Star Wars Megathread

[Syt]

That's true. Not to mention the classic "let's all run at each other and shoot guns" strategy they use.

They did better mocap for ROTS.

[Syt]

Pablo Hidalgo on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/pabl0hidalgo/status/1449583375941918725?s=20

Basically, the Darksaber was originally supposed to be a vibroblade, with the model similar to the KOTOR swords. However, at the last moment Lucas said he didn't want vibroblades to be able to deflect lightsabers. It was too late to change the model, so they changed the visual effects and voila: Darksaber.

[celedhring]

Looks like no new Star Wars movies on the horizon. The only thing going right now is the Waititi movie which is super-early in development and looks like doesn't even have a script yet.

The article doesn't mention the movie that was being produced by Kevin Feige, but "Marvel Star Wars" is not something I'm really looking forward to.

Rogue Squadron Might Not Be the Only Star Wars Movie in Trouble Due to Creative Differences
Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron movie has reportedly been shelved due to creative differences and it may not be the only one. Here's the latest on Rian Johnson's Star Wars trilogy...


By John Saavedra
|
November 15, 2021
|
Disney+ Day might have been a letdown for Star Wars fans hoping for lots of big updates about Lucasfilm's upcoming slate of space adventures, but that doesn't mean we didn't get big news last week. It was just bad news: Rogue Squadron, the standalone Star Wars movie set to be directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) for a 2023 release, has reportedly been delayed indefinitely.

THR reported last week that the delay came down to Jenkins' busy schedule. Her other commitments, including the upcoming Wonder Woman 3, which she will direct for Warner Bros., will prevent her from shooting Rogue Squadron next year in time for a big screen bow in 2023. According to the outlet, there was a hope that once Jenkins scheduled cleared up she'd be back to finish what she started with Matthew Robinson (Love and Monsters), who was writing the script.

But a follow up report by former THR editor Matthew Belloni, writing for Puck News, asserts there are bigger problems behind the scenes than Jenkins' packed schedule. Yes, like several other Disney era Star Wars projects before it, it sounds like Rogue Squadron was delayed due to creative differences.

"I talked to a few insiders this week that said the real culprit was the dreaded 'creative differences'; specifically, Jenkins couldn't agree on the script with Lucasfilm executives, including senior V.P. Michelle Rejwan," writes Belloni. "Jenkins wasn't willing to dick around, and she has other projects, notably Wonder Woman 3 at Warner Bros., where she enjoys more creative freedom."

It's unclear if Jenkins has left the project altogether at this time, but Lucasfilm is no stranger to high-profile breakups with A-list filmmakers. Most famously, the studio parted ways with Phil Lord and Chris Miller while they were filming Solo: A Star Wars Story, and brought in Ron Howard to finish the movie, which remains the franchise's biggest failure at the box office, earning less than $400 million globally. Lucasfilm's collaboration with director Colin Trevorrow on Episode IX also ended prematurely due to creative differences, leading to the return of J.J. Abrams and The Rise of Skywalker.

Citing Hollywood agents, Belloni says the reason for Lucasfilm's tumultuous track record is that "top filmmakers are dying to make a Star Wars movie—until they sign on and experience the micromanagement and plot-point-by-committee process."

Like Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm seems to value the voice of the many over the vision of a singular storyteller, with the buck stopping at Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who has led the Star Wars franchise to over $6 billion at the box office over five movies, but hasn't always been a popular steward for the saga among a certain group of fans for various reasons. All the trouble behind the scenes since the Disney takeover in 2012 hasn't helped.

Most recently, Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss exited their own Star Wars project, a new trilogy of films that would have reportedly explored the origin of the Jedi. And Belloni asserts that one other project has been quietly "shelved" due to creative differences, too.

"It also happened to Rian Johnson," reveals Belloni, "whose own planned trilogy was shelved."

The trilogy that was announced in 2017 ahead of the release of The Last Jedi has been the subject of heavy speculation over the past few years, but Lucasfilm has said very little about the project since the original announcement. Despite whispers about these movies being shelved, Johnson has reassured fans several times that his trilogy is still in development.

"No it isn't true, I'm still working on the trilogy," said Johnson in response to rumors that the trilogy had been canceled in 2019.

At the time, Johnson spoke more in-depth about his approach to developing a new Star Wars trilogy that captured the spirit of George Lucas' original movies, telling Observer, "I think that the fun and challenging part of it is to dive in, figure out what's exciting and then figure out what it's going to be," Johnson said. "We're doing something that steps beyond the legacy characters. What does that look like? To me, the blue sky element of it is what was most striking about it. I know the way that I'm coming at it and what's fun about it for everyone in George Lucas' films is figuring out, 'what's the next step?' It really makes you think and figure out what the essence of Star Wars is for me and what that will look like moving forward."

But the rumors of Johnson's exit have continued.

Earlier this year, Johnson confirmed to author Sariah Wilson in an interview that he was still working on new Star Wars movies.

"Yes, Rian's Star Wars trilogy is still on," Wilson tweeted at the time. "No dates or timelines because he has other projects going on, but it is happening."

