Star Wars Episode IX, The Rise of Skywalker, available on home video

[azrael]

http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-ix-and-next-indiana-jones-get-release-dates

Release date announced. Topic will be locked until Dec.15, 2017.

Edited July 28, 2018 by David Hingtgen

[azrael]

A Statement Regarding Star Wars: Episode IX

J.J. ABRAMS TO WRITE AND DIRECT STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

[Dynaman]

Do we have a thread for Episode IX?  No matter this is partly episode VIII related.  Carrie Fischer will be in Episode 9 by using footage from episode 8. Billy Dee Williams is also on board as well as Mark Hamill (though that last one should not be a surprise)

[sh9000]

https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-ix-cast-announced

[Thom]

I wonder if they are going to CG her mouth and change dialoge? I would think the dialogue from TFA would be much different from the latest movie.

[sketchley]

10 hours ago, Thom said:

I wonder if they are going to CG her mouth and change dialoge? I would think the dialogue from TFA would be much different from the latest movie.

If the dialogue was generic enough, they won't have to.

Or... if the writing is good enough, then they can set it up in the story so the dialogue makes sense.

[TangledThorns]

I've got a bad feeling about this.

[Dobber]

The release date in the thread title is wrong. It is, thankfully, coming out Dec. 20, 2019.

Chris

Edited July 28, 2018 by Dobber

[Dynaman]

4 hours ago, sketchley said:

If the dialogue was generic enough, they won't have to.

Or... if the writing is good enough, then they can set it up in the story so the dialogue makes sense.

I had read there are shots of her contacting/calling out for others to join the rebellion (er, resistance).  Those shots could be made use of.

[sketchley]

9 hours ago, Dynaman said:

I had read there are shots of her contacting/calling out for others to join the rebellion (er, resistance).  Those shots could be made use of.

Ah... that actually sounds usable.  I was worried that it would be the filmed -but not included in the film- parts of her talking with the new Republic.

That said, I think I actually prefer the idea of writing the character out during the opening scroll (E.g.: died due to injuries from being exposed to the vacuum of space) then including her in the film.

I guess you could say what I'm most worried about is them doing something like what happened with Tarkin in "Rogue One": replacing a perfectly capable look-alike actor with CG; and the ensuing 'uncanny valley' effect forcing the viewer out of the film (admittedly the effect is less pronounced on a TV screen).

[Scyla]

I was totally taken out of Rogue One by the CGI faces for Tarkin and Leia.

I wish they wouldn‘t do that and use a similar looking actor instead. However I fear this is only the beginning

Edited July 29, 2018 by Scyla

[Dynaman]

The articles I read EMPHATICALLY stated there would be no CGI for Leia and it would be all footage already shot.  I'm guessing they will fudge on that a little bit but nothing like what was done in Rogue One.  Perhaps the backgrounds will need CGI work and a "stunt double" will be used for long distance or shots where Leia's face is not visible.

At any rate it appears they learned their lesson on CGI main characters, for now.  

[sketchley]

1 hour ago, Dynaman said:

The articles I read EMPHATICALLY stated there would be no CGI for Leia and it would be all footage already shot.  I'm guessing they will fudge on that a little bit but nothing like what was done in Rogue One.  Perhaps the backgrounds will need CGI work and a "stunt double" will be used for long distance or shots where Leia's face is not visible.

At any rate it appears they learned their lesson on CGI main characters, for now.  

Well, I'm all for it, if it is done tastefully and with discretion, like what they did in "Gladiator" when one of the main actors passed away 3 weeks before filming ended.

[Thom]

I actually felt CG Tarkin was done pretty well. It was a little jarring at first, but then it just looked like him. However CG Young Leia was totally bad. I understand there are current limits that are constantly advancing, but if you couldn't do it at that stage in R1's development, then they should have used some simple FX trickery to disguise how unreal the CG was. 

Something as simple as turning down the lights, utilizing light reflection from the screens and shooting the face from a less direct angle would have done wonders.

As to them using Leia's face in another movie, as posted above, they probably learned their lesson (for now), but also they would need permission from the family to do it. They had permission from Cushing's family to his face in the movie and they would need the same from Fisher's.

[jenius]

I thought it was dumb and jarring when they could have easily made him a hologram phone call.

[spacemanoeuvres]

On 7/28/2018 at 8:21 AM, sketchley said:

Or... if the writing is good enough

 

[Dynaman]

28 minutes ago, Thom said:

I actually felt CG Tarkin was done pretty well. It was a little jarring at first, but then it just looked like him. However CG Young Leia was totally bad. I understand there are current limits that are constantly advancing, but if you couldn't do it at that stage in R1's development, then they should have used some simple FX trickery to disguise how unreal the CG was. 

Something as simple as turning down the lights, utilizing light reflection from the screens and shooting the face from a less direct angle would have done wonders.

