STAR   WARS   EPISODE   VII   PHOTO   LEAKED   ONLINE.
Another day, another Star Wars new story. Only yesterday I reported on the news of Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie joining J.J. Abrams' film and today more has been revealed from the set of the seventh instalment. The photo that was leaked online clearly shows the building of Hans Solo's infamous, Millennium Falcon. As soon as Harrison Ford was reported to star as Solo with Peter Mayhew coming wookie, Chewbecca, Star Wars fans had their fingers crossed that Abrams would bring back the Falcon and those fingers can safely be uncrossed with these leaked photos. Abrams has also said recently that he is attempting to us as little CGI as possible. I am waiting for the news that Abrams is going to use as little lens flare as possible, that will be a newsworthy story. 

LUPITA   NYONG'O   AND   GWENDOLINE   CHRISTIE   JOIN   STAR   WARS.

When news first broke about the Star Wars Episode VII cast some people online complained about a lack of female characters in the seventh instalment. Well today news has broken which should please the nay sayers with 12 Years a Slave actress, Lupita Nyong'o set to join the cast along with Game of Thrones actress, Gwendoline Christie. Lucas Film released this statement: Lupita Nyong'o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2. "I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape." 

The thirty one year old Nyong'o graduated from Yale's drama school and went straight into Steve McQueen's Oscar winning 12 Years a Slave. The actress went onto to win the best supporting Oscar for her role as Patsy, a fearsome field slave who is trapped in the brutal world of slavery. Many speculated that Hollywood might fall to utilise the talent of the young actress but those rumours can be put to bed now the actress will be propelled into the stratosphere in the biggest film this decade. Nyongo's performance was one of the best things about McQueen's film and while it is uncertain who she will play, her inclusion in the cast adds more talent to an already strong cast. Also joining the cast is Game of Thrones actress, Gwendoline Christie. Her performance as female knight, Brienne of Tarth, in George R.R. Martin's HBO series has gained the actress a strong following. A lot of news has been coming out of JJ Abrams' seventh instalment to the world's biggest franchise with set pictures making their way online in the last few weeks.    

Many fans of Star Wars have spent the last few months speculating what director J.J. Abrams will do with their beloved franchise. With news coming from Disney about potential spin-offs for Han Solo and everyone's favourite assassin, Boba Fett. Along with the news that Disney are looking to release a Star Wars film once every year after 2015. At a recent Produce by Conference event  the director was bombarded with questions but managing to avoid the bigger questions he did release some of his plans saying, “Talk about bigger than any of us. That thing is so massive and so important to so many people. I know from seeing the first film when I was 11 what that felt like. I think the key in moving forward with something like this is in honoring but not revering what came before. There’s that deep feeling of infinite possibilities that I think was the ultimate thing I thought when I first saw Star Wars, which I would – and probably will – give my left arm to try and come close to again.” 

It seems like Abrams has got his work cut out in creating a film that will satisfy the child within him yet still create something new and fresh, and remember to avoid dull and boring story lines that include taxation on trade routes. There is no doubt Abrams can helm a film on this scale, his recent two Star Trek films are evidence of this but there isn't a franchise on Earth that has the following of Star Wars and if he wants to win them over he will have to avoid the balls up that Lucas made in the three prequels that made everyone forget why they loved Star Wars in the first place. Pretty much everyone on planet Earth will be crossing their fingers for no Jar Jar Binks like characters. With Disney looking to release the seventh film in the franchise by 2015, although Abrams himself hasn't confirmed this, fans won't have to wait long to see what Abrams can do. 

Star Trek: Into Darkness is JJ Abrams' follow up to his rebooting, alternate universe version of Star Trek. And where the first film succeeded this follow up attempts to keep up with its predecessor but stumbles and fails.The sequel sees Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise travel to the edges of the federation space to catch super human terrorist, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Driven by revenge Kirk has to take on a more mature leadership style if he is to survive what he faces. Abrams' first installment did a great job of building up the initial excitement of the Kirk and Spock bromance. The chemistry shared between Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, who plays an uncharismatic character with charisma perfectly, worked perfectly with the conflict and friendship, grating up against each other. But now we see the honeymoon phase fade off and the relationship hasn't exactly flowered into a beautiful marriage. The sequel starts off with all guns blazing with Spock dropped into a active volcano and Kirk and Bones running from a tribe out for their blood.

