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ST Cast Member Quotations Regarding the Sequel Trilogy -- No Discussion

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by Echo Base, Feb 17, 2014.

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Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

As for whether or not he felt that Jedi, Episode VI, was the final Star Wars film once shooting wrapped?

Hamill: Absolutely the last. We had a beginning, a middle, and an end. I remember the very first week of shooting. I was talking to George [Lucas] then, and he talked about how originally it was going to be four trilogies of 12 [films]. Then he said, ‘And we cobbled it down to three trilogies of nine.’ I said, ‘Why are we starting in the middle?’ He said, ‘Well, um, this trilogy is the most commercial.'... I don’t even think I believed that the third trilogy would feature us. I thought it would be all different characters. To my knowledge, we were just going to do a beginning, a middle, and an end, and it was over. So the feeling on the set when we were doing [Jedi], was really like the end of a semester, the last couple of months of school. Clear out your locker and bring your gym clothes home and all that. It was mixed feelings because everyone was anxious to complete the mission of doing the three, but we also knew it would be the last time we would see everybody. You know, I’m still in a state of shock that they want to do more.

[snip]

Hamill: We’ve got to find a proper balance between CGI and old-school models. I think there’s nothing wrong with CGI, but I think you have to have a balance. Because the camera perceives the width and the depth and the weight, even if it’s a miniature model. The camera just realizes that. And so when you have too much CGI… If the clouds are CGI, the trees are CGI, and the buildings are CGI, you’re getting to the point where it’s a hybrid of an animated film and live action. And I want to have a more organic look so that we don’t get into Roger Rabbit territory.
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Source: http://www.starwars.com/news/mark-hamill-reflects-on-star-wars-at-the-egyptian-theatre
Date: May 6th, 2013.

Echo Base, Sep 11, 2014

#51
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Audience Question: Largely inaudible but something about bringing Luke back as "on true Jedi master status on the same level as Obi-Wan and Yoda and C.) [inaudible - something about his powers in the new films]."

Hamill: Heavy on the Jedi mind tricks, less on the lightsabre duels.

Click to expand...

Source: http://vimeo.com/65625164
Date: May 4th, 2013

Echo Base, Sep 11, 2014

#52
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Hamill: It will probably be about the next generation with us old geezers relegated to the roles that Sir Alec and -and [audience interjection, "Yoda"], yeah, exactly and that's the way it should be,I've ony had one meeting so far but I said I don't want to do anything inappropriate, yo uknow, I don't feel I should be trying to replicate the way I was in my twenties, you know. I want it to be age-appopriate, so, you know, heavy on the Jedi mind tricks but lighten up on the ligthsabre duels but, you know what I'm saying, let the kids do the heavy lifting and I want it to be a good story. You know, part of me is ambivalent about it saying, "You know, let well enough alone and let everybody have their nice memories if they have nice memories and don't try and go back and do it again" but the other side of me, the adventurous side, thinks, if everyone's in, how can I miss this?... I wish he would find a balance between miniatures, models and matte paintings and CGI so that there's the proper balance...

Interviewer: It holds up so well.

Hamill: Exactly...
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Source: http://vimeo.com/65661568 (21:45 onwards)
Date: May 4th, 2013

Echo Base, Sep 11, 2014

#53
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Echo Base said: ↑

According to Kurtz at a conference, this was the early plan:

EPISODE 6: Leia was to be elected "Queenof her people" leaving her isolated. Han was to die. Luke confronted Vader and went on with his life alone. Leia was not to be Luke's sister.
EPISODE 7: Third trilogy was to focus on Luke's life as a Jedi, with very few details planned out.
EPISODE 8: Luke's sister (not Leia) appears from another part of the galaxy.
EPISODE 9: First appearance of the Emperor.

Source: http://www.theforce.net/latestnews/story/gary_kurtz_reveals_original_plans_for_episodes_19_80270.asp
May 26th, 1999

*************

Click to expand...

A slightly more detailed,version of the earlier plan according to Kurtz:

The third trilogy starting with Episode VII was to deal with Luke's life as a Jedi.

Episode VIII was to deal with Luke's sister (not Leia) coming from another part of the galaxy and Luke was to become a Jedi Master and pass on his training to her.

Episode IX was to feature the appearance of the Emperor and have Luke and his sister confront him on the Imperial Capital Planet of Had Abbadon, possibly bringing about the Return of the Republic and the Jedi Order.
Click to expand...

Echo Base, Sep 11, 2014

#54
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Hamill: I'm assuming, because I haven't talked to the writers, that these movies would be about our offspring -- like my character would be sort of in the Obi-Wan range [as] an influential character...
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Source: http://www.etonline.com/movies/145949_mark_hamill_talks_star_wars_episode_vii_plot_spinoff_movies/
Date: April 29th, 2014.

Echo Base, Sep 11, 2014

#55
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Interviewer: You once said you weren’t interested in playing C3PO until you saw Ralph McQuarrie’s concept painting of him for Episode IV — which is interesting because his work is also the basis for a lot of the Rebels art.

Anthony Daniels: I wasn’t interested in the slightest. In fact, I was being polite by going to meet George Lucas. Can you imagine that? I was polite in the room, but it wasn’t a very interesting conversation because he was collapsing from having met pretty much every actor in England. I wandered in, and I think it was a refreshing change for him because I didn’t do what so many people apparently did — this stiff robotic dance. He had lots of people coming in being a robot, which to me is slightly embarrassing. What do you say to somebody who comes in like that? Apparently he would say, “No, no, no!” I was utterly relaxed because I didn’t want the job anyway. I only spoke about this picture out of something to talk about. But as I approached Ralph McQuarrie’s painting, I was very moved by [Threepio’s] face. It almost was inviting to come through the frame of the painting and be with him, or it, on this lonely moonscape. I’d seen the Mona Lisa in Paris, this world famous woman looking straight at you. But her eyes say nothing. Whereas Ralph McQuarrie, who had worked Boeing Aircraft as an engineer, he created a look that leads us to talking today. And it’s only come to me recently, on the film set, that Threepio’s face is as asymmetric as a human’s face. It’s not actually a machine-made metrical object. It is as quirky and lopsided as any human’s face. I never realized that! Which is why that face has such humanity.

Interviewer: It’s so perfect when you were first cast that you were in the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern stage show in London because now that’s sort of what C-3PO and R2-D2 have become in the saga — these two minor characters that weave through all the action.

Daniels: It was maybe five years after filming Star Wars, I think maybe I was doing Empire Strikes Back, that it suddenly occurred to me that R2 and 3PO are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. For people who don’t know that play, they are the tiny characters in Hamlet who, in a play written in the 20th century [by Tom Stoppard], became the main characters. One is highly intelligent and sort of intuitive and the other is plotting and slow and usually more correct, usually sensible. I was the clever one, Guildenstern .And I think having played that role the week before we finished and then we’re in the desert [shooting Star Wars], I almost carried on the stage play that I’d been doing. The only difference was that the actor on stage playing Rosencrantz actually spoke to me, whereas R2-D2, to my horror and consternation and bewilderment and confusion, didn’t speak at all. I was in a one-sided monologue.

