Star Wars Expanded Universe Thread

[Triggermv]

Clone Wars is very choppy. Some episodes are absolutely fantastic and some are honestly boring.

Rebels IMO is the best show that's been made - consistently good with great characters. Season 2 finale (Twilight of the Apprentice) is IMO the best thing that's been made in Star Wars for a while... but that said, it will hit a lot less if you haven't seen Clone Wars.

Totally agree on the S2 finale. However, while a bit more consistent than Clone Wars, I also thought Rebels was fairly choppy as well. I think some of that is inevitable with how many episodes they made of both series. I also still don’t love the Ezra character and that played a big part in holding my love back some. I still after all the seasons find him annoying at times. Kanan was amazing throughout though. I’m in the process of rewatching all the Clone Wars seasons again in a lead-up to watching the final season.

 

[Sigmapolis]

Is this song canonical to the Star Wars Expanded Universe as in-universe?

 

[NorthCyd]

There have been various announcements regarding the Cassian Andor/Rogue One prequel series coming to Disney+ and wanted to give a breakdown:

*The series takes place 5 years before Rogue One movie

*Series was supposed to debut on Disney+ in 2021, but that may be delayed.

* Tony Gilroy has taken over as showrunner for the series. Gilroy was a co-writer for Rogue One, and was already part of the writing and directing teams. He will be writing and directing the pilot episode.

*Stephen Schiff was the original showrunner and was also part of the writing team, but stepped away due to creative differences. Schiff had previously worked on The Americans for FX.

*Series writing team is:
Tony Gilroy
Stephen Schiff (still credited)
Dan Gilroy - wrote and directed the movie "Nightcrawler"
Beau Willimon - developed and wrote for "House of Cards" on Netflix

*Diego Luna returns in the role of Cassian Andor

*Alan Tudyk returns as K2-SO

*Stellan Skarsgard & Kyle Soller were just announced as joining the cast last week. No roles were announced.

*Genevieve O'Reilly has joined the series and will play the role of Mon Mothma. She played the character in the Rogue One film.

*Denise Gough has joined the cast. No role announced.

https://deadline.com/2020/04/rogue-...rd-kyle-soller-disney-series-cast-1202911145/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-cassian-andor-disney-series-adds-two-actors-1291772?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR's Heat Vision_now_2020-04-24 13:20:49_acouch&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_heat_vision

Gilroy was the one who came in and was responsible for essentially saving the film. Its interesting that he is doing more Star Wars stuff because he claims he isn't much of fan. I bet he is a fan of money though.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/a...-writer-tony-gilroy-opens-up-reshoots-1100060

 

[NorthCyd]

Is this song canonical to the Star Wars Expanded Universe as in-universe?

 

[Sigmapolis]

 

[Triggermv]

Gilroy was the one who came in and was responsible for essentially saving the film. Its interesting that he is doing more Star Wars stuff because he claims he isn't much of fan. I bet he is a fan of money though.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/a...-writer-tony-gilroy-opens-up-reshoots-1100060

Yeah, I found that interesting as well. The other thing worth mentioning is that, while this changeover isn't as high profile as Lucasfilm's previous long list of movie director changeover, it is worth noting that this is yet another Lucasfilm project where Kathleen Kennedy has clearly not been able to make things work with a project's creative team. Again, while I think Kathleen Kennedy is one of the greatest producers of all time, and while creative team changeover isn't super abnormal to see here and there, its clearly becoming a malignant trend with her as the head, and this is only one more check mark for her in that category in a long list of check marks. In fact, at this point in the live-action realm, only The Last Jedi and The Mandalorian are the only projects that weren't filled with behind-the-scenes strife. There is eventually a point where things aren't an everyone else problem and more a "you" problem, which I think we've been at for a while now. With that said, I hope Kathleen really makes a decision to ride into the sunset at the end of her contract coming up. I just don't think this is the job for her, and that is ok. Would love to see her jump back into producing individual regular movies again and not heading a whole shared-world studio.

 

[BryceC]

Yeah, I found that interesting as well. The other thing worth mentioning is that, while this changeover isn't as high profile as Lucasfilm's previous long list of movie director changeover, it is worth noting that this is yet another Lucasfilm project where Kathleen Kennedy has clearly not been able to make things work with a project's creative team. Again, while I think Kathleen Kennedy is one of the greatest producers of all time, and while creative team changeover isn't super abnormal to see here and there, its clearly becoming a malignant trend with her as the head, and this is only one more check mark for her in that category in a long list of check marks. In fact, at this point in the live-action realm, only The Last Jedi and The Mandalorian are the only projects that weren't filled with behind-the-scenes strife. There is eventually a point where things aren't an everyone else problem and more a "you" problem, which I think we've been at for a while now. With that said, I hope Kathleen really makes a decision to ride into the sunset at the end of her contract coming up. I just don't think this is the job for her, and that is ok. Would love to see her jump back into producing individual regular movies again and not heading a whole shared-world studio.

Agree completely. And let's be honest, regardless of people's feelings about TLJ, I'm one of the people who loved it, it's best understood as an example of what happens when you craft a trilogy with no long term vision.

Also, she wasn't going to fire Favreau unless she's insane. He's probably more powerful than she is right now. He's given us a big part of the MCU, he's on the cutting edge of their CGI stuff (Lion King) and he's much, MUCH more successful than Kennedy lately.

So basically the only people that have made it entirely through a project were a complete misjudging of what the fanbase wanted, and a guy who is way more powerful than she is. It's not a good track record at all.

