Mark Hamill says George Lucas didn’t intend to kill Luke “until the end of Episode IX, after he trained Leia”

From IGN:

“Speaking to IGN about the differences in approach to the character of Luke Skywalker between J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, [Mark] Hamill suddenly changed tack, and explained:

“I happen to know that George didn’t kill Luke until the end of [Episode] 9, after he trained Leia. Which is another thread that was never played upon [in The Last Jedi].” […]

More generally, Hamill compared the approaches between Lucas and Disney’s Star Wars films:

“George had an overall arc – if he didn’t have all the details, he had sort of an overall feel for where the [sequel trilogy was] going – but this one’s more like a relay race. You run and hand the torch off to the next guy, he picks it up and goes.

“Ryan didn’t write what happens in 9 – he was going to hand it off to, originally, Colin Trevorrow and now J.J. […] It’s an ever-evolving, living, breathing thing. Whoever’s onboard gets to play with the life-size action figures that we all are.” […]”

Remasters of the first 6 Star Wars soundtracks coming May 4

From StarWars.com:

“Disney Music Group announced today that May 4, a.k.a. Star Wars Day, will see the rerelease of John Williams’ original six Star Wars soundtracks on CD — all remastered, complete with new artwork and a collectible mini-poster. This includes A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005), which feature some of the Williams’ most memorable compositions, including the Star Wars main theme, “Imperial March,” and “Duel of the Fates.” You can get a first look at the covers below!

The soundtracks were reconstructed from new hi-resolution (24/192) transfers supervised by Shawn Murphy and Skywalker Sound […]”

Watch 8 new episodes of Star Wars Forces of Destiny on Youtube

From Disney:

“Ahsoka joins Anakin on a mission planned for just he and Padme. Anakin, upset at the intrusion, sets a quicker flight path that puts them in the path of a Separatist blockade. The three must put differences aside to get past the blockade.”

Here are the other episodes:

Tweets celebrating Padmé Amidala’s costumes go viral

We really need to talk about how much of a style icon Miss Padmé Amidala was… she was serving looks and drama in every corner of the galaxy pic.twitter.com/eArRYyyVWS

— jon (@prasejeebus) March 18, 2018

Intergalactic diplomacy? Padmé had a look for that. Appealing to the Galactic Senate? Yep (look at the DRAMA being served by those shoulder pads). Ruling an entire planet as a 14 year old? No problem. Her own funeral? It's handled. pic.twitter.com/xlsDaoSVtc

— jon (@prasejeebus) March 18, 2018

Whether she was exploring nature, lounging around her apartment or having dinner (she made several hundred points with this one) Padmé didn't waste a frame or take her perfectly accessorized foot off of our necks pic.twitter.com/tq5JT7OqpU

— jon (@prasejeebus) March 18, 2018

 

Video: CBS talks with George Lucas & Mellody Hobson about museum of narrative art

From CBS This Morning:

“The newest saga from legendary filmmaker George Lucas is a departure from his classic film franchise. Lucas broke ground on a new museum in Los Angeles with his wife, Mellody Hobson. It’s the future home of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. When the museum is finished in three years, it will house much of their art collection of around 10,000 pieces. John Blackstone spoke with them at their skywalker ranch.”

Star Wars Forces of Destiny upcoming episodes descriptions

From Lucasfilm (via Jedi News):

“Star Wars Forces of Destiny returns Monday, March 19th with all-new adventures for heroes throughout the Star Wars saga. Following the debut starting at 10:00am PST on Disney YouTube, there will be a can’t-miss TV special to follow on Disney Channel on March 25th at 9:50pm ET/PT immediately after the broadcast premiere of Zootopia.

Talent from across Star Wars films and TV reprise their roles – Mark Hamill (Luke), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Catherine Taber (Padmé) and Matt Lanter (Anakin), among others.

Developed by Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars Forces of Destiny features tales of perseverance, ingenuity and grit, revealing that the smallest choices have the power to shape one’s destiny.

All 8 new episodes of “Star Wars Forces of Destiny” will debut MONDAY, MARCH 19 (10:00 a.m. PT) on Disney YouTube and http://www.Disney.com.

Television special featuring all 8 episodes will follow on MONDAY, MARCH 25 (9:50 p.m. ET/PT) on Disney Channel.

