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Five Live News - The Clone Wars & Jedi News Too!

James — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:30:00 GMT

Five News got in touch today and came on over to our offices to discuss the Clone Wars - this report was aired during the news at 5pm and again at 7pm.

Harrison Ford and the Raiders of the Lost Toys

Adam — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:56:26 GMT

The Evening Standard's online entertainment guide, thisislondon.co.uk, has reported that Harrison Ford was spotted in Los Angeles clutching a handful of Indiana Jones' toys.

It appears no one is more excited about the upcoming release of the latest Indiana Jones installment than its leading man, Harrison Ford.

The greying actor was spotted carrying a stack of his own action figures - including a fedora-clad Mr Potato Head - while out in Los Angeles yesterday as he prepares to return to the big screen in his signature role for the first time in 19 years.

Harrison has again pulled on his his leather jacket and picked up his bullwhip for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which will premiere for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18.

Read on the for the rest of the article, but bear in mind that there are minor plot spoliers

Dave Filoni - The Jedi News Interview - Part 2

James — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT

We've kept you waiting long enough, so here's the second part of our interview with Dave Filoni, Director of 'The Clone Wars'...

We were left 'hanging' in the middle of our interview when Dave had to take a call with George. During the break I had a good chat with Josh and then Dave came back on the line a few minutes later...

DF:   Here I am, sorry about that!
JN:   That’s OK!
DF:   That’s an exciting moment for you...
JN:   If there’s anybody we can wait for then I guess its George!
DF:   Yeah exactly right...
JN:   So what did George have to say? Can you tell us?

Read on here...