Interviewer: Did you ever make up dialogue for R2-D2 so you could better play off him?

Daniels: I actually wrote out his dialogue on the pages so I could then get the whole scene in my head, so that at least I knew why I was saying the next thing. Now I do it tacitly. You see improv on TV — not in a million years could I do that — but actually it’s what I’m doing with R2. When I saw the movie and saw what [sound designer] Ben Burtt had added as R2’s voice, I was fascinated because it did make sense. He had gone in the gaps between me speaking and it was like Ben Burtt could have been there all the time.

Interviewer: What’s your favorite and least favorite line of C-3PO dialogue?

Daniels: My favorite line is — interesting you ask least favorite — my favorite line is, [in character as C-3PO] “We’re doomed.” It’s a phrase that encapsulates his whole philosophy. It’s his life. He always feels on the edge of disaster. That’s where the humor comes from because he is a humorous character, but mostly it comes by default. He doesn’t tell jokes. He’s just wrong about everything most of the time and lives on this precipice of fear, which gives a sort of tension. You and I hide that. You hid magnificently that you were terrified of talking to me. As humans, adults, we sort of do. He doesn’t have that guile. And in fact, now that I come to think of it, he is pretty much without guile. He says it as it is and that can occasionally be quite funny because he can be inappropriate without meaning to be. This is the thing that George and the writers originally created and we’ve taken it further and further. There’s no way I can think of the situations he’s put into, but they sometimes let me tweak [his lines]. In fact, they always let me tweak the script.

Interviewer: Lucas once said you’re the only Star Wars actor who changed his lines.
Daniels: What you’re missing by saying that is the look on his face as he said it. I think the word “resentful” comes to mind.

Interviewer: What was the most memorable line from the film your either added or one that you got rid of in terms of tweaking?

Daniels: Oh, that’s difficult. It’s just a way of phrasing things. One that comes to mind, you’ve got Anakin Skywalker coming up and originally it was written differently where I said, “I am C-3PO.” Now, he’s talking to somebody who built [Threepio] as a kid. Just very simply, I gave Hayden Christensen one of my words. I said, “I am C—” and he goes “3PO?” That’s a simple dynamic of how you can make something a little more lively. It’s not Shakespeare, none of it’s Shakespeare. My least favorite line was — and I remember wincing, really — was, [as C-3PO] “Curse my metal body! I wasn’t fast enough!” I remember saying to Mark Hamill with the crew in the car going to the desert on Tatooine, “How can you say your lines with a straight face?” He said, ‘“How can you say yours?’ That was a line I was reading at the time because we were going through each others’ scripts. I said, “Yeah, but I’m behind a mask, nobody can see I’m saying this stuff, whereas you, your face is there.” He was particularly good at saying daft lines. But because he said them, and I said them, with honesty, integrity and professional delivery, [the audience] believed them. You accept this weird dialogue, and George had the nerve to write it — and we all know what Harrison said about that. I have a faint knack for the sort of rather painful vocabulary [3-CPO] uses. He does come out with some fairly sort of antique epithets or words or phrases that sound odd in a very nice way, but it sounds like not current human-speak. That’s one of the ways he remains robotic — he’s slightly old fashioned. Words like, “Horrid.” Nobody says horrid anymore, do they? You’d never hear Threepio say, “Awesome.” Neither would he say, “I guess I should do this or that.” That’s modern language.

Interviewer: Rebels executive producer Simon Kinberg said you gave him some notes about the character’s dialogue just like you did with Lucas. What did you advise him on?

Daniels: I’m really bad, aren’t I? I’m so ashamed. I think I told him not to worry about upsetting me — “No one worries about upsetting a droid.” That was a really good line. I think people think that I, Anthony Daniels, by absorption, by osmosis, know this character, how he would react. I don’t get paid extra for putting in my two cents. I don’t even get the two cents. I’ve put in my two cents. They oftentimes take it, and sometimes say, “Yeah, we’ll do it the way it’s written.” I’m an actor for hire. I do what I’m told.

Interviewer: He said you made a very good point though about cowardice; that it’s important that any cowardice from C-3PO comes from logic rather than fear.

Daniels: Not to get heavy about this, but one of the laws of robotics is that a robot has to protect itself — that is, after it’s protected its master. He’s not basically a coward. He has the logic to extrapolate any given situation to its dreadful end. The interesting thing is he only ever sees a bad outcome. He doesn’t have that capability or programming to say, “Well it could end up fine.”

Interviewr: The character is often in a state of protest about whatever is going on. What does Threepio want? What’s his ideal day?

Daniels: He generally wants not to be where he is. He wants people around him not to be doing what they’re generally doing. Somebody being inappropriate is going to put them in danger, Han Solo doing this or that, or particularly R2-D2, who has no sense of danger whatsoever. This is one of the brilliant things about the original concept. You have the shiny, bright, thoughtful, sensitive, intelligent one who sees the downside of everything and the potential risk of being melted down — [in character] “We’ll be melted down, for sure!” The other good line: “We seem to be made to suffer. It’s our lot in life.” He’s always looking for that suffering quality whereas R2 barges in and out, and is totally gung-ho. There you get this dramatic conflict.

Interviewer: You’ve had performances in the suit, as voiceover for CGI. It’s also been reported that you’ve done, or are currently doing, motion capture as the character. Which is the best method for portraying C-3PO?

Daniels: I will tell you that when [director] J.J. Abrams rang me to ask about filming Episode VII, one of the first things he said after he told me how wonderful I was — and that didn’t take long — but he then said, “Would you be interested in being in the film just doing the voice?” I said, “No,” and he said, “Right!” He knew I’d say that. There’s no way I would just do the voice. I also said that it can’t be the same suit. I will tell you that the team then got together and built a new suit. They made an entirely new look-a-like with changes that you will never notice [on screen] that made my life a lot easier. I can get it on and off very quickly. [During the prequels], the only time [Threepio has] been CG was when it was very dangerous [to act in the scene in a suit] — and it wasn’t very good. In fact, I’m going to say it was awful. One of the difficulties is with a character that you know and love so well is that, as a member of the audience, you go, “Oh no, that’s not right. No, he doesn’t move like that.” With me [in the suit], he’s always going to move the same way and have the same reactions, timing, and so on. With CG, you’re working with some brilliant person on the keyboard who is trying to pretend to be me. The only time that has worked without doubt is Disney’s Star Tours: The Adventures Continue [theme park ride]. There’s an element in the pre-show which is digital and I cannot tell it’s not me. It’s brilliantly done by Disney. In a cartoon series like Rebels, you accept it because it’s not trying to pretend to be reality. It’s an extension, it’s an exaggeration. On that basis, it’s utterly acceptable — providing the characterization is correct.

