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Tech News
17 Works of Art That Will Hang In George Lucas’s New Museum
There was a great disturbance in the Force this week as George Lucas announced he’s locating his new art museum in Chicago instead of San Francisco. But Lucas’s art isn’t all Millennium Falcon models: There are some seriously fascinating pieces in his collection, all themed around the concept of storytelling. The Lucas Museum of Narrative … Continued
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io9Movies
An Amazing Version Of Star Wars Made From Everything That Inspired It
What if someone remade Star Wars using only the film of the old movies, serials and TV shows that influenced George Lucas’ creative vision? Squarespace’s Michael Hellman has done just that, replacing Lucas’ footage with the original works — and, often specific scenes — that inspired it. This is still an early version — Hellmann … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9
Never-Before-Seen Star Wars Storyboards Show The Original Trilogy Anew
We’ve already seen a ton of astonishing artwork from the making of classic Star Wars — but the new book of storyboards from the original trilogy is still a revelation. So many cool images, so many glimpses of how key sequences could have looked different. We’ve got some exclusive images to share with you. Top … Continued
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io9
13 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Lightsabers
Lightsabers. The weapon of a Jedi knight. An elegant weapon for a more civilized time. The most efficient limb-removal device in the galaxy. But who made them? How did George Lucas determine their colors? Are there other light-weapons in the Star Wars universe? Here are more than a dozen lightsaber facts only the wisest Jedi … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9
The Origin Of Lightsabers, According To George Lucas
This 15-minute Star Wars featurette won’t tell you how to make an actual lightsaber, but it will explain how director George Lucas and his team created the first lightsabers for A New Hope, and Mark Hamill tells what it was like to wield them. You may recall this video from the original Star Wars trilogy … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9Movies
The Star Wars Bet With Spielberg That Cost George Lucas $40 Million
Star Wars has made creator George Lucas a lot of money over the year. But in 1977, he made a bet with fellow director Steven Spielberg that has wound up costing him over $40,00,000 so far, and all of it going directly into Spielberg’s pocket. The bet was made when Lucas was visiting Spielberg on … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
Tech NewsSploid
How Spielberg, Lucas, and Kasdan came up with Indiana Jones
How did a “scruffy,” “rough and tumble” “bounty hunter of antiquities” become one of the most beloved heroes in film history? Read this transcript from a 1978 meeting featuring Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan, as they workshop the concept of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The best parts are hearing them figure out … Continued
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io9Movies
Watch the student films scifi directors made before they were famous
Everyone has to start somewhere, and for many directors, that start was in short student films. Let’s dive way back into the catalogue of science fiction, fantasy, and horror directors and see the films that they made when they first sat in the director’s chair. Student films often contain seeds of directors’ future careers. Michael … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
io9Movies
Michael Arndt’s scrapped Star Wars story was about Luke and Han’s kids
When Michael Arndt was replaced as the writer of Star Wars: Episode VII last fall, we were told it had to do with timing concerns. But according to a new report in the Hollywood Reporter, the real reason was a disagreement over who the film should be about: Luke, Leia and Han, or the next … Continued
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Tech News
Freiheit: George Lucas’ Very First, Very Worst Film
Many years before George Lucas decided it was ok to lie to the children of America, convincing them that tree-dwelling teddy bears with bronze age technology could really decimate the most capable military force in the galaxy, he started his directorial career with this short film about, um, freedom? Titled Freiheit, this 1966 short film … Continued
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io9Comics
Will Disney ever release the pre-Special Edition Star Wars movies?
Happy new year, folks! I wish I could tell you what year I’m in, but to tell the truth after our smartphones died and people stopped making calendars, we post-apocalyptic survivors kind of lost track of dates. So for New Year’s Eve, we all kind of get together and pick an evening and get really, … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9Movies
Why is J.J. Abrams replacing the writer of Star Wars: Episode VII?
Lawrence Kasdan and JJ Abrams are replacing Michael Arndt as the screenwriters on Star Wars Episode VII. And the internet is running wild with rumors and speculations about why Arndt is getting replaced. Some good, some bad. Earlier today Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy released this statement on StarWars.com about new work being done on Episode … Continued
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io9
That fan-remake of Indiana Jones is somehow becoming two more movies
You know the story: Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, two friends, decided in 1982 to make a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It took them seven years to finish, and then another 20 years or so for director Eli Roth to discover it, along with the world. Now, Hollywood hopes to make … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9
10 Myths About Science Fiction (And Why They Matter)
Science fiction is the literature of our times. And that means myths about science fiction are actually myths about the world we live in today. Science fiction explains our gadget-obsessed, social-media-saturated, meta-fictional present. So here are 10 common myths about science fiction, and why they’re important. Images by Jonathan Powell/CGHub 1) The best science fiction … Continued
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io9
We were getting Star Wars sequels even before Lucas sold it to Disney
Apparently Star Wars: Episode VII was not Disney’s idea. According to his son Jett, George Lucas was outlining future installments to the Star Wars saga a full year before Lucasfilm was sold to Disney — and Jett had more sequel secrets to reveal, too. Jett talked a lot about his father’s involvement with the sequels … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9Movies
An Exclusive Look at Rare and Never-Before-Seen Star Wars Concept Art
You’ve seen a ton of Star Wars concept art before — but this galaxy still contains endless marvels that your eyes have not beheld. A brand new book called Star Wars Art: Concept features loads of artwork, selected by George Lucas himself, that tells the story of Star Wars from the beginning up to now. … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Luke was going to become Vader, destroy the Rebels and become Emperor
Did you know that George Lucas originally wanted Luke Skywalker to become Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi? His last lines were going to be “Now I am Vader. Now I will go and kill the [Rebel] fleet and I will rule the universe.” That would have been cool. It’s one … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
io9
A pioneering early “slow-mo” technique was developed only as padding
Lost for decades, the sword-and-sorcery short film that showed before Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is finally being shown again at the Mill Valley Film Festival. And it turns out the most innovative thing about Black Angel, a technique for slowing down the fight scenes, was purely to pad out the length. Black Angel, … Continued
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io9Movies
The New Star Wars Will Be Shot on Film, Which Is Probably Great
Last night, Star Wars: Episode VII cinematographer Dan Mindel announced that the J.J. Abrams-directed movie will be shot on 35mm film, as opposed to digital video. The decision symbolizes the changing of the guard from the reign of George Lucas, and hopefully adds some much-needed vigor to the beloved franchise. Back when The Phantom Menace … Continued
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io9
Meet the wildly different heroes of Dark Horse’s The Star Wars comic
It’s less than a month until the first issue of The Star Wars debuts, Dark Horse’s adaptation of George Lucas’s vastly different first draft of Star Wars. This trailer for the comic introduces old Luke Skywalker, young Annikin Starkiller and lizard Han Solo, as well as some of the galaxy’s new sights… and dangers. The … Continued
By Rob Bricken