Monday 31 October 2016

ROGUE ONE: LATEST IMAGES...

A dangerous time for Jyn and K-2SO on Jedha. Images: DISNEY UK/LUCASFILM.

A few more shots of ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY have appeared, after prior exclusively debuting on various American sites. Here they are...

On the far off world of Lah'mu, a young Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) and his Death Troopers are on their way to collect on a debt.
Director Gareth Edwards has fun at the UK's Cardington facility, used as the Massassi Temple Rebel base.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


Certainly one of the finest and truly grisly make-ups of the Prequel Trilogy, Dave Elsey's look for the burnt to a crisp Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, for the doom laden climax of EPISODE III, proved a big success.

STAR WARS AFICIONADO wishes all our readers the most horrible HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

OUT NOW IN THE UK: 'THE FORCE AWAKENS' 3D BLU-RAY COLLECTOR'S EDITION...


Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D Collector's Edition Coming This Fall | StarWars.com

A thorough review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D – Collector’s Edition

Preview footage: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Collector's Edition | DVD/Blu-Ray Release Bonus Features Compilation - YouTube

J.J. Abrams audio commentary taster: JJ Abrams Discusses the "Force-Back" Scene in New 3D Blu-ray Commentary Clip | The Star Wars Underworld

Get it here: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Collector's Edition Blu-ray 3D Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, J.J. Abrams: DVD & Blu-ray

Sunday 30 October 2016

ROGUE ONE: RAIN WARRIOR!


As the Rebels make an en masse night-time attack on an Imperial facility, Jyn Erso shows her true mettle and courage on the rain-soaked battlefield, in this great image from ROGUE ONE.

Before the film's UK release on December 15th, 2016, fans can get to know more about Jyn's tragedy filled backstory, her early relationship with her now missing scientist father, Galen, and his link to the birth of the Death Star and its unique superweapon, in James Luceno's eagerly awaited lead-in, Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, available in the UK from CENTURY PUBLISHING this 17th November.


Here's the book synopsis:


War is tearing the galaxy apart. For years the Republic and the Separatists have battled across the stars, each building more and more deadly technology in an attempt to win the war. As a member of Chancellor Palpatine’s top secret Death Star project, Orson Krennic is determined to develop a superweapon before their enemies can. And an old friend of Krennic’s, the brilliant scientist Galen Erso, could be the key.

Galen’s energy-focused research has captured the attention of both Krennic and his foes, making the scientist a crucial pawn in the galactic conflict. But after Krennic rescues Galen, his wife, Lyra, and their young daughter, Jyn, from Separatist kidnappers, the Erso family is deeply in Krennic’s debt. Krennic then offers Galen an extraordinary opportunity: to continue his scientific studies with every resource put utterly at his disposal. While Galen and Lyra believe that his energy research will be used purely in altruistic ways, Krennic has other plans that will finally make the Death Star a reality. Trapped in their benefactor’s tightening grasp, the Ersos must untangle Krennic’s web of deception to save themselves and the galaxy itself.


CLASSIC STRUZAN: 'QUEEN OF THE EMPIRE'!


That infamous icon from the Earth's Amazonian depths, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, makes an impressive entrance as an all-new alien for the STAR WARS universe, in this gorgeous art by Drew Struzan for the 1993 Expanded Universe novel by Paul Davids and Hollace Davids: Queen of the Empire, part of the Jedi Prince series that I'll really have to find and catch up on one day.

welcome to DrewStruzan.com

Saturday 29 October 2016

EPISODE VII: SPOTTED!


At the Niima Outpost on Jakku, there's no real time yet for Rey, Finn and BB-8 to introduce each other having been swiftly spotted by a First Order patrol, in this great trio image from THE FORCE AWAKENS, out in the UK this 31st October, 2016 on 3D Blu-ray in a special Lucasfilm/Disney Collector's Edition, also packed with brand-new extras and three additional deleted scenes.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens Collector's Edition Blu-ray 3D Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, J.J. Abrams: DVD & Blu-ray

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: NOTHNG WILL STOP THEM NOW...


Rebel X, Y, A and B-wing fighters fly past the heavy flack and turbolaser ground defences of the second Death Star, heading towards its reactor core in this great angle storyboard shot for RETURN OF THE JEDI that sadly never made the final movie.

Friday 28 October 2016

ROGUE ONE: SEEK-LOCATE-DESTROY!