The pace of the film is set from the opening and does not let up.The film races from one action set piece to another, after the volcano opening we jump to Noel Clarke in London and a terrorist attack. The pace is one of the things that the film gets right, it never really gives you time to stop and think, building and building to a conclusion. Yet when you reach the finale you can't help but feel a little underwhelmed.

Benedict Cumberbatch takes over from Eric Bana's tribal faced Nero from the first one and pretty much gets the job done. Nero was never a deep or meaningful character, simply there to shout a lot and blow things up but this time around they have attempted to add depth and meaning to their big bad. It was never questioned that Cumberbatch could act and that he would take over the role but he spends most of his time on screen gazing into the distance, even when he gets punched repeatedly in the face by Kirk or Spock. Cumberbatch gets all the thespian speeches but apart from that the character is slightly dull. No doubt fans of Sherlock will swoon every time their Holmes comes on screen. The character of Harrison does offer some genuine danger to Kirk and his crew but sometimes you find yourself rooting for him rather then Kirk, seen has both seem to burden with identical vendettas.  

One of the best aspects of the film is it's supporting cast boasting the likes of Karl Urban, Alice Eve and Simon Pegg, who all get their part this time around. It is clear to see Abrams' love of Pegg as he seems to get the best one liners, stealing the show most of the time. Urban reprises his role as Bones, the Enterprises' doctor, spending most of the film being the voice of reason who gets a few one liners here and there. Alice Eve is the new girl who plays weapons specialist Dr Carol Marcus, she gets a fair amount to do it and does it well, it is nice to see her getting bigger roles in these types of films, she has been lingering around Hollywood for a while with nothing to do. Although Zoe Saldana's Uhura is left with little action, her only role being to bicker with her boyfriend Spock and attempt to get him seem a bit more human. Where the first film was burdened with the task of introducing characters, Into Darkness has the freedom to play with character we are already familiar with, something that Abrams seems to enjoy. 

Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman's, with the help of Abram favourite Damon Lindelof. Like the title may suggest the film attempts to go into some dark places but you never really get that sense of darkness. Harrison crushes a few heads and breaks a leg. Kronos, home of the Klingons, is pretty bleak and some of the subject matter is quite dark, terrorist attacks on London probably the most obvious. But you can't help but get a feeling that they played it safe, sugar coating everything they could. Much like Abrams previous films, it is clear to see he can handle a film on this scale, being probably one of the few directors who aren't the age of Spielberg or Cameron, who could handle this size blockbuster. And it looks as you expect it to look, all glossy and shiny but the film plays out as if a child on a sugar rush has been let loose with the camera as it rarely stays still for more then a minute. And when it does it fills the screen with either Chris Pine's finely sculptured face or Cumberbatch's chizzled jawline. It is also worth mentioning if you are hoping that Abrams has finally dropped the ridiculously pointless lens flare, you will be bitterly disappointed. Everything on screen is sharp and clean cut with the cityscapes gleaming with steel and glass and the film is riddled with gadgets and spacecrafts that will make any kid want to go out and buy them. Abrams clearly knows how he wants his world to look, resembling a city that looks like it was designed by Steve Jobs. And everyone walks around in either black or grey, in the future clearly everyone is colour blind, and wears massive sunglasses.

Star Wars fans will be looking at this as a blueprint for Abrams' take on their beloved universe but it was never in doubt that JJ coulnd't handle a science fiction film on this scale. But his Star Wars film could be the victim of fan boy affection. Abrams confessed that he was never a fan of Trek when he got the job and despite their being things in his Trek that fans will be able to spot and discuss on forums for days, Abrams is a massive Star Wars fan. If he got too bogged down in pleasing the fan boys and pleasing is own childhood dreams, then the film could be in jeopardy.

When it comes down to it Into Darkness is a victim of it's predecessor's success. When Abrams' first installment was released in 2009 it wasn't burdened by massive expectations or a monumental amount of hype but after it's release Abrams had fed the appetite of the Trekkie fans with a perfect reboot of a beloved franchise and he had attracted a new following from people who may never have watched the original films or television shows. But this time around the hype and expectations get the better of this sequel, the action set pieces are bigger and bolder but it doesn't have the likeable qualities of the first one. Spock and Kirk's bromance gets brushed to one side when Harrison comes in and takes over the bulk of the audience's attention. The film is nowhere near perfect, with plot holes you could fly the Enterprise through and at times it is easily predictable but it does entertain. If this is Abrams' last outing with Kirk and the Enterprise he started with a bang that has seemed to have fizzled out.

