Rumor: 'Star Wars Detours' to Be Released in May

By: Dominic Jones

Let's file this one under the "rumors I really hope are true" category.  Our pals over at Jedi News have been doing some digging and they believe that Star Wars: Detours may actually be released this May!  Detours is an animated Star Wars comedy series created by George Lucas along with Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich.  After unveiling the series at Celebration VI in 2012, Lucasfilm postponed the release of Detours indefinitely, when they cancelled The Clone Wars, following the Disney purchase.  Although the creators were adamant that the series would be release one day, it didn't seem likely that the series would be released anytime soon.

Until today.

Team Jedi News has uncovered that back on August 8th, 2014, "five trademarks were placed by Lucasfilm on the Star Wars Detours name covering the following product lines:

• Education and entertainment services
• Toys, games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles (except clothing); hand-held units for playing electronic games for use with or without an external display screen or monitor; Christmas stockings; Christmas tree ornaments and decorations; snow globes
• Clothing, footwear and headwear
• Paper and paper articles; cardboard and cardboard articles; printed matter; publications; books; photographs; portraits; paintings; stationery; office and school supplies
• Apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or images; audio books; audio recordings; audio and visual recordings; video game software; computer programs and software; consumer electronics and accessories therefore; eyeglasses and sunglasses and accessories therefore; binoculars; decorative magnets; graduated rulers; microphones"

Now this could have easily been Lucasfilm just making sure that they didn't loose the name Star Wars: Detours, but that's not all Jedi News discovered.  They also revealed that their sources have told them that when the films are released digitally (as of now they are rumored to be coming in May) they will be part of a massive online Star Wars library that will include Star Wars: Detours.  It is expected that all 39 completed episodes will be released as part of this library.

I must say, I am very excited by this rumor.  What I saw of Detours at CVI was fantastic and I was very disappointed when the series was postponed.  I am curious what would have changed the minds of the powers that be at Lucasfilm.  We had been told that decision to cancel the series was due to the fact that Lucasfilm wanted to take a more serious tone with the Star Wars characters in anticipation of the new films.  If I were to speculate what could change the minds of Lucasfilm, it would be that they were looking the bulk up their online digital library before it's release and took advantage of the completed, but unreleased content they had.

For a refresher on what Detours is all about, check out the trailer that was released in 2012 below,

As always, this is just a rumor until confirmed or denied by Lucasfilm or Disney.

Source: Jedi News

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Report: Detours' Delay Was '100% A Lucasfilm Decision'

By: Benjamin Hart

Remember Star Wars Detours? The animated comedy series was shelved last year along with several other Star Wars projects after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and shifted the company's focus to Star Wars Episode VII. Like many things, fans who were looking forward to watching the series tended to point the finger at Disney. Now two of the creators behind the series, Seth Green and Mathew Senreich, are making it clear that the decision to hold Detours back until a later date was made solely by Lucasfilm and not Disney. In an interview with Topless Robot, the trio was asked directly "Has Disney killed Star Wars Detours?", to which Seth Green responded:

"No, no, and I think - I'll correct this again - there's a misinterpretation that Disney had anything to do with that decision. That was 100% a Lucasfilm decision, and it was born from the time they decided to make new movies. We started having conversations about what the next three years of Star Wars were going to be before those movies came out. And it was months of talking with Kathy Kennedy, and the decision makers at the company.

The decision really was that because our show - the way it was conceived - is timeless, and because we've got nearly 40 completely finished, ready for broadcast episodes, but because the tone of the show is comedic, and it's more like the Simpsons universe within the Star Wars universe, it was counter-intuitive to spend the next three years targeting young kids and teens with a show that was kind of a deconstructionist view of the characters that they just, three years from now, were going to be meant to take very seriously."

Green also assures us that it will be released, and even teases how and when they might do it;

"It's a delay, it's not a cancellation. There is so much material, and I really believe the media is going to catch up to it.... In the same way that networks are focusing on green-lighting whole seasons at a time, the same way that Netflix is building an entire series that people can view via download - that's where Detours will live. But it won't be for, like, five years. So everyone's just got to be patient."

Source: Topless Robot
Via: Jedi News

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'Detours' Episodes to Be Released At Some Point

By: Dominic Jones

Robot Chicken creators and Star Wars: Detours executive producers, Seth Green and Matt Senreich, hosted a panel at MegaCon and they discussed the future of Star Wars: Detours.  The reiterated the fact that the 30+ episodes of  Detours will be released at some point.

This reiterates what has been said in the past, however the fact that they keep mentioning it suggests that there is a real desire to release the episodes.  Seth Green has spoken in the past about the possibility of releasing the episodes online and given the recent success of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Netflix, that seems to be a real possibility.

Star Wars: Detours was an animated comedy series made by Green and Senreich, along side Todd Grimes and Jennifer Hill.  The series was overseen by George Lucas and was slated to premiere in 2013 but was "postponed" following the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the announcement of the Sequel Trilogy.

