back to article Star Wars movie to start shooting in UK this summer

The shadowy figures behind the newest instalment of the Star Wars franchise have slipped out a few more details about the movie as they announced that filming will start at Blighty's Pinewood Studios in May. Disney and LucasFilm said that Star Wars: Episode VII would be set around 30 years after the events of Episode VI: …

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  1. Vimes

    'PLEASE... NOT Jar Jar Binks'

    That might not be so bad. It would depend on why he was included.

    For example: a scene that has Jar Jar Binks accidentally getting trapped in a proton torpedo case - one that then gets fired out when they have to destroy <insert name of bad guy here>.

    Now THAT has a certain appeal to it...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 'PLEASE... NOT Jar Jar Binks'

      obviously episode 7 would be significant number of years after his last appearance, so one would expect that he has moved off this mortal coil by then

      1. Esskay

        Re: 'PLEASE... NOT Jar Jar Binks'

        Perhaps they could find his grave, dig him up, burn him, then piss on the ashes? At the very least it'll make the fans happy (which means Lucas almost certainly won't do it).

        1. wayward4now
          Mushroom

          Re: 'PLEASE... NOT Jar Jar Binks'

          Toss in any sort of Muppet and shoot them into the sun. PLEASE!!!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 'PLEASE... NOT Jar Jar Binks'

      Jar Jar Binks will not be in Episode VII; he wasn't in IV, V or VI so obviously someone killed him off a long longtime ago in a galaxy far far away.

  2. Robert Moore

    As much as I loved Star wars

    Enough already. I am so damn tired of sequels, prequels, reimaginings, reboots, ETC.

    Here is a radical idea... Why don't they try making something new, and original.

    1. LarsG

      Re: As much as I loved Star wars

      I concur, however now that Disney is in charge expect music and dancing and laughter.....

      Star Wars will be happy, clappy and a great musical comedy, perhaps even an 'Annie' in space, especially going on what the young characters are supposed to be.

      1. GreggS

        Re: As much as I loved Star wars

        Taloraan, Taloraan i love ya Taloraan, you're always a parsec away!

      2. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

        Re: As much as I loved Star wars

        expect music and dancing and laughter

        Thank goodness Maria von Trapp just died, we'll be spared the Sound of The Jedi...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: As much as I loved Star wars

          > Thank goodness Maria von Trapp just died, we'll be spared the Sound of The Jedi...

          The Force is ALIVE with the sound of MYOOOOZIK!!!

          1. Tom 13

            Re: As much as I loved Star wars

            > Thank goodness Maria von Trapp just died, we'll be spared the Sound of The Jedi...

            The Force is ALIVE with the sound of MYOOOOZIK!!!

            With music from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem band.

    2. Frankee Llonnygog

      Re: As much as I loved Star wars

      Hear hear - children's movies for middle-aged men. That goes for Star Trek too. There must be some other spaceships they can explode.

    3. Lionel Baden

      Re: As much as I loved Star wars

      @robert moore

      I agree !!!

      Would love to see "old mans war" and "Saga of the Seven suns" made into some Epic Films !!

    4. JDX Gold badge

      Re: As much as I loved Star wars

      Are they sequels, or parts of the same story? Most people would say IV, V & VI were 3 parts of a larger whole wouldn't they... and I thought VII - IX were written as part of that story way back when?

      1. Tom 13

        Re: VII - IX were written as part of that story way back when?

        That's always been Lucas's claim, but after I, II, and III...

        I think he may have sketched a few ideas, but whether or not he wrote them is another story. And what has happened to them since he wrote them the first time is a whole other story. I don't think he even had the first trilogy firmly in hand before releasing the first movie. I think he was planning to play the two suitors angle with Leia when he filmed the first and only added the "I am your father" twist late in the second movie. Granted it worked well, but I think if you had that in mind from the start episode IV would have been written differently.

        And having seen episodes I, II and II, I have much the same opinion of them as I have of Highlander: there was only one trilogy. Not sure I'm even going to take a chance on this next one.

