By: Benjamin Hart
While Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been very successful at the box office having earned over $1 billion and becoming the highest grossing film of 2017. But that didn't change the fact that the film has attracted more than it's fair share of critics since it's release in December. And as to be expected, many Star Wars fans have been extremely vocal about their gripes with Episode VIII, sometimes engaging the creators behind the film on social media.
The famous Luke and Leia swinging over the chasm scene was filmed for the first Star Wars movie in 1976.
Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher practiced their moves over the course of a number of takes. They completed the highly choreographed scene by jumping onto a crash mat that was right in front of them.
The brilliant folks at Bad Lip Reading have released a brand new video where they revealed their own twisted and hilarious version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. BLP is well known for their viral videos that dub over the original dialogue of movies, TV shows and more(Admit it: You've had that Seagull song stuck in your head at least once.)
Their rendition of The Force Awakens is especially awesome and funny because it includes the voice of The Last Jedi himself, Mark Hamill. If you have heard Mark speak at all at length, you know he can do a pretty hilarious impersonation of his longtime Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford. For the video, the BLP team got Hamill to dub over some of Han Solo's scenes in The Force Awakens, turning some of the film's most emotional moments into comedy gold. You can watch the video in full below:
On this episode Ben and Zac take a look some of the biggest news of the month! They discuss Woody Harrelson being cast in the Han Solo movie, a new photo from Justice League and a trailer for Powerless from DC, some exciting and concerning news about Star Trek: Discovery, the new Logan trailer, and much more. Furthermore, listen in for all your favorite segments, including "1-2-3", #BBQWatch and more!
By: Benjamin Hart
This week on "Throwback Thursday(TBT)" we're going way back, almost as far back as you can go, to 1977. With just a few months left until the 40th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, this is the perfect time for a throwback like this.
Getting to experience a new Star Wars film with a crowd can be an incredibly exciting and moving experience. It's impossible not join in on the cheering, laughing, and even crying that happens during the biggest moments of each film. In this throwback, we get to hear an audience react to the very first Star Wars film.
While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a stunning film on the surface, any hardcore Star Wars fan knows that some of the it's most memorable moments include callbacks and references to other parts of the Star Wars saga. Fans of the animated series Star Wars Rebels were especially excited to see the Ghost, the Hammerhead Corvettes, and even Chopper himself make a cameo in the film.
Yesterday we learned the terrible news of Carrie Fisher's passing which sent shockwaves across the globe and millions mourned the loss of the actress that made an indelible impression on all of us. A multitude of grief stricken posts have flooded the Internet since the news broke, many of which came come from friends and colleagues of Carrie within the Star Wars community. We've collected a number of these touching tributes, along with words from some of her family members, which you can see below:
By: Benjamin Hart
Friday evening we heard the terrible news that Carrie Fisher had suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Since then we have gotten several reports on her condition, some contradictory. While initial updates suggested the actress was in stable condition, later reports from Carrie's brother, Todd Fisher, confirmed that her condition was still unknown at the time.
Earlier today we were alerted to terrifying news that Leia Organa herself. Carrie Fisher, had been hospitalized after suffering a "massive" heart attack while onboard a plane bound for LAX. Since then we have gotten several updates suggesting that she is currently in stable condition, but unfortunately those reports were false.
Last month we received word that the legendary Thrawn Trilogy of novels, written by Timothy Zahn, would be getting a makevoer with some new covers very soon. Today, Club Jade alerted us to a new report by Jedi Bibliothek in which they revealed the new cover artwork for Heir To The Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command. Jedi Bibliothek explains that the trilogy will be reissued in the U.S. in paperback form on September 27th.
The artwork is truly fantastic, featuring Han, Luke and Leia prominently, and of course, Grand Admiral Thrawn. These novels really seem to capitalize on Thrawn much more than the original cover art did, most likely to coincide with Thrawn being brought back into canon with his upcoming appearance in Star Wars Rebels. As you can see above, all of the covers can be joined together to form a complete, panoramic image. You can get a detailed look at the covers below:
Ever since we saw the amazing behind the scenes sizzle reel for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story at Star Wars Celebration Europe, speculation has run rampant about what may be hidden in the footage. Some say they saw Tarkin, others believe they saw Ponda Boba and Dr. Evazan, and many have made the claim that Bail Organa makes an appearance. At about 1:04 in the video a character that is barely visible on the right bears a striking resemblance to Princess Leia's adoptive father. Now it appears we have confirmation that it is indeed Bail in the sizzle reel!
