Daisy Riddley stars as Rey in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
Daisy Riddley stars as Rey in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
In a semi-regular feature we'll be running until The Force Awakens is unleashed on December 17, here's our wrap of all the Star Wars things that happened today.
1. The piece of Star Wars history George Lucas doesn't want you to remember
Cashing in on the succcess of Star Wars, director George Lucss decided having a TV only Star Wars Holiday special would be a good idea ... It wasn't.
According to The Guardian the Star Wars creator is "deeply ashamed of the Holiday Special. Yes, it's a piece of Star Wars merchandise so godawful, even George Lucas doesn't want to profit from the bloody thing."
Lucas even confessed to a fan at a convention that "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it."
The full Holiday Special now lives on YouTube, so it's unlikely Lucas will get his wish of no one ever seeing it again. You can watch the full version here, or the highlights below:
2. Why Star Wars toys aren't just a boy's thing
Disney has what could be its most formidable heroine ever in Rey, a main character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She could be a merchandising juggernaut, too.
In trailers, the protagonist, played by English actor Daisy Ridley, races a land-speeder, wields a staff-like weapon and helps pick an exhausted male ally up off the ground. Not much is known about her, because Disney's keeping a lid on details before the movie's December 17 opening. One sure thing is that Rey is part of a push by the world's largest entertainment company to attract more girls and women to the Star Wars franchise, and extract more money from them.
It's a smart move, said Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen. "This is going to be massively financially successful. Literally everyone I know wants to see this movie, male or female." Read the full article here.
3. R2-D2 shoe anyone?
Only NZ$444, created by by Irregular Choice ... This high heel definitely would be an irregular choice for a red carpet event.
More than 2500 actors across the galaxy are competing for the chance to play a young Han Solo in an upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie. Disney and Lucasfilm have been inundated with interest after putting out a casting call for a young man to play the iconic character first brought to life by Harrison Ford, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope.
Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller along with casting director Jeanne McCarthy have reportedly cut the list down. Hot contenders include 21 Jump Street's Dave Franco, Whiplash star Miles Teller and Jurassic World's Nick Robinson. The film isn't due to be shot until January 2017 for a possible May 2018 release.
5. The Star Wars Fan Film Awards is back
If the teasers, trailers and hints haven't sated your appetite for all things Star Wars in advance of the latest entry in the franchise, then it's time to tap into the force of fan films.
These sometimes hilarious, sometimes awe-inspiring and always off-canon creations are showcases for the creativity of Star Wars fanatics. You've got to give them credit for piecing together trailer hints into logical themes, pulling off low-budget special effects, and acting in a generally cheesy fashion.
And fear not, the Disney empire won't be striking back. The company encourages these mash-ups, having revived the annual Star Wars Fan Film Awards in 2014 two years after buying Lucasfilm.
Here's a mini-marathon playlist to get you primed for the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens:
1. A musical tribute to Star Wars fans set to Elton John's Rocket Man.
2. A low-budget remake of The Force Awakens trailer.
3. A special-effects laden duel, complete with Kylo Ren's wicked lightsaber crossguard.
4. The crew of the U.S. aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower remade the teaser trailer, complete with real-life fighter pilots.
5. A clever stitching together of various teasers and trailers to date, including bits from international trailers and voice-overs from previous films.
6. A lightsaber fight that gets extra points for the choreography (note the behind the back parry) and alternate endings.
7. Lightsaber boomerangs make this fan film scream From Down Unda.
8. An officially sanctioned fan film that riffs on characters from the prequel trilogy and The Clone Wars animated series.