As to them using Leia's face in another movie, as posted above, they probably learned their lesson (for now), but also they would need permission from the family to do it. They had permission from Cushing's family to his face in the movie and they would need the same from Fisher's.

Agree on Tarkin looking the better of the two.  Part of that may be that Hollywood has been much better at making young people look older then it has at making older people look younger, at least till the last couple years.  The younger versions of Kurt Russel and Jeff Bridges looked better then Leia however, so perhaps just a goof.

As for it being legal without the original actor's consent (or their estate), that is a grey area.  Carrie Fisher's and Peter Cushing's estates have the right to their likeness but whoever owns Star Wars has the rights to Leia and Tarkin.  In the past that meant they could use any actor they wanted to play the part and with makeup perhaps make them look very close to the original (Spock in Star Trek for instance) but the limits of the technology made an exact match nearly impossible.  CGI is a different technology that will eventually allow recreating a character down to the last detail of the original actor - and there has been no case law to decide just where the line is drawn.

[Thom]

Hmm. The impression I have is that they have the rights to the names but not the likeness. They can hire a new actor for the role, but can't use another person's face without their permission, even if they had been on the role before. But then I don't know much about this kind of thing,

[Dynaman]

1 hour ago, Thom said:

Hmm. The impression I have is that they have the rights to the names but not the likeness. They can hire a new actor for the role, but can't use another person's face without their permission, even if they had been on the role before. But then I don't know much about this kind of thing,

The movie studio (or whoever owns the picture) certainly has rights to the character, which includes how that character looks.  No actor is allowed to make money off of a character they play in a movie without the rights holder to that movie giving the go ahead.  The character certainly includes the likeness - the fact there was an actor or actress does not change that fact.  The only difference today (or soon) is that digital effects can make a much closer copy of the original actor's look. 

The  screen actor's guild is claiming the opposite but since there is no precedent yet nobody knows, future contracts may be written in such a way that digital recreation rights are specified.

[TehPW]

I keep seeing videos on my YouTube feed saying that they (Disney) fired the current director of Ep 9 (and all films are on hold). any truth to that?

[anime52k8]

no idea. star wars fans are literally the worst.

[Dynaman]

32 minutes ago, TehPW said:

I keep seeing videos on my YouTube feed saying that they (Disney) fired the current director of Ep 9 (and all films are on hold). any truth to that?

They fired one a while back but JJ is still set to direct (Dynomite!, well not that JJ).  No other movies are officially on hold but I'm sure they are rethinking the financing at this moment.

[kajnrig]

Maybe you confused Episode IX with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Otherwise, Solo switched from Lord and Miller to Ron Howard... but I think that's it for recent-ish Disney movie director news.

[Negotiator]

think he's talking about the rumors that rian johnson is fired and his trilogy.

[azrael]

Colin Trevorrow was original tapped to write and direct Ep 9. He came to blows with management (read Kathleen Kennedy) with his script. The 1st draft was scrapped and another writer was brought on board but that script was trashed and eventually, Lucasfilm let him go.  JJ Abhrams stepped back into the writer & director's chair to finish the trilogy. The other Star Wars films are just in development.

[TehPW]

9 hours ago, Negotiator said:

think he's talking about the rumors that rian johnson is fired and his trilogy.

basically this, the rumors & such. For the record, I didn't see Solo specifically because of the stupid politics involved in that film but that's an entirely different topic...

[TehPW]

7 hours ago, azrael said:

Colin Trevorrow was original tapped to write and direct Ep 9. He came to blows with management (read Kathleen Kennedy) with his script. The 1st draft was scrapped and another writer was brought on board but that script was trashed and eventually, Lucasfilm let him go.  JJ Abhrams stepped back into the writer & director's chair to finish the trilogy. The other Star Wars films are just in development.

speaking of JJ-Wars: Since the reason JJ jumped ship was the soured returns (in terms of merchandising) from JJ-Trek, how have the Star Wars toy line since the release of the recent movies?

Edited August 25, 2018 by TehPW
I cans Spells! eeeerrrrhhh

[tekering]

43 minutes ago, TehPW said:

how have the Star Wars toy line since the release of the recent movies?

Despite a missing verb or two, I understand what you're asking...  

Hasbro made a killing on cheap, low-quality merchandise for The Force Awakens, as retailers ordered it by the bucketloads.  However, poor sales left most of it languishing on store shelves for years afterwards, and retailers forced Hasbro to downsize considerably for The Last Jedi.  

Action figures and vehicles for Solo have been even more thin on the ground, and less and less Star Wars merchandise is now being exported to international markets.  Despite enormous box-office returns for The Last Jedi, the merchandising (where the real profits are made) has floundered, and Solo couldn't even break even at the box office...

Not surprisingly, Hasbro has decided to focus on the hardcore collectors' market instead, and resurrected The Vintage Collection with super-articulated figures and Kenner-style packaging for the remainder of 2018.  The basic figure line has been ignored entirely, in favor of expanding the 6" Black Series line with retailer- and event-exclusives.  

