Monday 30 November 2015

Has Peter Jackson confirmed directing Doctor Who?



From directing one lord to another. Director Peter Jackson posted this hilarious video on his Facebook page, which shows Peter Capaldi urging the director of The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit to direct Doctor Who.



Series showrunner Steven Moffat has wanted Jackson to direct for sometime. The Oscar-winner is a fan of the series. Wonder how he'll adapt to uprooting from New Zealand for a 12-day shoot in Cardiff?

Excited to see Peter Jackson direct Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments below.

Sunday 29 November 2015

R2-KT to appear in The Force Awakens



There's a life-affirming story behind the little pink R2 unit, R2-KT, and its subsequent appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and JJ Abrams' upcoming The Force Awakens.

R2-KT memorialises Albin Johnson's young daughter Katie, diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, who passed away in 2005.

At the time of diagnosis, The 501st Legion (which had been co-founded by Johnson in 1997) rallied to his cause and the R2 Builders Club set about building an R2 unit, to be painted pink at the suggestion of his daughter Allie, for Katie. Sadly, the droid wasn't finished in time, but another astromech builder, Andy Schwartz, sent his along to keep a vigil by Katie's bedside.

The completed astromech, presented to Johnson in 2006, has gone on to do great good in Katie's memory and will next be seen on the big screen.

Mary Franklin of Lucasfilm asked me to pitch the idea to Kathleen Kennedy (Lucasfilm President), and after hearing the story of our pink ambassador of hope Lucasfilm requested we ship her off to London early last year. Quick repairs were made and off she went for six months,” Johnson says in his email. While he could not disclose just when we could expect to see the pink droid, he was assured that she will definitely appear.

You can read the full story here. Star Wars fans are the best and I'm proud to be a member of the community since 1977.

Thursday 26 November 2015

Star Wars TV Spot is a Thanksgiving treat



It's Thanksgiving in the US and Disney has unleashed the full fury of the dark side in this new TV Spot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!



Kylo Ren is to be tested and I've got a bad feeling about the fate of our heroes in the new movie. Three weeks today I'll be watching The Force Awakens and that blows my mind.

In related news. I've teamed up with Design By Humans to offer readers an exclusive saving of 10% on all products with no minimum spend requirement. Use promo code: GENSTARWARS.

Happy Thanksgiving to US readers!

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Captain America: Civil War's trailer shakes the MCU



Viewers of Jimmy Kimmel Live were treated to the world premiere of Captain America: Civil War's first trailer!



The next installment in the blockbusting Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) combines the tone of The Winter Soldier, my favourite Marvel movie, and the sweeping scale of the Avengers. Age of Ultron is a snooze fest compared to this.

Captain America: Civil War premieres April 2016 in the UK.

Tuesday 24 November 2015

Google easter egg celebrates Star Wars



The new Star Wars movie is now finished, according to The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams, and Google's getting in on the act with officially authorised app customisations and a very cool scroll when you search "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...".

The search results are not the easiest to read. But, that's missing the point and such a fun easter egg is going to amuse fans (myself included).

So far the unreleased Star Wars movie has taken an estimated $50 million at the box office in advance ticket sales. Have you bought yours? Let me know in the comments below.

Sunday 22 November 2015

SNL's spoof auditions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens



During last night's Saturday Night Live (SNL) with host Matthew McConaughey and musical guest Adele, director JJ Abrams introduced a sketch featuring never before seen Star Wars screen tests featuring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Emma Stone, Michael Bublé and Jon Hamm.



Under a month to go until the new movie premieres in theatres and those auditions, including The Force Awakens actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, are a hoot.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Thursday 19 November 2015

These are the speakers Star Wars fans are looking for!



AC Worldwide is launching fully-licensed Star Wars bluetooth speakers in the shape of fussy protocol droid C-3PO and an Imperial Stormtrooper from the original trilogy.



Each speaker has been crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Not only do they look amazing. But, they boast high-end sound quality for the discerning Star Wars fan as they listen to John Williams' soundtracks.

Key features:
  • Full 2.1 system audio, with two tweeters behind the eye and a powerful bottom-facing subwoofer
  • Sync your speakers to your phone with Bluetooth or NFC
  • Hands-free answering - talk to the character when taking a call
  • Touch-sensitive buttons
  • When paired each speaker emits an iconic phrase "I do believe they think I'm some sort of god" and "Move along"
  • Both mains and rechargeable, and totally portable at 28 cm tall
  • £129 / $196

The force is strong with these speakers and I hope to post a hands-on review soon!

UK fans can pre-order from Amazon today: C-3PO and Stormtrooper.

If you have a licensed Star Wars product and are seeking coverage in the lead-up to the theatrical release of The Force Awakens. Please get in contact. Look forward to hearing from you.

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Could Clara's time be up in Face the Raven?



Series 9 of Doctor Who has delivered some of the best episodes since the time-travelling drama returned to television screens a decade ago!

This weekend's Face the Raven looks set to up the ante further with the return of old friend Rigsy and Ashildr (Maisie Williams) in a twisted tale that pits the Doctor and Clara against an old enemy.