        They might have worked if someone else had written them. The arc should have been a damned fine tragedy, depressing as all hell to watch but setting the stage for IV, V, and VI. But Lucas can't write tragedy, which most of the time I consider a good thing.

        1. JLV
          Unhappy

          >suitors angle with Leia

          Anyone recall Marvel running with that* and having Luke & Leia's romance develop? It was in a comics series set in a Waterworld-like universe.

          In hindsight... creepy .

          * bet they weren't impressed by Lucas's plot roadmap. Come to think of it ... neither am I.

          This series is flogging a rancidly dead horse, endlessly. A _remake_ of Star Wars & Empire Strikes Back would be a relief at this point.

    5. Euripides Pants

      Re: Why don't they try making something new, and original.

      Haven't you heard? There are no new ideas, been that way since sometime in the 80's

      1. DropBear
        Unhappy

        Re: Why don't they try making something new, and original.

        Haven't you heard? There are no new ideas, been that way since sometime in the 80's

        I'm actually inclined to believe that - usually until I get my hands on a great book and go "why the ever-loving blazes don't they make a movie out of THIS?!?"

    6. Ben Bonsall

      Re: As much as I loved Star wars

      Indeed. There's still five and a half Dune books to do before they need to invent some more star wars...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: five and a half Dune books

        Not until they remake the first movie properly.

  3. Baron Ebaneezer Wanktrollop III

    'Star Wars movie to start shooting in UK this summer'

    Set on a rainy planet with a complete nob in charge then?

    1. markw:

      Re: 'Star Wars movie to start shooting in UK this summer'

      Correct—but I think you meant knob...

  4. Simon Rockman

    18th December?

    Aww, May 4th would be so much better.

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Re: 18th December?

      That's when they start shooting.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: 18th December?

        Ah, good. A short war and home by Christmas then?

  5. NoneSuch Silver badge

    “I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.”

  6. TRT Silver badge

    JJ Abrams you say?...

    At a security outpost of the Galactic Senate...

    Guard one "Hold on, I've got something on my scope... long range... switching to visual..."

    Guard two "It's... it's... what is that? Aaaaarrrrggghhhhh!"

    Guard one "My eyes! My eyes! I can't see!"

    Interior of outpost control room floods with light.

    Meanwhile in an office in the senate building.

    Private secretary C3P0 interrupts Senator Solo: "Sir, I have grave news. Our monitoring stations have intercepted transmissions from the Viper's Head nebula. It appears that a group of Sith lords escaped there and have been constructing a new weapon of mass destruction."

    Senator Solo: "Do you have any more details about this... weapon."

    C3P0: "Only a name, sir. It is known as... The Lens Flare Star."

  7. regadpellagru

    I can't see ...

    what much coherent story can be told after I to VI ...

    Republic, issues, clones, Palpatine taking power with help of Vador, Vador eradicating Jedis, war, first death star destroyed, empire chasing rebels, one jedi returning unexpectedly to terminate both Vador and the emperor ...

    Seems like a finished story to me. Everyone will then live a happy life and democracy will reign again in the galaxy.

    Seems like a Highlander II plot style is to be expected, like, you know, new villains coming from nowhere, for no explained reasons, and the sequel carousel will go on.

    1. dogged

      My dream Ep VII

      First, Disney tell all the Star Wars nerds to go shove their shitty Expanded Universe books somewhere really uncomfortable. This done...

      Episode 7 - The End of all Hope

      Our young hero does some Joseph Campbell stuff and gets oppressed by the New Empire - bigger, nastier, Stormtroopers that can shoot straight, evil for evil's sake because we can.

      He meets our heroine in the process, she takes him away to meet with "friends" who intend to end this new dark age.

      The "friends" turn out to be entirely Jedi-free rebels trained and led by Harrison Ford.

      Then some Star Wars bullshit happens.

      At the end of the movie, all of our heroes (except Ford) are killed by the Dark Empress - Carrie Fisher.

