Star Wars Episode 7 News

Saturday, May 17, 2014

J.J. Abrams Addresses the Crowd at Star Wars Weekends + More Cool Videos.

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Few cool videos (including J.J. Abrams addressing the crowd) from the first weekend of this year's Star Wars Weekends (May 16 - June 15)...


Star Wars Weekends has returned once again to Disney's Hollywood Studios, launching on May 16, 2014. Here is the entire parade including Star Wars celebrities Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks) Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) Vanessa Marshall (Hera Syndulla -- Star Wars Rebels), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi - Clone Wars) and plenty of characters. This was also the debut of three new characters from Star Wars Rebels, Chopper the droid, Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger. The parade also features members of the 501st.
Abrams addressing the crowd:




Video giving you an idea of the experience at Star Wars Weekends:




The Parade. You can see in the video that Peter Mayhew is really having hard times standing. I hope the big guy recovers quickly but obviously they will use him in Episode 7 mostly in close-up shots and shots with less physical activity:




Finale and fireworks. You can see some of the rumored young recasts here. :)




New augmented reality!




34 comments:

  1. Haha JJ looking rather disheveled and grouchy in that video. Him saying "may the force be with you" gives me a star warsgasm

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    1. star wargasm..dear god please don't let this catch on.

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    2. I would say he looks rather relaxed and energetic myself. Which is good news.

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    3. Very good news! He looks much better than the video he made with Kasdan for May 4th.

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    4. I can only have Star Warsgasms....

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    5. I have Star Wargasm just being here!

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    6. "energetic"!? You clearly haven't seen much of JJ Abrams if you think he was being energetic in that video lol.
      "I would say he looks rather relaxed and energetic myself." How can you be both relaxed and energetic at the same time anyway? oh whatever

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  2. XD, it was a short time ago, in a small world named disneyland.

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  3. Poor Peter Mayhew .... He is SO desperate for money that he'll do ANY appearance that is even vaguely "Star Wars" related even though he's barely above being an outright cripple. I can only hope that they are compensating him fairly well for VII.

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    1. hmm 'ipadcary' strikes again I see ... *sigh*.. Do all your comments have to be so uncalled for and rude?

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    2. He wasn't rude! He was just feeling some pity for a person who is old and not at top strength, but still has to do stuff for money. Sympathy was is not rude!

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    3. I agree, i feel sad for him too...

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    4. The comment was made rudely. You wouldn't say that to him face to face to give him sympathy would you.

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    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    6. @iPadCary

      Wow, you are a jerk!

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  4. Peter Mayhew is having problems just standing for a long period of time. How is he expected to play Chewbacca?! :/ This is worrying.

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    1. I expect if it's just for sitting down co-pilot stuff then they might as well use Peter. If Chewie is running around then I presume they'll just have a stand in.

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  5. In the end, seeing him and Ford busting ass in the cockpit of the Falcon again is worth it all. They've always had good chemistry, especially in tense situations. Chewy get's pissed when things are going wrong. That's Mayhew. That's cooler than a digital Yoda running up your damn arm. I hope he get's a nice big check. He's earned it.

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  6. ...check for the movie, not a convention

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    1. Smalls LightdarkerMay 18, 2014 at 3:48 AM

      Then don't click on it. Some of us appreciate any Star Wars related news.

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    2. Smalls LightdarkerMay 18, 2014 at 8:13 AM

      ^ This fuck.

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  7. Smalls LightdarkerMay 18, 2014 at 3:47 AM

    ON A COMPLETELY UNRELATED NOTE, here is a comment I wrote on an older post that I want to copy & paste here, because I don't think anyone will respond to the other comment, but I really want to hear your guys' opinion on:

    I'd hate to see them go with the "VII" font that we've in recently released pictures for the movie logo, not because I don't think it looks it cool -- it does look cool, in fact it kinda looks vintage, like something from the 70s or 80s, which is totally appropriate -- but I'm just thinking about how it will look in my DVD/Blu Ray collection when Episodes I - VI will have the same font and "Episode" logo, and then Episode VII will look totally different and without any "Episode" logo at all. Definitely don't want the prequels to ruin that, as Anon said up there.... I feel the same way about the opening titles. I really hope they find a way to keep the 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare somehow, I really do, because no matter how small that detail may be its all part of the classic Star Wars experience. I hope Disney can make some kind co-distribution deal with Fox so we can keep the logo and fanfare, I really do. It might be a bit overwhelming to see so many opening logos but I think the opening logos can happen as such: Walt Disney, Bad Robot, 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, "A long time ago..." I've read some comments on YouTube that its possible there won't even be a Disney logo, seeing as the Marvel films don't show one. If thats the case, I think the logos will probably be Bad Robot, Lucasfilm, "A long time ago..." I'm still crossing my fingers for 20th Century Fox will be between Bad Robot and Lucasfilm though. :(

