$hamrock said:

ErikB said:

Yes Marvel Heroic Roleplay is good, but only if you pretty much live in the States, as MWP can't get international publishing rights and Disney seem impossible to work with. They aquired the N. American rights from Marvel before they signed on the dotted line with Disney, since then nothing, if you live in the UK you can only buy the books via PDF or grey import and as a retailer this is not much good to me.

I don't think this is good news at all for FFG, I hope they've got it all signed off, but even so when it comes time to renew the contract things will fall apart, if they want to carry on the franchise beyond these 3 books they should start negotiating now.

Venthrac said:

Fully agree. Just ignore the EU and make a completely new story. If it's set 10, 50, or a 1000 years after ep 6 doesn't matter but, the current state of the EU is just a mess where too many stories have been produced without any narrative direction. Not saying that all of the EU stuff is bad, but honestly, I wouldn't touch ~95% of it with a stick. Youzhan vong, legacy, euwww…

gruntl said:

+1.

If they're continuing the story of the characters from the earlier trilogies, there are two options for taking the whole line of movies forward:-

(1) Make one of the EU storylines into a movie. Ooooof. Not a nice idea. As mentioned above, the quality is iffy.

(2) Discard the whole post-RotJ EU material in favour of new stuff. Result: alienate the more rabid fanboys who actually bother to keep up with the EU and cause a canon pile-up.

If they're determined to stick with the strange idea of continuing Leia/Han Sol/Luke etc's storylines, I suspect Disney will go for option (2). Fanboy whining about a lost EU won't move the average cinemagoer/casual SW fan…or affect box office receipts.

But I would agree that it just seems far less messy for Disney to abandon the existing characters and move to a different part of the Star Wars galaxy…oh well, we shall see!

I would rather see them do something totally new whether 100s or 1000s of years in the past. But even if the new trilogy finishes off the story of the old characters as they pass on the torch to a new generation they have already said there will be more than just three movies but new Star Wars movies every two to three years in the long term. So much galaxy and time to explore they possibilities are endless.

Venthrac said:

Apparently the deal doesn't include distribution rights to the existing films, so the original cuts of the OT may still be in limbo.

$hamrock said:

I dunno. People get old. I don't think anyone can really say that they would rather have watched Shatner and Nimoy in the Star Trek reboot.

And Roger Moore was 57 when he shot his last Bond movie. He had to have his hair professionally thickened between each take. And he was romancing women half his age.

DailyRich said:

Right, but George Lucas has no say over them anymore. That's the key, because I think he is the only guy on the planet who doesn't want to make money by selling original versions. Now that he is out of the way, Fox should be free to capitalize on the opportunity.

My personal belief is that the only way this doesn't happen is if there is some language in the terms of sale that Lucas dumenaded which blocks the move somehow.

Disney has ZERO say over Episode V-VI and I-III until 2020 as Fox owns all distribution rights including home video until then. A New Hope's distribution is wholly owned by Fox, so there will be no change there. Disney made this purchase for the future, and I doubt their interests in the property is related to the OT and PT from a home video distribution point of view.

This is all about future marketing for films, television and merchandising. Additionally, this is a huge boon to the Disney Parks as they will now be free to explore development of rides and attractions at Disney locations throughout the world. This move strengthens Disney's appeal in one area they had been lagging in until the acquisition of Marvel… the young male demographic. As a huge Disney fanatic with knowledge of what goes on with Disney's shareholders, one of the big concerns among shareholders through 2007 was a lack of male centric franchises. Disney was the home of Disney Princesses, Hanna Montana, Lizzy McGuire, etc. there was growing concern that Disney was catering too much to younger females. This began to change with Pirates, but the concerns will still voiced frequently.

With the acquisitions of Marvel and Lucasfilm those concerns are now gone. Disney has three tentpole franchises to build from, and if Disney ever decides to pursue Indiana Jones that would be yet another feather for the Disney cap (or should I say Mouse Ears)

BTW you can listen to the first shareholders meeting following the announcement here:

http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/c2nj5j33/lan/en

Some interesting insights there.

Yancy

I read… (granted that it was online) that the rumor was that 7 would, not be a movie version of the Thrawn Trilogy, but probably set durring that time frame.

Will this has na effect on the licence that FFG has? Will FFG make SW gamnes or will this cancel that licence? What impact will it have on FFG and SW games?

Beren Eoath said:

For the immediate future, no effect whatsoever.

That contract has been signed and finalized for well over a year now, and most RPG license contracts seem to run for several years, with WotC's tenure as the Star Wars License holder being in increments of 10 years.

So it's probably going to be at least five or so years before this would potentially become any sort of issue for FFG.

Yeah, the purchase has no immediate impact on any licensees. Hasbro will continue to make toys, Del Rey will continue releasing book and Dark Horse releasing comics. Now that may change as Disney has some competing interests in these fields and has some ability to produce their own products. But I think for the next few years it is safe to say that nothing will change. This is primarily a transfer of the rights to the Star Wars universe to Disney, giving them an ability to develop their own movie and television products.

And frankly I think Disney has little interest in interfering with a relatively small licensee in FFG (no offense guys). In the grand scheme of all things Star Wars an RPG license is small potatoes.

Yancy

ErikB said:

this is comparing apples and oranges. The fact that it's Star Wars vs. Star Trek aside, the 2009 Star Trek film was an actual reboot, and recognized as an alternate timeline to the Star Trek of our father's youths. In itself, it was a great film, and for many Trekkies it was a masterfully done "passing of the torch" to a new generation.

*SPOILER* Furthermore, Nemoy did make an appearance in the film, as "Spock from a different future." That was one of the best things in the movie, IMO.