Even more telling, the only major vehicle release since Rogue One is being marketed Kickstarter-style, through Hasbro's subscriber-only HasLab site.  Traditional retail sales channels are no longer working for Star Wars.

[M'Kyuun]

Hasbro gets no love from me, either, as the only SW related merch I buy is LEGO. 

Curious how JJ's going to handle Ep 9, as Johnson all but shot down all of JJ's setups from Force Awakens. I wouldn't want to be the writer/director to follow The Last Jedi. Kinda makes me wish they'd just let JJ do the whole trilogy, as it seems he had a vision, and it would have been a uniform transition throughout. Like him or not, he respects the franchise, maybe a little overly, but TLJ was a jarring film that upset the flow from the Force Awakens, at least to me, anyway. I like Force Awakens; even with its warts, it still feels like a decent SW film to me; I just don't feel the same about TLJ. Ep IX is probably going to end up being a salvage op for JJ, trying to circumnavigate a lot of what didn't seem to work in TLJ, not to mention tie some of those unused or explained away threads from TFA back into the new film, Rey's background especially.

[peter]

I take my kid to Toys R Us pretty regularly, haven't seen very many cool toys that inspire me to buy for him, and what toys they have seem pretty shitty for the price they're asking.

[TangledThorns]

38 minutes ago, peter said:

I take my kid to Toys R Us pretty regularly, haven't seen very many cool toys that inspire me to buy for him, and what toys they have seem pretty shitty for the price they're asking.

That's because you have a son There is a ton more toys for little girls and FROZEN themed stuff is always a safe choice. Of course I have an infant son too and have to agree with you on the available choices for them.

I just hope he likes the cheap stuff when he gets older, lol!

Edited August 25, 2018 by TangledThorns

[peter]

As long as his hobbies align with mine, I'll be fine, lol!  

 

[Mog]

14 hours ago, tekering said:

Not surprisingly, Hasbro has decided to focus on the hardcore collectors' market instead, and resurrected The Vintage Collection with super-articulated figures and Kenner-style packaging for the remainder of 2018.  The basic figure line has been ignored entirely, in favor of expanding the 6" Black Series line with retailer- and event-exclusives.  

Even more telling, the only major vehicle release since Rogue One is being marketed Kickstarter-style, through Hasbro's subscriber-only HasLab site.  Traditional retail sales channels are no longer working for Star Wars.

I find it kinda ironic that Hasbro has gone back to caring about the collectors again.

I understand that it was getting expensive for them to keep the 3 3/4" line going (too expensive to make all the parts necessary for super-articulated figures and shrinking profit margins).  But the double-whammy of forcing collectors to go to the 6-inch scale and my meh-ness towards TFA finally made me to leave the Hasbro collecting game completely.

Even before all this happened though, there were so many signs that Hasbro kept screwing up a good thing:

• We saw tons of cool figures during Comic-Con and Toy Fair, but good luck ever finding them in an actual brick-and-mortar store.
• Their case assortments were atrocious (Did they really need to repack a not-so-good Darth Vader and a Sandtrooper again?).
• They over-produced the Phantom Menace wave, but never produced enough of the other Vintage collection waves.
• They used to do a bunch of online Q&A's with various collector websites.  But once people kept pointing out the issues with distribution and case assortments, Hasbro just gave canned answers and stopped doing the Q&A's all-together.
• They never took full advantage of releasing figures that appeared in later season Clone Wars or Rebels (never released Pong Krell, Fives, Maul-deco'ed Mandalorians, articulated Bo Katan, Season 3 and later Ezra Bridger, Rebels-Era Rex, etc.).

So, basically Hasbro has a massive uphill climb to bring an old collector like me back into the fold.

In all honesty, Hasbro has no one to blame but themselves for this whole situation.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Mog

[tekering]

7 hours ago, Mog said:

They never took full advantage of releasing figures that appeared in later season Clone Wars or Rebels (never released Pong Krell, Fives, Maul-deco'ed Mandalorians, articulated Bo Katan, Season 3 and later Ezra Bridger, Rebels-Era Rex, etc.).

Perhaps Hasbro's biggest failing was in marketing.  I mean, you were obviously a dedicated Star Wars collector with a keen interest in specific characters, yet when two of  said characters were actually released at retail, you didn't even know about it.  

Although I suppose if distribution had been better, you'd have found them in stores, so marketing may not have been necessary...  

Either way, you're right.  Hasbro has no one to blame but themselves.

[Mog]

I don’t think they ever released Fives in his ARC deco.

And 5 POA doesn’t cut it for me, unless it’s a senator or standing at attention clone/trooper.  They’re called action figures for a reason. 

But yeah, Hasbro made it pretty clear that they didn’t want to continue the 3 3/4” line that Kenner started oh so many years ago.