 

[BryceC]

Finished the final episode of clone wars this morning. Final season was an encapsulation of the whole series: some boring-ish and kind of filler episodes, and the the last 4 were absolute bangers.

 

[cycloneG]

May the 4th!!!

 

[CycloneWanderer]

Finished the final episode of clone wars this morning. Final season was an encapsulation of the whole series: some boring-ish and kind of filler episodes, and the the last 4 were absolute bangers.

I honestly believe tlj would have been better with test screenings used to tighten up the film. RJ has shown himself capable of making great films (e.g., knives out) when using test screenings that restrain the film to what's necessary and cut what doesn't land with audiences. Can't do that with star wars though evidently.

 

[3GenClone]

I honestly believe tlj would have been better with test screenings used to tighten up the film. RJ has shown himself capable of making great films (e.g., knives out) when using test screenings that restrain the film to what's necessary and cut what doesn't land with audiences. Can't do that with star wars though evidently.

And Rian Johnson agrees with you:

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/03/rian-johnson-test-screen-star-wars-last-jedi-1202218892/

“It was like a party in the theater, it was really fun,” Johnson said of the first “Knives Out” test screening. “It was like the first time I was like, ‘Oh wow, this actually plays. This is good.’ Which is really nice and that’s something on ‘Star Wars,’ you can’t test ‘Star Wars’ movies for a lot of different reasons. I’ve always hated test screenings, and when we were making ‘Star Wars,’ at a certain point in the process you’re like ‘God, I would give my left arm to put this in front of 300 people in Burbank and just see how it plays.’”​

 

[BryceC]

And Rian Johnson agrees with you:

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/03/rian-johnson-test-screen-star-wars-last-jedi-1202218892/

“It was like a party in the theater, it was really fun,” Johnson said of the first “Knives Out” test screening. “It was like the first time I was like, ‘Oh wow, this actually plays. This is good.’ Which is really nice and that’s something on ‘Star Wars,’ you can’t test ‘Star Wars’ movies for a lot of different reasons. I’ve always hated test screenings, and when we were making ‘Star Wars,’ at a certain point in the process you’re like ‘God, I would give my left arm to put this in front of 300 people in Burbank and just see how it plays.’”​

It's a pitfall of these big CGI heavy movies. If you spend 20 million filming a big B plot like the Finn/Rose thread, then no studio is going to let you just cut it from the movie. Knives Out, which is basically filmed at one location on a much smaller budget, can be good to just leave a lot on the cutting room floor.

 

[Triggermv]

I really did not like TLJ, but that doesn't necessarily mean I don't like Rian Johnson or Rian Johnson movies. I loved Knives Out, like Looper and would love to have him continue to make great movies. Personally, I just don't want him making Star Wars movies as I don't agree with his vision for the franchise. I just think some directors/writers are more suited to make original material, and I think he might be one of those guys. That's all.

 

[NorthCyd]

It's a pitfall of these big CGI heavy movies. If you spend 20 million filming a big B plot like the Finn/Rose thread, then no studio is going to let you just cut it from the movie. Knives Out, which is basically filmed at one location on a much smaller budget, can be good to just leave a lot on the cutting room floor.

I don't know about that. Disney has , supposedly, changed a lot of the Star Wars movies during production at great expense. Supposedly there are almost completely different versions of Rogue One and Solo on the cutting room floor. For whatever reason, Rian Johnson just really jived with KK and her vision for Star Wars.

 

[3GenClone]

If you could only watch one Star Wars movie today, which would it be?

My kids pick is The Force Awakens. It's the only Star Wars movie they have the patience to watch.

My wife's pick: "A New Hope" -Brief Pause - "I tell you what it wouldn't be: any of the prequels"

My vote is Return of the Jedi, because it was the one I watched the most growing up, so it has the nostalgia factor.

 

[Halincandenza]

I really did not like TLJ, but that doesn't necessarily mean I don't like Rian Johnson or Rian Johnson movies. I loved Knives Out, like Looper and would love to have him continue to make great movies. Personally, I just don't want him making Star Wars movies as I don't agree with his vision for the franchise. I just think some directors/writers are more suited to make original material, and I think he might be one of those guys. That's all.

I think it was the best of the new trilogy. I would choose him of Abrams any day of the week for Star Wars.

 

[3GenClone]

https://www.starwars.com/news/taika-waititi-announce

Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi, who recently won Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit and directed the widely-acclaimed first season finale episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+, will direct and co-write a new Star Wars feature film for theatrical release.

Joining Waititi on the screenplay will be Academy Award® nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917, Last Night in Soho), who received a BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year on the three-time Oscar-winning film, 1917.

 

[mj4cy]

Kids and I are doing a quarantine Star Wars since mid-March. We've done episodes 1-7. Will start The Last Jedi tonight and then finish up with Rise of Skywalker next.

What's next after this? Rogue One? Solo?

 

[cycloneG]

If you could only watch one Star Wars movie today, which would it be?

My kids pick is The Force Awakens. It's the only Star Wars movie they have the patience to watch.

My wife's pick: "A New Hope" -Brief Pause - "I tell you what it wouldn't be: any of the prequels"

My vote is Return of the Jedi, because it was the one I watched the most growing up, so it has the nostalgia factor.

Empire

 

[DarkStar]

May the 4th!!!

Be with you....

Even NASA is chiming in on #StarWarsDay

#MayThe4thBeWithYou