Interviewer: To a casual fan, the character’s personality seems consistent. Has Threepio grown?

Daniels: It’s a very good question actually. [Pause]. If you ask me about Episode VII … of course I will deny any knowledge whatsoever. But it occurred to me on the set the other day, because I’ve been doing it for so long, being 3PO for so long, I have a kind of confidence about what he would do in a particular scene. I think 3PO might have grown in confidence over the years because he’s survived so many dramas and he’s gained so much knowledge about what’s going on in the galaxy. He may have grown in that way. But generally the way he appears to grow is by being faced by new situations and new conflicts. He’s very much a washing machine — you could put in a set of fine lingerie and he might do it on a different cycle. It’s what you give him to do that brings out fresh attitudes. He might meet somebody who is rude or smelly or just awful and that brings out — I won’t say snobbishness, he is a bit of a snob but … it brings out his reactive quality. That’s always funny for me because I look for new ways to become appalled. A lot of the time in the studio, you should realize, I read the words, my mouth opens, he comes out of my mouth and we all laugh. I laugh. The director laughs, and the engineer laughs. You think, “Yeah, this is really good.”

Interviewer: You’ve been involved in so many Star Wars productions. What’s unique about Rebels?

Daniels: It’s unique that it goes very specifically to a given period of time, which is just before the film that I happened to like the best — which is A New Hope, the first one. There are now three generations [of fans], which I know because of my work with Star Wars: In Concert where I could see in the audience terrifyingly young children and I thought, “They’re going to be a menace,” and they sat there open-mouthed at the story that I was telling to them onstage with the orchestra. Now you can [ease] people into A New Hope. And you’ve seen I, II and III, there’s gaps there. What happened to these characters? We love them. We want to see what they did when they were not in the big films. Because George and everybody who’s followed on has created such a reality in the galaxy far, far away that we want to see more about it.

Interviewer: What’s different about working on Star Wars now that George Lucas is no longer running the show?

Daniels: He’ll always be the inspiration. The first film was incredible success. Then the the second was a phenomena too. You come to the third film [pause] that had Ewoks in it. Anyway! Moving on! People began having ownership of these films. Everyone is a critic, etc. Then time moves on and we come to the prequels. I’m ignoring the special edition, the 3-D special edition, the special edition box set, the whatever. But then you move on to the prequels and people became quite critical. Often they were the people who were there the first time around. They weren’t the 10-year-olds. What I’m coming to say is that none of this would have happened without George. None of it. The depth that people get out of the Star Wars saga in general whether it’s cartoons or toys or whatever is so praiseworthy, so astounding that George — How would you say it? Okay, I’m going to say it: George is the force behind it. Eventually, maybe, people run out of ideas, they lose track of what was the really neat stuff that we really went for. Then he wisely — probably thankfully, I don’t know but I would imagine — said, “Okay, I’ve done this, now you go play with it. Go play in the sandbox. I’ve given you the basic ingredients.” Darth Vader, Yoda, all these names that are everywhere now. [For me], it’s almost to the point of, “Oh please, let me off, for one day! Let me not hear this clock forever ticking in my ear.” But that’s the way it is now. Star Wars Rebels is just one way of bridging this 18-month gap between now and the next [film]. Rebels producer, Dave Filoni, he knows what he’s doing. He upped the ante on the previous things we’ve done. It’s a tremendous form of access for young people and for parents to sit with their kids.

InterviewerL I saw the premiere of Rebels at Comic Con and was impressed. It had that sort of early Star Wars feel to it, which is elusive to capture.

Daniels: It’s very elusive and I’ll tell you: It’s where we’re going now with Episode VII. We’re all back. And it’s great, actually, that Rebels is set before Episode IV because that film is quintessential basic, “This is Star Wars.” And you know George always used to say every time I arrived on set, I would always arrive for the first time back on set in costume, and during the prequels George would say when I arrived on set that “Star Wars has arrived” — because I was the old fashioned link. Rebels is is an old fashion link to the old fashion film, which which we all loved. And you will love Episode VII — I have electrodes strapped to my head to zap me if I say anything more about it.

[snip]

Interviewer: ... Harrison Ford once famously asked George Lucas to kill off Han Solo in Return of the Jedi. What is your personal preference for the fate of C-3PO?

Daniels: A child about 10 once asked me: “Is it hot in the costume?” And I said, “If only somebody had asked me a question that had never been asked before.” And he paused and said: “What would that be?” Well, of course, I smacked him, I knocked him into the ground, the little creep! You have asked me a question I’ve never been asked before … You asked the most interesting question I have ever been asked.

Interviewr: Really? That’s flattering.

Daniels: Don’t get carried away. You asked me 20 others. It took half an hour to get to an interesting question. But you have asked me a brilliant question… [Pause]. Humans die … I guess, wow. … Would he rust, gently? … I think probably he would realize that his programming was failing, that it was too old fashioned, and Microsoft had stopped supporting that particular brand. He would see upcoming new robots and realize his power source was running out. He’d say to R2, “Can you go down and get me a new power spectrum?” or whatever. I don’t think he’d ever — I’m looking at this image with [C-3PO having his replacement] silver leg. I think he would go on. Getting spare parts, getting surgery. And I think the people around him, humans and droids alike, would help because he would become part of their daily lives, part of their environment. They wouldn’t want to let him go. You know, I’m a great do-it-yourself person at home. I mend pretty much anything I can, whether it’s melting plastic with a hot skewer from the stove because the plastic is cracked, or with my glue gun mending this or that, or cannibalizing a part from something else that I kept in the workshop. I will keep objects going. I’m not from the throw-away culture, I’m from the make-and-mend culture. Threepio is nice to have around. I think he would go on and on and on.
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Source: http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/16/star-wars-anthony-daniels-interview/1/
Date: September 16th, 2014.

Echo Base, Sep 16, 2014

#56

Andy Wylde, Abadacus, Han Burgundy and 2 others like this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Neither of these are cast member interviews but since concrete information of any kind is so scarce at this stage, I am including them here anyway.

Rian Johnson on Episode 8:

Terry Gilliam, “Please bring Frank Oz back!”

Rian Johnson, “You kidding? How could you not. How could you not!”

[snip]

Gilliam, “Will you be coming to London to shoot?”

Johnson, “Yeah we’ll be shooting at Pinewood.”
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Source: http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...-filming-schedule-full-interview-part-12.html
Date: September 19th, 2014.

BBC interview with Roger Moore:

Roger Moore: …Anyway, the day before last, I know we stopped by the office, and I went up to see – on a very closed, secret set – my friend J. J. Abrams, who is directing Star Wars.