Episodic descriptions below:

“Hasty Departure” – Hera and Sabine liberate an Imperial shuttle only to find they have unexpected cargo – troopers!
“Unexpected Company” – Upset when Ahsoka joins a mission set for just he and Padmé, Anakin puts them on a dangerous path. Working alongside the secret couple, Ahsoka helps save the day.
“Shuttle Shock” – On their approach to Canto Bight, Finn and Rose learn to work together to navigate a pod of dangerous creatures.
“Jyn’s Trade” – Jyn helps a young thief learn a valuable lesson.
“Run Rey Run” – While scavenging inside a Star Destroyer, Rey is cornered by competition on the hunt for a valuable part.
“Bounty Hunted” –Maz Kanata helps Leia, Chewbacca and R2-D2 with a clever plan to free Han from Jabba the Hutt.
“The Path Ahead” – Training with Master Yoda in the swamps of Dagobah, Luke learns an important lesson.
“Porg Problems” – Rey has her training interrupted by some very mischievous porgs.”

Rian Johnson confirms The Last Jedi echoes a shot of Anakin attacking the Jedi Temple

In Star Wars: The Last Jedi audio commentary, director Rian Johnson confirms that Kylo Ren’s entrance in the Resistance base echoes a shot from Revenge of the Sith:

“So here comes Kylo. This is very consciously echoing a shot from Episode III of Anakin coming in that I always loved. Just a beautiful graphic shot that George [Lucas] did that we wanted to do a callback to.”

Cancelled Star Wars Battlefront IV art shows dark side Obi-Wan, Jedi Maul and other variations from the saga

From Eurogamer:

“This fresh gallery of Star Wars art offers a glimpse at what might have been – had British developer Free Radical Design got to make its Star Wars Battlefront 4.

That’s right, Battlefront 4 – which was already in the planning stages when Free Radical’s promising Battlefront 3 project was shut down, all the way back in 2006.

This gallery of concept images reveals a strikingly different approach – a ‘what if?’ scenario where the events of the Star Wars prequels would play out differently.

Anakin would have killed Yoda and murdered Padmé, which would have caused Obi-Wan and then Luke to fall to the dark side. On the flipside, Darth Maul and Count Dooku would have been Jedi. […]”

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Check out the whole gallery at imgur.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Breaks Ground

From The Hollywood Reporter:

“Surrounded by elected officials and his old friend Steven Spielberg, George Lucas presented the clearest vision to date of the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art at a groundbreaking ceremony held at Los Angeles’ Exposition Park where the billion-dollar, space-age-like structure is set to rise.

“Yes this is an art museum, but I’m trying to position it as an anthropological museum,” said Lucas in his remarks made to several hundred people on hand, including surprise guest Spielberg who was seated in the front row. “In my feeling popular art is an insight into a society and what they aspire to be; what they really want and what they really are — it is telling the narrative of their story, their history and their belief system.”

Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson announced last year that they had selected Los Angeles over Lucas’ hometown of San Francisco as the location for the museum. They chose Exposition Park due to its proximity to dozens of high schools, the University of Southern California — Lucas’ Alma Mater — and the fact that the parcel of land is easily accessible by public transportation.

The 300,000 square foot building, will house a collection of galleries and exhibition spaces displaying original works of art from world renowned artists like David Hockney and Norman Rockwell along with digital technologies. The museum will also feature daily film screenings and  include a range of one-of-a-kind ephemera including Star Wars memorabilia and illustrations from children’s books. Today’s ceremony were an opportunity to hear Lucas’ first extended remarks on where the inspiration for the museum came from.

“Narrative art has always been popular. And I think the popular part of it is very important and that has tendency to get lost in the hub bub of modern city,” said Lucas. “I believe all kinds of arts have a right to exist. I want to support all the orphaned arts that no none wants to see but that everyone loves — that is my dream for this.”

Also released on Wednesday were a new batch of renderings of the five-story museum, which was designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects — also present at the ceremony. Those new renderings depict the landscaping for the museum’s 11 acres designed by L.A.-based landscape architecture firm, Studio-MLA and some internal shots of the museum and its’ galleries. […]

Video: George Lucas Honors Mark Hamill at Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony

From Variety:

“The godfather of ‘Star Wars’ George Lucas was on hand to present Mark Hamill a.k.a. Luke Skywalker with his star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame.”