Jimmy Smits, who previously portrayed Bail Organa in Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith, was a recent guest on the daytime talk show The Talk. During the interview the hosts brought attention to the aforementioned character in the behind the scenes reel and probed Smits for more information. While at first he played coy, Smits responded by seemingly confirming his involvement in the film:
"Can you say the word cameo? Can you say the words small part?"
You can watch the full segment with Jimmy Smits here:
Well there you have it! Bail Organa will be making a presumably small appearance in Rogue One, but appearing nonetheless. Being that Bail is presumed to be killed during the destruction of Alderaan in A New Hope shortly after this film, it will be quite interesting to see what part he will play in the mission to steal the Death Star plans. This also goes a long way to helping bridge the gap between the Prequel and Original Trilogies.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens in theaters on December 16th!
It seems no Star Wars collection is complete without at least a few items from Funko. While the companies' lovable Pop! vinyl figures are all the rage, those aren't the only bobblehead figures Funko has to offer.
Earlier this year Funko unveiled a new line of "Wobblers" figures which combines the stylized look of the Pop! figures with a more traditional bobble head design. This week they announced that this new line would be journeying to a Galaxy far, far away with two figures from the Star Wars saga. Princess Leia, in her A New Hope robes, and Boba Fett will be joining the line.
The Boba and Leia figures, among many others, go on sale this August!
Earlier today, Star Wars Books posted a new excerpt from one of their new novels, Star Wars: Aftermath Life Debt, on their Facebook page.
The excerpt focuses on Princess Leia, as she makes a fascinating discovery about the Force, as she embarks on a journey to try to become a Jedi after 'Return of the Jedi'. The excerpt helps to answer a pressing question fans have had, which writer Chris Taylor highlights in his article:
"Given that Princess Leia was revealed in 'Jedi' to be a Force-sensitive Skywalker, how come we didn't see any of her abilities on display in 'Force Awakens'? Was she just too busy being a politician and general? Did she ever even 'try' to be a Jedi?
The book doesn't focus on the story of Princess Leia, but rather Han Solo nad Chewbacca. Han aids Chewie, in Chewie's mission to free the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk. Chewbaccca goes missing however, and Rebel Pilot, Norra Wexley, is sent by Leia to find Chewbacca. Chris Taylor provides a succint synopsis of the extract:
"We get a window into Leia's fraught state of mind at the time - made worse by the fact that she's pregnant with the child we know will grow up to become Kylo Ren..."
To read the full extract, click the link down below:
How could we have a Celebration without her royal highness? It has been announced that Princess (and General) Leia Organa herself, Carrie Fisher, will be headed to London this July for Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016! Carrie is always a Celebration favorite and her panel is sure to be a highlight of the convention. She will be joining other guests including Mark Hamill, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy for the three day event.
In addition, it was announced that Amy Ratcliffe will host the behind the scenes stage. David Collins and Warwick Davis will also be hosting at this Celebration.
Celebration Europe announcements are beginning to become more and more frequent now that we're mere weeks away from its kickoff, so keep an eye out for more reveals soon. The convention will be coming to the Excel London Exhibition Centre July 15th - 17th!
The 30 years between Episodes VI and VII have drawn much intrigue recently. The Force Awakens inferred that much had happened since we last saw our heroes, leaving the door wide open for future stories to reveal the events of that era. One of those stories is the upcoming novel "Star Wars: Bloodline", written by Claudia Gray(Lost Stars). The book won't be hitting bookshelves until May 3rd, but it appears we'll be introduced to the time period a but sooner. Del Rey has announced that Star Wars Insider magazine #165 will feature a short story titled "Scorched". The story will be written by Delilah S. Dawson(The Perfect Weapon) and will be focused on the character Greer Sonnel, a popular Starfighter racer who is preparing to participate in a treacherous race. Sonnel is a close ally to Leia Organa and will be a key player in Bloodline, which is said to focus on the soon-to-be-General of the Resistance. The story is set prior to Bloodline and promises to shed light on Sonnel's background.
