Tag: rogue one: a star wars story

Gareth Edwards on How He Put Unused Footage From ‘Star Wars’ in ‘Rogue One’

screen-shot-2016-12-09-at-12-22-50-pm

(SPOILERS FOR ROGUE ONE AHEAD)

One of the standout moments from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that had long-time fans of Star Wars jumping in their seats and cheering was when Red Leader Garven Dreis (Drewe Henley) and Gold Leader Jon Vander (Angus MacInnes) showed up during the climactic space battle over Scarif. The footage used was from the original Star Wars and it was seamlessly integrated into the new picture.

Speaking with Radio Times, Gareth Edwards revealed how the opportunity to include Red and Gold Leader in Rogue One presented itself:

“And as we’re walking around, and doing all the cool things and looking at the Millennium Falcon and trying on Han Solo’s jacket and things like that, in the back at the bottom was all these cans of film. And we said ‘what are they?’ and they said ‘Oh, it’s Star Wars….And you go… ‘has someone gone through all this? And it’s like ‘not really, they’re not fully like digitised at all.’”

Edwards turned the footage over to the magicians and wizards at ILM to work their magic:

“We got the neg documents and found the clips from A New Hope that hadn’t been used. And there’s pilot photography and lines that were never featured in A New Hope….Through the magic of ILM [special effect studio Industrial Light and Magic] they cut round them and manipulated them and stuck them into our cockpits  It’s the sort of thing you think, ‘how many people will notice?’ Do you know what I mean? It’s like, is this a lot of effort for very little reward?”

We noticed Gareth, we noticed. I basically jumped back in my seat and yelped. I had bought a Rogue One t-shirt at the concession stand before going into the auditorium and almost began spinning it around my head like a helicopter. Seeing Red and Gold leader again was something I could never have imagined and is the easter egg I appreciate the most in the film as it completely took me back to being a 7-year old again. This easter egg, along with plenty of others, shows how effective fan service can be when it is done well and Rogue One did it perfectly.

jon_vander

garven_dreis

SOURCE: RADIO TIMES

Gareth Edwards on The Incredible CGI Accomplishment in ‘Rogue One’

Full spoilers ahead.

screen-shot-2016-12-09-at-12-22-50-pm

(SPOILER WARNING)

Die hard Star Wars fans had heard rumblings of a CGI version of Grand Moff Tarkin appearing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for a while now. Considering Tarkin is in command of the Death Star during A New Hope, it made sense that his character would be around during the direct prequel to the original Star Wars. Without him, Rogue One could have felt neutered in the way Marvel and especially DC limit or completely restrict their television series from connecting with their respective cinematic universes.

Tarkin’s inclusion in the film presented a major risk for Lucasfilm. Not only would the Grand Moff appear, he would be featured as a key character in Rogue One. Gareth Edwards told IGN how nerve-wracking it was to take the risk of resurrecting Peter Cushing (who passed away in 1994) through CGI to play a major role in the first Star Wars spinoff:

“We were all very nervous about it and kind of, ‘Can we do this? Is it crazy? Because we can’t get it wrong, it has to be spot-on.”

And it was spot on. The risk has paid off in some major ways. Not only is it a groundbreaking accomplishment in computer graphics animation but it also serves to inform his character in the original Star Wars in some quite remarkable ways. John Knoll and the wizards at Industrial Light and Magic didn’t just recreate the likeness of Peter Cushing, they truly brought him back to life in the film so well that he was actually able to give a performance. While I could still tell he was CGI because my brain was telling me so, I was in shock because I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to believe he was real because he looked it. Some of the people I saw the film with who weren’t Star Wars fans wouldn’t even have known he was CGI had I not told them.

But the risk didn’t just pay off in the form of a technical accomplishment, it also provided new context to a film Star Wars fans have known and loved for years. I would strongly recommend watching Rogue One and A New Hope as a double feature. The direct prequel serves to inform the classic Star Wars on so many levels from raising the stakes even higher in the opening scene to plot holes to smaller moments like when the high-level Imperial officers are sassing back at Grand Moff Tarkin after he informed them the Imperial Senate had been dissolved. Originally it had been a bit odd that the Imperial officers were being rather insubordinate to Tarkin but now it makes a lot more sense. Considering Tarkin had taken Krennic’s command away from him, those officers had to have been harboring some serious resentment over a position they most certainly had ambitions of attaining themselves.