BBC: Ooh, wow!

Moore: …With Harrison Ford.

BBC: So, what were they filming that day? Can you tell me?

Moore: Well, yes! They were filming something with a lot of mountains and snow.

BBC: Okay, hmm.

Moore: But I’m assigned to secrecy.
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Source: http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/0...r-wars-episode-7-set-confirms-ice-planet.html
Date: September 21st, 2014.

Echo Base, Sep 21, 2014

#57
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Interviewer: Have you had much interactions with the original trio of Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill on or off-screen?

Oscar Isaac: Yeah, I have. Both. They’re such funny people. Carrie is hilarious and doing such cool work. Harrison is back. He went on hiatus for a little while, but he’s 150 percent back. It’s pretty amazing to see him bounce back. He looks incredible. Everyone’s having a really good time. J.J. sets that tone. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and it’s being done with a lot of heart. There’s nothing cynical about the way we’re doing this. Even in the way he’s shooting it—he’s shooting on film and actually building the sets, so you’ve got hundreds of Stormtroopers or whatever, and hundreds of extras and all the ships. You actually see it. It’s all real. Everyone can interact with the world.

[snip]

Interviewer: The original Star Wars, of which you’ve said you’re a big fan, are filled with cheesy lines and dialogue which the actors have not shied away from criticizing over the years. How does this compare?

Iasaac: Yeah. [Laughs] I’m constantly looking for a cheesy line to say to harken back to the old ones. No, what they’re trying to do and what’s really great is J.J.’s been loosening it up a little bit and trying to make it alive and energized. It’s not formal. They’re messy, energized people. We’ve all intentionally tried to do that. Just make it a little more fiery and messy.

Click to expand...

Source: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/09/.../?hootPostID=3f85087b18b2b777126bbd63243e1dc4
Date: September 23rd, 2014

Echo Base, Sep 23, 2014

#58
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

These are some very old quotes from Abrams, Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. They aren't very substantial but I will include them in here for completeness' sake:

IGN: You’ve been able to find a balance in your work, between the more heartfelt, personal stuff like dramedies and big genre pieces like Raiders of the Lost Ark, two Star Wars movies and now the new Star Wars movies. Was that by design?

Lawrence Kasdan: I liked all those kinds of movies. I was very fortunate. I was able to come in and sell two originals. They were sort of people stories. Then I got hired to do Raiders, and that put me in another world. As soon as I had written Raiders and Empire, I was able to direct, and I did Body Heat and The Big Chill. I was really fortunate. One world opened up another and that world opened up another.

IGN: Speaking of these worlds, can you tell us, how surprised were you when they said, “Hey, we’re doing more Star Wars, and we’d like you to come back and become involved in this?”

Kasdan: I was pleased that there would be new ones, that there was a chance to capture some of the spirit of the original trilogy that I’d worked on. I thought there’s an audience out there -- my grandchildren, lots of original Star Wars people -- and there always will be. It’s only good that we try to do some more great ones.

[snip]

IGN: When then asked if his Star Wars standalone movie would utilize existing characters, Kasdan simply flashed a Cheshire cat smile and said nothing.

[snip]

IGN: Lawrence Kasdan's filmography is astounding. Can you talk a bit about what his work has meant to you?

Simon Kinberg: Raiders and The Empire Strikes Back were the two reasons I wanted to get into movies when I was a kid. I didn’t know that you could write movies, I didn’t know what the process was of making movies. I just knew I wanted to make movies like that. Then I found out he wrote Jedi, The Big Chill and ten other classic movies. He’s been an idol of mine from when I was a kid, through high school, through film school. I studied Raiders and Empire more than any other movies. I’ve watched each of them probably one hundred-plus times. He’s a lovely guy, and I’ve gotten to know him a bit. He’s as good a guy as he is a writer, which doesn’t happen all the time with your idols.

IGN: Is there anything you can say in terms of working with established Star Wars characters, or are you coming from a whole new plot and characters for your standalone movie?

Kinberg: This is what I would say: as a fan, I wouldn’t want to know too much. I know that’s impossible because it’s not the '70s or '80s anymore, but part of what was so exciting about A New Hope for me was I was entering into a universe I didn’t know. Even in Empire, I was surprised by a twist I never would have seen coming. But it’s different nowadays. I understand the excitement, and I’m happy that people are interested, obviously. But I’d rather people have something left to discover when they go in.
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Source: http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/02/...on-star-wars-episode-vii-and-standalone-films
Date: February 8th, 2013.

Abrams: It [Star Wars] is so massive and so important to peopleI think the key to moving forward on something like this is honoring but not revering what came before.
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Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jj-abrams-star-wars-plans-565077
Date: August 6th. 2013.

Abrams: If you watch the first movie, you don't actually know exactly what the Empire is trying to do... They're going to rule by fear -- but you don't know what their endgame is. You don't know what Leia is princess of. You don't yet understand who Jabba the Hutt is, even though there is a reference to him. You don't know that Vader is Luke's father, Leia is his sister -- but the possibility is all there. The beauty of that movie was that it was an unfamiliar world, and yet you wanted to see it expand and to see where it went.
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Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jj-abrams-fondly-recalls-time-652787
Date: November 3rd, 2013.

************

Finally, this is a little off-topic but it is really interesting to compare Abrams' view of film as a social experience with that of Peter Greenaway:

Abrams described how his kids play video games connected to their friends, compared with his own childhood of playing with friends face to face. “What is social is very different from when we were kids,” Abrams said.

He then pointed to his love of cinema, explaining to the filled session at Fox's Zanuck Theatre, "the sound of a room this size experiencing something as a community is in our DNA.”
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/produced-by-jj-abrams-films-565027
Date: August 6th, 2013.

PETER GREENAWAY: I think cinema is dead. I'll give you the date, it's the 31st of September 1983, when the zapper or the remote control was introduced into the living rooms of the world.

Basically cinema cannot be interactive, it cannot be multimedia. You sit in the dark. What the **** are you doing sitting in the dark, man is not a nocturnal animal. You spend all your activity looking forward, so that means two thirds of the world is behind your head, and if you are watching a feature film you have to sit still for two hours, even in your bed last night you were not still for two hours. We've been playing this silly stupid game for far too long.

THEA DIKEOS: But you've been part of it! But you've been making films!

PETER GREENAWAY: Yeah but that gives me an extraordinary opportunity and experience to be able to rubbish it. It's finished now. It might have satisfied our fathers and forefathers, but we have moved on.
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Source: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2009/s2712069.htm
Date: October 12th, 2009.

