The Playlist

J.J. Abrams Confirms He Passed On 'Star Wars Episode VII' Early On (Again)

By Edward Davis
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December 26, 2012 11:19 AM
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6 Comments

News

Here's some obvious news for those that have been paying attention: J.J Abrams has passed on the opportunity to direct "Star Wars: Episode VII." Not much of a shocker there. In fact, he already said as much in November, and took himself out of the running then, but hey, it's a slow holiday week.

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George Lucas Once Envisioned Four 'Star Wars' Trilogies

By Edward Davis
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December 19, 2012 4:42 PM
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1 Comment

News

Ok, this is an odd one that no one seems to have noticed nor made much fuss about. In the latest issue of Empire magazine detailing the history leading up to "Star Wars: Episode VII," the publication says George Lucas originally envisioned four "Star Wars" trilogies and then dropped one in the late 1970s.

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Updated: Does Luke Skywalker Build A New Jedi Knight Academy In Star Wars 'Episode VII'? Nope

By Edward Davis
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December 19, 2012 1:09 PM
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2 Comments

News

While it won't arrive in theaters until 2015, "Star Wars: Episode VII" is still easily one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the decade by apostle-like fans. There's been talk that Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia will all return in one form or another. And did plot details just leak about what Skywalker's role will be?

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Lawrence Kasdan & Simon Kinberg May Be Writing 'Star Wars' Spinoffs, Rather Than Episodes VIII & IX

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 28, 2012 11:40 AM
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2 Comments

News

Here we go again. Not even a day after Colin Trevorrow put rumors about his involvement in the "Star Wars" sequels to an end with the revelation that the Disney project he's working on is a remake of "Flight Of The Navigator," it looks like there's even more to talk about when it comes to George Lucas' franchise.

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Producer Rick McCallum Has Quietly Retired From Lucasfilm

By Charlie Schmidlin
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November 26, 2012 8:59 AM
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2 Comments

News

Chances are if the recent shifts in Lucasfilm's administration prove a final blow to George Lucas' overall involvement, it is producer Rick McCallum that has primed that impression for years now. Since the “Star Wars” Special Editions onward, McCallum has slowly grown into the company's most vocal member -- appearing at conventions and answering press to drum up interest -- but now in the midst of Disney's $4 billion deal, it appears the central force in Lucas' camp has filed his most crucial decision.

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'Empire Strikes Back' Writer Lawrence Kasdan, 'X-Men' Scribe Simon Kinberg Could Write Star Wars Episode VIII & IX

By Oliver Lyttelton
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November 20, 2012 6:56 PM
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5 Comments

News

The "Star Wars" rumor mill keeps ticking along, and while we still don't know who's directing that first new movie, Episode VII, it seems that Disney and new Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy are already start to think of the future. After all, they allegedly have outlines for a new trilogy of films from George Lucas, which has been expanded into treatments by "Toy Story 3" writer Michael Arndt, who's also penning Episode VII. And while that film is still at least three years away, it looks like we might have writers for further installments, and at least one of them will make fans very, very happy.

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Bringing Balance To The Force? 5 Directions The New 'Star Wars' Films Could Go

By Oliver Lyttelton
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October 31, 2012 10:59 AM
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31 Comments

Features

Unless you've been robbed of power by Hurricane Sandy, you've probably heard that yesterday saw the biggest movie news story of the year -- if not several years -- break. Disney have purchased LucasFilm for $4 billion, and have announced that plans are moving ahead for new "Star Wars" movies, beginning with "Episode VII" in 2015 (the start of a new trilogy), with franchise creator George Lucas serving only as a creative consultant, and new talent coming in to write and direct the new films.

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With George Lucas Only Consulting, Can Disney Restore The Integrity Of The ‘Star Wars’ Franchise? Does It Even Matter?

By Rodrigo Perez
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October 31, 2012 10:05 AM
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14 Comments

News

“We’re going to concentrate on the ‘Star Wars’ franchise,” Disney CFO Jay Rasulo said yesterday in a Disney conference call to discuss the immediate acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. “What we’re buying, along with the overall company, is a pretty extensive and detailed treatment for what would be the next three movies. The [new] trilogy.”

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Producer Rick McCallum Says"Adult" 'Star Wars' TV Series Would Be Like "Deadwood In Space"

By Charlie Schmidlin
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June 5, 2012 9:05 AM
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4 Comments

Television

There's no question a new standard of television has resulted from the last ten years, largely stemming from HBO's original programming, with shows like “The Sopranos,” “Carnivale,” and “Oz” all brandishing new forms of storytelling that are unafraid to go to shocking and explicit depths to depict their characters' lives to the audience. That's all well and good for the viewer, who now finds himself with smart, engaging shows down every alley, but what does it mean for the long-gestating “Star Wars” TV series, and its suitable place on the air?

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5 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Empire Strikes Back'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 21, 2012 11:00 AM
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6 Comments

Features

After thirty years, three terrible prequels and acres of spin-off material, the "Star Wars" brand has been somewhat tarnished. The fans are still legion, but it's become harder and harder to get excited about the series, and the highlights drift further and further from memory. That being said, we'll always have a place for the original trilogy in our hearts, and much of that comes down to the second (or fifth) installment, 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back" Despite the success of the original, creator George Lucas seemed to have taken some of the criticism to heart and took a back seat for the follow-up, handing over the directorial reins to his old film school professor Irvin Kershner ("The Eyes of Laura Mars," "The Flim-Flam Man") and hiring veteran screenwriter Leigh Brackett and bright young thing Lawrence Kasdan, who'd come to fame thanks to his as-yet-unmade scripts for "The Bodyguard" and "Continental Divide."

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