Whether you thought Tarkin looked perfect or fell into the uncanny valley, there’s no denying that Lucasfilm has delivered exactly what audiences wanted this year. Summer 2016 saw every reboot, remake, and sequel rejected by audiences at the box office. It is clear people are sick of the risk-averse nature of Hollywood. People want brave and bold chances taken in the cinema again and the biggest franchise of them all just took some major risks and delivered a film that manages to be one of the greatest Star Wars stories ever told even with some pretty major flaws with its lack of characterization and sometimes sluggish pacing.

tarkin-32x_16f7b5db

SOURCE: IGN

The ‘Rogue One’ Easter Egg You Might Have Missed

(SPOILERS OF COURSE)

If you’ve seen the new Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story you know the film has some pretty deep cuts as far as easter eggs go. There was one in particular that made me feel like I was ten years old again. In the climactic space battle over Scarif, Michael Giachinno laid a very familiar cue into the track titled “The Imperial Suite” that sounds extremely similar to the main title from the Nintendo 64 game Rogue Squadron.

‘Rogue One’: “Tonight” TV Spot Teases The Most Exciting Blockbuster in Years

Screen Shot 2016-12-15 at 4.44.15 PM.png

Tonight is the night! The upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set to hit theaters tomorrow with early screenings beginning tonight. The Lucasfilm marketing machine has delivered another masterful campaign ramping up to the film’s release and it all culminates tonight! With critics reviews in, the film is currently sporting a certified fresh rating of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes but there is really only a few peoples whose opinions truly matter and you can check them out below.

The film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelson, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Directed by Gareth Edwards.

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. In theaters December 2016.

‘Rogue One’ IMAX Featurette Teases The Films Massive Scale

screen-shot-2016-12-09-at-12-22-50-pm

Lucasfilm has released a new featurette teasing just how crucial seeing the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in IMAX truly is. The word going around is that the climactic space battle over Scarif is the greatest space battle since the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi and you won’t want to miss your chance to see it on the biggest screen possible. If you live in Los Angeles, I would strongly suggest seeing the film on the IMAX screen at the AMC Theater in Universal City. It would no doubt be one of the greatest cinematic experiences of your life.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters December 16th.

The film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelson, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Directed by Gareth Edwards.

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. In theaters December 2016.

r1_amcmini_imax_darth_sm

SOURCE: IMAX

New ‘Rogue One’ Featurettes Take You to Paradise and Give You the Origin of K-2SO

Screen Shot 2016-12-11 at 8.37.02 PM.png

Lucasfilm debuted two new featurettes last night on the live stream for the red carpet premiere of the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The featurettes give insight to K2SO’s backstory and take us inside the production from the shoot in the Maldives which serves as the setting for the tropical planet of Scarif, the host to Emperor Palpatine’s most valued Imperial base.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters December 16th.

The film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelson, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Directed by Gareth Edwards.

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. In theaters December 2016.

(via Comicbook)

Reactions to ‘Rogue One’ Are Overwhelmingly Positive

screen-shot-2016-12-11-at-2-37-27-am

The upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered in Los Angeles tonight and for months the film has been under tremendous scrutiny after rumors began to swirl that up to forty percent of the film was going to be reshot. Not only that but director Tony Gilroy was going to helm the reshoots rather than Gareth Edwards due to executives at Lucasfilm reportedly being dissatisfied with the overall tone of the film. There were claims the film was too dark and lacked the levity the Star Wars franchise is known for but if there’s anything we can deduce from the trailers it’s that the film most certainly brings the comedy with K-2SO (Alan Tudyk).

While there is still an embargo on the film, many have taken to twitter to share their reactions to the film. The verdict? It’s good. Really good. It seems anyone who still has trepidations regarding the reshoots or the rather last minute addition of Michael Giacchino to compose the score doesn’t have anything to worry about. Those who have seen the film are lauding almost every element to the film from the immersive cinematography to the ways in which it expands the universe. It seems Rogue One has everything fans could have hoped a fresh take on the franchise could offer while still remaining true to the original Star Wars.

All the reactions are incredibly encouraging and relieving. But at the same time knowing the film exceeded the expectations of most who saw it leaves me feeling even more sick to my stomach in excitement than I already was as I sit here stuffing my face with chocolate covered pecan bark at three in the morning while I watch Star Wars Rebels wondering how the hell I’m going to make it until Thursday.

View this post on Instagram

My emoji, ladies & gentlemen.

A post shared by Mark Ellis (@markellislive) on

Mark Hamill on The Advantage ‘Rogue One’ Has Over Other Star Wars Films

luke-skywalker-mark-hamill-star-wars-force-awaken.png

Lucasfilm is about to introduce the world to the very first spin-off of the Star Wars franchise with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film itself looks like an old novel from the expanded universe come to life with new characters and new ships that feel like a longtime fan stumbled back into his childhood bedroom and brought to life a story with his childhood Star Wars toys. While the experimental spin-off presents a major financial risk for Lucasfilm, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill recently told Entertainment Tonight he thinks Rogue One has a major advantage over the Skywalker saga:

“I’ve only seen the trailers, and it looks fantastic. I can’t wait, yeah. They have a real advantage being able to go in and do a one-off story because you don’t have to follow the trilogy model of a three-act play. They can really get it done, get off, and leave the audience wanting more. They have a chance to make it their own identity. This one looks like a really gritty World War II film. They have a chance to really branch out and stake out the territory for themselves, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Hamill’s words have me extremely excited for the future of the Star Wars franchise. While Lucasfilm is playing it smart and safe, waiting until January to decide the future of the franchise based on the reaction to Rogue One, the future of Star Wars has limitless potential.

Next up will be Episode VIII continuing the Skywalker saga. Following that will be the second Star Wars spin-off, the untitled young Han Solo film which will feature Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, and Emilia Clarke in an unknown role. Beyond that things aren’t clear but there is a chance Lucasfilm could resurrect the Boba Fett spin-off which landed in development Lucasfilm removed Josh Trank from the project after Trank unprofessionally tweeted about the drama behind the failed Fantastic Four reboot.

What would be even better would be an Obi-Wan standalone feature. The potential film already has a ton of buzz behind it. Not only are fans clamoring for it. But Obi- Wan himself, Ewan McGregor is very interested in making the film a reality. He himself championed the idea of an Obi-Wan film during promotion for his directorial debut American Pastoral.

I personally would like an old republic spin-off, or even a trilogy telling the history of the war between the Jedi and the Sith. But I also think the old republic could work as a Netflix series or a mini-series in the vein of Game of Thrones. It would need a ton of money behind it so the shorter the amount of episodes the better.

Star Wars is why I fell in love with movies in the first place and right now it’s beyond exciting to be a Star Wars fan. When I went to the theater in 2005 to see Revenge of the Sith, I felt like I was saying goodbye to something that meant the world to me. I didn’t ask my parents if I could go to the midnight showing, I told them I was and there was nothing they could do to stop me. I would have stolen their car if I had to. George Lucas had said we would never see Episode VII come to fruition, especially not at the hands of another filmmaker. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that ten years later we would finally get to see not only the story beyond Return of the Jedi but that we would finally get to explore the galaxy outside of the Skywalker saga. Now with Grand Admiral Thrawn having become a reality and anything feeling like it could be possible at this point, I can’t help but have hope that Dash Rendar will someday return to canon whether it be in a film, book, or comic.

You can check out the full interview with Hamill below.

SOURCE: ET

‘Rogue One’ World Premiere Tonight in Los Angeles; Two New Clips Released

screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-6-49-34-pm

Last year, Star Wars took over four blocks of Hollywood Blvd. with one of the biggest premieres in history and this year looks to be no different. Tonight Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will make its world premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The event which will be live-streamed on StarWars.com and Facebook will be hosted by Andi Gutierrez, Peter Townley, Anthony Carboni, and David Collins. The live stream will feature exclusive red carpet interviews with the director and cast of Rogue One, as well as other Star Wars alum such as Mark Hamil and Peter Mayhugh. It all begins at 5 p.m. PST.

Lucasfilm has also dropped two new clips from the film featuring Jyn’s rescue from captivity and another revealing the U-Wings approach on Eadu which contains the music from the score that hit the web yesterday.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters December 16th.

The film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelson, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Directed by Gareth Edwards.

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. In theaters December 2016.

15492212_1344920462226218_1101585499262353138_n.jpg

(via Comicbook)

Two Snippets From ‘Rogue One’ Score Hit The Web

screen-shot-2016-11-29-at-11-54-22-am

Two snippets from Michael Giacchino’s score to the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story can be heard in a new video from Entertainment Weekly taking fans behind the scenes at a scoring session from the Star Wars spin-off. Giacchino is the first ever composer to provide music for a Star Wars film who isn’t legendary composer John Williams. Unfortunately, you can tell. But no one should ever expect anyone to measure up to the compositions by Williams. He has provided the world with some of the greatest symphonic music of all time.

Personally, I have never been a fan of  Giacchino’s work as I find it doesn’t usually add up to anything. That being said, the snippets heard in the video from EW aren’t bad. But be the judge for yourself.

Head on over to EW to watch the video.

The tracklist for the soundtrack has also been revealed.

81ugd8xnx-l-_sx522_

  1. He’s Here For Us (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  2. A Long Ride Ahead (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  3. Wobani Imperial Labor Camp (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  4. Trust Goes Both Ways (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  5. When Has Become Now (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  6. Jedha Arrival (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  7. Jedha City Ambush (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  8. Star-Dust (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  9. Confrontation on Eadu (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  10. Krennic’s Aspirations (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  11. Rebellions Are Built on Hope (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  12. Rogue One (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  13. Cargo Shuttle SW-0608 (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  14. Scrambling the Rebel Fleet (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  15. AT-ACT Assault (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  16. The Master Switch (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  17. Your Father Would Be Proud (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  18. Hope (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  19. Jyn Erso & Hope Suite (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  20. The Imperial Suite (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)
  21. Guardians of the Whills Suite (From “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”/Score)