Posted on Thursday, November 29th, 2012 by Angie Han
Did the President’s fiscal policy help make the new trilogy a reality? Also after the jump:
- Listen to Kyle Newman‘s Han Solo-centric radio drama
- Who wants Tommy Wiseau to direct the new trilogy?
- Ewan McGregor is totally willing to return as Obi-Wan
- George Lucas is giving the Bay Area another Yoda statue
- Rancho Obi-Wan’s Steve Sansweet shows off his collection
Read More »
.
Please Recommend /Film on Facebook
Posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2012 by Angie Han
One of the most-liked scripts on last winter’s Black List was Evan Susser and Van Robichaux‘s Chewie, about Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew and his work on the Star Wars set. But whereas some of the screenplays on the compendium already had stars, producers, and directors attached, Chewie wasn’t very far along at all — and considering the no doubt complicated rights issues surrounding it, it seemed totally possible it’d never get made at all.
Turns out that was a really pessimistic way of looking at things, as Chewie is now on its way to the big screen. Not only that, it’s already off to a strong start as Fanboys director Kyle Newman has just signed on to develop the project. More details after the jump.
Read More »
Controversy, casting and consensual exits are all in this edition of TV Bits. After the jump read about the following:
- See a photo of how the George W. Bush head from Game of Thrones was fixed.
- Rocker Marilyn Manson joins Showtime’s Californification.
- Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson will have an arc on the Broadway drama Smash.
- Fanboys director Kyle Newman will join wife Jaime King to voice a character on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- Steve Carell told the Los Angeles Times why Michael Scott won’t return to The Office.
- Elizabeth Moss suggests a possible spoiler about her Mad Men character.
Read More »
Last month I received a cryptic e-mail inviting me to a private screening of a new Star Wars film edited by Topher Grace — which is funny because I had no idea there was a new Star Wars film in the works, with or without Grace’s involvement. I was told the screening was a secret private event arranged only for friends only and was asked not to talk about it beforehand. The event was held somewhere in the Hollywood area in a a screening room filled with filmmakers, editors, actors, actresses and only a few press friends. I was told I could blog about it afterwards if I wanted, so here goes…
For those of you who don’t know, Topher Grace is a film geek. He loves the Star Wars films, the Back to the Future movies and all the same signature titles of any film geek who grew up in the 1980s. He recently became interested in the editing process and wanted to learn more about the art form. Instead of cutting a short film, he wanted to use something he was more familiar with.
His idea was to edit the Star Wars prequels into one movie, as they would provide him a lot of footage to work with. He used footage from all three prequels, a couple cuts from the original trilogy, some music from The Clone Wars television series, and even a dialogue bit from Anthony Daniels’ (C-3PO) audio book recordings. He even created a new opening text crawl to set up his version of the story.
The result is an 85-minute movie titled Star Wars: Episode III.5: The Editor Strikes Back. It should be noted that the Star Wars prequel trilogy is almost 7 hours in total length, and the shortest film (Episode 1) is more than 51 minutes longer than Grace’s fan cut. What this means is a lot of footage ended up on the editing room floor, and a lot of creative choices were made in the editing process. And the result? Topher Grace’s Star Wars film is probably the best possible edit of the Star Wars prequels given the footage released and available.
Whats most shocking is that with only 85 minutes of footage, Topher was able to completely tell the main narrative of Anakin Skywalker’s road from Jedi to the Sith. While I know the missing pieces and could even fill in the blanks in my head as the film raced past, none of those points were really needed. Whats better is that the character motivations are even more clear and identifiable, a real character arc not bogged down by podraces, galactic senates, Jar Jar Binks, politics or most of the needless parts of the Star Wars prequels. It not only clarifies the story, but makes the film a lot more action-packed.
Read More »
James Cameron‘s Avatar has been unleashed upon this world. We’ve run reviews from half of the /Film staff: David Chen, Brendon Connelly, Russ Fischer, and Hunter Stephenson. You might have even added your own mini-review. But you might be wondering, with all the talk of game-changing advances in the tech side of filmmaking, what do the writers and directors in Hollywood think of Avatar? Here is a round-up of quotes:
Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer: “Went to a special screening of Avatar last night where James Cameron did a Q&A after the film. I can’t tell you how much I loved the movie, or how clearly Cameron cemented himself as the world’s greatest living filmmaker. This is an incredible movie. I recommend seeing it in IMAX. So next level. So awesome. Avatar is a game changer. James Cameron wins.”
Back to the Future, Indiana Jones and Bourne series Producer Frank Marshall: “Wow!!! AVATAR is audacious and awe inspiring. It’s truly extraordinary and I would really need a blog to talk about it…”
Donnie Darko/The Box director Richard Kelly: “AVATAR was amazing. Lived up to all the hype – now must see in IMAX…”
Read More »
During the past year that we’ve been doing the /Film podcast, we’ve had on a lot of really interesting filmmakers, actors, and film journalists talk about their reflections and experiences in the entertainment industry. However, this past week’s episode of the /Filmcast: After Dark was something else, an insightful, profound, and heartbreaking look into what happens when a studio severely interferes with a director’s vision for a film.
In our review of District 9, director Kyle Newman spoke admiringly about the amazing type of film that can result when a powerful producer like Peter Jackson protects the vision of a young director like Neill Blomkamp. On this week’s episode of the /Filmcast: After Dark, Newman spoke at length about the making of Fanboys, where he very much had the opposite experience. For those of you who don’t know, Fanboys was a much-buzzed about film aimed squarely at a built-in geek audience that ended up being butchered at the hands of the Weinstein Company (recently profiled in the NYTimes in a not-so-positive light). The film chronicled the adventures of a group of friends who try to break into the Skywalker Ranch and steal an early copy of Star Wars: Episode 1 so their friend, who has cancer, can see it before he dies.
Those you who have already heard the episode know that Kyle’s stories about the film were as moving as they were horrifying. We have some highlights from the discussion after the jump, but if you have time, I’d strongly suggest you listen to the whole episode by downloading it here or by playing it below in your browser:
[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/slashfilmcast/Afterdarkep63.mp3]
Read More »
In this special episode of the /Filmcast: After Dark, Dave Chen, Devindra Hardawar, and Adam Quigley chat with director Kyle Newman about the recent blistering NYTimes profile of the Weinstein Company. Kyle also talks at length about his experiences working on Fanboys and The Revenge of the Nerds remake, presenting a chilling, cautionary tale about the horrors of studio intervention.
You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Tune in on Monday night at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST as the guys review Inglourious Basterds with director Nicholas Jasenovec.
Download or Play Now in your Browser:
[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/slashfilmcast/Afterdarkep63.mp3]
Subscribe to the /Filmcast:
Posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 by David Chen
In this week’s /Filmcast, Dave Chen, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley get flummoxed by Bryan Singer’s decision to reboot Battlestar Galactica, discuss some recent Avatar news, assess the greatness of Ponyo, and try to make sense of some fascinating Superman IP law. Special guest Kyle Newman, the director of Fanboys and the upcoming Emo Boy, joins us for this episode. Also, a surprise visitor drops by to tell us her thoughts on District 9.
You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next Monday at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST at Slashfilm’s live page as we review Inglourious Basterds.
Download or Play Now in your Browser:
[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/slashfilmcast/Slashfilmcastep63.mp3]
Subscribe to the /Filmcast:
Read More »
Cool Posts From Around the Web:
