HARRISON FORD INJURED ON THE SET OF STAR WARS!

BREAKING NEWS: HOLLYWOOD STAR HARRISON FORD IS INJURED ON THE SET OF STAR WARS!

Harrison Ford Injured on the Set of ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’
Courtesy of Variety Staff  http://variety.com/2014/film/news/harrison-ford-injured-on-the-set-of-star-wars-episode-vii-1201219316/
                                        

Harrison Ford has been injured on the set of Disney and LucasFilm’s new “Star Wars” movie.
According to Disney, the 71 year-old actor was hospitalized after sustaining a bad ankle injury during filming on Wednesday.
“He was taken to a local hospital and is receiving care,” the statement reads.
Ford was at Pinewood studios in England when a hydraulic door reportedly fell down and hit him, possibly fracturing his ankle.
He was airlifted to a hospital shortly after the incident.

The J.J. Abrams-directed “Star Wars: Episode VII,” co-starring Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, will continue shooting at Pinewood Studios while ‘Han Solo’ gets treatment.
The new “Star Wars” movie also stars newcomers John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver and hits theaters December 18, 2015.

STAR WARS CASTS LUPITA NYONG'O AND GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE

'Star Wars: Episode VII' casts Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie

By Anthony Breznican on Jun 2, 2014 at 12:04PM http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/06/02/star-wars-episode-vii-casts-lupita-nyongo-and-gwendoline-christie/

 

                   

This just in from the Star Wars front: Episode VII has cast 12 Years a Slave Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and Game of Thrones‘ Gwendoline Christie.

Though we don’t know who they play, it’s news that should be greeted with a joyful Ewok dance by many fans, especially those who were critical that the film’s earlier casting announcement was distressingly light on women.

Nyong’o, 31, a graduate of Yale’s drama school, made her breakthrough in 12 Years a Slave last year as Patsey, the fearsomely powerful but agonizingly trapped field slave who forges a sisterly bond with the movie’s main character, the kidnapped free man Solomon Northup.

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Ever since claiming the Oscar, the industry has been wondering which role she will take next — although there have long been rumors that Nyong’o was under consideration for Star Wars. Many industry-watchers have speculated that the film business might be at a loss for how to utilize the actress. EW’s own Mark Harris even asked, “Why can’t Lupita Nyong’o find a role worthy of her?“
With this news, that question has been answered.
Christie is another compelling piece of casting. The Star Wars galaxy has plucked a the fan favorite from the Game of Thrones universe. The 6-foot-3 British actress, who will be 35 this year, is a literally towering presence as the unlikely female knight Brienne of Tarth — a formidable foe to any of the realm’s male warriors.
Her performance on the HBO series has won over even diehard devotees of George R. R. Martin’s books, who were initially reluctant about Christie’s casting. (Brienne is described as relatively ugly in the books, and the knock against Christie was that she was “too beautiful” for the part. The actress gave a fun reaction to EW’s James Hibberd about that: “All my life, all I’ve ever wanted is for people to say — first of all — I’m pretty. But ‘too pretty’? Is amazing.”)
Christie is also cast in another powerhouse franchise, co-starring in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 film as Commander Lyme. She’ll take over the role from actress Lily Rabe, who plays the past Hunger Games victor in Part 1.
Nyong’o and Christie are bold additions to an already impressive cast for the J.J. Abrams-produced-and-directed film. They join original trilogy stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO.)
New additions include Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), John Boyega (Attack the Block), newcomer Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver (Girls), performance-capture maestro Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), and the iconic The Exorcist actor Max von Sydow.
The film, produced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and veteran Abrams collaborator Bryan Burke,  is shooting now — with plans for a Dec. 18, 2015 release.
We don’t know who exactly the new characters will be — but given the caliber of actors playing them, Star Wars lovers might finally be able to say, “I’ve got a bad good feeling about this …”

JJ ABRAMS IS OFFERING A PART IN STAR WARS VII

WIN A PART IN STAR WARS VII FOR CHARITY

http://youtu.be/XfNiC9iKM0Q

Best prize ever! J.J. Abrams is offering a member of the public a part in STAR WARS VII, all in the name of charity.
http://yhoo.it/1lEzSlQ

We’re excited to share this special announcement from J.J. Abrams: You could be in Star Wars: Episode VII and support a great cause. Enter here: http://bit.ly/BeInStarWarsEpVII ‪#‎ForceForChange‬
See Official Rules for details.

Thank you to Disney for committing $1 million to support the launch of Star Wars: Force for Change, which will benefit UNICEF. No purchase, payment, or contribution necessary to enter or win. See rules for more information.
 

THE FUTURE OF STAR WARS - EXPANDED UNIVERSE

Future of ‘Star Wars’ Will Rely Only on Past Movies, Animated TV Series

Courtesy Marc Graser, Senior Editor
http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/future-of-star-wars-relies-on-past-movies-animated-tv-series-1201164253/

2 EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CLIPS

(1) The Star Wars Expanded Universe: Past, Present, and Future
http://youtu.be/VUm0Lo6DL-E

(2) Star Wars Rebels: WonderCon 2014 Exclusive Clip
http://youtu.be/a8uJXFxfmiE

Lucasfilm and Disney have given “Star Wars” fans official insight into where they plan to take the sci-fi saga.

While George Lucas had built a world around “Star Wars” through movies, TV shows, comicbooks, novels, videogames and other forms of entertainment, storylines were developed by separate teams creating what’s been called an “Expanded Universe” that veered away from what was seen onscreen by audiences.

As a result of the plethora of “Star Wars”-related characters, creatures, spaceships and worlds created for those properties, Lucasfilm has formed a new story group to oversee all “Stars Wars” creative development, according to Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, that will connect all aspects of storytelling moving forward.

Onscreen, the first new canonical material to appear will be the animated series “Star Wars Rebels” (see a clip presented at WonderCon below), followed by the J.J. Abrams-directed “Star Wars: Episode VII,” set for release on Dec. 18, 2015.

In print, the first new books to come from the group include novels from Del Rey Books, such as the John Jackson Miller-penned “Star Wars: A New Dawn,” set before the events of “Star Wars Rebels” and offering insight into the backstories of key characters Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla, with input directly from executive producers Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and Greg Weisman.

“A New Dawn” will be published in hardcover and as an e-book on Sept. 2, followed by “Star Wars: Tarkin,” by James Luceno, on Nov. 4; “Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi,” in January, by author Kevin Hearne; and “Star Wars: Lords of the Sith,” by Paul Kemp, in March.

Lucas may have enabled other people to play in the world of the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe, but “he set the films he created as the canon,” Lucasfilm posted on the StarWars.com site Friday. “This includes the six ‘Star Wars’ episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars.’ These stories are the immovable objects of ‘Star Wars’ history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.”

“We have an unprecedented slate of new ‘Star Wars’ entertainment on the horizon,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We’re set to bring ‘Star Wars’ back to the bigscreen, and continue the adventure through games, books, comics, and new formats that are just emerging. This future of interconnected storytelling will allow fans to explore this galaxy in deeper ways than ever before.”
That includes the launch of a new “Star Wars: Legends” banner that will keep tales from the Expanded Universe in print.

Lucasfilm added that elements from the Expanded Universe, like the Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau and Sienar Fleet Systems created in role-playing games of the 1980s, are story elements in “Star Wars Rebels.”