Star Wars Bits: New 'Episode 8' Location, Great New 'Star Wars' Posters, Harrison Ford To Introduce Disney's Star Wars Land
You may have noticed that Rogue One news stories are becoming common enough that we've had to spin them off into their own separate series. Does that mean Star Wars Bits is any less crammed full of cool stuff? Nah. In today's edition:
According to the good folks at Making Star Wars, Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode 8 will film in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This area should already be well-known to some pop culture fans – this is where they film the King's Landing scenes on HBO's Game of Thrones. Details of the shoot are not known, but Making Star Wars cites a pleasant atmosphere and killer tax breaks, so it sounds like everyone wins. Especially you, since you can know impress everyone in your life with the latest connection between Westeros and the Star Wars universe.
How do you play Han Solo without, you know, being Harrison Ford? According to Transformers: Age of Extinction star Jack Reynor, who is reportedly in contention to star in Chris Miller and Phil Lord's upcoming young Han Solo spin-off, you try to do your own thing. While he wouldn't confirm that he's up for the part, he did tell MTV:
We're talking about Harrison Ford. He's no chump. You can't do an imitation. You can't try and just emulate what that is. It's got to be something new. It's also got to be something that the audience is going to respond to.
Meanwhile, Logan Lerman (who is also supposedly on Lucasfilm's shorlist) said "I don't think I'd be intimidated. It would just be fun." Is that kind of brashness admirable or insane? You decide.
But here's the real question for anyone looking to play Han Solo – who is willing to grin and bear it for the Disney corporation? EW has revealed that Harrison Ford will host an ABC television special that will offer an official first look at Disneyland and Disney World's upcoming Star Wars Land expansions. We know that these ambitious areas will feature shops and restaurants and envelope-pushing rides (including one that puts you in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon), but beyond a few boilerplate quotes and few pieces of concept art, the whole endeavor remains cloaked in mystery. But now, we'll get to learn a little more thanks to Han Solo himself. Place your bets now on which Ford shows up: the positive, spirited guy who promoted Star Wars: The Force Awakens or the grumpy, grumbly Ford who has promoted everything else in the past decade.
While we're on the subject of Harrison Ford, artist Jeff Victor has revealed this very cool tribute to the beloved actor, which depicts his most iconic characters across 40 years and eight films. The Star Wars entries are cool and all, but you've got to love that he included a gem like Witness.
Speaking of Star Wars on television, Disney has released another new clip from the next episode of Star Wars Rebels, titled "The Protector of Concord Dawn." The scene finds Hera behind the controls of an A-Wing fighter, trying to elude death at the hands of some not-very-nice guys who seem to want her dead.
The official Star Wars site has revealed three new sets of Topps trading cards, just in case you're looking for something new to collect. First up is the first series of Star Wars: The Force Awakens cards, which are described as follows:
Next up is the Topps Star Wars Galactic Connexions Series 2:
And finally, there's the Topps Star Wars High Tek Collector Cards:
You can check out a gallery of these cards by following this link.
Dark Ink has revealed two new Star Wars posters that you can buy right now for $50 each. The first (as seen above) is "Captain Phasma" by Hydro74 and the other (seen below) is "Dune Sea Droid Traders" by Brian Miller. Both look like they'd make a fine addition to your wall, don't you think?
Variety reports that Disney is currently shopping around the television rights to the Star Wars series and they're not being shy about cost. Whoever wants the right to play Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode 8 and Star Wars: Episode 9 will have to pony up a reported $30 million apiece for each film. The other six films will also command high costs, but not that high (and other films from the Disney library will be included in the package). As Variety points out, the only potential conflict is the eventual arrival of the Star Wars films on Netflix, which will happen as part of a previous deal. In any case, don't expect to see The Force Awakens on "free" TV until 2018.
If you're in the market for more Star Wars art and you have a little more, well, disposable income, Acme Archives Direct has got you covered. Two new gorgeous pieces are now available for purchase on their site, but they're going to cost you $400 and $395 each. That's a little pricey, but "Haunting the Clouds" by Raymond Swanland (above) and "Fly and Defend" by Mike Kungl (below) are both jaw-dropping.
EA has announced a slew of new information about new content coming to Star Wars: Battlefront, their popular multiplayer shooter set in the Star Wars universe. First, they announced release dates and details for the first four expansion packs, which will introduce new maps on which players can shoot each other in the face with blasters:
Naturally, those expansions will require players to plunk down a little cash. However, some free updates are on their way as well, offering new game modes and costumes and options that will add extra life to the game:
The Bottleneck Gallery has revealed the final print in Juan Esteban Rodriguez's Star Wars trilogy series, this one focusing on Return of the Jedi and Jabba the Hutt's palace. This is part of a 300 print run and will cost buyers $40, so you'll want to act fast if you want to nab this one. It will go on sale this Friday, January 29, at 12:00 P.M. EST. In case you haven't seen them, check out Rodriguez's other two posters in the series below.