Greenaway has also had this, specifically, to say about Star Wars:

Greenaway trained as a painter, and considered cinema a "pathetic adjunct" to that medium. His visually rich, difficult movies, often based on paintings or visual images, have earned him accusations of intellectual snobbery but he said that he firmly believed the changes in how films were made would ultimately be acceptable to a wider audience. He pointed to controversy when the first Star Wars movie came out, how people felt it was too fast and too difficult to understand, but how the way it was made had entered the language of film.

"We're obliged to look at new media... it's exciting and stimulating, and I believe we will have an interactive cinema which will make Star Wars look like a 16th-century lantern lecture," Greenaway said.

Click to expand...

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...d-blames-the-remotecontrol-zapper-394546.html
Date: October 10th, 2007.

******
Okay, back on topic!

Echo Base, Sep 25, 2014

#59
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Another quote from Kasdan about the spin-off films:

Perhaps most amusing was the way the screenwriter danced around the quality of the uniformly maligned "Star Wars" prequels without ever dropping a proper diss (that's 64-year-old wisdom and diplomacy for you).

Kasdan: “The ones I worked on were a long time ago, and they had a slightly different feeling than the ones that followed... The first three, ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Empire’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’ are all sort of more about people than the ones that followed. ‘Empire’ appeals to people, I think, because it’s the second act of a three-act play, and everything sort of goes to hell during the movie. And when you leave, everyone is in trouble, and that is the best part of the story to write. And people responded to it. Irvin Kershner was a completely different kind of director than George, so the movie’s much darker than the first ‘Star Wars.’ It’s more edgy.

...the million dollar question: will the spin-offs feature folks like Han Solo, Boba Fett, Yoda or new characters all together? Kasdan wouldn't say (nor would he comment on movies based on those characters), but he did drop this statement that fans will puzzle over and piece apart for the next few days.

Kasdan: “I’m trying to start fresh... There are certain pleasures that we think the saga can bring to people that they’ve been missing [in the prequels], and we’re hoping to bring them that, and at the same time, have them feel that it’s all new.

Click to expand...

Source: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...quels-says-spin-offs-will-star-fresh-20130211
Date: February 11th, 2013.

Echo Base, Sep 25, 2014

#60
Darth Malgus Jedi Youngling

Registered:

May 12, 2014

Interviewer: What is it like working within the secrecy surrounding "Star Wars"?

Oscar Isaac: You can’t say anything. You can’t say ****. But it’s fine! I don’t know why people are so obsessed with finding out stuff before the movie comes out. It’s so much more fun to just go. I mean, I don’t do that. I don’t go looking for stuff that I’m interested in, you know, to try and find out pictures and what the movie’s about. It’s so much more fun to be surprised.

Interviewer: Is there anything you are excited about that won't reveal anything about your mysterious, yet-to-be-announced character?

Oscar Isaac: There’s not anything that I can say about the character, but I can say that I’m most excited and, I know this seems nerdy, but I love the fact that J.J. Abrams is shooting it on film. And that’s not just from an aesthetic standpoint -- it really does matter -- but it’s about how a movie is filmed and the set, it changes it. It changes so many things. I mean, I’ve had to do things over again because there was a hair in the gate, which is so old school, but it just feels better, and movies are all about feeling, so I think that’s something that I’m so very excited about apart from the fact that it looks amazing, so textured and alive.

Interviewer: Okay, here's a nostalgia-based question that you'll be allowed to answer: How do you feel about the "updates" George Lucas has made to the films?

Oscar Isaac: Well, it’s a funny thing. I mean there’s two things. As an artist, like, he made the ****, so why can’t he do whatever the heck he wants with it. There’s a part of me that appreciates that he doesn’t really care if people are upset about it. He decided to share it with all of it and he wants to go back and do stuff, whatever. But as a fan, I’d much rather go back and watch the old thing, because it’s a product of the time. It’s what did you do at the time with the things that you had. And that’s what made that movie so amazing. At that time with that technology he made this thing and it was ****ing awesome. So, you know, to go back and kind of tweak it with new stuff, it doesn’t make it more interesting for me as a watcher. It makes it less interesting, but I can’t fault him for doing that.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/25/oscar-isaac-star-wars_n_5881120.html
Date: September 25th, 2014.

Darth Malgus, Sep 27, 2014

#61

Echo Base likes this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

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Jul 21, 2013

The original Star Wars wasn't really supposed to be called "Episode IV" back in 1977:

Kurtz: We were toying with the idea of calling it Episode III, IV, or V — something in the middle. Fox hated that idea. They said it’ll really confuse the audience — and actually they were right. If you go to see a film, and it’s been touted as this new science fiction film, and it says Episode III up there, you’d say, “What the hell?”

We were a bit clouded by the fact that we wanted it to be as much like Flash Gordon as possible. Because if you went to Saturday morning pictures and came in and saw episode eight of Flash Gordon, you’d have the scroll at the beginning, the rollup, which we imitated. So we thought that would be really clever. But it was stupid at the time, because it’d be impossible to explain to anybody what it meant.

On George Lucas' frequent claim that he made Star Wars by taking the first draft, chopping it into thirds — which then became the original trilogy:

Kurtz: That’s not true. There were a lot of little bits and pieces that were reasonably good ideas and that ended up being in the final draft. But once the final draft was actually locked and the Huycks did their polish on it, there wasn’t enough material to do other movies.

There were some odd ideas that got thrown out, like the Wookiee planet; that was a cost factor. There were some other ideas that might have been included if there was more budget. Some of those ended up in later films. But [George's story on how it is written] is perpetuated by the fact that he and I did interviews at the time of the opening of Star Wars, saying we took a section out of the middle because there was too much material and we want to do more films.

After the film opened, Fox said, “Can you do another one?” And we said it’s possible, but for cost purposes it would be better if we committed to two more because we can amortize the cost of sets and everything that way. So that’s really what happened. But the story material was not fully formed.
Click to expand...

Source: http://mashable.com/2014/09/27/star...:eyJzIjoidCIsImkiOiJfaHl2N2ZiNmZ6M3ByMnc1ZSJ9
Date: September 27th, 2014.

Echo Base, Sep 30, 2014

#62
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Interviewer: Do you look at the Hayden Christensen arc of the new trilogy and see him, like now he's obviously in Sith, go full-bore to the dark side and... go, man, in Return of the Jedi, that should have been me?

Hamill: I pitched that to George.

Interviewer: Did you really? So did you, in the last one, in Jedi, just want to go nuts?

Hamill: No. As an actor, I thought that would be more fun to play. I just thought that was the way it was going from when we finished Two, I thought that's what will be the pivotal moment, that I'll have to come back but I'll have to have Han Solo in my crosshairs and be about to kill him or be about to kill the Princess or be about to kill somebody that we care about and, you know, it'll be, you know, it's an old cornball movie like World War Two movies and stuff and I was the one who said to George, because, you know, I live in Japan that I should come back with a shave widow's peak and a topknot and a braid and he said, "No, I want your hair to look exactly like it did in the other two" you know, and then of course what do I see?

