Star Wars VII Cast announced, original members coming back!!

A lot of griping on the internet about the make up of the cast, too many white dudes, not enough women, no Asians...as if every movie should represent every demographic like a perfectly proportioned pie chart. I mean do people really have to have people in a movie look exactly like them in order to empathize with the characters? I thought the whole point of storytelling was to get you to empathize with someone who was NOT YOU. As a non-white person, the race of the protagonist in a well made film has never prevented me from enjoying a story.
 
As a non-white person, the race of the protagonist in a well made film has never prevented me from enjoying a story.

And vice versa. In fact it is a great way to experience a mile in another man's shoes. I love watching foreign movies made for their domestic market. It's one way to get an insight into other cultures. And the overwhelming conclusion I get from watching movies is that outside of a few flashpoint issues that form part of each culture's common experience is that we all pretty much have the same needs, desires and aspirations.

What part of the timeline is this set in? Mark Hammil, Carrie Fischer and Harrison Ford are old so surely it has to be after Jedi. But on the news they announced Vader is in it and he's supposed to be dead. I haven't read any of the books so I don't know what is canon outside of the films. Is he a ghost or does he come back to life? Or is it set before Jedi and they are doing the adults playing children Aaron Spelling model?
 
And vice versa.
What part of the timeline is this set in? Mark Hammil, Carrie Fischer and Harrison Ford are old so surely it has to be after Jedi. But on the news they announced Vader is in it and he's supposed to be dead. I haven't read any of the books so I don't know what is canon outside of the films. Is he a ghost or does he come back to life? Or is it set before Jedi and they are doing the adults playing children Aaron Spelling model?

I think that's rumor. I haven't heard Vader is in it. Supposed to be 30 years after Jedi, and I think Hammil, Fisher and Ford are only around for one movie, so I'm guessing they die and the rest of the trilogy is about their kids picking up the pieces.
 
"Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford will all reprise their roles as Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo in the film."

I can see it now... Han Solo cruising slowly across the galaxy in the Falcon, with his blinker on. Chewbacca's taxidermy figure curled up in the corner "sleeping" peacefully. They pull up to the S&S Cafeteria just outside of Mos Eisley, in time for the early bird.

I kid, I kid. It will be interesting to see what they do with the characters years later.
 
I think that's rumor. I haven't heard Vader is in it. Supposed to be 30 years after Jedi, and I think Hammil, Fisher and Ford are only around for one movie, so I'm guessing they die and the rest of the trilogy is about their kids picking up the pieces.

Not sure if the local news radio is reliable (it did sound off) but half the article was about the guy the said was playing Vader, can't remember his name but he's from a show I've never heard of called 'Girls'. I didn't think it sounded right but they reported on it twice more throughout the day. Unless I heard it wrong which I wouldn't put it passed myself, even three times to do.


I can see it now... Han Solo cruising slowly across the galaxy in the Falcon, with his blinker on. Chewbacca's taxidermy figure curled up in the corner "sleeping" peacefully. They pull up to the S&S Cafeteria just outside of Mos Eisley, in time for the early bird.

I kid, I kid. It will be interesting to see what they do with the characters years later.

I don't know, I think I'd actually like to see that. Bubba Ho-tep meets Bad Grandpa meets Gran Torino meets A Galaxy far, far Away...
 
Well, it was established in Episode Number 2 (Attack of the Clones) that there was a large cloning facility on the planet Kamino. After the Empire took control they presumably would have had control of Kamino for 20 plus years (or whatever the timeline was from Revenge of the Sith to Return of the Jedi). So that sets up the possibility that they (the Empire) could have been cloning all sorts of characters for over 20 years.

I heard a rumour that Ray Park was in talks to reprise his role of Darth Maul; if they cloned him that could only be a good thing (he was the best part of the whole prequel trilogy after all)!
 
Well, it was established in Episode Number 2 (Attack of the Clones) that there was a large cloning facility on the planet Kamino. After the Empire took control they presumably would have had control of Kamino for 20 plus years (or whatever the timeline was from Revenge of the Sith to Return of the Jedi). So that sets up the possibility that they (the Empire) could have been cloning all sorts of characters for over 20 years.

