THE DEBUT OF STAR WARS LIVES: LOOKING AT THE FUTURE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT JUGGERNAUT
By Mista Binks on 11/5/2006 10:40 PM
I have been a life long fan of Star Wars so I was very excited when I read that the PWinsider staff was looking to add some non-wrestling entertainment content to PWInsiderXtra.com. So here I am with my Star Wars column. Some of the following may be old news to some of you, but hot news to others, but it's our launching pad to hyperspace.
Now, why would I want to write a Star Wars column if the prequels are behind us? Simply put, Star Wars lives! There is still plenty to look forward to. There are two confirmed television shows coming from Lucasfilm. First will be a CG 3-dimension animated show based on The Clone Wars which takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Originally plans were for this show to air in the fall of 2007. That may not be current anymore. Lucasfilm has been known to push back release dates. The first prequel was
originally scheduled to come out in 1997 but didn't get released until May 1999.
Lucasfilm has already set up shop in Singapore and is well into development. This animated series will be different from the Gendy Tartovsky Clone Wars animated shorts that aired on the Cartoon Network. For those who are not familiar with those, there were 25 animated chapters that lead right up to the opening of scene of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. They are now available on two separate DVD volumes.
At the San Diego ComicCon over the summer, it was revealed that all the major characters (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, etc.) would be in the animated series but would not be voiced by the original actors. I would expect Anthony Daniels (C3PO) to be involved though. Actual footage and more information is expected to be released next year at Lucasfilms' Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles.
The second Star Wars television show is going to be a 100 episode live action series based on obscure characters, taking place between Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. Most fans, myself included, are still hoping that the series will focus on Darth Vader hunting down the remaining Jedi. It does not seem likely though. George Lucas has stated in several interviews that the series will focus on background characters. Another interesting note is that Lucas was adamant that Darth Vader would not appear in Revenge of the Sith. That may seem odd as the entire Revenge of the Sith promotional campaign seemed to be based on Vader. A member of Lucasfilm involved in promotions had to convince Lucas that Vader had to be in the film. We almost missed out on the (in)famous
"Nooooo!" from Vader after he learned of Padme's death.
The live action television series is still in pre-development and may not hit the air waves this decade. For a fantastic story, pick up the novel "Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader",
as this takes place in the same time period and actually does focus on Vader being the greatest villain of all time.
The TV shows are the future of Star Wars but what about the present? Star Wars is still a very prevalent franchise. There is currently a book series titled <i>Legacy of the Force</i>. This takes place over 30 years after the first film, A New Hope and is a nine book series. You want to talk about can't miss angles? How about Luke Skywalker versus Jacen Solo, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia?.
If books aren't your thing, Dark Horse Comics has a series titled Star Wars: Legacy, which this takes place 100 years after Legacy of the Force. Yes - the Star Wars universe
has been expanded that far.
These are just the larger projects that are considered the current hot topics. There are still the collectibles that I will talk about in future columns.
