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Star Wars News & Features

News and information from a Galaxy Far Far Away, and sometimes a little closer to home.
    Bleeding Cool has reported that a new Lucasfilm Story Group has been set up to define a single more consistent version of Star Wars canon that future stories can work around. This is in contrast with the previous stance of creator George Lucas, who insisted that his movies and the expanded universe formed two separate continuities.
    The current system of Star Wars canon is based on a hierarchy with the movies at the top and other media having less importance, and being ignored when it contradicts anything above it in the pecking order.

    The new Lucasfilm Story Group has been convened to sort out the inconsistencies in the current hierarchy system and create a single definitive version of canon. Leland Chee, long-time keeper of the Star Wars expanded universe holocron continuity database is part of this new team, along with Pablo Hidalgo.

    Does this mean that reports of Episode VII ignoring the expanded universe are untrue? If Disney and Lucasfilm are hoping to create a single version of canon then the only other way to achieve this would mean scrapping huge swathes of the expanded universe altogether, a move which would be likely to anger fans.

    Get Jedi Academy on Android!

    By Andy, in Gaming,

    2003 saw the most recent instalment in the fan favourite Jedi Knight game series, Jedi Academy. Now, thanks to the efforts of an independent games company you can bring the classic Star Wars gaming experience to your Android device!
    Belok Games have created a way to port your existing Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy game data over to an Android device, enabling you to relive this classic Star Wars game on the go.
    Their app, Jedi Academy Touch, does not include the original game data from LucasArts and Raven Software, but provides a way for your Android device to handle the PC game data into a format your device can understand. It's hard to believe that Jedi Academy is now over ten years old, but the original game can still be picked up for relatively low prices, including through digital download service, Steam.
    If you own both Jedi Academy and a compatible Android device, instructions can be found on the Google Play app page, but be warned that the developer recommends you have at least a dual core device in order to play the game.

    Star Wars: Attack Squadrons revealed

    By Andy, in Gaming,

    Disney Interactive have revealed that the next video game adventure in the Star Wars universe will be a free-to-play space combat simulator on PC.

    The game, which looks as though it will have a similar feel to the Rogue Squadron series of games, will feature multiplayer battles with up to 16 players and allow players to take control of and even customise iconic starfighters of the galaxy.

    The developer, newcomers Area 52 Games, say that multiplayer battles rather than story driven missions will make up the majority of gameplay, and that the game will have a free-to-play model, which suggests that micro-transactions will likely be included in the game.

    Check out the announcement trailer:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elZg1wSUpD0

    Beta testing is due to start in 2014, don't forget to sign up!

    Episode VII script still not ready

    By Shane, in The Movies,

    Disney bosses are yet to receive a completed screenplay for Star Wars Episode VII despite filming due to begin next month, according to new reports.

    Earlier in the year it was reported that Episode VII screenwriter Micheal Arndt had been replaced by JJ Abrams and Star Wars and Indiana Jones veteran Lawrence Kasdan, and it now appears that work on the screenplay has been delayed.

    According to Digital Spy, Disney are now expecting the script to hit their desks in January 2014, which makes for a tight schedule with the current filming schedule, and could lead to further delays.

    Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn has also recently revealed that Star Wars Episode VII will have a budget of at least US$200 million.

    EA hiring for unnamed Star Wars game

    By Andy, in Gaming,

    Star Wars gaming licence holders EA have begun recruiting for an as yet unnamed Star Wars project.

    The games giant is currently looking for two Executive Producers and a Senior Environment Artist based in California and British Columbia. Both of these locations are home to EA subsidiary developer Visceral, most well known for their Dead Space series of video games.

    The advertised job titles seem to suggest that this is a project in its very early stages, but it could always be possible that they are picking up development from a previous title or making a sequel to a preexisting Star Wars games series.