DF:   (Laughs) All good stuff!
JN:   Cool! So we were talking about Ashoka....
DF:   She’s the character I like to work with the most, the reason for that is we don’t know what happens to her, and the fans don’t know anything about her so it’s really fun you know to develop that character.
JN:   Whose idea was it to give Anakin an apprentice – it’s quite a weird thing for someone who isn’t yet fully qualified as a Jedi to have an apprentice.
DF:   Right, definitely. That’s all George, right there. Henry Gilroy and I threw round the idea and talked to Catherine about having a young girl Jedi in the series, and George really took that and said “ok, well I always really wanted Anakin to have a padawan”. It’s one of the things he wanted to do but didn’t have time to develop. That’s where it came from. And much like everyone else, Henry and I were like, really, wow, that’s different but then he started to explain it and we were like, well that’s gonna work great.
JN:   So it will be explained why he’s got an apprentice?
DF:   Well, I would think so...
JN:   Because otherwise the Star Wars mythology people are gonna start saying, that doesn’t work.
DF:   Right. Well the great thing about Star Wars fans is that they really analyse their universe and look I am a fan myself, we all look at everything that comes out and we all start to think how much we think something works or doesn’t work, part of that discussion is what keeps Star Wars strong, even hearing from people out why they don’t like something can be valuable.
JN:   One of the things that I think everyone looks forward to when they go and see a Star Wars film is obviously the 20th Century Fox fanfare which we’re not going to have but the rumour is that Warner has something special up their sleeves. Will we have an opening crawl though?
DF:   Well, those are questions that I cannot answer, so I would rather that you just stay tuned and see how or what goes down when the film gets into the theatre and it will be exciting for everybody.
JN:   Like us, you’re a huge Star Wars fan, so when did you first get into Star Wars?
DF:   You know I believe that the first time I saw the film was when they did a re-release a year after the first screening of Star Wars because I was so young my parents wanted to watch it first. I remember driving home from that vividly with my brother and I sitting in the back of the car like we were in the Millennium Falcon and then I remember my dad bringing home my first Star Wars figures for my brother and I and we were blown away by that, by those little miniature action figures. Ever since then it just kinda stuck and being raised in a house where my father and mother played a lot of opera I think a lot of themes from Star Wars and the music just really stuck with me as part of that whole idea.
JN:   And on the subject of the music, I know you’re using some of the John Williams music, and some new music as well.
DF:   We have a really great composer for the Clone Wars and he’s doing some really exciting stuff and it’s kinda like everything we’re doing we’re trying to stay true to what has been in Star Wars but really do some new things that are exciting as well like we’ve done with the design and the look of the show.
JN:   Do you collect Star Wars merchandise yourself?
DF:   I do, it’s funny, but nowadays I don’t really have to do it as much because people tend to give me things, but I’m limited to collecting Plo Koon stuff and I have the AT-AT driver from Empire, those are the big ones.
JN:   Do you collect from other genres, or just Star Wars?
DF:   Oh yeah, I’ve got my favourites; I’m a big fan of different things. I grew up liking anime, Robotech & Markoff, Godzilla among other things.
JN:   Did you like what Peter Jackson did with King Kong – were you into that?
DF:   I was never really a big King Kong fan – I think it’s great and really exciting but I always preferred the giant lizards with fire-breathing ability over the monkey. Godzilla was really great.
JN:   We’ve seen a lot of pictures of your office, and it’s packed with Anakin, Jedi Starfighter in Lego, maquettes, various bits and pieces... what’s your favourite piece?
DF:   Probably the maquette of Plo Koon that Darren Marshall sculpted because he’s a super-talented sculptor and to have that version of Plo Koon, that Kilian Plunkett designed and I helped direct that’s just great and really one of a kind.
JN:   In terms of Clone Wars merchandise, I don’t know if you’ve had that much input yourself, have you?
DF:   Not particularly, and to be honest it’s kind of fun not to because when I see stuff like that new AT-AE they made, that big one, that’s so exciting, and we’re all pretty excited at work because a lot of people collect so it’s fun to kinda still have that excitement factor when you see the action figures. It’s just a little bit bizarre that there’s stuff that I helped design with everybody.
JN:   Have you seen the big Millennium Falcon that’s coming out?
DF:   I saw pictures of it online, that’s really amazing, oh my gosh, you know when we were little we would pull the paper walls out so we could actually make that transition to the cockpit from cockpit to the back, and now they’ve built it in and that’s just awesome.
JN:   It’s going to be really good – I think my kids are going to be screaming at me to get one as soon as it comes out. Are you going to be coming to the UK to promote the film?
DF:   I have no idea yet - my schedule to promote just keeps getting bigger and bigger and at the same time I have to keep working on the episodes with everybody. I’m totally for it, I do what I can to get out there and talk to the fans and promote the film and whatever LucasFilm want me to do.
JN:   It’s much appreciated by the fans. Is there going to be a Premier of the film?
DF:   I don’t even know about that. You’d think I’d be the guy to know, but I think that’s handled really well by a bunch of other people so they’ll just tell me one day, and I’ll just go and take my wife.
JN:   One last question, a question about your hat... is there any reason, is it linked to something else at LucasFilm?
DF:   It’s not connected to Indiana Jones at all. I love Indiana Jones, I’m really looking forward to seeing it this summer because I’ll get to see it as a fan like everyone else.
JN:   Have you seen it yet?
DF:   I haven’t seen it yet. I tend to really steer clear of any spoilers on anything else nowadays because I know all the spoilers on this thing. Matt Wood and I talk about that all the time, about how we really still like to go and see a movie for fun and not know anything about it. The hat is not symbolic of Indiana Jones and has no significance. That’s fun for me to know, let’s put it that way – I like wearing a hat.   I was told by the team to leave that a mystery. They want nothing revealed.
JN:   Thank you for everything you’re doing, and we wish Clone Wars a huge success and we can’t wait to see it, and also hopefully on our small screens September, October time.
JN:   How many episodes are we getting in Season 1?
DF:   Oh, you’re getting a good many episodes! You’ll see something exciting every week.
JN:   Thank you very much for your time, I know you’re really busy, and it’s appreciated.
DF:   Happy Birthday Jedi News, and thanks for supporting Star Wars. Thank you very much, take care.

