Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Rumors 723
Stop reading if you're spoiler paranoid. ChazeFroy writes "The actor who played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, Peter Mayhew, will be in Episode III. Of course, this has been previously reported and comes as no surprise. However, TheForce is reporting that Mayhew's contract contains a stipulation that he must also appear in Episodes 7, 8, and 9. This was first reported in the British movie magazine Hot Dog, whose December issue with this news just hit US newstands."
Better be Zahn's Trilogy. (Score:5, Insightful)
Episode III better rock (Score:3, Insightful)
Who cares (Score:3, Insightful)
3 times the crap! (Score:5, Insightful)
I have to say, as much as I love Star Wars, I will have to seriously think about even going to see Episode 3. I'm not terribly hopeful. 3 more movies just doesn't fill me with any joy any more. From a worldwide love to a worldwide joke. Now -that's- a screwup.
Contracts... (Score:5, Insightful)
IMNAAA (not an acting agent), but isn't this just the sort of thing that gets tossed into lower-paid actor's contracts when a studio is simply hedging its bets? I like the 'bacca as well as the next dude, but he is probably paid less than, say Harrison Ford, on average. It seems likely to me that it wouldn't cost the studio much (if anything) to obligate him in this regard.
Now, if the face-time Ep. 6 folks (Ford, Fisher, Hamilton, et al.) start getting signed into contracts like this then we would be talking.
Re:Better be Zahn's Trilogy. (Score:5, Insightful)
Too Old (Score:5, Insightful)
I wouldn't take stock in this. How old is George Lucas now, 55 60? It takes him roughly 8-10 years a trilogy. He'ld be in a wheelchair by the time he finished the next ones if he even lived that long. I would think he wants to move on and do other things. And who would play all the original roles. All the main actors have not aged well and it would be very shitty to not have Mark Hammil reprise his role as Luke Skywalker or Harrison Ford play Han Solo.
Re:Episodes 7, 8, and 9... (Score:2, Insightful)
Let us never forget... (Score:3, Insightful)
Chewbacca? Now there's an irreplaceable actor! (Score:2, Insightful)
SFX (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't know why they even bother to make episode III. Episode II held my "worst current movie" title for a long time, until I saw the Matrix sequels.
Episode II was so bad, that the only thing that made it watchable was to insert sarcastic comments in the style of MST3K.
I'm afraid the Star Wars franchaise has now joined the ranks of the James Bond and other movie franchaises, where people go to see it simply as a mindless distraction, and not a single person in the audience expects to take it seriously.
Chewbacca Strikes Back? (Score:3, Insightful)
Why bother with him then? If ever a character could be played by someone else it would be Chewbacca! No recognizable voice, or face, or anything. Just a 6'6" guy in a wookie costume with sound effects added in after the fact. I don't mean to be rude to Mr. Mayhew, but what leveridge does he have?
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:4, Insightful)
Troll me if you will, but there are lots of peeps out there who like(d) SW feel the same way.
Horrible, horrible, yet we can't look away (Score:4, Insightful)
1. What percentage of geeks expect to see EpIII?
2. Of those going to see EpIII, what percentage expect it to be anything other than a suckfest?
Anticipated answers:
1. 95%
2. 1%
If GL makes VII-IX, you KNOW everyone is going to go. How can he pass up the chance to make that much money on what amounts to another 9 years of playing with cool toys without any need to work on boring stuff like sympathetic characters or realistic dialog?
Re:3 times the crap! (Score:5, Insightful)
I, on the other hand, have no problem letting ANOTHER person tell HIS story the way he sees fit. I either like it or dislike it - I don't take it as a personal attack on my childhood.
Re:Too Old (Score:5, Insightful)
Funny you should say that. I remember, years ago (around the time of Episode V), George Lucas was asked if the main actors would be back for episodes VII, VIII, and IX; his reply was "sure, if they can be made to look old enough." The implication was that he wanted to set the final trilogy a few decades after the end of Episode VI.
On the other hand, his more recent comment was that he "Never really had a story" for the final trilogy.
On the gripping hand, it's clear that not having a story never really stops him. I refuse to believe that he planned all along for young Skywalker to build C-3PO, for example. I refuse to believe that during filming of Episode IV that he had already planned that Darth Vader would have grown up on Tattooine. I strongly suspect that the whole Luke/Leia being brother/sister was invented after he already had finished Episode IV. He just makes stuff up and sticks it on.
Star Wars is great not because of George Lucas, who got the ball rolling, but because of the contributions of so many people. The sets, costumes, and effects represent man-years of work by many people. At this point you could take Star Wars out of George Lucas's hands and make new movies. (Sadly, they might be better movies for that; George Lucas's recent track record isn't great.)