    All clues seen thus far are that this will be a 'HD console title', so it is likely that this will be heading to Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

    According to 'very reliable sources', SlashFilms are reporting that 23-year-old British actor Jack O'Connell is being considered for a key role in Star Wars Episode VII.

    Jack O'Connell currently has few movie credits to his name, most notably the biopic Unbroken alongside Angelina Jolie, and coming of age drama This Is England. He was also a star of the UK television show Skins.

    Rumour has it that this may be the same role that incumbent Doctor Who star Matt Smith also auditioned for, and that he has since had a further meeting with Episode VII director JJ Abrams.

    Of course, so many names have been mentioned in relation to the next Star Wars movie at this point, and Disney remain tight-lipped on the cast list, so it is still anybody's game. With filming due to start within the next few months we are sure more solid casting news will surface soon.

    Disney's Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo has shed some light on the company's plans for Star Wars, saying it will be following the same strategy as with the Marvel franchise.

    This will probably come as no surprise, as we have already been told of Disney's plan to release a new Star Wars movie every year, starting with Star Wars Episode VII and alternating between a Star Wars episode and a spin-off movie.

    We can also expect to see television series tie-ins and rumour has it that after a recent Marvel deal with Netflix, we could see another new Star Wars show head that way too.

    What else can we expect from this strategy? With Marvel so far, Disney has introduced characters and threads in stand-alone movies and sequels, then tied all the ends up to form a mega movie a-la Avengers. It seems highly likely that characters and storylines introduced in the Star Wars spin-offs and television shows will find their way into future instalments of the Star Wars saga, and if done correctly it could work well.

    But as with anything Star Wars, the potential for a fan backlash is always there if things go wrong!

    The prop weapon, based on a Mauser C96 handgun, used by Harrison Ford in the classic Star Wars trilogy is to be sold at an online auction. It is expected to sell for at least $200,000.

    Online auction house Invaluable is selling an original prop used by Harrison Ford in two Star Wars films. The weapon, which is non-firing, is based on a German Mauser C96 handgun and is one of several props made for use in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

    According to auctioneers, this particular model of Han Solo's trademark DL-44 blaster is a lighter version which would have been used in action-filled wide shots. Notably, it was used for the scene in Empire Strikes back when Darth Vader grabs Solo's blaster with the Force on Cloud City, and in Return of the Jedi when he wrestles with a stormtrooper on Endor.

    The prop was made is resin using a cast of the original DL-44 prop used in the original Star Wars movie, which itself has since been lost. Due to this fact it carries the same serial number as the original.

    In 2008 a Luke Skywalker lightsaber prop used by Mark Hamill was sold by producer Gary Kurtz for $240,000.

    If you have a spare $200,000 and would like the chance to own this piece of Star Wars history, you can find the auction here:
    http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/harrison-ford-han-solo-dl-44-blaster-from-star-379-c-44e307f3bc

    Star Wars Launches Instagram Account

    By Ayingel, in General News,

    Darth Vader can now post selfies!

    Star Wars has moved further into social media to build hype for Episode 7 and Star Wars Rebels by opening an Instagram account. They've already posted five pictures, three of which are from behind the scenes of the original trilogy, as well as a picture of "Slave Leias" from SDCC 2010 and a selfie from none other than Darth Vader himself!

    To follow Star Wars on Instagram, search for user Starwars, but don't expect any follows back!

    Plans by Disney to re-theme the Tomorrowland attraction at their Anaheim Disneyland theme park into a Star Wars attraction have been put on hold, according to reports.

    It was originally reported that Tomorrowland would be transformed into a Star Wars attraction, complete with speeder bikes and a landing pad featuring a Millennium Falcon walk-through where you would be meet Chewbacca and other famous Star Wars characters.

    Insiders cite a lack of funds as Disney spend their budget on other developmental areas, but with Star Wars Episode VII still in the pipeline it is surely only a matter of time before the Imagineers get to giving Star Wars that bit of Disney magic at their world famous resorts.

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