's review of the DVD release in the not too distant future...

Ender's Game [Blu-ray]: Amazon.co.uk: Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld, Gavin Hood: Film & TV

GOODBYE, MALCOLM TIERNEY...

"Where are you taking this... thing?!"

Famous words from the original STAR WARS, as spoken by British actor Malcolm Tierney in 1976 playing the suspicious commander of the Death Star cell bay. Tierney sadly passed away last week at the age of 75. Beyond his now infamous STAR WARS contribution, he was a popular character actor in all types of popular UK based series, including a notable appearance in eighties DOCTOR WHO, plus stints in the popular comedy drama series LOVEJOY and the soap opera BROOKSIDE. Film work continued, especially a key role in Mel Gibson's Scottish revolution epic: BRAVEHEART.

Malcolm Tierney, RIP...

STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE: MALCOLM TIERNEY

THE MAIN CAST OF 'STAR WARS REBELS' IS COMPLETE...

Here's the next generation of animated STAR WARS heroes fighting the Galactic Empire, for DISNEY audiences of all ages to enjoy, starting later this year...

First look: 'Star Wars Rebels' rustles up a cowboy Jedi
BREAKING: Ezra joins Star Wars Rebels | The Star Wars Underworld
'Star Wars Rebels': Meet Sabine, the 'Feisty' Weapons Expert
▶ Star Wars Rebels - Introducing Zeb - YouTube
'Star Wars Rebels': Final hero revealed plus all the new characters | Inside TV | EW.com
Star Wars Rebels: Meet Chopper, Grumpy Astromech Droid | StarWars.com