I predict we'll see Episodes VII, VIII, and IX someday, no matter what George Lucas says now. And we'll probably see other movies as well. (I'd like to see some "Jedi Academy" movies.)
steveha
What the fuck is WITH you people? (Score:3, Insightful)
Pull your heads out of your asses. If you don't like the movies, don't go see them. Star Wars belongs to Lucas. He created it, he owns the empire, and if he wants to film himself slinging handfulls of his own shit at a Slashdot logo, and call it Episode 7, he can.
I doubt we'll ever see those movies, but I'd like to see them get made. And I wont cry on the Internet that they're not the same as the original trilogy. Which kind of makes sense, being that the original trilogy is two decades old. People change, the industry changes, ideas change, technologies change. Get over it. Go watch Lord of the Rings again if you want purity. More than likely, some of you whining peckerwoods will be watching Yet Another Tentacle Rape Hentai flick.
Re:CA$H (Score:3, Insightful)
You're still right, but I'd like to clarify something... Ep 1 had a budget of $115,000,000. Ep 2 had a budget of $120,000,000. Not exactly chump change. They were both extremely profitable, but you should factor the cost of making movies of this magnitude.
Still, the fact that they were that profitable despite the fact that I and everyone I know thinks that they're an affront to the quality of the original trilogy tells me something important (though hardly a new idea): fans of the original trilogy are no longer the target audience of the Star Wars franchise.
Lucas isn't pleasing us these days because he's not trying to please us. And at those numbers, I can hardly blame him. Empire Strikes Back, my personal favorite, had grossed $290,158,751 as of May '97 (source [imdb.com]). If Episode 2 grosses more in one year than Episode 5 grossed in seventeen, the old formula is a hard sell.
i hate the prequels as much as the next guy... (Score:5, Insightful)
Unless you mean the prequels made you realize how lame the series already was by episode 6. How hokey episode 4 was, and how the pinnacle of the series was directed and largely rewritten by people other than Lucas. That could understandably rob you of fond memories. Of course, just watching them again older and wiser would probably have done that.
I could also understand the anger if you were referring to the Greedo-shooting-first destruction of the original series called the 'Special Editions'. But you're not.
my pet theory is that the special editions, and episodes 1, and 2 are precisely the kinds of movies Lucas wanted to make from the beginning.
episode iv represented his first shot, and doubtlessly had piles of constructive criticism and rewrites. then it was proven a cash cow, and the sequel was given to a different director and featured much more rewriting. (largely hailed as the pinnacle of starwars). Then Lucas got control back, and turned out Jedi.
After more time and money, he skull-f#cked the original trilogy with the special editions. then came episode 1 and the truth was unavoidable. episode 2 was salt on a gaping wound.
Without actual creative criticism, Lucas just doesn't churn out the movies we always thought he wanted to make.
It's like the Wachowskis. They probably rewrote the first Matrix a dozen times and were making huge changes even to the shooting script. But who's going to slow down the process of making sequels to a cash cow by saying 'Whoa, guys - you've got some pacing issues that need to be fixed here, and some lame ass dialogue'?
No-one in Hollywood.
NOOOOOOOO! That's impossible... (Score:3, Insightful)
But that's how stories often work best - they throw you in at the deep end so it's exciting and you have to think and work out what's going on. Okay, the prequels fill out the early story a bit for the hardcore fans, but nobody in their right minds, new to the series, would sit through 6+ hours of dross just to understand what the secret plans R2 had were, or to have the "I am your father" surprise ruined for them.
But while the prequels just made the series a bit worse, the sequels would be awful. Even if you think the beginning of the middle trilogy requires some fleshing out, the end is very good. It's a final, definitive end: the bad guy is dead and the galaxy is on the road towards stability. But for gods' sake, we don't need to see it get there. Star Wars became a parody of itself a long time ago, and that's a crying shame because before it was spoilt it was very, very good.
I've wasted four hours of my life on I and II: I suppose I'll waste two more on the off-chance that Boba Fett does something cool, or that Jar-Jar meets a spectacularly bloody end, but that's it. No more. If III is of the same quality as I and II I can't believe Lucas has the nerve even to bring it out, now that LoTR has shown us what can be done with the SF/fantasy epic genre.
To fix Star Wars (Score:3, Insightful)
He was right on with the first two, a G movie for all audiences, with enough plot and depth for older audiences, yet enough cool stuff to captivate children, as well as a reasonably straightforward plot arch (ala Joseph Campbell).