I heard a rumour that Ray Park was in talks to reprise his role of Darth Maul; if they cloned him that could only be a good thing (he was the best part of the whole prequel trilogy after all)!

I hope they completely ignore anything that happened in the prequels. In fact, if the opening crawl explains the events of the first three films were a galactic mind control hallucination perpetrated by a Sith lord, and never really occurred, I would be fine with that.
 
My kids really enjoyed the prequels; so I guess its an age thing, too.

The prequels weren't all bad. The best fight scenes of any of the 6 movies was in Episode 1 (Darth Maul vs Obi Wan & Qui-Gon really is very good), Jango Fett kind of did all the stuff you would have liked to see Boba Fett do in the earlier movies, and seeing a whole bunch of Jedis actually duking it out (in Attack of the Clones) was pretty cool. But, yeah, a lot of the acting was really bad (or the actors just did their best with some really lousy lines, either way same result).

Plus; the whole opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith (the opening space battle, the fight with Dooku and Sidious, R2D2 vs the battle droids, all the way until when they crash land the star cruiser on the planet) was pure old fashioned cinematic fun. Worth the price of admission just for that sequence.
 
I watched the prequels again last year. They are so terrible by every metric that really matters that finding anything good about them for me is like picking chocolate chips out of dog crap.
 
I watched the prequels again last year. They are so terrible by every metric that really matters that finding anything good about them for me is like picking chocolate chips out of dog crap.

+1 ...although after my initial viewing, I haven't been able to watch any of them for more than 10 minutes -- and I tried quite a few times.

I hope you're correct about the type of character Max Von Sydow might play. It would just feel right.
 
Just noticed that Kenny Baker will turn 80 in August. I hope production will consider that when squeezing him into the R2 "container".
 
I watched all the prequels for the first time in years not so long ago and the directing in the first episode was really noticeably worse than the others. The third prequel seemed the best made. I really liked Attack of the Clones when I saw it in the cinemas.
 
As to merits of the originals vs. the prequels (and I loved the originals, meh on the prequels), consider for a moment the light saber battles of Darth Vader vs. Obi Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul vs. Kenobi/Jinn.
 
As to merits of the originals vs. the prequels (and I loved the originals, meh on the prequels), consider for a moment the light saber battles of Darth Vader vs. Obi Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul vs. Kenobi/Jinn.

The Vader / Kenobi fight in ANH was an old man fighting a cripple. I personally will take the Luke / Vader duel in Empire over ANY fight in the prequels. It has stakes, drama, emotion, strategy, a genuine sense of danger, elegantly composed shots, and the greatest payoff in the whole saga. If all you want is acrobatics and pyrotechnics, then yes, you have the prequels for that.
 
there's no reason to watch the prequels when you have this



The Rabbit steps in the poopy! Yep, that's sums up the prequels.


I was kinda disappointed with the appearance of the old cast. I know a lot of fans are into it and this will probably but butts in the seats to restart the franchise, but I would much rather see something set in the Old Republic, about 3,500 years before the events in the Star Wars films
 
What part of the timeline is this set in? Mark Hammil, Carrie Fischer and Harrison Ford are old so surely it has to be after Jedi.
About 35 years after Return of the Jedi.

I haven't read any of the books so I don't know what is canon outside of the films.
The books don't matter as far as the film goes. There's a whole "Expanded Universe" of books and games and such, but they've already announced that the new films will not be bound to that. There may or may not be any sort of overlap, but as far as Episode VII goes, nothing in the Expanded Universe is to be considered canonical. They have free reign to do whatever they want with the new film.
 
I would much rather see something set in the Old Republic, about 3,500 years before the events in the Star Wars films

Why?...Prequels are never a good idea. One thing I'm genuinely excited about is that I have no idea where these stories are going to go. The prequels were devoid of suspense because it was just waiting for the inevitable to happen.
 
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