Star Wars News Roundup – Ep 8 & Rogue One

It has been a busy week filled with Star Wars News. Besides the many rumors surrounding Star Wars Episode 7 there was also genuine news about episode 8 and a spin-off movie. All this news seems to have displeased some when a storm of controversy erupted on Twitter surrounding the plot for the newly announced spinoff.

Star Wars Episode 8

From day one it was announced that Episode 7: The Force Awakens would be part of a new trilogy that would be capped by Episode 8 and 9. What wasn’t known was who would direct it and who would write the script. J.J. Abrams seemed reluctant to return as was writer Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back). This week an official announcement made it clear that Looper writer and director Rian Johnson would both write and direct Episode 8. He would also write Episode 9 but no word yet on a director. Looper may have been brilliant, both visually well directed and well scripted. But perhaps taking on Episode 8 is too much for a director whose other credentials only include small movies and TV-series. That said, his episode of Breaking Bad, Ozymandias, was brilliant. The official release date for a Star Wars Episode 8 has been set as May 26 2017. Which at a release cycle of just 18 months is a drastic reduction from the time it took to make the previous Star Wars movies. This back-to-back shooting may be out of consideration for costs as sets and props can be re-used and special effects studios won’t have to be shutdown. The release date of May 26th 2017 coincides with the 40th anniversary of the original Star Wars release. Episode 9 is still scheduled for a 2019 release. Which would make its production run longer.

Star Wars Rogue One

Ever since Disney bought the rights to Star Wars movies rumors have circulated that there were many spin-offs planned. The first concrete rumors surfaced last year. Sadly they weren’t about a Boba Fett movie as many fans have hoped. I think Disney is wary of creating movies that only die-hard fans would have an interest in watching. Instead actresses Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) were rumored to be performing screen tests. This week Star Wars: Rogue One was announced starring Felicity Jones. It is uncertain if she beat the other actresses or whether they will also appear. I guess the former. The story has been written by Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz. Little is known about the plot. Besides many absurd spoof ideas there have been suggestions the movies may be about a heist. Perhaps the theft of the Death Star plans? The director attached to the project is Gareth Edwards who sadly only has a Godzilla movie to his name. It is last years version which at least received positive reviews. Star Wars Rogue One is scheduled for a December 16th 2016 release. As mentioned there have been many absurd ideas floating around about the plot for Rogue One. Many have doubts about the spinoff movies. If the new trilogy is the core of the new Star Wars franchise than why watch any spinoffs? It would seem consensus has it that Disney is trying to hard to emulate the Marvel Cinematic Universe just as viewer fatigue has set in with the latter.

Star Wars News Roundup

That was it for the Star Wars News. Disney seems serious about creating a new Star Wars Universe. I am genuinely interested in Episode 7, but I think the spinoff movies may be encroaching on a fan domain. George Lucas didn’t create the Expanded Universe. They are a collective creation of many Sci-fi authors who are also Star Wars fans. Can Disney really map out what fans should want in the future. Where is the spirit of marvel that George Lucas had when he originally penned down Star Wars? Perhaps we should not be so negative, but Disney’s interest are hard to ignore. This was my short roundup of this weeks Star Wars News

Source; http://www.blastr.com/2015-3-12/title-and-star-first-star-wars-spinoff-film-have-been-revealed