Source: @InsideTheMagic (Twitter)

You can follow Dominic on Twitter: @DominicJ25 

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Matt Wood Confirms Involvement on 'Rebels', Talks Episode VII, 'Clone Wars', and 'Detours'

By: Dominic Jones

Matt Wood, voice of General Grievous in Episode III and The Clone Wars, and Supervising Sound Editor on Episodes I, II, III, and VII, was at Toronto Comic Con this past weekend and took part in a Q&A hosted by InnerSPACE's Morgan Hoffman.  During the Q&A he discussed many Star Wars projects, past, present, future, and cancelled.  I was in attendance for the event, and here are some of the highlights!

The biggest tidbit Matt dropped at the event was that he is working on the upcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels.  He said,

"I'm doing some work on Rebels.  I'm looking to kind of godfather some younger folks to get on there and give some opportunity back.  I think that show's fantastic, but I'm probably going to have my hands full with Episode VII when that comes down the pipe.  But I want to make sure (Executive Producer Dave Filoni) is happy and that we can re-capture some of that magic we had on Clone Wars."

He also discussed the now postponed (cancelled) series Detours saying,

"I don't know what will happen with Detours, but I worked on all those episodes.  We did those during Clone Wars...We did those right around the time of the Disney deal.  I don't know what will happen with them.  It was fun working with Seth (Green) and Matt (Senreich) from Robot Chicken...As soon as the word came out that we were going to do Episode VII, which was very surprising to everyone, most/all of the resources of the company have gone towards that."

When asked about how he found out about Episode VII he described the situation as,

"I remember I got called into a meeting and it was like, 'Just hypothetically, could you put a budget together if we were to do Star Wars film?'  'Why?  We're done, I talked to George directly and he said we're done.'  'Well just hypothetically.'  So I kind of took what we were doing on Star Trek Into Darkness and used that as a guide, and not even knowing that they were going to get JJ (Abrams) do the film."

Matt also addressed his experience on The Clone Wars saying,

"We started out very child friendly and I think we did go a bit off the rails there into our darkness.  The end of season 5, in particular, I hope I'm not spoiling it for anybody who hasn't seen it, I just thought that the way Ahsoka left the order was so poignant and amazing, I'm even getting a little emotional even thinking about it!  It was so good the way that was done with the music and we all felt, I think at that moment, as a crew that the show was really special.  We did it to such high technical standards too, George just wanted it to feel like mini movies!  It was shot in the aspect ratio of films, the way it looked, we had a full orchestral score on those episodes, we had a full 5.1 soundtrack, and then just world class actors doing to voice roles for that, and everyone just loves Star Wars.  And George put so much time and effort behind the show.  It was funny that they put it on Saturday morning cartoons with everything else, it just seemed a little out of place.  I'm glad it's on Netflix now so you can watch it now.  We all really loved that show."

I want to thank Matt for coming out to Toronto Comic Con and discussing Star Wars with his fans!  We can't wait to see what he and his team have in store for us with Rebels, Episode VII, and beyond! 

Be sure to check out my interview with Matt, recorded during the convention, on the latest SWU Podcast!

You can follow Dominic on Twitter: @DominicJ25 

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Seth Green Weighs in on the Future of "Star Wars: Detours"

By: Dominic Jones

With the announcement that the animated Star Wars comedy series Star Wars: Detours is being put on indefinite hold, there has been much speculation from fans that the series may never be seen.  Though the speculation has been justified (Lucasfilm removed the Detours clips and trailer from the official Star Wars Youtube Channel and StarWars.com), series executive producer Seth Green has a hopeful message for fans.  Following the announcement Green tweeted "As you may know, Detours is on hold while Lucasfilm focuses on the new Star Wars films. Don't fear, you'll see it when the timing's right."

As you may know, Detours is on hold while Lucasfilm focuses on the new Star Wars films. Don't fear, you'll see it wh… say.ly/ddf5lgz
— Seth Green (@SethGreen) March 11, 2013

Green's statement does help reassure this fan somewhat, although I never really thought that we would never see the series.  However it raises more questions.  How much of Detours is completed?  They seemed to have a good amount done when the teased fans with clips from the series at Celebration VI last summer and there was pre-Disney speculation that the series may be ready for a 2013-2014 release.  And when will the time be right?  But, with the plan being on having a new Star Wars film every 2-3 years (if not every year!), will there ever really be a place for a comedy series on TV?  Especially since the era in which it's set (between Episodes III and IV) may no longer be as relevant once the sequel trilogy hits.  Will the series even be on TV?  It seems more likely that it will be "bonus content" much like the future arcs of The Clone Wars, especially considering that they likely don't have more than a season's worth of content and production on future episodes is now "on hold".   

What we saw of Detours at CVI was hilarious, and the series has much promise.  It's delay saddened me as I had high hopes for the series and was looking forward to seeing more.  Hopefully the timing will be right sooner rather than later.   

