It's an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan! A hit television series, Rebels, just kicked off its second season, brand new Star Wars video games are hitting store shelves (Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars Saga & Electronic Arts' Battlefront) and of course a new movie, The Force Awakens, premieres in theaters across the United States on December 18, 2015. While there has been a lot of buzz about the trailers for the movie, I have to say that this television advertisement for Sony's PlayStation really has been the most impressive marketing piece I've seen so far as it really captures the nostalgia that fans have for Star Wars which really is "The Force" behind the ongoing success of the brand. If you haven't seen this ad yet, check it out!
That orange '70/'80s era carpeting so hits home for me in the scene with the kids playing with their Kenner Star Wars action figures. These new additions to the Star Wars saga are arriving at a great time for my family as my kids are just at the right age for me to share my passion for these characters and stories with them. Things are a bit different now though as when I was their age I had pretend lightsaber duels with my friends using flash lights like in the PlayStation advertisement but now my kids have high tech light up light saber recreations that make sound effects when you joust them together. Some things don't change though as just like his dad who took a Empire Strikes Back lunchbox to school my son carts a Star Wars: Rebels one to first grade with him every morning. My daughter opted for a FROZEN lunch box but she does have a cute Chopper plush she hangs from her school backpack.
I've been a fan of the comic books, novels, toys and movies revolving around George Lucas' original trilogy of films since watching them as a kid when they originally came out. My kids aren't as much into those characters but love the new generation of characters in the Star Wars: Rebels animated shows. We really are looking forward to watching The Force Awakens when it arrives at theaters and sharing in enjoying it for the first time together as a family. Who knows maybe The Force Awakens will become the favorite part of the Star Wars saga for all of us?!
So what are you looking forward to the most in the upcoming Star Wars film? For my kids it is getting a better peek at BB-8.
While for me it is seeing the return of "old friends" on the silver screen.
Oh yes and I'll admit we've purchased the Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars video game and pre-ordered Battlefront for our PlayStation4 so we will definitely be in a Star Wars frame of mind when the movie opens!
This last weekend there was a huge gathering of fans at the convention center in Anaheim California celebrating all things Star Wars. If you were like me and wanted to go but just didn't have the extra time and money for a trip to CA, here's a roundup of many of the exciting announcements and previews that came out of STAR WARS CELEBRATION 2015. The rest of this year and into next year is going to be full of Star Wars thrills!
MOVIES
Disney's first feature film since acquiring the Star Wars franchise hits theaters on December 18, 2018. THE FORCE AWAKENS is set in a time of the Star Wars continuum approximately 30 years after the events that transpired in the movie RETURN OF THE JEDI uniting George Lucas' original trilogy of movies with a new era of story telling under Disney's stewardship. A new trailer for the film was released at Star Wars Celebration and it really has given me a lot of encouragement that Disney is getting this film right producing something that old school fans like myself will love and a new generation of movie watchers will adore. Check it out!
Disney also hosted a panel discussion at Star Wars Celebration about another new Star Wars movie it is producing called ROGUE ONE that will be hitting theaters during the 2016 Christmas season. The film's director Gareth Edwards presented the official plot for the movie: A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans. Edwards noted that the film which will take place between Episodes III and IV of the Star Wars movie timeline will have a focus on the WAR aspect of Star WARS. "It is called Star WARS" he joked to the panel audience. To add some grit and realism to ROGUE ONE's portrayal of warfare, Edwards has enlisted members of his production team that have worked on war movies such as Zero Dark Thirty, Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down.
Filming for ROGUE ONE will take place this summer. While the film hasn't been shot yet, Edwards did provide a glimpse at some concept art prepared for the movie and a teaser video of computer generated imagery to give people a sense of the vibe he wants for the Star Wars: Rogue One. As the first stand alone movie, though it is somewhat tied to the others through the Death Star connection, this film really will have a big impact on Disney's long term viability for making more and more Star Wars movies. Disney can't afford to have this movie be a JOHN CARTER type bust and it appears they are taking its production very seriously. Just from the limited information I have on this movie already though I'm already excited about it and looking forward to learning more in the coming months ahead.
courtesy of StarWars.com
TELEVISION
DisneyXD's Star Wars: Rebels animated television series is returning this Fall for a second season. When my 6 year old son thinks of Star Wars this TV series has really been his first exposure to these tales from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. This is a show that is very suitable for him to watch yet I also find very entertaining and interesting to watch as well. The two of us have really enjoyed some bonding time together watching this show. The trailer released at Star Wars Celebration shows that DisneyXD may be expanding upon a great first season with an even more incredible second season.
I really don't like the prequel movie trilogy -- it just stripped away too much of the magic and mystery of the original movies -- but found the Clone Wars animated television shows to be a decent program. One of my favorite all time Star Wars characters actually is from the Clone Wars series, Cad Bane, a deadly bounty hunter that would give the legendary Boba Fett a run for his money. For my own personal viewing enjoyment, I just wipe out the prequel trilogies and the Star Wars timeline currently is made up of the Clone Wars and Rebels television shows, the original movies (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi) and the upcoming Disney movies. Because there is a large viewing audience that is younger than me that grew up watching Clone Wars on the Cartoon Network and a more "mature" group of fans like myself, Rebels is bringing some of these characters back. Check out the trailer to see for yourself!
I'm really looking forward to watching with my son the showdown between his favorite Star Wars character, Ezra, and one of my favorite childhood villains Darth Vader.
VIDEO GAMES
Electronic Arts showed off their first collaboration with Star Wars in its BattleFront video game. I can't wait until November to load this game up on my Playstation4 and immerse myself in tackling the Empire from a speeder bike or x-wing.
COMIC BOOKS
I have to give kudos to Marvel because since taking over the brand they haven't just used it to cash in on the name, they've been publishing a great product. I've read every issue they've published of their new series STAR WARS and DARTH VADER and have enjoyed every one of them. Lando Calrissian will be joining these titles with his own mini-series STAR WARS: LANDO beginning in July which will feature a story that takes place between the events in A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Also coming in September will be a mini-series titled SHATTERED EMPIRE that will share what happened after the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi and bridge some of the gap between the movies Episode VI and the upcoming Episode VII.
The current story arc in Marvel's STAR WARS will wrap up in issue #6 this summer and a new arc will begin with issue #8. Star Wars #7 will be a stand alone story featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi during his exile on Tatooine.
So there you have it! It looks like there are going to be a lot of thrills for Star Wars fans throughout the rest of the year and into next. I for one am really going to be enjoying it!