      I would watch that movie at the cinema a hundred times just to watch the fanboys cry.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: My dream Ep VII

        Dont all disney movies end when the hero (Han) marries the princess (Leia) and the evil emperor dies, leaving the good emperor (Luke) to rule?

        so episode VI was that one

        then we get the "milk the concept to death" ones like Lion King II, Return of Jafar, 102 Dalmations etc

    2. Paul Kinsler

      Re: I can't see ... what much coherent story can be told after I to VI ...

      hmm .. something that goes off at a tangent, and does something new with the SW storyverse, whilst also cleverly including hints to set the scene for the next sequel trilogy after this one? :-)

    3. Suricou Raven

      Re: I can't see ...

      Civil war? With the Senate effectively powerless for a generation and the emperor dead, there's no central government any more. Any number of empire underlings try to make their bid for power, while our heroes join a movement of republic loyalists searching for a famous former-senator-now-in-hiding who might still have the influence and legacy to serve as a rallying point and inspire the rest of the galaxy.

      1. Tom 13

        @Suricou Raven

        That would be immediately after the fall of the Emperor, not 30 years later.

        Of course, given what he did with Star Trek, maybe JJ is just rebooting inside the series.

    4. JDX Gold badge

      Re: I can't see ...

      Um, it's an entire fictional universe of which we've seen a single strand of history unfurl over 30 years and you can't imagine there are untold stories? It's a pretty shabby universe if the entire potential of the Force and the Sith is exhausted in 6 films.

    5. Sceptic Tank Silver badge

      Re: I can't see ...

      Well I don't know about that. Let me try:

      The Earth has orbited its sun 30 times since the day the emperor was overthrown. The democratic government under Leila that replaced the empire is has become just as evil and corrupt as the one it replaced*. Darth Vader has joined The Cloud and with the Muppet Joda launched a DDOS attack against Uncle Ben to install DOS2.0 on his PC after they stole his credit card info. Shoot some lasers and sit on weird beasts.Some waving of light sabres. All fun until somebody loses a limb. Luke finds a security hole and exploits it to save the little people and restore the empire.

      (This is not worse plot than Episode I).

      * I live in South Africa.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Star Wars: Episode VII

    "The rape of your childhood"

    1. dogged

      Re: Star Wars: Episode VII

      Not really. You're now old enough to want more from a film than you did when you were seven is all.

      It's not that the prequels weren't bad - they were terrible. But objectively, they're not any worse than the original trilogy. I made the mistake of watching that recently and discovered that Star Wars is the single most awesome thing in the world if you're seven and a predictable dreary bag of crap if you're not.

      1. monkeyfish

        Re: Star Wars: Episode VII

        The problem your having is that Star Wars is a fairy tale. Not unlike Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, except that in Star Wars the thing is set in space, see, and the Knights are on spaceships instead of horses. Once you've established that, you can enjoy it for what it is, and stop getting hung up on plot holes and crap.

        1. Jim 59

          Re: Star Wars: Episode VII

          Agree, Original Star Wars was something of a fairy tail. It also had many of the classical features of a good story, well told. The later 3 films had none of these, and were, at best, dull political thrillers, badly made and best not talked about. Just acknowledge they were terrible, forgive George and move on.

      2. DropBear

        Re: Star Wars: Episode VII

        But objectively, they're not any worse than the original trilogy.

        As much as no such thing as a truly objective comparison of such matters, I take issue with that. Yes they are.

        Volumes could be argued (and I'm sure indeed there were) about why that is - well, beyond the usually raised points, I have my own theory: that sequels rarely manage to live up to the original because it's always more whimsical to cover unknown territory while sprinkling new, unknown and exciting concepts left and right (without ever bothering to define them too clearly - that's part of the mystique) than it is to return and flesh out already known things, confined within their limits. It's the price one has to pay for re-using an already successful universe. What is more exciting - hinting at the existence of the Force and seeing it in action a few times, or finding out it works by midichlorian proxy? Meeting the Emperor or Vader eviling away at full bore, or watching them follow a predictable and inescapable trajectory from A to B? IV / V / VI don't look back all that much; I / II / III are all about connecting the appropriate dots.