So many mistakes were made in the making of the first two (and I'd wager third) that it's hard to even pretend it's the same series. What makes it the most comical is that with tweaks to each of those stories they could have been grand. My favorite example is Anakin slaughtering all of the Raiders after finding his mother seconds before her dying (way out in the realm of possibility). More realistic would have been to have him sneak in, rescue her, only to have her get shot and then die in his arms and have him return with his rage to wipe them out.
I'm certain that thoughts like mine have been bouncing around Star Wars fans heads. Without copyright being what it is now, enterprising producers would be able to try and correct these wrongs inside of the fans lifetimes (at least with the founders copyright).
At this point I think I'll see Star Wars III at the dollar theater, and if it's better then a steaming pile I'll rent it and watch it on someone's surround sound setup.
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:1, Insightful)
Episode 2 = $310m (US-only)
Episode 3 = another couple dumptrucks full of cash.
Where is Lucas' incentive to stop producing sucky SW movies?
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:3, Insightful)
Obi Wan's character in Episode I was probably the worst thing about the movie other than Jar Jar Binks. The guy should have been identifiable as the same Obi Wan we all knew. He was just Qui Gon Jin's 'Igor-like' monk.
In AOTC, Anakin is a badly acted whining little baby. Lucas should have hired a real writer to develop him into a believeable Darth Vader precursor. Anakin, being so important in all the movies really needs to be real.
Lucas needs to make it less gawdy. The scenes in Mos Eisley were spare - almost desolate, which is what you would expect for a desert planet in the middle of nowhere. Then Lucas adds extra computer generated stuff to it. The desert planet in the middle of nowhere that was so boring Luke couldn't wait to leave now seemed like a happening place which detracted from the movie.
The battles in episodes I and II are dazzlingly detailed. Rather than showing all that detail all the time just because he can, he needs to stop and consider what would actually be there and leave most of the things out that don't have a purpose. Less detail is sometimes more realistic IMO.
No mention of James Earl Jones! (Score:3, Insightful)
And...does James Earl Jones do the (masked) voice of Darth Vader in Ep III? Or will we not see Vader (as we see him in Ep IV) in Ep III? Perhaps just a mangled Anakin, or an early version of the Darth Vader mask.
Hmm..I remember reading long ago, either in a fan magazine or something (maybe the book version of Star Wars?) that Anakin became disfigured, requiring the mask & prostheses, when Obi Wan threw him into a volcano. I hope Lucas remembered that (if it was in the book or in any way "official").
My main gripe about Ep I-II was the lack of continuity with Ep IV-VI -- like Lucas had forgotten the "vision" he'd come up with originally (supposedly he'd sketched out ALL NINE episodes before filming Star Wars). I guess he's fixing it now by modifying Ep IV, V, and VI. Sigh. Better than nothing I suppose...
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:3, Insightful)
I kind of like JarJar, but if this makes a lot of geeks happy and shuts them up, maybe it'll be worth it =P
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:5, Insightful)
Yoda should have been an old master, using tiny movements and his wits to beat the opponent, instead of acting like a happy-fun-ball.
When I heard he was going to fight I pictured this old kung-foo movie I watched once where the old master defeats like three trained guys, not by being stronger or anything, but by not being where they had expected, moving just enough so they'd miss and then he'd pull them off-balance with a little tug and kick them on their way past. Didn't even break a sweat. That was class. Yoda the flubber-muppet was just sad.
Idea: Make Whedon's Firefly instead! (Score:2, Insightful)
No more madness! Stop these horrid movies! Hope Fox'll make Firefly instead.
FIREFLY RULES!!!
Re:Better be Zahn's Trilogy. (Score:2, Insightful)
Indiana Jones, anyone?
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:5, Insightful)
First off, for those of you hoping the battle scenes will be updated, with more vehicles etc - don't hold your breath.
Secondly, the removal of matte lines? You can forget about that one. They had the chance to do that in the last special editions, and they didn't. They chose to put in crappy extra scenes and wreck some of the current ones. Plan on those black lines with the Rancor monster still being there.
And you arent' going to be able to go back and forth between CG and "real" Yodas, R2D2s, Obi-Wans, Vaders, cantina aliens, taun-tauns, ewoks, Jabbas, etc, etc, etc - without disjointing the movie. I'm sorry, but even as good as CG is these days, it still isn't perfect. Maybe you recall, in the Matrix trilogy, Neos fight against the zillion Smiths? Yeah, take a look at Neos clothing during the fight, tell me if you think it looks realistic the whole time...
Here's what I'd like to see:
Release the original movies, on DVD, with no extra special crap whatsoever. No CG. Release them exactly as they played when they first came out.