The Star Wars Books Facebook page revealed some accompanying artwork created by artist Joe Corroney which features Greer Sonnel next to her A-Wing the Ossifrage. You can check that out below:
Star Wars Insider #165 is set to hit both physical and digital newsstands on April 27th!
Over the Summer we have a lot of awesome conventions to look forward to. One of the highlights of these conventions, especially for collectors, is the exclusive merchandise that can be found at certain events, and no where else. Hallmark will be among the many retailers attending various conventions and they just revealed their exclusive Star Wars merchandise that will be available at events such as San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con.
The first items are two Keepsake ornaments focused on Boba Fett. One is the classic all-white concept version of Boba Fett, based on artwork created by the late, legendary Ralph McQuarrie. In addition, there is also helmet ornament which features a different, early version of Boba Fett's iconic helmet:
Also, from their Itty Bittys line, Hallmark revealed Jabba The Hutt and Slave Leia plush collectibles:
San Diego Comic Con takes place from July 21st through the 24th a and New York Comic Con will be happening October 6th through the 9th. Be sure to pick up these exclusives while supplies last.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens was met with almost universal praise upon its release, but it did not escape spurring some controversy among viewers. One scene that left a lot of fans scratching their heads was when the Millennium Falcon returned to the Resistance Base at the end of the film. Those paying attention will notice that Chewbacca exits the Falcon and awkwardly walks past Leia while tending to Finn. Leia then has an emotional hug with Rey. Due to this scene closely following the death of Han Solo, many fans questioned why Leia and Chewie did not embrace one another after the loss of someone that was so close to both of them.
Thankfully Director, producer and co-writer J.J. Abrams has finally set the record straight. Abrams recently spoke with /Film about the scene and gave some interesting insight into why it played out the way it did:
"That was probably one of the mistakes I made in that. My thinking at the time was that Chewbacca, despite the pain he was feeling, was focused on trying to save Finn and getting him taken care of. So I tried to have Chewbacca go off with him and focus on Rey, and then have Rey find Leia and Leia find Rey. The idea being that both of them being strong with the Force and never having met, would know about each other — that Leia would have been told about her beyond what we saw onscreen and Rey of course would have learned about Leia. And that reunion would be a meeting and a reunion all in one, and a sort of commiseration of their mutual loss... Had Chewbacca not been where he was, you probably wouldn’t have thought of it. But because he was right there, passed by Leia, it felt almost like a slight, which was definitely not the intention."
It's great to hear Abrams discuss the scene and be willing to admit that it was indeed a mistake, albiet and understandable one. I can definitely see how, from a production point of view, how that moment would be difficult to put together. At the end of the day I don't see it as a glaring blemish on the film itself, but merely just something to think about.
The story will continue in Star Wars: Episode VIII, which hits theaters December 15th, 2017!
It seems everyone, including myself, can't get enough of Funko's loveable Pop! bobble head figures. We've seen a ton of them over the years made in the image of beloved Star Wars characters, and most recently Funko has taken on producing figures for The Force Awakens. After an initial wave that included Rey, Finn, Chewbacca, BB-8 and others, they have now revealed an entire new line of Pop! figures. This set includes Han Solo, Princess(*General) Leia, Admiral Ackbar,Nienn Nunb, Sidon Ithano and Varmik. Photos of all of the figures are below:
The figures will reportedly be available to buy sometime this month, so be on the lookout for them everywhere where Pops are sold!
We will be watching a brand new Star Wars movie next week... hard to believe isn't it? We've got just a few days until the premiere of The Force Awakens, and the wait is getting even harder to endure. To help tide us over a bit longer, we just got our hands on some brand new photos from the film courtesy of MovieJones.com. These stunning images give us new looks at the new, and old cast of characters, including Rey, Poe, BB-8, Chewbacca, Leia and Han Solo, as well as an epic new shot of General Hux, Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma on the bridge of a Star Destroyer. We also got a few new behind the scenes shots. You can check them all out below:
Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens hits theaters next Friday, December 18th!
This site is not endorsed by Lucasfilm Ltd. or Disney and is intended for entertainment and information purposes only. The official Star Wars site can be found at www.starwars.com. Star Wars, the Star Wars logo, all names and pictures of Star Wars characters, vehicles and any other Star Wars related items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd., or their respective trademark and copyright holders. All original content of this site, both graphical and textual, is the intellectual property of The Star Wars Underworld - unless otherwise indicated.
