Sci-Fi Storm

Do you remember the story of Katie, the girl who was bullied for liking Star Wars when the entire universe rose up in support? Well, she’s passing the torch, so to speak, to another girl facing a similar challenge.

Allison, a girl who loves Spider-Man in addition to Star Wars, faced relentless bullying after her older sister moved up to the middle school. The school was of little help.

Enter the 501st Legion.

The 501st Legion helped out Katie by getting together and building her a full in-spec set of Stormtrooper armor in 2012. Brian Troyan, a member of the 501st, contacted Katie’s mother Carrie Goldman, to see if Katie might be willing to pass it on. Carrie posted:

I sat on the edge of Katie’s bed Thursday night and told her about Allison. She asked me questions. “Do the other kids hit her? Does she have any friends? Did she tell her parents? Why didn’t the teachers make the other kids stop?” And then, after I answered to the best of my ability, she simply said, “That is terrible.”

“So,” I said, “Would you be willing to give Allison your Stormtrooper armor?”

“Yes! Of course,” she answered immediately. “That’s a great idea!” I emailed Brian Troyan to let him know Operation Armor Transfer was a go.

And so the armor was passed. Not only that, but Katie, her sister and their friends wrote to Allison in support and friendship. And with the help of Brian and the others in the 501st, Allison took part in an Autism Speaks event with other members.

I’m telling you, Stormtroopers may not be able to hit the side of a bantha, but when they band together, they are unstoppable.

Major props to Katie, Allison and the 501st Legion! I’m a father two two sci-fi loving girls, I’ve been fearful but fortunate that they do not face bullying for the things they like…quite the opposite – their friends ask us about when the next Doctor Who is on!

Not bad for a show that was technically canceled over a year ago…Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which had 13 more episodes released on Netflix after completing the already-in-progress work when the announcement was made, won two Daytime Emmy awards! Christopher Voy won an Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation award for his color work, and the show itself won Outstanding Special Class Animated Program! Congrats to our friends involved in the show, Dave Filoni, George Lucas and all the rest!

Apparently J.J. Abrams will be satisfied with just getting Star Wars off the ground – he’ll be handing over the lightsaber to another when Episode VII is complete.

According to Deadline, Lucasfilm is negotiating with Looper writer-director Rian Johnson to take over the core “epic” stories, writing the scripts for Episodes VIII and IX, but also reportedly taking the director’s chair for both as well.

Talk about the job of a lifetime for the relative newcomer!

Update: The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Johnson will write and direct Episode VIII, but is currently set to only write a treatment for IX.

So it appears that Harrison Ford’s injury was perhaps a bit more series than originally thought, as his publicist confirmed to the BBC his left leg had been broken and required surgery, which was successful.

Lucasfilm’s original statement only stated that he had an ankle injury, while local police confirmed they had been called for an injury involving a “garage door”, although some reports claim that it was in fact the door to the Millennium Falcon itself that may have caused the injury.

Ford will be undergoing rehab for the leg while shooting continues. No further word from Lucasfilm or Disney as to how this might affect the shooting schedule.

[Edit…I have reason to believe the picture below was modified from the original where the sign said something else…but still, it’s humorous]

So the geekdom side of the Internet had a practical meltdown of sorts as word of Harrison Ford getting injured on the set and needing to be taken to a hospital spread faster than point five past light speed, and the injury just started getting more gruesome as it went through various questionable “sensational headline” sites that are popping up everywhere, at one point saying Ford had been “crushed” – by the Millenium Falcon, no less.

Yes, he injured his ankle, and the latest reliable reports indicate that it is simply a fracture – not surprising given that Ford is 71. But Ford is having some fun with his clumsiness at least, with this picture making the rounds:

Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery. Filming will continue while he recuperates, and reports of the release date having to be pushed back this far are unfounded.

Mark Hamill made his first ever appearance at Star Wars Weekends today at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park at Walt Disney World, and he had a session talking with fellow Star Wars alum and voice actor James Arnold Taylor, where he talks a bit about Episode VII, the original movies, and shows off his incredible voice acting skills…including a chat between the Joker and Luke! Check out this full video courtesy of Inside the Magic:

Not long after Lucasfilm announced the director of the first of at least two standalone Star Wars. films, they’ve already announced another: Josh Trank, who debuted to acclaim with Chronicle and is currently helming Fox’s reboot of The Fantastic Four.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Josh into the family,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “He is such an incredible talent and has a great imagination and sense of innovation. That makes him perfectly suited to Star Wars, and for this new slate of movies that reach beyond the core characters and storylines of Episodes I through IX.”

“The magic of the Star Wars Universe defined my entire childhood,” Trank stated. “The opportunity to expand on that experience for future generations is the most incredible dream of all time.”

Of course, like last time no details on a plot (the rumored ones center around Han Solo and Boba Fett), but in addition no potential release date was mentioned. From earlier announcements, I’d expect 2018 though, with 2017 slotted for Episode VIII.

Two more actresses have been added to the announced cast of Star Wars Episode Vii: Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (Twelve Years a Slave) and Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2). Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, “It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”

As expected, no details of the roles were given.

We’ve known for a while that aside from a new “epic” trilogy (with Episode VII now in production), that at least two side films were planned (what do we call them? Interstitial? Spin-off? I think I like the former better, especially as they are filling in the time between the epic episodes) if not more. Well, now we know when the first one will be released, who is writing it and who will be in charge.

Gareth Edwards will direct the first stand-alone film, with a screenplay by Gary Whitta. The film is due out December 16, 2016.

Gareth Edwards blazed into the filmmaking forefront with his acclaimed work on Monsters, a film he wrote, directed and served on as cinematographer and visual effects artist. The skill and vision readily apparent in Monsters earned him the high-profile spot directing this year’s smash hit Godzilla.

“Ever since I saw Star Wars I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life — join the Rebel Alliance! I could not be more excited and honored to go on this mission with Lucasfilm,” said Edwards.

Gary Whittas screenwriting credits include 2010’s The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington. He is also well known as a journalist and editor in the video game industry, as well as part of the BAFTA award-winning team on Telltale Games adaptation of The Walking Dead.

Whitta states, “From the moment I first saw the original movie as a wide-eyed kid, Star Wars has been the single most profound inspiration to my imagination and to my career as a writer. It is deeply special to me,so to be given the opportunity to contribute to its ongoing legacy, especially in collaboration with a film-maker as talented as Gareth, is literally a dream come true. I’m still pinching myself.”

Little is known at this point what the plot of the interstitial films will entail, but most internet rumors revolve about stories involving Boba Fett and Han Solo – perhaps origin stories.

Today in a special video message from the set of Star Wars: Episode VII, director J.J. Abrams announced the creation of Star Wars: Force for Change, a brand new Star Wars initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm in collaboration with Bad Robot dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will raise funds and awareness for the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Innovation Labs and its innovative programs that are benefiting the world’s most vulnerable children.

Disney has committed US $1 million to support the launch of Star Wars: Force for Change. Fans can now contribute directly at Omaze.com/StarWars for a chance to appear in Star Wars: Episode VII. For each $10 contribution made through the Omaze fundraising platform, eligible participants will be automatically entered for a chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The campaign runs from 12:01am PST on May 21st until 11:59pm PST July 18th.

The Star Wars: Force for Change Grand Prize includes:

• Airfare and accommodations to London for one winner and a guest
• Behind-the-scenes access on the closed set of Star Wars: Episode VII as VIP guests of J.J. Abrams
• Winner will have the opportunity to meet members of the cast
• Winner and their guest will then be transformed by makeup and costume teams into a Star Wars character and filmed for a scene in Star Wars: Episode VII