The Ronto Roundup: Latest Episode VII Rumors, Rebels Press Screening, John Boyega’s Instagram and MORE!
By Daniel Berry
Good morning, Dork Siders! Welcome to a new week here at DSOTF. We’re here to bring you all of the Star Wars news that you may have missed over the weekend while you were partying hard.
In the words of the legendary plumber “Mario”, here we go!!! …
That’s right, readers. We’re kicking off your Monday with some SPOILERS!!! We try not to bury the lead here at DSOTF, so if you’re avoiding SPOILERS then you might want to avoid the next few paragraphs…
You’ve been warned. The following information may contain potential SPOILERS!
SPOILERS.
On Friday, the all knowing writers over at Latino Review posted some new information on the plot of Star Wars: Episode VII that they’d dug up from a random message board somewhere on the internet. Essentially, the post reads as bullet points, listing off the major plot devices that some user named Mizzlewump claims to have read from the film’s script.
The huge reveals include the possibilities that Princess Leia has been promoted, Han Solo has retired, Luke Skywalker has gone missing and Lando Calrissian has had a kid. Mizzlewump also claims that the child of Han and Leia will serve as the primary protagonist of the new movie.
There’s also an interesting suggestion that the Sith homeworld of Moraband could actually be a planet-sized weapon, which would certainly pose a threat to our heroes.
Now, none of these potential plot points would be too hard to imagine. Any Star Wars fan worth their salt could have come up with these story ideas, so it’s not likely that any of this is true. That would be too easy, and Episode VII‘s writing duo of Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams are smarter than most… at least, most of us named Mizzlewump, I’d wager. Then again, we could be wrong. Most likely, it’s the latter.
Whether or not you choose to believe any of these rumors, you can certainly read more about them in the latest post from DSOTF Staff Writer Kyle Warnke. Find out more about the mysterious Mizzlewump, here.
The British entertainment news group at Digital Spy recently named Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy atop a list of the nine most influential women in Hollywood, today. Having received the keys to the Star Wars empire from George Lucas himself, Kennedy has proven that she’s a force to be reckoned with.
From the Digital Spy report:
"When George Lucas handed over the keys to his Lucasfilm kingdom he turned to Kathleen Kennedy, who began her Hollywood career as Steven Spielberg‘s secretary and swiftly rose through the ranks to produce hits such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and The Sixth Sense.Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm signaled an aggressive intent to relaunch Star Wars for a new generation – following on from Episode VII, we’ll get to see big-screen sequels and spinoffs, an animated TV show, fresh Star Wars comics, novels and video games in a huge cross-media tapestry weaving together George Lucas‘s universe.The pop cultural landscape over the next decade could get totally reshaped by Star Wars, and Kennedy is the one entrusted with steering the ship."
Check out this interview with Kathleen Kennedy, wherein she discusses doing right by Star Wars fans, working with J.J. Abrams and becoming a role model for women everywhere:
Last week, the first in a line of brand new Star Wars fiction was released with the book Star Wars: A New Dawn by author John Jackson Miller. The head of the Lucasfilm Story Group, Jennifer Heddle, contributed to the official Star Wars site this week. In the piece, Heddle addresses what the new novel means for the future of Star Wars storytelling.
From the official Star Wars site:
"A New Dawn is an official prequel to Star Wars Rebels, telling the story of how Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla met and joined forces. It’s considered just as much a part of the canon as the episodes themselves will be. That knowledge can make for a pretty heady experience, but it didn’t change John Jackson Miller’s approach one bit. He, like all of us involved with Star Wars fiction, just wants to tell a great story that engages readers and expands horizons. I think he accomplished this admirably in A New Dawn."
To read more about A New Dawn and the Lucasfilm Story Group, you can read the entire piece here.
Imperial troops descend upon this year’s Dragon Con in Atlanta. Photos posted by Star Wars Report.
Our friends over at Star Wars Report have tons of coverage from this year’s Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia. The event took place last weekend, and the incredible team of Riley Blanton, Bethany Blanton, Aaron Goins and Teresa Delgado brought us tons of great Star Wars goodness!
The highlight of Star Wars at Dragon Con seemed to be the panel hosted by Aaron Goins and Teresa Delgado, titled A New Trope. Featuring Star Wars authors Timothy Zahn and Christie Golden, the discussion focused on overdone story devices and how classic themes play into writing science fiction.
Timothy Zahn, Christie Golden, Aaron Goins and Teresa Delgado photographed at Dragon Con. Photo posted by Star Wars Report.
For all of the Dragon Con coverage you can handle, Star Wars Report has a complete list of links here.
Lucasfilm hosted their official press screening of the upcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels this past Friday, at the Disney Animation Studios in Los Angeles, California. Our friends over at MakingStarWars.Net were on hand and provided all of us with some great coverage of the event.
From Jason Ward of MakingStarWars.Net:
"“In July, I gushed about Star Wars Rebels‘ opening “movie of the week.” I still stand by my assessment. In fact, I stand by it with even firmer resolve. After seeing Star Wars Rebels again tonight, finished, I am more indoctrinated into the “Star Wars Rebels kicks tons of ass” camp than ever before. On my second viewing, I can tell you that the movie has a lot of heart and it doesn’t fade on repeated viewings. It worked just as well on my second viewing as it did for my first.”"
Not only were the press on hand treated to a repeat viewing of the one hour premiere movie Spark of Rebellion, they were also shown the fourth episode of the ongoing series.
More from Jason Ward:
"“I love Star Wars. If Star Wars Rebels was horrible, my heart would be broken. Thankfully, Star Wars Rebels is brilliant, inspired, funny, heartfelt, character driven, mystical, and the best cartoon series I’ve ever seen. The wait for Star Wars: Episode VII isn’t going to be as bad as it could be, thanks to this show.”"
It seems as though this new animated series is making quite an impression on the Star Wars community. Let’s hope the more skeptical fans who don’t seem to enjoy it can let go of their hatred and embrace the future. One thing’s for sure, all of us at DSOTF are pumped about Star Wars Rebels.
For more on last week’s Rebels press screening, you can check out full recaps from Jason Ward and Jeremy Conrad.
More NEWS from the Dork Side:
The latest episode of The Star Wars Report was posted just this morning! You should tune in to the show to hear our friends Riley Blanton and Bethany Blanton discuss the latest in Star Wars news and fandom, including their complete coverage of this year’s Dragon Con! You can listen to the new episode, here.
This morning, Episode VII actor John Boyega teased the filming of a new location with his post on Instagram.
The photo, which features the Pinewood Studios sign, includes an interesting caption…
"“New week! New planet!”"
For a look Boyega‘s photo, check out the report at Jedi News.
The hard working crew over at Lucasfilm Animation have teamed up with Toys “R” Us to provide fans with a taste of what’s to come in Star Wars Rebels toys. The latest video features an inside look into Imperial TIE fighters.
Check out the latest installment of Secrets of the Star Wars Rebels:
Here’s wishing you all the best this week, Dork Siders! Thanks for checking back in with us, here at DSOTF. Don’t forget to keep your internet browsers bookmarked right here for all of the breaking Star Wars news, rumors and more!
May the Force be with your Monday!