Wading the shoreline of one of Scarif's beaches, a squad of Director Krennic's efficient Death Troopers rushes to battle, in a tense scene from ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.

DELETED SCENE: TO ALTER THE PATH...


He is determined not to let his latest foreboding Force vision - the death of his beloved wife - come to fruition, as Anakin shares a tender deleted scene moment with Padme, and makes an important promise to her, from EPISODE III. A moment of this scene being rehearsed with George Lucas can be witnessed in behind the scenes footage on the 2005 DVD and the later 2011 Blu-ray.

Thursday 27 October 2016

EPISODE VII: IN THE GRIP OF EVIL!


Powerless to move due to the Dark Side of the Force, Rey comes face to face with one of the key nightmare visions from her Forceback, Kylo Ren, in this ominous moment (and unseen angle) from THE FORCE AWAKENS, available in the UK on a brand-new 3D Collector's Edition, from Lucasfilm/DISNEY.


Get it here: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Collector's Edition Blu-ray 3D Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, J.J. Abrams: DVD & Blu-ray

CLASSIC IMAGE: WAYWARD REEK!


A Geonosian rider is clearly having a very hard time controlling the destination of a rampaging reek beast, during the finale arena conflict of EPISODE II.

Wednesday 26 October 2016

CLASSIC IMAGE: DOWN IN THE PIT!


Actor Mark Jones (far left, looking towards the technician at console) gets ready to film a scene in the bridge technical pit of the Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger, for a classic moment from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. After filming of the Classic Trilogy, some of the larger consoles seen here were either sold or rented out to the BBC for use on the sci-fi series DOCTOR WHO, during the mid-eighties.


'STAR WARS REBELS': UH-OH!


He's agreed to help the older Clone trio self-exiles on the dusty world of Seelos in their quest to capture an elusive Joopa beast, but has Jedi wannabe Ezra Bridger ultimately bitten off more than he can chew? A scene from the pleasing STAR WARS REBELS episode/arc, The Lost Commanders, an early part of Season Two, which is now out in its entirety on stunning Blu-ray and standard DVD, from Lucasfilm/Disney.


Get it here: Star Wars Rebels Season 2 [Blu-ray] [Region Free]: Amazon.co.uk: DVD & Blu-ray

Look out for the AFICIONADO review shortly...

Tuesday 25 October 2016

ROGUE ONE: LATEST NEWS (OCTOBER 2016)

Art by Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas.

A final international trailer is surely due soon, as will the opening of the worldwide advance box office. The Rebellion grows strong again...

Latest news:

Official site subpage opened: Rogue One | StarWars.com

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Character Posters Revealed - Complete Gallery | StarWars.com

New 'Rogue One' Themed Duracell and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Commercial | The Star Wars Underworld

Star Wars: Rogue One said to be 133 minutes long | Den of Geek

Felicity Jones talks 'Inferno,' 'Rogue One' and keeping secrets - CNET

'Force Awakens' Star Daisy Ridley Praises 'Rogue One' Actress Felicity Jones - ABC News

Forest Whittaker Talks About the Evolution of Saw Gerrera from 'The Clone Wars' to 'Rogue One' | The Star Wars Underworld

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/mads-mikkelsen-rogue-one

Rogue One: Mads Mikkelsen Calls Galen Erso ‘Most Guilty Man in the World’

Star Wars: The State of the Empire and the Jedi in Rogue One - IGN

Rogue One Bits: Running Time Revealed? 'Catalyst' Excerpt, Weirdest Interview & More - /Film

CLASSIC IMAGE: A DESTINY BEYOND SLAVERY...


Watching Anakin hard at work on his pod racer, Qui-Gon Jinn and Shmi Skywalker discuss the boy's unique past, and his potential future, in this unexpected revelation scene from EPISODE I that has certainly caused no end of fandom debate from 1999 onwards.

Monday 24 October 2016

COMING IN 2017: 'BLADE RUNNER 2049'

Do filmmakers dream of electric sheep? Harrison Ford with Ryan Gosling, Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve for the first press release image for BLADE RUNNER 2049. Images: SONY.

