back to article Internet rejoices over Star Wars, um, clapboard pic

Production company Bad Robot has tweeted the very first picture from the set of the new Star Wars movie, which may or may not be called Star Wars Episode VII: The Ancient Fear. <i>Star Wars</i> clapboard on the first day of shooting The picture doesn’t give much away about the movie, in fact, it tells folks absolutely …

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  1. Alan Bourke

    Does anyone else invent their own words for t'theme?

    Star Wars

    It was a war

    It was in the stars

    la la la laa ...

    1. TheOtherHobbes

      Re: Does anyone else invent their own words for t'theme?

      Should have started shooting on May the 4th.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Does anyone else invent their own words for t'theme?

        "Should have started shooting on May the 4th."

        That was when Han Solo started on *his* film, ahead of George. In other words, Han shot f... ah, you already got it.

    2. Benchops

      Re: Does anyone else invent their own words for t'theme?

      You mean, like this?:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Q3AS3HOtw

      1. Christian Berger

        Re: Does anyone else invent their own words for t'theme?

        Obviously the real lyrics go like this:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRrm59Z_0w4

    3. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: Does anyone else invent their own words for t'theme?

      The original:

      http://videosift.com/video/Bill-Murray-as-the-lounge-singer-Nick-Winters-from-SNL

  2. Yugguy

    *Unfeasably deep voice mode on.

    It was a time of war.

    It was a time of stars.

    It was a time of war AND stars.

    Frankly I just hope it's better than 1-3.

    1. Eponymous Cowherd
      Coat

      If it is another Episode 1 he'll be known as....

      Jar Jar Abrams.

      1. Eradicate all BB entrants

        Re: If it is another Episode 1 he'll be known as....

        Ok, it's time for me to single myself out. Jar Jar was not the most annoying thing about episode one. It was Anakin. The constant 'I'm the best pod racer' and 'I'm going to be a Jedi' whiny obnoxious little shit statements all the way through drove me insane. At least they replaced him with a wooden chair in episode 2.

        1. jai

          Re: If it is another Episode 1 he'll be known as....

          i watched Episodes 1 to 3 almost back to back a couple of weeks ago, and was suprised to find that Jar Jar and Anakin being annoying weren't half as much as i remembered them being from the first time i saw it.

          Yes, they're still annoying, but i think on watching it additional times, you're able to blank them out and focus on the rest of the films. The huge space battle at the start of Ep 3, for example, is fantastic (blanking out the weird missiles that turn into droids with laser cutters...)

          Anyway - i liked what he did with Star Trek, am optimistic that the new movies will be more Empire than Phantom Menace

          1. Benchops

            Re: If it is another Episode 1 he'll be known as....

            I do hope the bad guy is called Darth Rambaldi

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: If it is another Episode 1 he'll be known as....

          The creepy think being the actor who played Annie looks pretty much the same now, a bit larger but almost the same proportions.

          He quit acting after being bullied.

        3. Lamont Cranston
          Flame

          Re: most annoying thing

          It wasn't Jar Jar, and it wasn't Anakin - it was the dull story, piss-poor scripting, shoddy direction, and rotten pacing that annoyed me. Or am I just annoyed at myself, for throwing good money after bad by also going to the cinema for Episodes II and III?

          Compared to that lot, whatever they churn out for VII will be heavenly.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: If it is another Episode 1 he'll be known as....

        Obviously an aussie, having a couple of jars.

  3. Irongut

    Hopefully Abrams will have some kind of seizure and they'll put a film director in charge instead.

    1. Eponymous Cowherd

      What?

      And miss out on all of those lens flare effect?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What?

        Ironically, the lens flare probably *was* inspired by his experience of a seizure

  4. Michael Habel

    Well I predict lots AND LOTS of Lens flair in the new sequels.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      To be fair, he "did" admit that he went OTT with the lens flares (not flairs, that would be a different film entirely) in the Star Trek movies.

  5. Horridbloke
    Thumb Up

    Will Simon Pegg be in it?

    Because everything is better with Simon Pegg.

  6. Steven Raith

    Why are they rejoicing over what will almost certainly be a very middle of the road, CGI filled affair?

    Name me anything JJ Abrams has done recently that is anything better than 'average' once you take away fan appeal.

    Worryingly, after a quick scrub of IMDB, it seems he's on board for a Half Life and Portal movies....oh dear.

    Steven R

    1. jai

      once you take away fan appeal

      but that would make many sequels merely average. Empire and Jedi would be just average sci-fi without the fan appeal of building on what the first film did.

      Godfather 2 might be able to stand on its own.

      And Aliens also would work by itself. although, it's still appealing to sci-fi fans, so if you removed that....

      1. hammarbtyp

        Terminator 2 anyone?

      2. Steven Raith

        I get what your saying, but really it was the Abrams part I was getting at. I don't see his name on a poster and think 'boy, gotta watch that, all his stuff is really good' if you catch my drift. If I see Christopher Nolans name on something, or Guillermo del Toros, I have... I don't know, higher expectations of what I'm likely to see - it'll at least be interesting. I just don't get that with Abrams.