We’re really grateful to John, Josh, Megan and especially Dave (as well as everybody at LucasFilm) for making this happen and giving up their time - it’s very much appreciated.

Topps The Clone Wars Trading Cards

Adam — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:58:46 GMT

July 26th will see a mass of merchandise from The Clone Wars, including a set of 90 trading cards from Topps.

The set will incorporate different exclusives for both the hobby and retail boxes, with sketch cards and sequentially numbered parallels for the former, and animation cel, motion and foil cards for the latter.

Medicom Reveals Emperor's Royal Guard

Adam — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:28:45 GMT

The latest addition to the Medicom Toy's line of Real Action Heroes has been revealed to be the Emperor's Royal Guard.

Standing at 30cm high, the Emperor's Royal Guard will come complete with force pike.

Click on the thumbnail above for a closer look

Classic Indiana Jones trilogy back on DVD today

Graham — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:28:20 GMT

The classic Indiana Jones movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Temple of Doom and the Last Crusade are re-released on DVD today, as individual releases or a 3 disc set. These releases have new extras, including introductions from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, all-new featurettes and photo galleries.

Bring Back ... Turkish Star Wars!

Adam — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:12:29 GMT

More news from the producers of Bring Back ... Star Wars, who have let us know that for the first time on British TV, they will be showing archive footage never seen before including Turkish Star Wars as well as getting this man's reaction to the infamous 'goldmember' Top Trumps card (which JLC is a proud owner of!)...

More Indiana Jones Midnight Screenings Announced

Graham — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:57:11 GMT

It's just a week and a half until the new Indiana Jones installment hits cinemas - time to start planning where and when you'll see it! For those who are interested in being the very first, Odeon Cinemas have let us know they will be having no midnight screenings. Cineworld will be having a handful, and AMC's two cinemas will be holding them. Read on for the full list.

The best advice if you're not in one of the listed areas is to contact your local cinema, and if they are having a midnight screening on Wednesday 21st May, please pass the location and venue along to Jedi News.

In other Indy news, the Hasbro electronic whip is turning up now, and don't forget to tune into Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on BBC1 tonight.

Cineworld

Aberdeen
Birmingham Broad Street
Enfield
Hull
Ipswitch
Middlesborough

AMC

Birmingham
Manchester

Dave Filoni - The Jedi News Interview - Part 1

James — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:31:33 GMT

JN:   Hi Dave, thank you very much for taking some time out. I appreciate you’re pretty busy at the moment!
DF:   Yeah, no problem, no problem.
JN:   So, how are you doing?
DF:   Oh, you know super busy right now. Juggling a lot, but everybody is on the show, so... pretty excited that we’re finally going to be coming out later this summer.
JN:   Cool, so is it all done and dusted or are you still putting the final touches to it?
DF:   No, just like, I think, any other movie... we’re working on it all the time, trying to make it better and still working on little tiny things right now.

Read on here...