The studio that has been the home of the James Bond Franchise as well as making such films as The Bourne Ultimatum and The Hobbit, is planning on a £200 million expansion. The studios has put their case forward to the local council, hoping they get the go ahead to expand on their existing studios.

It is the second time the studio has appealed to the South Buckinghamshire council after their last time was met with hostility from the local community who started a "Stop Project Pinewood" and 300 objection letters. With Pinewood hoping to secure JJ Abrams' new Star Wars, an expansion would be highly beneficial.

Whose set for the director's chair?

Since the news of new Star Wars films on the horizon, film lovers and Star Wars fans have been biting their nails with the news of who will direct the 7th film in the franchise. As is normal procedure the web as become alive with peoples views of who should and shouldn't and who would and wouldn't. Especially since the news of Michael Arndt, Oscar winning writer Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, set to pen the script for the new installment.

Many directors' names have been thrown about in the arguments of who should be the next director of the saga. Typically Steven Spielberg's name was mentioned a lot in the discussions but he replied saying "It's not my genre. Its my friend's George's genre". And it is no surprise that Spielberg wouldn't want to take the task on. He recently just finished his biopic of Abraham Lincoln which is set to be released in January, he is directing Roboapolycpse for release in 2014. A film that seems to be a monumental task to bring to the screen. As well he is producing the next two installments of the Tintin trilogy, the fourth Jurassic Park (if that ever gets out of the writing stage) and the untitled fourth Transformers. As well Spielberg has reached the status of being able to freely pick whatever he wants to make and the task of attaching yourself to another franchise to direct three films seems simply insane. So Spielberg would seem like a very logical choice but the task seems to big for Spielberg with his calendar pretty much full. Another name that was mentioned was Mission Impossible 4's Brad Bird. Speculation of Bird's involvement in the new project blossomed when it was announced that in May he was set to direct Disney's 1952 and many fans conjured up the idea that Bird's new film was in fact a hidden name for the new Star Wars film. But 1952 was scripted by Damon Lindelof and Jeff Jensen, so Bird's involvement was simple speculation.

One of the best confessions of denial have to come from Tarantino, who when asked if he was set to direct the new Star Wars film replied with "I could so care less. No, sorry. Especially if Disney’s going to do it. I’m not interested in the Simon West version of Star Wars." So Tarantino can be quickly ruled out the list. Another popular choice was 300 and Watchmen's director Zack Snyder. Its obvious to see where this speculation has come from, Snyder has made quite a reputation for himself with films like 300 and Sucker Punch with effects driven, action based fantasy films. But Snyder's dynamic style would struggle to fit the Star Wars structure, it would be a completely different take and visual style then has previously been exhibited in the franchise. As well Snyder has only just finishing the new Superman film, Man of Steel, which if the trailer is anything to go by a complete overhaul of Snyder's typical style with a stronger focus on realism. A not too unorthodox option would be J.J. Abrams, director of Stark Trek and Super 8, much like Snyder's appeal to the fans with his big budget blockbusters and effects, Abrams is a pretty safe bet to helm the next set of films. Although fans may be dissapointed to know that the director has denied any claims to being attached to the film stating to The Hollywood Reporter that “I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series." It is not difficult to understand Abrams' hesitation in taking on another franchise due to his involvement in Star Trek and personal projects his likely to want to take on.

Guillermo Del Toro may be a bit of an odd choice to direct the new Star Wars. His films such Hellboy and Pans Labyrinth are fantastical tales with warped and weird creatures, much like Star Wars. The director said he hasn't been approached to do the film, only that his heard rumors of his name being thrown about, so his involvement would seem unlikely to say the less. And he as only just finished his new film Pacific Rim, which seems if makes enough at the box office could warrant a new franchise. Although it would demonstrate a bold move if they had picked Del Toro who would more then likely create a beautiful universe to sit alongside the originals. With no surprise Joss Whedon's name has been thrown into the mix. After his super, massive successful summer blockbuster, The Avengers, his name was going to appear on people's lists no matter what. But it seems heavily unlikely that his participation would be possible, with his commitments to the Marvel phase two being to strong and with Avengers 2 set for release the same year as Star Wars 7 would make it impossible for Whedon to be flexible enough to do both. And worse still, if he couldn't do Avengers 2 for the sake of Star Wars 7 it wouldn't be surprising if the sequel heavily felt his absence.