        I call this the 'tourist illusion' - places one visits on a vacation tend to seem exciting and awesome, right until one tries to actually live (and work!) there day by day (which is what most sequels try to do: settle into an existing setting) at which point glamour usually wears off and local reality hits home hard. Likewise, I think whimsical places are best never returned to (in a sequel, not a viewed again sense). Good sequels seem to understand and respect that - and try to go new places rather than return into the familiar; whether they manage to keep doing that at the standards defined by the prequel is always a question. That said, there clearly are other things that easily make or break a sequel - I just think this is one of those things I rarely if ever saw mentioned.

        1. Tom 13

          Re: Star Wars: Episode VII

          Sequels aren't necessarily bad. Indiana Jones pulled off a good one, so was the first Reeves Superman movie. If I thought about it I'm sure I could generate more.

          The thing is, when you create a new universe you set in motion a new set of rules and a new logic. Once you do, you need to follow that logic. Where things go wrong is when you break that logic. And it is nearly impossible not to break the logic unless you are exceedingly careful. There are two ways to handle it: Treknology/timey-whimey or rigorous adherence to the new rules. If you try to split it straight down the middle it is always a disaster. Midichlorians were trying to split it straight down the middle. Possibly an even bigger mistake than the whole Kessel run fiasco. He should have left the Force as a non-scientific, metaphysical construct with real world implications. Magic works best that way.

      3. wayward4now

        Re: Star Wars: Episode VII

        You have to seriously like the Muppets. I'm going to have to get dentures from gritting my teeth every time I hear a @$&^$# Muppet voice.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Now there's an idea.

    The Aliens quote gave me an idea. Get rid of mister lens flare and see if James Cameron is willing to bring his expertise to the party.

    1. TheOtherHobbes

      Re: Now there's an idea.

      >Get rid of mister lens flare and see if James Cameron is willing to bring his expertise to the party.

      Star Alien Trek VI - Mutant Babylon Bat Wars[tm]

      (Will there be hobbits? It won't be proper geek food without hobbits.)

  11. Michael Habel

    Is this a new Work or will it at least stick to some of the Expanded Universe canon?

    1. Fading
      Gimp

      It will be a re-imagining of

      The Star Wars Holiday special......

    2. Roj Blake Silver badge

      Neither.

      I believe it's based around the original plans from the 70s.

  12. jason 7

    You know...

    ...I really really just don't give a shit anymore.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4TX6x2WLgk

  14. Anonymous Coward 101

    George Lucas shot his film making bolt ages ago. Who, but those weirdos who compulsively watch Star Wars films, cares about this?

  15. Mad Frankie

    Lando better be in it or there's no point

    1. PatientOne
      Coat

      "Lando better be in it or there's no point"

      Disco Lando*? Now that would be worth watching...

      *Possibly an obscure reference, possibly not...

      1. David Given

        Disco Lando? Your wish is my command...

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lJQ5PmmleQ

  16. James Hughes 1

    Perhaps, just maybe...

    It might be quite a good film? Loads of people commenting on how bad it going to be, and they haven't even started filming, and no plot has been released! Can I borrow your crystal balls (skulls?) c'cos I need to win the Euromillions.

    As for what the plot could be? Well, how about, with a whole fecking universe to play with, anything they like?

  17. JDX Gold badge

    30 years later...

    That's quite cool because it means original actors can reprise their roles rather than be shoved in as new characters, or having to try and look young.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 30 years later...

      Aye. But if Mark Hamill is playing an "old" Luke Skywalker, I hope he uses his Joker voice the whole time. That would make things entertaining.

    2. Tom 13

      Re: 30 years later...

      Aaah! Please be careful with those comments. I don't want to see a 30-year older Carrie Fisher in another bikini. Please lord, no!

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  19. Stevie

    Bah!

    The movie should be titled "The Life and Relatives of Jar Jar Binks".

  20. VeganVegan
    Black Helicopters

    The only thing for sure is

    that some new unimaginably cringe-worthy, diabetes-inducing species will be introduced.