From the war-torn wastelands of Skaro to the heart of London. Fellow fan and blogger Andrew Lewin and myself feel our faith in Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman has been vindicated.

Stay tuned for our upcoming look back at Series 9. VWORP! VWORP!

Friday 13 November 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens TV Spot on ABC



If an international trailer and TV Spots aren't enough in the wake of the so-called final trailer a few weeks ago.

Here's the latest extended preview for Star Wars: The Force Awakens that premiered on ABC in the US last evening. It contains new footage. So, if you're trying to keep things as spoiler-free as possible...



Be still my beating heart. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

UK readers be sure to tune in to Children in Need's Star Wars special on BBC1 from 7:30PM. More importantly, please donate if you can.

Tuesday 10 November 2015

JJ Abrams on directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens



JJ Abrams, Star Wars superfan and director of The Force Awakens, talks to Wired magazine about the past, present and future of the franchise.

Abrams wanted to hark back to A New Hope. “We wanted to tell a story that had its own self-contained beginning, middle, and end but at the same time, like A New Hope, implied a history that preceded it and also hinted at a future to follow,” the director says. “When Star Wars first came out, it was a film that both allowed the audience to understand a new story but also to infer all sorts of exciting things that might be. In that first movie, Luke wasn’t necessarily the son of Vader, he wasn’t necessarily the brother of Leia, but it was all possible.”

The director is acutely aware of the Star Wars legacy. “The Force Awakens has this incredible advantage, not just of a passionate fan base but also of a backstory that is familiar to a lot of people,” he confesses. “We’ve been able to use what came before in a very organic way, because we didn’t have to reboot anything. We didn’t have to come up with a backstory that would make sense; it’s all there. But these new characters, which Force is very much about, find themselves in new situations—so even if you don’t know anything about Star Wars, you’re right there with them. If you are a fan of Star Wars, what they experience will have added meaning.”

What of the future for the Star Wars franchise? “The script for VIII is written. I’m sure rewrites are going to be endless, like they always are. But what Larry and I did was set up certain key relationships, certain key questions, conflicts. And we knew where certain things were going,” explains Abrams. “We had meetings with Rian and Ram Bergman, the producer of VIII. They were watching dailies when we were shooting our movie. We wanted them to be part of the process, to make the transition to their film as seamless as possible. I showed Rian an early cut of the movie, because I knew he was doing his rewrite and prepping. And as executive producer of VIII, I need that movie to be really good. Withholding serves no one and certainly not the fans. So we’ve been as transparent as possible. Rian has asked for a couple of things here and there that he needs for his story. He is an incredibly accomplished filmmaker and an incredibly strong writer. So the story he told took what we were doing and went in the direction that he felt was best but that is very much in line with what we were thinking as well. But that will be his movie; he’s going to do it in the way he sees fit. He’s neither asking for nor does he need me to oversee the process.”

You can read the full Wired interview here.

Friday 6 November 2015

Star Wars fan gets dying wish and there's a new trailer



Director JJ Abrams and Disney have granted Daniel Fleetwood's dying wish to see The Force Awakens following a social media campaign spearheaded by stars of the new movie.

Daniel's wife, Ashley, took to Facebook:

“Daniel just finished watching an unfinished version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!! We would like to thank the awesomely talented [director] JJ Abrams for calling us yesterday to tell us Daniel was getting his wish granted!” she wrote.

Hope Daniel enjoyed the movie.

A new international trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been posted on Disney's Youtube account in Japan. It contains lots of new footage and dialogue featuring Rey, Finn, BB-8 and Kylo Ren.



Still no sign of Luke Skywalker. Director JJ Abrams is keeping the mystery box closed until release.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens character posters



Social media exploded today when John Boyega (Finn) and Daisy Ridley (Rey) teased their new character posters for Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Twitter and Instagram. This was followed with posters for Han Solo, Leia and Kylo Ren.











Which is your favourite poster? Let me know in the comments below.

The new Star Wars movie opens in under two months.

Monday 2 November 2015

Star Wars fan's dying wish to see The Force Awakens



"I just love Star Wars. With everything I got I love Star Wars."

A Star Wars fan's dying wish to see The Force Awakens has gone viral with support from fellow fans, Mark Hamill and John Boyega.

Daniel Fleetwood has terminal cancer and doesn't think he'll be alive to see the US theatrical premiere on 18th December.

"Judging by how progressive the disease has gotten in the past two months," Daniel told KPRC. "I really don't think that I'll be able to make it.”



The Texan has been a Star Wars fan since the age of 8, collecting merchandise, writing fan fiction and made the local news when he camped outside for tickets to see the prequels.

"It's a commitment and he still has that commitment, that drive, and that love and I think that it's a beautiful thing," said Fleetwood's wife, Ashley. "Even if it's just a movie. That's magic for a lot of people."

Director JJ Abrams granted a similar dying wish to a Star Trek fan. So, please be awesome again. Many of us have been touched by cancer in some way. This year an aunt of mine passed away due to a brain tumour and cancer. The last time I saw her was at Christmas and we talked about seeing The Force Awakens together. Alas, that won't be possible.

Hope you get your wish, Daniel. May the force be with you. Always.