Release them as they were, and leave them alone. If the old movies don't match the new, its George's fault. He knew when he created "prequels" that he needed to maintain continuity with his other movies. "Fixing" the old movies to match the new ones is wrong.
I'm convinced that the more Lucas tries to "fix" his original triology, the worse it'll get.
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:3, Insightful)
Dude. I understand your appreciation for the original cuts, but get a grip. They're just movies. And they're Lucas' movies, at that. He can do what he wants with them. Vote with your wallet.
Christopher
Plot is NOT an issue in more SW films (Score:3, Insightful)
As anyone who's read the Star Wars storyline [randomhouse.com] as it continues past the 4/5/6, if Lucas uses these as a baseline for more movies, rejoice your ass off.
The stories (for the most part) have great depth, a wealth of plot scenarios to choose from (which might be the biggest stumble to what to make for sequels), and continue the stories of the principals through the next 30 years (kids, getting old, death, etc.). It actually makes the characters a helluva lot more believable.
Hats off to the editors who have made EVERY story that followed the movies tie into one another -- their consistency checks have got to be brain numbing, they're so thorough. That alone has made the stories a lot of fun to read.
And the authors include some well-known names in modern sci-fi, including James Luceno, Michael P. Kube-McDowell, and Michael Stackpole.
So, go read some dead tree, and see what kind of potential there is for three (or more!) sequels from Lucas. Let's just hope he uses some of the material available to him, instead of striking off on his own.
Re:Episode III better rock (Score:2, Insightful)
Now I won't claim that it's ground-breaking cinema, but I definitely thought EpII was entertaining, for what it was. Maybe 20 years of buildup have obscured the fact that a lot of the OT was badly acted as well, with hoakey dialogue.
The guy should have been identifiable as the same Obi Wan we all knew.
One paragraph after you complain about a lack of character development, you complain that Obi-Wan isn't the same 40 or 50 years earlier? Find me someone who acts the same at 20 as they do at 60 and I'll show you someone with some big developmental or emotional problems.
The scenes in Mos Eisley were spare...
I've never heard this from anywhere "official," but my take was that during the prequels galactic culture is at its peak, everything is new and bright and vibrant. But after 30 or so years of war and opression, things don't look so nice and clean anymore. Especially in the backwater places, where most of the original trilogy took place. We never see Naboo or Coruscant during IV, V, and VI, which is where all the gawdiness was coming from.
Sorry to go off on a rant, but I'd rather try and focus on the good points, rather than pick apart any movie that comes out because it doesn't meet my expectations.
Re:Better be Zahn's Trilogy. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How about Peter Jackson does VII-IX? (Score:2, Insightful)
If there are any more SW films, Lucas will make them himself. By insisting on directing the prequel trilogy films despite critical and fan reactions, he's shown that he needs to keep that control. He's not going to give it up, especially to someone like Peter Jackson, who would impose his own vision on the project. And by his ability to get actual emotive performances out of his actors, Jackson would show the audience that he's clearly the better director. It's not bad for Lucas to be outdone in a separate film genre, but he won't let it happen in his own universe.
Re:No, 4, 5, and 6 were much better (Score:5, Insightful)
Agreed.
The Jedi, on the other hand, strike me as really a bunch or arrogant elite who seem to not be doing a very good job of anything.Also agree, but are you saying this made Ep I/II bad? Granted, I and II had problems, but this is not one of them. Yes, the Jedi are a bunch of stuck-up, arrogant buttheads. That's one of the main points of the movie. We're likely to see this play out more in Ep III. Much of the Jedis' downfall is by their own hand. They got too used to their power and to the status quo to see more than a few inches in front of their face. You're supposed to doubt them at this point.
And Palpatine and Dooku have yet to do anything really horribly dispicable. It's hard to get worked up about these bad guys.I think that's one of the reasons why people have trouble with Ep I/II. We're essentially seeing the story out-of-sequence. We started in the middle of the story, where the battle lines were very clearly drawn, and everyone had already put on their white or black hats. In Ep I/II, this has not happened yet. The ones that become or pave the way for the great villians of the later movies have no choice but to act in secret. To me, Palpatine's machinations in the Senate echo the events of the rise of the Nazi party to power and Hitler's ascension to Chancellor (hell, even the title is the same!) in Germany circa the 1930s.
I sometimes wonder how people might have reacted had the movies been produced and released in the actual chronological order that the events happen. It might have garnered a different reaction. Yeah, the screenplays could have been better written, but I think the overall story still plays well, and would have played better in the proper sequence.
Re:Some suggestions for Mr. Lucas (Score:4, Insightful)
I've got a great idea for an ending (Score:4, Insightful)