    This was the case even before Disney got involved: Ewoks and JJ Binks* being prime examples.

    * The conspiracy theorist in me wants to scream, "JJ Abrams and JJ Binks!!! Are you kidding me!!" (plus much more foam-flecked frothiness)

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Re: The only thing for sure is

      This deal is getting worse all the time!

  21. Jonski
    Mushroom

    Reboot and crossover

    Aliens vs. Ewoks.

  22. Clive Harris

    Star Wars is a remake of The Dambusters!

    Has anyone else noticed that the original Star Wars movie was mostly a sci-fi remake of The Dambusters. Consider the opening credits - flying through the sky to the sound of a stirring orchestral march. OK, they updated it a bit by using stars instead of clouds and it was a different orchestra, but otherwise it was essentially the same. Then there is the main theme of the movie. A heroic bombing raid to destroy a vital enemy asset by trying to drop a new weapon onto an impossibly small target whilst under heavy fire. Have a look at the two movies and decide for yourself. I wonder if they had to pay royalties to 617 squadron?

    1. Allan George Dyer

      Re: Star Wars is a remake of The Dambusters!

      So Episode I was National Velvet, and VII will be Bridge Over the River Kwai?

    2. John 62

      Re: Star Wars is a remake of The Dambusters!

      Maybe Guns of Navarone?

      Force 10 From Navarone which came out the year after Star Wars perhaps stole the Star Wars idea of destroying the enemy's superweapon, but also stole Harrison Ford (instead of Mark Hammill)

  23. Diamandi Lucas

    What's New?

    "if Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker are going to be back in the movie, it'll be as blue glowy Force ghosts or flashbacks, not fully fleshed-out characters."

    Since when has a Star Wars film had fully fleshed-out characters?

  24. stu 4

    No Lucas involved

    So Might actually mean it has you know, characters you care about and a story.

    I just hope Disney carry on George's racial stereotype characters he so loves... who doesn't like the

    - stupid black man (jar jar)

    - the sly chinese (nemoidians)

    - the sneaky jew (watto)

    Disney can maybe put the crows from Dumbo in there as a jar jar replacement call back.

  25. Brainman
    Meh

    Still disappointed they just didn't make Timothy Zahn's much loved canonic Thrawn trilogy (Heir To The Empire, Dark Storm Rising, The Last Command) into movies. I think major plastic surgery, computer graphics or a chronology rewrite may be needed to handle actors that have aged 30+ years since Jedi only look like they have aged 5 years.

    Grand Admiral Thrawn, Joruus C'Baoth, Mara Jade, Talon Karrde are all fanastic characters with great plot lines, certainly better than the prequels.

    If you haven't read them, why not? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrawn_trilogy

  26. Zog The Undeniable

    You forgot the biggest Hollywood racial stereotype of all: the English as the antagonists.

    In the original trilogy the whole Galactic Empire had English accents except for Darth Vader, and he was only dubbed because a Bristol accent isn't gert menacing, my lover.

  27. Kiwi_MarkLFC

    Abrams - Pah!

    Its all irrelevant - with Abrams directing it he'll fuck it up the same way he fucked up Star Trek...

    This moron hasnt done a single thing worth watching - unless youre a greasy smelly spotty virgin nerd

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Meesa hope no Jar Jar this time.

    Jar Jar this time, hope not... hmmmmmmm

  29. Zot

    I've never cared for Star Wars much.

    'Tis a silly film, where people can't shoot straight and a camp robot minces about, going 'oh my!'

    [*dodges slow moving lasers fired from the inevitable SW and SS fans with beards*]

    But I say leave it for the 10 year olds to enjoy, they are after all the target market. That's how old you were when you first saw it, were you not?

  30. dzasterus
    Trollface

    Star Wars XXXIIIII now being planned

    The only good thing about the StarWars films, is that Family Guy has ripped them to shreds :)

  31. Twitless

    Don't trip on that cord!

    You'll travel through time. Abrams can't resolve a climax without using time travel to get himself out of it! Maybe somebody will travel back to the beginning and shoot Lucas.

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