Whether these movies end up happening or not, Johnson is a bit busy at the moment with his Knives Out sequels for Netflix. The second movie is currently in production.

It's worth nothing that Kennedy didn't mention Johnson's trilogy during last year's Disney Investors Day event, where Rogue Squadron was first announced. During the broadcast, Kennedy also teased a mystery Star Wars movie from Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), which is still in the early development stage.

"It's still in the 'EXT. SPACE' stage. But we've got a story. I'm really excited by it because it feels very me," Waititi told Wired in August. "I tend to go down that little sincerity alleyway in my films. I like to fool the viewer into thinking 'ha it's this' and then them going, 'Damn it, you made me feel something!'"

If the Jenkins and Johnson reports are true, Waititi's movie may be the only hope of seeing a Star Wars film on the big screen any time soon. Unless those Old Republic movie rumors are true...

Check out the full schedule of upcoming Star Wars movie and TV releases here.

[Syt]

I feel part of the "creative differences" may be the Filoni-verse (I'm hyperbolic). There's an increasing amount of continuity between all Star Wars content (movies, shows, books, comics, games ...), and I feel this is maybe starting to weigh down the creative process.

[celedhring]

Can't see many of the upcoming shows encroaching on a "Top Gun in Space" movie set in the rebellion era, besides super-basic continuity stuff. And I suspect they're pretty willing to retcon books/comics/games. They have already done that on occasion.

I think it's just Disney being Disney.

[The Larch]

I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.

[Syt]

I think they might be over-concerned to make sure "it feels like Star Wars", i.e. maintaining a certain look and feel. See the backlash against Rian Johnson's movie which, for all its faults, introduced some rather interesting ideas and visuals and tried to subvert certain tropes (infiltration gone wrong, "special" bloodlines etc.).

In a way, Visions was a breath of fresh air because it gave studios a lot of freedom and they ran with it.

[celedhring]

I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.

Irving Kershner (TESB director) was Lucas' teacher at USC 

As an alumni of an American film school, I can see the fingerprints of that system all over TESB. In a good way.

[The Larch]

I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.

Irving Kershner (TESB director) was Lucas' teacher at USC 

As an alumni of an American film school, I can see the fingerprints of that system all over TESB. In a good way.

Such as? You can't just say that and not explain yourself. 

[celedhring]

I wonder why Disney insists on getting top directors for their projects when they don't intend to give them barely any artistic freedom at all and the whole thing will be micromanaged to hell and back. Isn't it better to just get a competent workhorse? I mean, ask almost any fan and they won't be able to tell you the names of the directors of The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of the Jedi, or they'll say that Lucas directed them.

Irving Kershner (TESB director) was Lucas' teacher at USC 

As an alumni of an American film school, I can see the fingerprints of that system all over TESB. In a good way.

Such as? You can't just say that and not explain yourself. 

Ah, just the way scenes are shot and constructed. It's all super textbook, very deliberate. I can almost hear my college teachers when I watch that movie. 

[viper37]

Rian Johnson should not be left near a SW film ever again.
He does not understand Star Wars at all.

Patty Jenkins is a good (even excellent) director, but I suspect she wanted the hero of her movie, or Rogue Squadron's leader to be a female pilot, and Disney likely thought they have had enough with Rey in the last trilogy. 

Disney isn't known for its daring, hyper original stories.  Jenkins may have pushed for some "riskier" stuff that was a big no for Disney.  I feel like they should give them more leeway, like Lucas Arts did for the book authors, but make sure there is continuity in the stuff.

[The Larch]

Patty Jenkins is a good (even excellent) director, but I suspect she wanted the hero of her movie, or Rogue Squadron's leader to be a female pilot, and Disney likely thought they have had enough with Rey in the last trilogy.

Why do you make up such mysoginistic crap? When the project was announced she said that for her it was a way to pay hommage to his father, who was a jet fighter pilot.

And Rian Johnson's film was by far the best of the new trilogy, it would have been much better if he had been in charge of it all instead of JJ Abrams.

[Barrister]

Patty Jenkins is a good (even excellent) director, but I suspect she wanted the hero of her movie, or Rogue Squadron's leader to be a female pilot, and Disney likely thought they have had enough with Rey in the last trilogy.

Why do you make up such mysoginistic crap? When the project was announced she said that for her it was a way to pay hommage to his father, who was a jet fighter pilot.

And Rian Johnson's film was by far the best of the new trilogy, it would have been much better if he had been in charge of it all instead of JJ Abrams.

Word.

Actully though it might have been much better if ANYONE was in charge of all, instead of just making it up as they went.

[The Larch]

And Rian Johnson's film was by far the best of the new trilogy, it would have been much better if he had been in charge of it all instead of JJ Abrams.

Word.

Actully though it might have been much better if ANYONE was in charge of all, instead of just making it up as they went.

I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that they did not have the whole trilogy at the very least fully plotted out before they started shooting it. That the last movie was more or less made up on the fly is nothing short of flabbergasting.

I know the original trilogy was indeed made up as they went, but they didn't know it'd be such a massive success before they started shooting.

[HVC]

As a leafs fan i long ago learned that there's no incentive for a company to do a good job if they're going to make money anyway.