I will definitely be disappointed if they cast a different actor as Han Solo. The movie doesn't look to be a reboot, and Star Wars is not James Bond. On the other hand, I'm not gonna pass judgement on the upcoming film before I even hear basic plot line and cast! And I will endeavor to withhold my judgement (for what it's even worth!) until I see the film on opening night. I say, give the conjoined Disney and LucasFilm the opportunity to wow us. And for Yoda's sake, I'd say Kathleen Kennedy has done enough for Star Wars to earn at least the benefit of the doubt from fans.

awayputurwpn said:

I disagree. For a start it made the reboot be a time travel story, which, well I could live without.

Better a clean break. Then they could have told an actual story instead of wasting the movie on setup.

awayputurwpn said:

However, after almost 40 years since the original movie's release…it may be a worthwhile gesture for Episode VII to not worry about the original cast reprising their roles in any way ( Mayhew and Daniels being the exceptions ). And rather than turning it into a worm-hole alternate reality story or jumping ahead of or behind established EU territory….they could just have some 40-something guy show up and go " hi I'm Han Solo " and get on with whatever story they want to tell.

Regardless of the future presentation of Episode VII, I'm just glad George did the right thing for once and stepped aside enough that other talented film-makers can have a chance to direct/write a Star Wars sequel with all the reverence most of a generation or two have for the Star Wars universe…with Disney writing the checks. Empire and Jedi were better for Lucas staying out of the director's chair. Star Wars is one of the world's sagas now, and I'm proud of Lucas ( at least from a business standpoint ) for recognizing that. The alternative would be for him to croak in a couple decades and leave the growth and management of the IP to the corporation or his kids…either one is guaranteed to see mass partitioning of the IP into tasty cash chunks with little regard for SW itself. At least Disney still makes movies and is already planning to do so with SW, and there is now a small chance that a truly talented go-getter filmmaker will tackle the project with gusto.

As far as the effect on FFG? Lucasfilm is probably going to feel the biggest switch at the corporate level ( no reason to keep Lucasfilm's accounting staff, HR, etc ). Their IP licenses ( at least for their current terms ) are probably the safest thing about the acquisition. Besides, rescinding or renegotiating deals that are already set up to make money are rarely a top priority during a restructuring/relocation of staff, offices, physical assets and cell phone plans.

First, the latest is that they are looking at Ryan Gossling for Han. (If this is set decades after jedi, he is nowhere near old enough).

My whole point…. there are what…. 800 bagillion beings in the star wars universe, how hard is it to tell someone else's story. They all act like the skywalkers are the only people there. I would love to see the story of Dash, or a random rodian, etc…. Then they could use "non-galaxy ending" bad guys, and still make a great story, like a hutt could be the big baddie. Contrary to popular opinion, for a good movie to be made, the end of the known universe doesn't have to be the issue (see the latest judge dredd). I mean, seriously, how screwed up does a person's luck have to be when everything wrong in the known universe - and you're a part of it.

I'll hold judgement until I see some real data, but to quote a famous person "I sense a disturbance in the force".

Not saying it wont be great, nor that it wont be the be all end all for many new star wars fans, but as an old timer…. I really don't know that they could honestly make me happy with it going this direction". Then what, we get Nolan directing… wont that be grand.

$hamrock said:

I kinda think that as roleplayers we are trained to invent and enjoy our own characters and stories in a way that isn't universal among the wider fanbase. Hell, I know that I much prefer stories about characters other than the ones seen in the movies, but the fact that they don't do that often sort of implies there is a reason for it.

$hamrock said:

I haven't seen that quote anywhere, or the one you mentioned about them looking at Ryan Gosling for Han Solo; can you link a source?

I have to say, though, that if it's gonna be 'Episode VII', then there pretty much has to be a tangible Skywalker connection - otherwise it'd be 'Star Wars: The Blabbity-Blah Chronicles, Episode I'. Not to mention, Disney acquired Lucas's original treatment for the sequel trilogy (which you know is gonna be Skywalker-licious) in the deal, which by all accounts, they're taking as a jumping point.

Either way, there's talk of doing movies about new/fringe characters as well, so it sounds as if everybody's gonna get what they want…

Ryan Gosling speculation the whole point is it wont be ford. he's like what, 70?

The trilogy will continue the story of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia beyond "Return of the Jed" its pretty much a direct quote. there is this webpage called google. If you cut and paste into page the source(s) come up. This part is kinda common knowledge… if you were not aware of this, you're kinda behind the ball.(Kidding with the last part).

it will follow, and acknowledge, NONE of the EU no Thrawn, etc… will be interesting to see what the community does with these EU characters once they are officially written out if the star wars universe.

$hamrock said:

Probably the same thing that quite a few fans have done with the Clone Wars TV series, Force Unleashed, New Jedi Order, or anything post-NJO written by Karen "Boba Fett's #1 Fan-Girl" Traviss…

Ignore it completely in favor of their own personal canon

I hear that in the next Karin Traviss novel, we'll find out that Mandalorians can shoot lightning out of their arses - once they swallow some mandalorian iron pellets. And that this one time… a Mandalorian killed seven Jedi Masters by pointing his finger at them and shouting "bang".

True story.

I'm just not buying the re-casting theory. The stories of Luke, Leia and Han can be continued through a future generation, or through the actions those characters took that affect something later.

That's my hope, anyway. It's all speculation now, of course. Time will tell.

$hamrock said:

That's not really speculation. That's a few directors unrelated to the film randomly throwing out names of who they think would work.

Doc, the Weasel said:

I think it should go without saying that any speculation from anyone not directly connected to Disney or Lucasfilm should be taken with several truckloads of salt.

And this far away from 2015, it's too early for anyone outside of a very select few (who probably have signed NDA's to boot) to know much of anything about Disney's plans where the "new trilogy" is concerned.