Of course there are obvious and boring candidates whose names are common throughout blog sites. Jon Favreau being one of them. Having directed Cowboys and Aliens and Iron man, Favreau is very much an in house director for Disney but in my opinion his a particularly dull, easy choice for Disney to choose. He doesn't have a particular style that would make the new film stand out in any manner. Christopher Nolan was another rather obvious candidate for the job. Not to say his a boring director in any way but it would be a travesty for Nolan's massive creative potential to be ruined by attaching himself to another franchise. His Batman trilogy, although massively celebrated, had nothing on Nolan's separate body of work such as Inception and Following, in which Nolan expressed his potential. And it would appear that he feels the same with the recent news that he wants to have more creative control over his next films and it would be uncharacteristic of Disney to allow Nolan mass amounts of creative control. The possibilities of Nolan's future films are endless and incredibly exciting.

Although its not likely Disney could throw a curve ball and catch people out with their choice.Three directors who spring to my mind as left field choices would be Shane Carruth, Mike Cahill and Rian Johnson. Carruth's 2004 indie film Primer was a tour de force of imagination and talent, despite not receiving the massive amount of release it should have been gifted to it went unnoticed and Carruth has struggled to get his other projects off the ground. So its pretty much a dead cert that Carruth would be nowhere on Disney's list, his lack of big budget and his lack of fame would be a straight turn off for Disney. But their lose, Carruth is most definitely my favorite new director. Cahill as well is probably not to be found on Disney's list of candidates and its a real shame. Cahill wrote and directed, as well as being his own Director of photography, 2011 Another Earth. Which a lot like Primer was released on limited release with a very indie following. Yet it exhibited a new wave of science fiction, in the same vein as Duncan Jones' Moon. But sadly Cahill's inexperience would defiantly shine through, although Another Earth fails at being flawless Cahill is one to watch. Rian Johnson has more possibility then either Cahill or Carruth. More so this year then ever after his autumn release of Looper, an intelligent science ficiton film concerning time travel and hit men. Johnson demonstrated he could helm a medium sized budget science fiction films with popular and great response but that would likely be his downfall as well. Johnson has never done a massive film, like Star Wars 7 would be, so despite his massive amount of talent would likely be over looked.

David Lynch, this is a name I haven't heard in anyone';s discussions and it may not be as obscure as you would think. George Lucas himself approached Lynch, after seeing Lnych's 1984 adaptation of Dune, and offered him the role of director on The Return of the Jedi but Lynch turned it down and went on to make Blue Velvet. But it ignites the imagination thinking of a world in which David Lynch managed to direct a Star Wars film. Whether it would have been helmed in a bit and dulled down or Lynch had managed to make his film, I can only imagine it being completely bizarre with Luke's inner consciousness explored in Lynchian fashion, it would have been an amazing experience even if it had turned out like Dune. But his inclusion in this list is simply for my own self satisfaction, if Lynch turned down Jedi then he would presumably do the same for the 7th although Disney doesn't have the balls to appoint a great director like Lynch to the point of director.

The two best candidates in my opinion are Matthew Vaughn, director of Layer Cake and Kick-ass and Duncan Jones' director of Moon and Source Code. The speculation surrounding Vaughn's involvement was born when he turned down the X-MEN first class film as well as turning down the sequel to Kick-Ass. So there is real evidence that Vaughan could be the man for the job. Layer Cake established he had the ability to create a film with great class and style, X-MEN displayed his ability to reboot an already dead franchise in perfect fashion and Kick-Ass demonstrated he has balls. Jones' CV for potential candidate is an obvious one. Under his belt, Jones has two strong science fiction films. Moon a film that harks back to such classic science fiction as Silent Running and 2001, demonstrated that Jones had the ability to create amazing looking films and manage to have an original idea at the heart. He continued this with his follow-up Source Code, which cemented his science fiction credentials and exhibited his ability to make a strong science fiction yet still manage to harvest originality. Jones for me, is the perfect choice with his ability to stun his audience visually with a smart and intriguing visual presence as well as engaging them mentally with smart and intriguing storytelling. So for me Jones is Disney's best bet in rebooting the Star Wars Franchise with a new, more stylized visual atheistic to award the beloved fans,