JN:   Just going back a couple of years, I think it’s a couple of years, you got a call that you didn’t think was necessarily real...
DF:   Right! (laughs)
JN:   So has it finally sunk in yet, you’re working where you always wanted to work, at LucasFilm?
DF:   Yeah, I think so, I mean, pretty immediately once I met George and once he confirmed me for the job, I had a big turnaround you know pretty much in a couple of days and said well, I gotta do this and I gotta help lead these people to do it – I just took it pretty seriously from the start, and every now and then though you get to sit back and look at where you are and that’s when you go “wow”, so it’s still a thrill, even to this day, but an interesting balance between getting wrapped up in it and having to actually do it.
JN:   Before you got the job, or even thought about getting the job, had you actually met George before?
DF:   No, never.
JN:   And how was that first meeting?
DF:   Pretty amazing, I had to really rush up here on an aeroplane which was an hour late and going into the meeting I was in the green room next to George’s office, and in that room there’s like a big statue of Boba Fett, a statue of Vader, statues of R2 and 3PO, I was like, “Wow, that’s really neat” but when Catherine was yelling through the office and I heard George’s voice, that was really when I was like, “Oh, wow, George Lucas is in the room next door” – pretty interesting.
JN:   And now that you’re there, and knowing that you’re going to be part of the legacy forever, how does that feel?
DF:   (Laughs) That’s the part that probably I don’t really see yet and I think a lot of people and crew who are all working hard... we’re so in the moment now, we don’t think of it as “Wow, we’re part of this legacy”. I know we’re all trying to live up to the expectations and you know, the things that all the people who worked on Star Wars did before but I don’t know if that part will be really lasting for me until I’m done with it in the future and I look back and go, “Oh wow, those were some really neat things we got to do.”
JN:   We recently caught up with Anthony Daniels [more on that interview later this month]and he said that it was only last year that he finally realised about this whole legacy that he’d been part of, and it had taken him twenty-nine, thirty years to actually realise what this thing was, and for most of that time he didn’t appreciate it, and now he really, really appreciates it. It’s quite interesting. So, how is it, working alongside George, and how has that helped you in terms of the way that you do things?
DF:   Well, working with George has been great, and I can’t say enough good things about it... he’s been a really, really great mentor to me in every possible way, and I’ve really tried to be a student of how he does things from the way he sees the design to shot composition, and he’s taken a lot of time to go over that stuff with me, especially in editorial, when he takes footage and edits it and moves it around in the picture, and shows me some of the avenues that I wasn’t necessarily aware of, and he’s so experienced with it that for my editor, Jason Tucker, and I it’s been a real learning experience and I think that that’s probably one of the greatest things he’s brought to me is a sense of editing, and that Star Wars feeling that I can tell you is something that George really brings – there’s moments in the action where we think, “Oh, wow, that was really snappy” and it’s different from other stuff you go and see at the movies, and we would try and cut that, and George would come in and he’d just do it, and you’re like, “Wow, I didn’t think of moving that there, and look now it works.”
JN:    So, have you changed your methods at all?
DF:   I definitely have adapted things to like make Star Wars like George wants Star Wars to be and that was always the key thing for me. I didn’t want to come here and make a Star Wars per se, my version of Star Wars you know... I really wanted to go after what George wanted and how he wanted it done and I think the whole crew has done that, we’ve learned from George and you know we’ve added to all of our own individual styles whether it's Killian Plunkett in early design or Darren sculpting or one of the directors, we all try and adapt to the George Lucas way and I think we’ve integrated it pretty well with our own style.
JN:   And when you move on, if you ever move on (DF laughs) will you take that with you?
DF:   I have too, absolutely. I mean it’s a definite plus and a real gift to have been given this learning opportunity with George and I think it’s made a big difference on how I did things prior to being here and I’ll definitely use those tools that he taught me, you know, ever after.
JN:   So when you originally got the job you were told that you were going to produce a series is that right?
DF:   Yeah that’s correct