Interviewer: Anakin Skywalker got himself a braid, looking a little Asian and whatnot.

Hamill: He drives you crazy...

Click to expand...

Source: http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/1...ng-together-about-star-wars-back-in-2006.html (11:46 onwards)
Date: 2006.

Echo Base, Oct 6, 2014

#63
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Joel Edgerton: Adam Driver and I worked together on this Jeff Nichols movie last year. Literally, he got cast, and then I heard he was going to playing new whatever version of the villain in the new ‘Star Wars’ movie. The next day I had to do a scene with him after I read this. I said ‘I’m scared to do this scene with you now because you might [Force choke me].
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/1959999/adam-driver-star-wars-villain/
Date: October 10th, 2014

Echo Base, Oct 11, 2014

#64

BigAl6ft6 likes this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

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Jul 21, 2013

"Star Wars Episode VII director J.J Abrams seems to be almost ready to start talking about the plot of the upcoming film. Abrams recently spoke with French newspaper Metro, where he was asked whether Episode VII would feature a love story. Abrams replied with:

No doubt, even if I already know I want to approach this project in a different way.
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Source: http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2013/06/abrams-hints-at-love-story-in-episode.html
Date: 16th of June, 2013.

Echo Base, Oct 27, 2014

#65

Darth_Bertie and ThreeDeathstickProblem like this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

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Jul 21, 2013

Neither of these contain any information of any real substance but I'll include them here for posterity since they are adding to the general buzz of excitement on this board right now:

Anthony Daniels:

"No movie sequel is better than The Empire Strikes Back." You might eat those words for Xmas dinner in 2015. Joy & Indigestion to the world!
Click to expand...

Source: https://twitter.com/ADaniels3PO/status/529079083460616192
Date: November 2nd, 2014.

Christina Chong:

On SW in general:

My boyfriend is a huge Star Wars fan and kept saying I needed to watch it. I was busy doing my thing but got round to watching when I knew I was auditioning. I thought I was going to be watching this dated film but it’s brilliant and timeless. I absolutely loved it...
Click to expand...

On her age:

I’m as old as I look... I really can’t say, it’s not a big deal but I don’t want to be pigeonholed by casting directors...
Click to expand...

On SW7:

Unfortunately, all I can say is it was incredible to be involved. It is probably the biggest film in cinema history and to be part of that is amazing. People are very fond of it.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle...een-such-an-incredible-adventure-9835002.html
Date: November 3rd, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 4, 2014

#66

ThreeDeathstickProblem likes this.
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Jul 21, 2013

Since he appeared at the Shooting Wrap Party, it seems increasingly-likely that Simon Pegg has a role in SW7 as well, so here are some quotes from him:

Interviewer: Is it true that you wrote your undergraduate thesis on a Marxist overview of popular 1970s cinema and hegemonic discourses?

Pegg: I did. The piece was actually called Base and Super Sucker which was a play on the phrase “Basic Super Structure”, which is a Marxist proposition, hegemony and consent in Star Wars and related works. Basically I was using Marxist modes of critical theory to address Star Wars. And the main thrust of it was that if you watch any kind of television or theatre or film that has certain kind of themes or opinions and you don’t critically recognize them, then you consent with them. So very simply put, if you watch a racist comedian and you laugh, then you are a racist. And there are various preoccupations and concerns that flow through popular cinema that reflect things that are going on in society, certain ideas and certain fears. The thesis suggested that by watching films like those you are participating in those fears and preoccupations.

Interviewer: What aspects of Star Wars did you apply that to?

Pegg: Well, for instance at the time, in the late seventies and mid-eighties we were in the height of nuclear paranoia and we were feeling that we could be bombed at any second by the Russians, and a lot of films at the time reflect that sense of ill-ease, particularly Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. All those films are riddled with bomb paranoia and also with justifications for having bombs like that. So you have weapons like the Genesis Project in Star Trek, you have the Death Star, the Force, you have the Ark of the Covenant, all of which are fine in the hands of good people. Like the Ark is fine if it’s owned by the Americans, the Genesis Project is fine if it’s with the Federation, but with the Klingons it’s a weapon; the Death Star is a bad thing because bad people shouldn’t have big bombs. It was basically kind of saying that ultimate power is okay as long as it’s in the hands of the righteous. So yes we’re allowed to wield nuclear bombs, but they aren’t, that kind of thing. And also Raiders of the Lost Ark is the most brilliant one in that it’s saying “If you don’t look at it, it can’t hurt you.” Almost kind of like, leave it to us or leave it to the government. And Spielberg wasn’t saying that, but these things just float to the surface—these preoccupations that maybe if we don’t look at it it’ll go away. That’s how Indy and Marion survived all those avenging angels in the end of Raiders: they just closed their eyes. It’s indicative of how society was feeling at the time.

Click to expand...

Source: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/feature-interview-simon-pegg/
Date: August 2011

“I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be in it [Star Wars 7], to be honest,” he said. “I think J.J. should cast new faces with no stunt casting.”

“I wouldn’t want to be popped out of (enjoyment of) the film by a knowing cameo. I think it would be great to do it properly.”

“When we watched the first Star Wars I didn’t know anybody – even Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing, who were emissaries from a more classical acting world. For me as a kid it was all new faces. I believed every single one of them. I think, let’s not be post-modern about it.”

Click to expand...

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...boot-would-be-mission-impossible-8820117.html
Date: September 16th, 2013.

"Well, J.J. uses me in different roles, and we're good friends. I feel like my face in Star Wars would pop people out of the movie. Look, I love Star Wars, and I don't want people to watch and go, 'Oh, there's Simon Pegg's face.' The film is cleverly cast with these amazing, unknown actors."

When asked outright if he wasn't in the film, he replied with a smile and said:

"Of course I visited the set. It's amazing, and I love Star Wars. I want to see everything happening. It looks wonderful, and you need to believe those characters. Any type of stunt casting might just pop you out of the movie."
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=121191
Date: July 29th, 2014

"How Simon Pegg's Daughter Saved Star Wars"

"It all started when Pegg sat down his then 3-year-old daughter to watch "A New Hope," followed swiftly by "The Empire Strikes Back." It was when Yoda first arrived that the big moment occurred:"

“When he appears, I saw her sort of sit up. She looked at the screen and then she looked at me and then she looked back at the screen and she watched it for a bit. And then she said – ‘Daddy, he’s real!’ And I kind of like burst out crying. I was like – ‘You’re my child!’ And it’s because he’s there. He’s there interacting with Mark Hamill. Even if he was CG, we’d still know he wasn’t really there because he’s a sort of a little long-eared alien. But the fact that it was a puppet who’s existing in the same space as Mark Hamill, talking to him, it made her believe in him in a way that CG would never do.”

Click to expand...