        That said, given how his work gets a mixed reception (I'm thoroughly of the opinion that it's distracting stuff, and can be entertaining, but not terribly good - I didn't mind the Star Wars reboots, but they're not exactly snapshots of the finest that this generations cinemagoers have had offered to them) it must have taken some balls to take on the Star Wars license.

        I mean, look at how people have turned on Lucas...

        Anyway, it's all subjective really, all that matters to the studios is that it makes money, and all that matters to those who care deeply about Star Wars (I like it, but I didn't have any action figures as a kid) is that he doesn't utterly fuck it, ruthlessly, like Lucas did.

        In that case, I suppose Abrams ain't a bad choice. I suppose I can at least say I've not seen him make something as bad as The Phantom Menace. And at least it's not current era Micheal Bay...

        And yes, for someone who isn't all that into Star Wars, you can say I'm rambling on a bit, but isn't that what forums are for? I'm interested to see what he can come up with, but I'm not getting my hopes up too much.

        Steven R

        1. John Savard

          George Lucas did something amazing with the first Star Wars movie. Despite the second movie being even better in most people's opinion, by making Darth Vader the father of Luke Skywalker, he set in motion the factors that constrained the prequels to a form that did not fit the expectations set by the original movie.

          And then there was the divorce. That apparently led to Lucas not having a very important guiding hand; and so the third movie was panned by many fans. Then the Special Edition. Then the prequels.

          George Lucas didn't lose his talent or his creativity. But his success led to a situation even he couldn't afford; either no one around him was willing to seriously challenge him on any point, or if they did, he was able to just ignore them. No matter how talented or creative you are, you're not going to be able to produce your best work under those conditions. (Steve Jobs, I'd be looking at you if you were still around.)

          He toyed with the franchise according to his own whims - and the main result was that the Star Wars movies became children's movies instead of movies for everyone. Very, very good children's movies, yes, but because of that, less satisfying than they might have been for everyone else.

          Recognizing this isn't turning around and betraying George Lucas. Your real friends are the people who will tell you what you don't want to hear.

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  8. hammarbtyp
    WTF?

    A disturbance is felt

    I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in joy and were suddenly silenced. I think something has happened.

  9. Valeyard

    hmm..

    Well since he turned Star Trek into a space opera, it'd be weird if he managed to turn Star Wars into a sci-fi

    1. ChrisB 2

      Re: hmm..

      In fairness, STOS was designed to be a space opera. By Roddenberry.

      1. Fibbles

        Re: hmm..

        Really? I've always heard he wanted to create a morality play. Though from what I remember he describe it himself as a 'space western'.

        1. John Savard

          Re: hmm..

          He did use the phrase 'Wagon Train to the stars' himself. But, in fairness, this was in materials aimed at getting the show accepted by network executives. The difference between how he had to present the show, and what he was intending to achieve, was presented in detail in Stephen E. Whitfield's The Making of Star Trek, and it would be better to read that than to deal in attempts to explain that here.

  10. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

    Well if this is the way it's starts...

    By Twattering something as pointless as a clapperboard, you can rest assured that there will be no point in actually going to see the film when it's released as there will be absolutely no mystery left as to what it is or what it is about.

    Shame.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    That's like,

    totally cool!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    May 16th?

    Why didnt they start on may 4th :)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: May 16th?

      Because May 16th is four times better....

  13. Sir Barry
    Pint

    *clap*

    bored

    That is all, have a pint and carry on...

  14. ecofeco Silver badge

    3 years until completion

    It will be 3 years before the movie is finished. That means 3 years of unrelenting hype.

    That means HUGE disappointment when movie finally viewed. Nothing can live up to years and years of that kind of hype.

  15. John Savard

    One Thing Revealed

    The point is that a new Star Wars film has been long awaited by many fans who very much enjoyed all the films in the series - even if the prequel films could have been even better, were it not for some flaws they deeply regret.

    The picture proves that actual filming really did begin on that date, something these fans did not dare to let themselves believe would ever happen, in fear of bitter disappointment. Yes, it didn't leak anything about what the film will be about; that is par for the course given how the franchise was handled in the past. But just knowing that the new film is real is cause for excitement to the passionate Star Wars fan.

  16. src
    Happy

    May the hype be with you.

  17. king of foo

    misunderstanding...

    From the article title I was expecting an image of the 'Gonorrhean' Council of Matrons discussing a Syphilis outbreak...

  18. Bottle_Cap

    Ah it can't be any worse than the last 3 - though I never bothered to watch ep III tbf. As for JJ well I kinda liked the Star Trek movies - at least they looked liked they were made by people that had actually watched it...

  19. Spotfist

    My big beef with the prequels was that they ruined the original three movies, the big surprise *spoiler* that Darth Vader is Luke's father is no longer a twist. They should have cut that final bit out of episode III as it ruins a classic moment.

    Hopefully these new movies won't repeat the same mistake, I find myself pondering if that's even possible although I'm just waiting for it to turn out that Han is a massive racist while Luke got arrested for paedophilia :(

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