JN:   So when did the whole concept of releasing a film come into the equation? This was never really on the cards when it was discussed at the Celebration events last year.
DF:   Right. Well, there’s the thing, I mean, again I look at the team effort by the creative people at Lucas animation and we always set out to make the animated series as much like the films as we possibly could with the stylised influence and you know, the feeling that they have is what we were after, and I think because of that in a way we were always after that, that big screen appeal that Star Wars has, it just so happens that we were doing it for the small screen at the time we started, but we review a lot of this stuff with George on a big screen because we have these little home movie theatres throughout Big Rock Ranch here and before that down at the main ranch, and George would look at this stuff on the big screen and say “wow this would look great – the fans should really see it this way”, so the germ of that idea kinda started when we were getting renders back really early on and showing George well this is what we really think it’s gonna look like and I think it just kinda grew on him over time and he would start saying “You know Dave we really ought to start thinking about putting this out as a movie” and think about what we should do to make that come together and we talked to Catherine about that and then before you know it we’re making a movie as well as a TV series and that was pretty exciting.
JN:    And are there going to be any more films?
DF:   I can’t say at this point, I really can’t say – we’re trying to get the first one done right now and the series.
JN:   There have been a lot of rumours floating around the internet over the last few days about there being three [films]...
DF:   I see that!
JN:   ...and Chewbacca’s one of the main characters in the second film and Hasbro are being asked to make a figure and one thing and another.
DF:   That’s all very exciting stuff (laughs)...
JN:   What would you consider to be your greatest contribution so far to what you’ve done with the Clone Wars and if you could pick one thing and say “Hey, that was mine!” what would you say that is at the moment?
DF:   I was talking about that with some of the gang here since we had your questions and we all came up with different answers to that. I think it runs counter to me to say “Hey that’s mine!” because I like to think of it as such a big collaboration of everybody. Star Wars really to me is George’s thing and I try to make that happen, but I definitely think, and it’s been well documented, Plo Koon probably. I don’t know that he would have turned up in the series at this point if I wasn’t on board because I really pushed for that early on, not to be a major influence in the Clone Wars serial but just to get him in there. When I see a Lego figure of Plo Koon out, I kinda chuckle to myself and go “well I always wanted that figure and they weren’t making it so now I guess I kinda forced the issue”.
JN:    That was the next question I was going to ask you. From the trailers, obviously Plo Koon was in there but how much of a role does he play within Clone Wars and within the series?
DF:   I really can’t say much specifically at this point, except to say that we’ve all been pretty happy with how he’s developed as a character and that’s one of the neat things we get to do, not just with Plo Koon but with a lot of the Jedis, to show what kind of a character they really are and a little bit more about them than just them swinging swords and that’s really a fun thing to do – I talk about it with George when we do it to make sure it’s what he wanted, and it’s fun – I’m really happy with Plo Koon’s character and I guess you’d hope I would be and I’m really excited about it.
JN:   Obviously his role would have been less without you.
DF:   Yeah – probably non-existent. I keep joking with George about how he killed him in Revenge of the Sith and he should get a parachute in the special edition but he hasn’t budgeted on that yet [i.e. when Plo Koon Starfighter was shot down in Revenge of the Sith, Plo was wearing a parachute so he actually survived].
JN:   Well you never know, he might do that for you (DF laughs)! If you could choose one character that you enjoyed working with most, would it be Plo or would it be somebody else?
DF:   That’s interesting too – these are all very tricky questions because I like so many of the characters...
JN:   Sorry!
DF:   No that’s fine; I want to give you the best answers possible. You know I really think I liked working with Ashoka and probably because she’s the new character... oh, hang on one second [speaking to someone else... what’s up... oh, right now? Oh, ok, hang on one second, calls Megan and asks them to put them on hold]. This is a little development here; I’ve got to talk to George right now actually, so if you could just hang on?
JN:   No problem
DF:   Sorry...