Pegg said he related the story to his colleague and friend J.J. Abrams, who turned around and used that it to convince top-level executives at Disney and Lucasfilm “as a good argument for using puppets and masks and that kind of thing” on the new "Star Wars" films.

When Pegg finally got the chance to visit the "Star Wars" set (and possibly shoot a role in the movie, depending on who you believe), the actor was approached by some of the puppeteers, who identified him as “the guy whose daughter saved 'Star Wars'”

“I know that J.J. had always planned to do that,” Pegg said of the new film’s use of practical effects, “but it was a nice little validation of that impulse, I think, to have a child of that age say that.”

Click to expand...

Source: http://www.hitfix.com/news/did-simon-peggs-daughter-save-jj-abrams-star-wars
Date: September 11th, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 4, 2014

#67
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Not really an interview but here is a link to Warwick Davis' video comedy skit confirming that he is in Episode 7 for anyone who has not seen it (I won't transcribe it):

http://www.thewrap.com/warwick-davis-returning-for-star-wars-episode-vii-video/
Date: October 16th, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 4, 2014

#68
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Since Kiran Shah was also at the wrap party, here is an old interviews with him (nothing SW7 related, unfortunately but gives insight into the kind of characters he plays):

Interviewer: Which movie are you most proud of? If you had to name a movie that you want to be remembered for, which one would it be?

Shah: I am proud of these three movies which are Legend, The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. You will notice that they all are fantasy movies as they are an excellent escape from reality.
This is a difficult question to answer. I think I need to do a few more movies where I can explore characters in depth and then I will be able to answer this question.

Interviewer: Of all the characters that you have played during your career, which one is your favorite?

Shah: To tell you the truth the favorite character that I have played has to be Ginarrbrik.

Interviewer: In Return of the Jedi, you were one of the Ewoks. Could you share your memories about the scenes you were in?

Shah: I played a few different stunt Ewoks. Whenever you see a Ewok swinging, falling, tripping over and getting hit it was one of the stunt Ewoks. There were other stunt Ewoks with me.

Interviewer: In The Dark Crystal, you played the role of Jen. There were only a few actors in this movie, as it was a puppet-movie; almost everyone was a puppeteer, like Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Was it weird to act in this movie next to all these puppets?

Shah: They were all puppet characters. We were training for six months and filmed for six months. In the beginning it was funny to see people talking to puppets. Yet, there was a puppeteer who was covered up with his puppet. You can only see the puppet and it was always moving in a way just like a human and one soon forgets that it is a puppet; you end up talking to a puppet and it would answer back.

Click to expand...

Source: http://starwarsinterviews1.blogspot.com.au/2010/01/kiran-shah-interview.html
Date: 2006.

This is not from a film crew member but it is formal written verfication that shooting for the film took place on Skellig Michael (not that anyone had any doubts):

In a written Dáil response to Independent TD Catherine Murphy, [Irish Heritage Minster] Ms Humphreys said:

Following discussion with my officials, the film company submitted a revised application with a significant reduction in activity and a redesign of several elements of the original proposal, including a 90% reduction in proposed helicopter activity for the project.

The revised application was then screened for appropriate assessment in accordance with the Birds and Natural Habitats regulations. The screening concluded that, provided the avoidance and mitigation measures proposed by the film company were implemented in full, and subject to 15 special conditions attached to the consent for the project, the proposal would not have a significant effect on the Skelligs Special Protection Area.

... The activities of the film crew were supervised at all times by personnel from the Office of Public Works and my department’s National Monuments and National Parks and Wildlife Services. A condition of the consent was that the salary costs and expenses of NPWS staff were charged to the filming company.
Click to expand...

... But she's a politician and they're not to be trusted.

Source: http://www.irishexaminer.com/irelan...ichil-shoot-had-its-wings-clipped-293721.html
Date: October 24th, 2014

Again, not an interview but I will also capture that letter here thanking the cast and crew since it is formal confirmation of a few more locations. It reads, in part:

From the deserts of Abu Dhabi, to the Forest of Dean, to the stages of Pinewood you have risen to every challenge...
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-29862707
Date: November 2nd, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 4, 2014

#69
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Here is another old interview, this time from Lupita N'yongo. Again, it doesn't say anything of substance about SW7, other than confirm that she is in the film:

They [her favourite characters, R2-D2 and C-3PO] just resonated with me. Being able to convey emotions with just a few digital sounds - it speaks of good storytelling. It's a wonderful opportunity to be working in these fantastical realms. They're worlds away from 12 Years a Slave, that's for sure, but that kind of diversity is what dreams are made of.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/lupita-nyongo-lands-vogue-cover-3747181
Date: June 23rd, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 5, 2014

#70

ThreeDeathstickProblem likes this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

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Jul 21, 2013

Various Benedict Cumberbatch quotations:

People know I’d like to be [in Star Wars 7], including the boss, most importantly.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/1713697/star-wars-rumor-benedict-cumberbatch/
Date: August 9th, 2013.

"Of course I’d love to do Star Wars and work with JJ Abrams again because we had such a good time on Star Trek, but nobody has been cast and there are no offers out to anyone apart from the regulars who are returning. So that’s that rumour quashed.” Then he adds with a grin: “We’ll have to wait and see.”
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...ch-interview-Star-Wars-Well-wait-and-see.html
Date: September 7th, 2013.

On discussing a possible part in SW7:

J.J. and I are friends, so yeah, possibly but I think J.J. is very good at creating something original out of something known, and I think apart from his continuing use of Simon Pegg — and who can blame him, frankly — it made sense not to do it.

Click to expand...

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/1879133/benedict-cumberbatch-star-wars-simon-pegg/
Date: July 25th, 2014.

I went to the set. It was incredible... I probably shouldn't be saying these things.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-10-24/benedict-cumberbatch-has-visited-the-set-of-star-wars
Date: October 24th, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 5, 2014

#71

ThreeDeathstickProblem likes this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

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Jul 21, 2013

Since we are almost down to the 400 day mark, principal shooting has wrapped up and rumours are abounding that the release of an early trailer is imminent, I thought it might be a good point in time to take stock of what we know, based solely on the interviews and quotations in this thread and in the George Lucas one.

What I have done here is summarised all of the factual, concrete information I can derive from the quotes and interviews gathered so far and put them in a summary to see what kind of a picture of the film we can build up from them. Of course, we still don't even know the names of ANY the characters being played by the new cast members or even who the three main leads are let alone the plot but we can form some impressions of the tone of the film based on what people have said. A vague impression is emerging from the mist.

Note that, in summarising this information, I am taking everyone at face value, including George Lucas and including things that were said decades ago, even though they have very likely changed. The only person whose quotes I have actually ignored is Gary Kurtz since it is unlikely that the ST bears any resemblance to what he and Lucas discussed years ago. Everything else I am taking in good faith. Also, just to reiterate, this summary information is based solely on what those close to the film have actually said. All other rumours and speculation swirling around have been ignored.