Its due next October, and we're slightly concerned that its presence might taint the brilliance of the original 1982 masterpiece from which it spawned, but if Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott are on board then AFICIONADO will certainly give Sony's upcoming BLADE RUNNER 2049 a try, what with the return of former Blade Runner "retirement" cop in Ford's Rick Deckard, involved with an all-star cast including Robin Wright, Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, Lennie James and Dave Bautista. How the story continues on from the original one-off tale of Replicants and future tense excitement , I don't know, though I certainly wish director Denis Villeneuve the best of success here- he really has got a lot to live up to.

Movie concept art by Victor Martinez.

BEHIND THE SCENES: REALM OF THE DIANOGA!


As far as favourite scenes from the original STAR WARS go, the Trash Compactor with the one-eyed Dianoga creature, and its fascination with Luke Skywalker, must surely rank high-up on many fans lists. Originally, however, this sequence was to have been far more ambitious- our heroes wandering through a disused Death Star sub hallway/corridor and entering a murky,water submerged service tunnel, where the originally called "Dia Nogu" creature would surprise attack them (notably scaring the lovable Chewbacca in the process!). Fully realised by UK practical effects man John Stears and the UK prop makers, the transparent Jellyfish/Octopus-like alien was ultimately too big and bulky for the small contained set and not deemed good enough for filming, with a hastily made tentacle and a later ILM stop-motion insert of the creature's eye popping out of the water having to suffice within an adjusted script/environment. Anthony Daniels would recall the original prop's ultimate fate: being unceremoniously dumped on the Elstree Studios backlot and joking that canines would likely come along and urinate on it!

Two technicians in diving suits adjust the tentacle around Mark Hamill.
The Dianoga tentacle prior being prepared at Elstree.
The waterless Trash Compactor set with abandoned tentacle.

Here are the original script pages for the scene from the 1st January 1976 script, as posted by Peter Mayhew on his TWITTER feed recently...






EPISODE VII: UNDER ATTACK!


Resistance hero Poe Dameron rushes to his X-wing, ready to arm himself and help Lor San Tekka's people and village on Jakku against the invading troops of the First Order, in this great image from the opening to THE FORCE AWAKENS.


The 3D Collector's Edition of EPISODE VII arrives on Blu-ray in the UK from October 31st, 2016, via Lucasfilm/Disney, loaded with additional all-new special features material.

Get it here: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Collector's Edition Blu-ray 3D Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, J.J. Abrams: DVD & Blu-ray





Sunday 23 October 2016

THE CLONE WARS: A TIME OF STRUGGLE!


The ideas of peace and justice with the Galactic Republic are swept away with the tide of the Clone Wars, as the struggle between good and evil enters a decisive new point in the Force, as seen with key characters old and new for the 2003 Clone Wars Micro-Series - one of the genuine highlights of the Prequel era of STAR WARS storytelling.

ROGUE ONE: MOTHER OF THE REBEL ALLIANCE!

The newly released TOPPS character/autograph card.

If Bail Organa of Alderaan was the bold father of what would eventually become known as the Rebel Alliance against the corrupt and merciless Galactic Empire, then Mon Mothma of Chandrilla must surely be its strongly beating, compassionate and vital mother heart, known for her calm, rational thinking and strong moral intellectualism ever since she was a respected leader within the troubled Republic Senate at the time of the Clone Wars, the tumultuous three years of battle and tragedy of which she now knows she and the thousands of senators she worked with for peace were being manipulated and betrayed by the man they thought they knew and trusted: Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, whose new order has wrought such hardships, terror and destructive force against the galaxy, and especially towards non-humanoid species.

A genuine baptism of fire for Mon Mothma and the Rebel Alliance in ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.
Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and General Draven (Alistair Petrie) with an important new ally.

As the Empire grows more powerful, and the testing of a deadly new weapon is imminent, the small resistance cells scattered across the galaxy must finally unite and pull their resources like never before, under the leadership of Mon Mothma.

And fight... 

Mon Mothma, as seen in publicity materials for EPISODE III.

With her scenes for EPISODE III sadly removed from the original theatrical release (though available on DVD), Genevieve O'Reilly's presence in the first ROGUE ONE trailer as Mon Mothma, with a visage and clothing that matched Caroline Blakiston's character/look from RETURN OF THE JEDI, was a welcome and truly satisfying sight, fusing the Prequel and Classic Trilogy saga's together even more strongly.

More on ROGUE ONE's General Draven: Rogue One director obliterates popular fan theory about Rebel leader | EW.com

Saturday 22 October 2016

EPISODE VII: WE'RE ALL ALIENS!