Megan, Dave’s assistant then came on the line and apologised but said that Dave needed to speak to George... if there was one person I didn’t mind waiting for it was ‘the maker’!

You’ll have to wait too... Come back on Tuesday for the second concluding part of our interview with Dave Filoni...

We’re really grateful to John, Josh, Megan and especially Dave (as well as everybody at LucasFilm) for making this happen and giving up their time - it’s very much appreciated.

Dave Filoni Speaks to Jedi News

James — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:48:25 GMT

As part of our 1st Birthday celebrations and us wanting to give something back to all our loyal readers we're thrilled to annouce that Dave Filoni, director of the Clone Wars, spoke to Jedi News about Plo Koon, the Clone Wars, George Lucas and much more...

Read the first part of our interview tomorrow...

Hasbro Q&A - The Answers (Week 53 - Jedi News Week 15)

James — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:01:37 GMT

You asked the questions (were your's chosen?) and here's the answers to the 15th batch of questions and our seventh batch for 2008. Thanks to Hasbro for giving the UK fans a chance to get their voices heard and their questions answered here at Jedi News, the UK's premiere Star Wars fan site.

Thanks for sending in your questions and keep them coming for the next Q&A (take the link above or on the left hand menu), we need your questions by next Friday, 16th May, please.

Read on for the Questions and Answers...

1. Who designs the packaging for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones products? Is this done in-house by Hasbro or by an outside agency that works with you and LucasFilm? What’s the process that this goes through?

The packaging is designed by an outside agency that Lucasfilm manages. We are brought in early in the process to provide input and make sure that the line look works for our needs at retail and is optimized for specific segments of the line.

2. A while ago we brought up the fact that we were fast approaching another milestone figure (like 500th Vader or 300th Boba Fett), probably figure number 1,000. You said that something was in the works and would reveal soon – that was many months ago and we wondered if this had been lost in the mix or was still happening. Can you bring us up-to-date with this news and if there are pictures to show can you please reveal?

James - we didn't mean to indicate that a product was in the works, just that at some point we need to figure out where we are in the "number" of figures we have done, and further that if there is an event to commemorate (that we haven't already missed) then it would certainly be worthwhile to look at that. While we did spend some time looking into what the current figure total could be, it turns out to be a much more complicated exercise (as many fans have long known who have undertaken the same exercise). As such, with the work in front of us of delivering our current (and future lines), we have not been able to spend the time to do the exercise justice. We do not have a commemorative figure planned to mark any occasion right now and have instead put our energies into moving forward against our upcoming plans.

3. How do you feel that some retailers here in the UK have already broken the 1st May release date for the Indiana Jones product line (Adventure Heroes, 3¾”Figures and LEGO)? How far do you go to force the release dates and what lengths will you do to try and ensure the 26th July date is met for the Clone Wars?

We actively work to keep all retailers adhering to the same release dates, both with communication from our sales side as well as our retailer teams. The date is set by Lucasfilm and all partners together (including Hasbro and retailers) and is designed to promote an exciting event-like feel for collectors and kids alike. Setting out product early breaks a measure of trust that has been placed with the retailer. An independant store or a retail chain can look bad if a store or department manager violates this trust for a short-term gain. The 7/26 launch date will be one of the most exciting dates in Star Wars launch history, and both Hasbro and Lucasfilm (and other partners) are working with our retailers to make sure that everyone is on the same page with the launch strategy.

LEGO Fans' Choice - Vote Now!

Graham — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:49:29 GMT

The LEGO Fans' Choice Poll (uncovered yesterday) is now live at the Toys R Us US website. Head on over there and choose between the following three options:

The Arrest of Palpatine
Slave I and Cloud City Landing Platform
Mon Calamari Cruiser Set

Make sure you note that option #3 isn't the entire Cruiser! Voting is only open for a week, but unfortunately we'll have to wait until New York Toy Fair next February for the result.

Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom on BBC1 Sunday

James — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:37:11 GMT

In the BIG build up to the 4th installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - unleashed on the 22nd May, BBC1 started to show the orginal Indiana Jones trilogy last week.

The second installment 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' is on BBC1 tomorrow night at 8:05pm.

Star Wars Aficionado Issue 14

Adam — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:13:38 GMT

Scott has been in touch to tell us about the latest issue of Star Wars Aficionado which celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi

Just to let you all know that the latest issue of the UK fan magazine STAR WARS AFICIONADO is now available, and we think it's our best yet - a mammoth 572 pager on PDF/CD-R disc, dedicated to the MAKING OF RETURN OF THE JEDI, and celebrating its Twenty Fifth Anniversary!!