With that said, this is what we can say about Episode 7:

Background
George Lucas provided the story treatments for the sequel trilogy. Lucas wanted to explore what the Original Trilogy characters would be like when they were older.

Themes of the Sequel Trilogy:
This third trilogy is about what happened to Luke afterwards. It is about moral and philosophical problems and passing on what you have learned and what it means to be Jedi Knight and how wisdom is needed to distinguish right from wrong.

It is also about the rebuilding of the Republic

There are also “universal themes of siblings and parents and betrayal and trust.”

The Tone of the Sequel Trilogy:
It is ethereal in tone.

It is also likely to have a carefree, light tone. Neither Hamill nor Abrams want it to be dark. It is also described as having the spirit of the whole universe.

It is for children. It is a fairy tale. Lucas likes characters to live happily ever after and for main characters not to be killed.

It will be less commercial than the middle trilogy.

There will be a retro feel and more practical effects. There will be a balance between CGI and practical effects.

Other Emphases of the Narrative
There will be a strong focus on characters with whom the audience can relate.

There will be a love story.

Narrative Viewpoint
The story will be told from the droids’ perspective.

Plot
No information has been given.

Settings
Episode 7 takes place 20-30 years after Return of the Jedi.

The Sequel Trilogy itself takes place over the course of 6 or 7 years.

Locations known to be used:
Abu Dhabi Desert.
Pinewood Studio (one set has mountains and snow)
Skellig Michael (Island off Irish Coast with Celtic Christian monastery)
Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire, United Kingdom)

Returning Characters
Luke Skywalker: Luke is now 60 years old. He is the main focus. He may or may not end up with a girl. He is on another plane of existence or “not the same character”. He will down pass down his lightsabre to the next new hope. He will be bearded. There will be more focus on his power with Jedi mind tricks than on his lightsabre prowess. He will be an Obi-Wan-like character in terms of his influence.

Han Solo: Han and Leia will be together. Han has at least one scene with the Millenium Falcon.

Leia Organa: Leia will not sport a British accent this time. She will be much like she was before but slower.

Chewbacca: Peter Mayhew will be returning as this character.

R2-D2 and C-3PO: The droids will be the only characters to appear in all 9 films. Anthony Daniels is in it but Kenny Baker won’t be due to illness. C-3PO has grown in confidence.

Warwick Davies: There is no information on this actor’s character at this stage. Possibly playing an Ewok again but this is not confirmed.

Kiran Shah: There is no information on this actor’s character at this stage. Possibly playing an Ewok again. Possibly playing an Ewok again but this is not confirmed.

Characters Who Do Not Appear to Be Returning in Episode 7
Lando Calrissian: Billy Dee Williams has apparently not been contacted to appear in Episode 7.
Padme Amidala: Padme is dead. Natalie Portman has not been contacted to appear in Episode 7.
Qui-Gon Jinn: Liam Neeson has not been contacted to appear in Episode 7.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Ewan McGregor has not been contacted to appear in Episode 7.
Yoda: Frank Oz has not been contacted to appear in Episode 7.

New Cast Members
Domhnall Gleeson: There is no information on this actor’s character at this stage.
Oscar Isaac: There is no information on this actor’s character at this stage.
Daisy Ridley: There is no information on this actress’ character at this stage.
Max von Sydow: There is no information on this actor’s character at this stage.
Simon Pegg: There is no information on this actor’s character at this stage. However, he does not want people to recognise his face.
Andy Serkis: This actor appears in a cameo role. His character is “interested in lightsabres.”
John Boyega: There is no information on this actor’s character at this stage.
Lupita N’yongo: There is no information on this actress’ character at this stage.
Gwendoline Christie: There is no information on this actress’ character at this stage.
Christina Chong: There is no information on this actress’ character at this stage.
Healer twins: They have a scene outdoors set in the Abu Dhabi desert.
Benedict Cumberbatch – This actor has visited the set. It is unclear if he has a role.

Villains
Palpatine: The Emperor can transform himself into a ghost. Ian McDiarmid has not been contacted to appear in Episode 7.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader: James Earl Jones has not been contacted to appear in Episode 7. It is unknown if David Prowse and/or Hayden Christensen will be returning.
Adam Driver: Adam Driver is rumoured by an acting colleague to be playing a villain
Extras: There will be “hundreds of stormtoopers.”

Spaceships
The Millenium Falcon and “many others” will appear.

Episode 8:
Rian Johnson will be directing. He wants Yoda to appear in it.

Episode 9:
The Republic is restored by the end of the film.

The Saga ends with R2-D2 recounting the story of the Skywalker clan to a Shaman of the Whills.

Echo Base, Nov 5, 2014

#72

Immortiss and Dak Oolron like this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

I am back from holidays and we have our first post-title announcement interview, this time with Carrie Fisher, in the South China Morning Post. Still not much substance about the film, though.

We’re referred to as the legacy characters. No one knows that... I always thought that was the worst, oldest word you could ever … It’s something I heard as we were going along: ‘the legacy characters’. That word is very weird to me. It means you have grey hair.

The thing is about these movies: they’re part of everyone’s childhood and that’s what’s so extraordinary about them.

People have known me all their lives – better than I’ve known myself. And they’ve liked me a lot more than I’ve liked myself a lot of those times. That’s what I think is so powerful; it’s these fairytales and there’s going to be more. There’s something so darling. There’s this British word, chuffed. I’m chuffed to be a part of it.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ong-kong-charity-ball-revels-star-wars-legacy
Date: November 23rd, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 24, 2014

#73
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Might as well record Abrams' announcement of the first trailer here for posterity as well, since it is the first thing we have heard from him for a while:

A tiny* peek at what we're working on - this Friday in select theatres. Hope you enjoy, and have a most excellent Thanksgiving!

Best,

J. J.

* 88 seconds.
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Source: https://twitter.com/bad_robot/status/536950878310129664/photo/1
Date: November 24th, 2014.

Echo Base, Nov 24, 2014

#74

ThreeDeathstickProblem likes this.
Echo Base Jedi Master

Registered:

Jul 21, 2013

Our first post-teaser trailer interview features Benedict Cumberbatch:

Interviewer: Finally, I want to ask about the Star Wars trailer.

Cumberbatch: Yes, I can put that one to bed, can't I? I mean, I am not the voice of the Star Wars trailer, nor am I the hooded character with the rather cool new lightsaber, so... no, no, no.

Interviewer: Are you in the movie somewhere?

Cumberbatch: No.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2014/12/cumberwatch-benedict-cumberbatch.html (See video at 3:58 mark onwards)
Date: December 1st, 2014.

Echo Base, Dec 1, 2014

#75

Dak Oolron likes this.

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