This article includes the opinion and views of the writer, and not the entire Star Wars Underworld organization. 

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Lucasfilm: Clone Wars Series to "Wind Down", Detours Postponed

By Chris Seekell

Today, Lucasfilm released an article on StarWars.com entitled "A New Direction for Lucasfilm Animation". The two most consequential points made in the short release, were that the current Clone Wars TV series that left Cartoon Network this spring will be winding down, and the Star Wars Detours series that was still under development will be put on hold. Similar to the reasoning behind the postponement of the prequel 3D theatrical re-releases that was announced earlier this year, Lucasfilm cited a focus on Episode VII. However, the article also stated that production on multiple arcs of the Clone Wars show is still continuing, and an announcement is pending concerning when and where this "bonus content" will be released. The article was capped off by a preview clip depicting Anakin and 501st troopers engaging the seemingly resurrected Admiral Trench in a ground battle, and hinted at Order 66 programming and possible ramifications of General Krell's betrayal.

This announcement has seen widely varying responses from fans, ranging from outrage, to dismay, to excitement. Over the past few weeks, there had been a great deal of debate among fans about the future of the series, and rumors about its cancellation abounded. It seems that those on either side of this debate were both partially wrong, and partially right. While the series has not necessarily been cancelled, the production has been halted about 2 seasons earlier than expected by the staff. It is unclear how smoothly the Clone Wars series will wrap up. The Star Wars Underworld has been told by various sources that the series was set to end with a transitional arc to the Battle of Coruscant and Episode III. Foreshadowing of Order 66 in the preview clip suggests that perhaps the last few planned seasons of the show may be condensed into several key arcs that will provide closure to main character and story arcs.

Concerning Detours, the future seems to be more bleak. While a significant amount of material must exist, it looks like there are no plans to release it. This surprises me since the plot of the series seemed to be extremely disjointed based on the preview clips released this past summer. The postponement of the Green-Senreich production appears to be more about branding than logistics. This was supported by Lucasfilm's statement that it "has reconsidered whether launching an animated comedy prior to the launch of Episode VII makes sense."

Looking at the big picture, it has always been clear to me that all of these television projects were not the final future of the Star Wars franchise, but merely tools to breathe new life into the universe and further develop Lucasfilm's production capabilities in the downtime between feature films. It will probably be always unknown how Detours would have affected the audience, but the Clone Wars proved to be vastly more successful than first anticipated, even spawning talk of a spin-off series at one point. For the past five years, the Clone Wars has dominated Star Wars news, and has held an increasingly stronger presence at fan conventions and events. Even before Disney's acquisition of Lucasflm, the Clone Wars was a major attraction in Disney parks, through events like Disney Star Wars Weekends. It can only be assumed that the series brought the two companies closer together.

However zooming in a bit, the strength of Star Wars has been in its quality, and the only thing up in the air is whether ending the series in this manner will prove to be the most compelling story-wise. It was obvious that the series had to wrap-up at some point, due to its cramped timeline between Episodes II and III, yet the writers of the series were planning to stretch the overall story out over several more seasons. Personally, I hope that rather than seeing the series end with merely several arcs slotted for Season 6, resources will be concentrated to focus on the production of tent-pole arcs that are currently earlier in development and slated for future seasons, especially the long anticipated Episode III transition arc.

If this is done right, with special attention paid to the overall character arcs and continuity with the films, the Clone Wars series can end with perhaps a dozen more episodes and still seem complete and properly paced. All fans can do now is be hopeful that this winding down period is handled properly. We certainly can expect George Lucas and Dave Filoni to positively influence this change in direction, however ultimately the buck stops with Disney now.

This article includes the opinion and views of the writer, and not the entire Star Wars Underworld organization.

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The 'Lighter' Side: Star Wars Detours Memes

By Chris Seekell

Lucasfilm has been creatively marketing the upcoming comedy series Star Wars Detours by posting a number of hilarious memes on its Facebook page. We have compiled the best right here for your enjoyment!

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New Trailer & Clips From Star Wars Detours

By: Benjamin Hart

Earlier today during the "Super secret" panel at CVI, Seth Green, Matthew Senreich & Todd Grimes revealed a trailer along with three new clips from the upcoming comedy series Star Wars Detours. They were released almost soon after online, you can watch them below. Also, check out our live tweeting from the panel to get some awesome tidbits about the show. 

Check out the trailer:
And here are the clips:

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CVI: Robot Chicken and T-shirts!

By: Dominic Jones
 

The Star Wars Celebration VI website was updated today revealed two new pieces of cool information. First, Robot Chicken creators and Star Wars: Detours producers, Seth Green and Matt Senreich will be in attendance as "Spotlight Guests" and will be making appearances on the Main Stage during the event. Second, Star Wars Celebration VI T-shirts are NOW available for pre-order from the Celebration store. The t-shirts feature a Yoda silhouette will the Celebration VI logo over top. You can pre-order the shirts here.

         

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