From George Lucas's first original draft in 1980 to its theatrical release in cinemas in May 1983, this new issue goes into the greatest detail yet on the making of the final STAR WARS film of the Original Trilogy, as Scott Weller and Chris Baker cover all aspects of its making, from pre-production, to principal photography (including the amazing location filming at Yuma and Crescent City-in the greatest detail possible) and post-production (including a full range of documentation covering the film's groundbreaking special effects-from the amazing Speeder Bike chase through to the final epic space battle above planet Endor, and everything else in between too!!).

This huge issue, filled with hundreds upon hundreds of rarely seen colour and black and white photos, has everything you want to know about the creation of the landmark film, packed with shooting dates, rare interview quotes, cut scenes, storyboards, pre-production art, and more!

Not only do we cover the making of the film during the four years of 1980 to 1983, but also everything else going on inside, outside and around it in the STAR WARS universe-the events that would help shake the saga into what it has become known and loved for today, including information on toys, comics and TV events leading up to the final closure of the Trilogy in 1986. We know that die-hard JEDI fans, who know everything about the film, will find out even more about their favourite STAR WARS adventure!!

This issue also has other major features linked to the film, and goes into the alternate version of the film, conceived in 1979/1980 by George Lucas and Gary Kurtz that we never saw-REVENGE OF THE JEDI, delves deep into uncovering the truth behind the numerous behind the scenes controversies and cut scenes that have become legendary with the fans, and presents articles on the film's triumphs and disappointments. And if you're a toy fan, then you're gonna love Ian Trussler's terrific BEST OF 'JEDI' COLLECTIBLES article!!

But the final double whammy for the magazine is a superb exclusive, as AFICIONADO is very proud to present an excellent interview with Stuart Freeborn, the legendary make-up artist genius who created the masks and creatures for not only the Original STAR WARS films (including Chewbacca, Yoda, the mighty Jabba the Hutt and the cuddly Ewoks), but other landmarks such as DR STRANGELOVE, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and the SUPERMAN films. We talk to Stuart at length about his movie work, and present new information on the behind the scenes on STAR WARS with his wife, Kay. We also have a special profile on his career, again illustrated with some superb, rarely seen photographs, in a section of the magazine that is not to be missed!!

To find out how to get hold of the latest issue, email: scott.weller1@btinternet.com

For more info on the magazine (including samples of this issues feature pages), plus all new features and other exclusive information, head over to our our website at: www.starwarsaficionado.com

The Clone Wars Theatrical Trailer

Graham — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:19:05 GMT

StarWars.com has a new The Clone Wars styled front page, with the main feature being the official release of The Clone Wars movie's theatrical trailer. Check it out umpteen times in it's official, high quality glory...

New Star Wars Weekends Site

Adam — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:05:23 GMT

With this year's Star Wars weekends just around the corner, Disney's microsite has had a facelift and now features a trivia quiz and a Bounty Hunter's guide to Star Wars weekends among other things.

Follow the link below to check it out....

LEGO Star Wars Vote

Adam — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:22:13 GMT

Action Figure Insider have reported on a campaign that LEGO and Toys R Us are running, where they're asking for Star Wars and LEGO fans to choose a classic Star Wars scene to turn into a LEGO set....

The LEGO Group and Toysrus.com want you to help pick one of the new Star Wars products for 2009. Go to www.Toysrus.com/LegoStarWarsVote from May 10 at 12:01 am to May 18 at 11:59 pm to vote for one of three classic Star Wars scenes that you’d like to see transformed into a LEGO set.

Results will be released in February 2009, and the product will be available only at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide and online at www.Toysrus.com in September 2009!

Bring Back ... Star Wars - First Lightsaber Test

Adam — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:44:07 GMT

More news from the people behind Bring Back ... Star Wars

Here we have a short video of graphic and special fx designer Gee testing out the fx for Justin's light sabre duel with a certain cast member of Star Wars.

I think that you'll agree that Gee has done a fantastic job with the fx and is pretty handy with the lightsaber to boot!

Keep checking back for more updates as well as exclusive screen grabs from the real fight closer to the transmission date.