Used to alien creatures of all kinds on Jakku, Rey is clearly enjoying meeting and experiencing the new variety of people's inside Maz Kanata's unique castle on Takodana, in this moment that didn't appear in the final cut, though could possibly appear in the upcoming 3D Blu-ray Collector's Edition set for THE FORCE AWAKENS, which includes new deleted scenes, available in the UK from October 31st, 2016, via Lucasfilm/Disney.


New Deleted Scene From 'The Force Awakens' Released | The Star Wars Underworld

JJ Abrams Talks Rey and Finn in New Clip From 'The Force Awakens' 3D Blu-ray Commentary | The Star Wars Underworld

JJ Abrams Reveals 'Selma' Director Ava DuVernay's Influence on the Final Duel in 'The Force Awakens' | The Star Wars Underworld

Get the set here: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Collector's Edition Blu-ray 3D Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, J.J. Abrams: DVD & Blu-ray





ROGUE ONE: THE REBEL SUPER SEVEN!


A look at the original conceptual team/character art for the ever evolving storyline of ROGUE ONE, as originally devised by John Knoll, and an image that debuted at Summer's STAR WARS CELEBRATION 2016 event. Presumably, this storyline was much more of an ensemble piece at that point, with the idea for Jyn Erso being the lead "Joan of Ark" style figure developed as the Story Group, on the look out for more female role models, worked alongside the joining/departing/joining script writers.


Hopefully looking forward to reading more about this original diverse group (if LUCASFILM doesn't deem it classified information, that is!) when THE ART OF ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY is released during December, via ABRAMS BOOKS.

CLASSIC IMAGE: OF GRIEVOUS AND WOOKIEES!


The urgent need to capture the newly located General Grievous, and aid the Wookiees in their battles against the Separatists, are important matters discussed by the Jedi Council, in this scene from EPISODE III.

CLASSIC IMAGE: A LANDO FOR ALL SEASONS!


In between fighting alien skiff guards and dangling over a hungry-for-flesh Sarlaac pit, Billy Dee Williams still manages to find time to look cool and unruffled in the heat of Yuma, Arizona, during 1982 filming for RETURN OF THE JEDI.


We're still hoping that Mister Williams will return as Lando Calrissian for a future STAR WARS sequel, but until then, we also wish the very best, and send congratulations, to new star Donald Glover in taking up the mantle of playing Lando's younger, "scoundrel" self for the upcoming Han Solo standalone movie, coming to film screens in May, 2018.

Official announcement: Donald Glover Cast as Young Lando Calrissian in Upcoming Han Solo Star Wars Stand-Alone Film | StarWars.com

Donald Glover Talks About Being Cast as Lando | The Star Wars Underworld

Friday 21 October 2016

EPISODE VII: J.J. FEELS THE FORCE!


Watched by cinematographer Dan Mindel and ILM effects guru Roger Guyett, J.J. Abrams gets to inspect and have fun with one of the new-technique created lightsabers, which would practically light up for filming duration, during London Pinewood Studios pre-production for THE FORCE AWAKENS.


Enjoy all-new, specially collected behind the scenes material with this month's Collectors Edition release of the film, in 3D Blu-ray and loaded with Special Features, available in the UK from October 31st, 2016, via Lucasfilm/Disney.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Collector's Edition Blu-ray 3D Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, J.J. Abrams: DVD & Blu-ray

CLASSIC IMAGE: A PRINCESS IN THE CLOUDS!


Newly arrived on the Cloud City of Bespin, Princess Leia's presence and beauty is quickly noticed by "smoothy" Baron Lando Calrissian, from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. This specially posed shot of Carrie Fisher taken in a break between filming is one of my personal favourite images of the actress.

Carrie Fisher Through The Years - The Evolution of Carrie Fisher - EW.com

STAR WARS AFICIONADO sends the warmest of Birthday Greetings out to Carrie Fisher on this special day!

Thursday 20 October 2016

ROGUE ONE: A FIRE GONE FROM THE UNIVERSE...


It looks as if all hope is now lost for the galaxy- the Jedi purge with the end of the Clone Wars has turned the once peacekeepers of the Old Republic into mythical figures within a short span of merely twenty years. Only the Force believing world of Jedha continues to remember and celebrate their legacy, despite Imperial control and many reverential statues having long since been demolished or ruined by their oppressors, as seen here in this very atmospheric, world and era setting image from ROGUE ONE.