Star Wars Bits: Peter Serafinowicz Talks 'Phantom Menace,' Plus Games, Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie Fisher And Peter Mayhew

Enough of this Batman crap, let's get back to what's really important in 2015: Star Wars! Here's the latest from a galaxy far far away.

  • Check out three covers and more from The Star Wars comic books.
  • Read about how Samuel L. Jackson tried to ask J.J. Abrams about possibly being in Star Wars Episode VII.
  • EA wants to reinvent Star Wars video games to make "people's jaws drop."
  • A minor update on the rumored December 2015 release date.
  • Carrie Fisher now refuses to comment about Episode VII.
  • There's a Kickstarter to make a documentary about Chewbacca himself, Peter Mayhew.
  • Star Wars: Force Collection, a card-based mobile game, will be out September 4.
  • Listen to the voice of Darth Maul, Peter Serafinowicz, talk about his hilarious experiences making Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
  • George Lucas' original script for Star Wars, The Star Wars, is coming out in comic book form beginning September 4, The official website has several exclusive images from the first issue. We've grabbed only a few, including the first page/opening crawl and then three variant covers. Head to the site for more.

    During Comic-Con, Samuel L. Jackson did an interview where he discussed seeing J.J. Abrams at George Lucas' wedding and being curious about Star Wars Episode VII. This quote is about a month old, but I don't think I've read it before, so here goes. Thanks to WTHITV.com.

    J.J. was there, I was there. I was like (raises eyebrows) and he was like (noncommittal shrug), and he just went about his business. I don't know what that means. Harrison (Ford) was there too, and he was like (shrug). I just think it would be cool to have some of us that people relate to as being part of the 'Star Wars' franchise to give entre to the new characters that they're going to bring to whatever the new thing is. It kind of makes it an easier entrance.

    We know Electronic Arts has the license to do new Star Wars games and that Star Wars: Battlefront is likely the first one that'll be released. What we don't quite know is just how serious the company is about it. Talking to Polygon, one of EA's executives raises expectations exponentially with these quotes:

    The most important thing for me is that we take the Star Wars license and come up with games where peoples' jaws drop. We need to do with this what [Batman: Arkham Asylum] did for the Batman license....We're looking at the old games. We have access to everything that was done during the LucasArts era. But we do want to take our own stance.

    Nothing has been officially released yet, but, one Variety reporter said the following about the rumored December 2015 release date for Star Wars Episode VII.

    Carrie Fisher spoke to a Toronto newspaper about an upcoming convention appearance and, of course, was asked about Star Wars Episode VII. Though she's said she's coming back in the past, I think she's finally learned her lesson.

    It's not for me to talk about. I'm someone with a big mouth, and I get in trouble every time I talk about something, so anything to do with this ('Star Wars') is not my ... thing to discuss.

    Here's a pitch video for a Kickstarter that would result in a documentary called Standing in the Stars: The Peter Mayhew Story. Mayhew, of course, is best known for being the massive actor who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies.

    While we have to wait a while for a new Star Wars console game, there's a new official mobile game coming out on September 4. It's called Star Wars: Force Collection and it's a "a card battling game" for iOS and Android. Read more about it on StarWars.com, here's a teaser image.

    Star Wars Force Collection

    Finally, I've saved the best for last. Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted about the latest episode of the Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast, with guest actor Peter Serafinowicz. Serafinowicz was the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and talks about the experience at length during the podcast. It's a laugh out loud hilarious, but also an enlightening look at the making of the film. Talk of the movie stars at 14:30.