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    1. 20th century fox logo appearing is an absolute impossibility unless Disney purchases the studio, which will not happen.
      Disney logo will appear, Why? 4.5 billion reasons why.
      I will miss the original opening drum march as well.
      Don't fall in love with packaging....consume you it will!
      Although it will all get solved when we download our future versions of star wars enstallments.
      I very much doubt by the time this next trilogy is released, that we have a physical copy of the completed trilogy.
      I do hope the opening logos are well thought out, I'm sure they will be.

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    2. All the films will continue to see regular rereleases, so packaging will continually be reworked from scratch. There'll be a Disney logo and new typefaces on all of them soon enough.

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    3. I hope to see the 20th century Fox logo as well, but doubt we will. What's really nice about it is that it ends on a relative key to the opening of star wars, where as the Disney theme doesn't (if my brain is playing it right)... though sometimes the Disney opening is silent save for the fireworks right? I think that would work the best if we don't get the 20th century Fox logo.

      I hope we do get a re-release of the unmolested OT on BluRay prior to Dec 2015... seriously what's going on with that?

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  8. (if I remember right John Carter had the silent Disney logo intro... fireworks only)

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  9. OK, so Harrison Ford is presently at the Cannes film festival. Carrie Fisher was in LA this past week. Mark Hamill will be in Orlando, FL. So this pretty much means the Big 3 are not currently performing in Abu Dhabi.

    JJ sent his greeting from London. But it could have been recorded a while ago. My guess, therefore that the shooting that is happening in Abu Dhabi must be very preliminary with supporting actors like Boyega. Just a theory.

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  10. Sooooo, looks like Disney is doing the thing they do with all there movies. People play iconic characters at *sigh* Disney World. We have Disney Fairies, Frozen, Hercules, Alladin, Beauty and the Beast, Pochahontis, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, etc, etc etc and now Star Wars. DISNEY SHOULD JUST HAVE PEOPLE WEAR COSTUMES THE RESEMBLE PEOPLE THAT COME TO DISNEY WORLD AND THERE SHOULD BE A WHOLE MOVIE JUST ABOUT THE RANDOM PEOPLE THAT COME TO DISNEY WORLD. By the what is the difference between Disneyland and Disneyworld. Humph, they should just name the world Disney. And I guess since Ezra and Sabine are on the same float and the same height they are going to become a couple in Rebels.

    God Bless and No Rude Replies Please

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    1. Having just been to disneyworld and as a long time fan of disneyland, there is quite a lot different between the two, which a google search would show you. As far as your other points about people in costumes should dress as park goers, I don't really know what you're complaining about to be honest. The entire point of Disney parks is to make you feel like you've entered a magical place where fictional characters come to life, so to speak.

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  11. Was it Darth Nihilus on the parade close to Palpatine?

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  12. Tigress, do you know Disney have been doing Star Wars Weekends for at least the last 10 years? And have you ever been?

    Put it this way, being from the UK, and having the chance to visit Disney World from afar is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a lot of people, I've been lucky enough to go 3 times, 2 of which have been during SWW, and believe you me, walking around Hollywood Studios all day and having the chance to get photos alongside a Jawa, Stormtrooper, Tusken Raider, Boba and Jango Fett, Darth Vader, or any other person dressed as a character from Star Wars whilst hearing John Williams' music blaring out all day was fun way before the Mouse started waving his $4.5bn around!

    I've been lucky enough to meet Peter Mayhew (who by the way looks a lot better now than he did a year ago), Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels (who I bumped into after he came out of the gym, and was more than pleasant) and Ashley Eckstein, something that as a kid who was born the same year Star Wars was released could only dream of.

    And finally the kids, don't forget the kids, seeing my 5 year olds son fighting Vader outside the Endor bunker whilst dressed as a Jedi was a memory I'll hold forever.

    Disney will only continue to improve the whole Star Wars experience in the parks, and the fans will continue to flock, so if you ever get the chance to go, then please do, give it a try, you'll love it!

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