New Millennium Falcon And Episode 8 Photos

Click pic to see Gallery from TMZ

Movie honchos have been tight-lipped about everything "Star Wars: Episode 8" ... but now fans of the series can get a better idea of what to expect from the movie's greatest ship.

In pics taken over the London set of the upcoming movie it's clear to see the Millennium Falcon in all its glory. We're unsure exactly what the scene entails ... but the pics are the biggest sneak peek Star Wars fans have gotten from the film yet.

Here's to hoping the Falcon stays in one piece.

The above story is from TMZ. Click pic at the top to see entire gallery.

First up is a shot of a Resistance X-Wing, complete with a crew member cleaning the window (“Good. Bad. I’m the guy with the microfiber sham,” Johnson deadpans on his Tumblr). I’ve done a bunch of squinting at this image and I’ve come to the conclusion that the pilot sitting in the cockpit is no one we have seen in a Star Wars movie before. The graininess of the image makes me wonder if we’re looking at Noah Segan, who has seemingly joined the cast, but that’s just a wild guess. Ignore it. I’m just saying words.

Our best look at the film’s sets so far have come from director Rian Johnson, who occasionally shares behind-the-scenes images on his social media. Now, he’s shared two new images and announced that filming had officially reached the halfway point. (so I guess we're halfway to finding out the title of Ep. 8)

Johnson revealed the news and the photographs on his Tumblr page.

The second photo features a First Order Operative standing at some kind of console while a crew member, armed with another microfiber sham, gives everything a good wipe. Much like the set designs on The Force Awakens, this looks like it was torn straight out of the original trilogy.

Do you have any guesses for the title of Episode 8? Sound off on our Facebook Group.

Is The Iconic 'Star Wars Crawl' From R2-D2?

I've said this for years. Looks like R2-D2 is the main character of Star Wars and also the narrator...

Star Wars has got a lot of iconic moments and visuals, but maybe nothing screams Star Wars more than the opening title crawl. From the second you see “a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away” and the music cues up, you know that this is a Star Wars film. These words come from an anonymous narrator, who I didn’t know about until today, but apparently he exists. The identity of this narrator has been a mystery since 1977, but now we finally have a face to match the words with, thanks to none other than the former master of all things Star Wars, George Lucas.

As it turns out, R2-D2 may be the main character of Star Wars after all. Not only that, but he could actually be the story's narrator, recounting the entire saga a hundred years after Star Wars: Episode VI.

According to Chris Taylor, author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, the theory of R2-D2 being the narrator comes from creator George Lucas himself. Lucas shared the idea -- calling it "his ultimate framing device" -- with animation director Rob Coleman on the set of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

The entire story of Star Wars is actually being recounted to the keeper of the Journal of the Whills—remember that?—a hundred years after the events of Return of the Jedi by none other than R2-D2.

The theory makes sense, according to Taylor, because R2-D2 is prominent in every movie, never gets his memory wiped like C-3PO, and is determined to get to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV because he knows Obi-Wan's true history.

Perhaps most importantly is that if R2-D2 is telling the story, that may be why he appears to always be the hero, Taylor writes. I've always thought that the droids were the main characters, now it seems like it's been confirmed. What do you think?

Do You Want To See 'EU/Legends' Movies In The Future?

Lots of strong feelings come up for some fans when you talk about the EU, now Legends. I've always liked the Expanded view that it added to the Star Wars Universe, but do some take it too far?

A group of Star Wars fans has paid almost $5,000 for a San Francisco billboard, using it to petition Lucasfilm for the return of the franchise's Expanded Universe.

According to JoBlo, a group of fans called GiveUsLegends raised $4,784 via crowdfunding to pay for a billboard in San Francisco at the corner of Steiner and Lombar asking for the return of the EU to canon. It reads, “Dear Lucasfilm, Please continue The Original Expanded Universe, the epic story that existed from 1976-2014. Thank you. www.giveuslegends.net.” Check it out below.

I'm sure you've seen the arguments and discussions on our Forcestrong Facebook Group and other online forums. So, do you want to continue the EU story lines? Would you like Legends movies?

Forcestrong Reacts To 'The Original Trilogy' Coming Back To The Big Screen

The original trilogy is heading back to theaters this summer. Entertainment Weekly reports that Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi will play back to back in select Alamo Drafthouse theaters in 20 cities this August.

BUT IT'S THE REMASTERED VERSION...

That little detail set off some Forcestrong members... Are these just chronic complainers or do they have a point? Some real fan reactions below:

A few fans said, 

"(For the curious, the editions being screened are not the original theater releases, but the 1997 "Special Edition" versions.)... They can fuck off then!".

"These are the 97 remakes. If it was origional theatrical versions I would be in. One thing I wish Disney would do is get rid of these remakes from 97.". Others reminded us, "Article says it is the 1997 rerelease version. I will probably skip this as I watched all 7 episodes back to back on the big screen in Dec when The Force Awakens was released." and "whatever happened to making all of the films 3D and re-releasing them? I went and saw Episode I but then they never did the other ones".

Not all reactions were negative. These were some of the happier fan responses, 

" GO Alamo drafthouse!!!! I knew they would do something like this!!!!"

"Gotta laugh at all the haters saying "fuck them its the terrible 97 reissues"... Most of them were brought up on the reissues as they're too young for the original releases. These are the same people who hate the prequels and Force Awakens claiming them to be shit. Well I say to you as someone who watched RotJ on its original release in 83 as a 5 year old you're all whiney ass crybaby fucknuts. Star Wars is/has and always will be fucking awesome...all 7 films and the reissues...don't agree tough shit get to bed its way past your bedtime child".

Admitted more responses were of the negative tone than positive but I'm personally excited about it. Sound off on our Forcestrong Facebook Group and let us know how you feel about this. Will you be watching them?

MTV Awards Spoilers! How Did 'The Force Awakens' Do?

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart hosted the show, opening it "Mad Max" style by riding through Warner Bros. Studios strapped to the front of a tricked-out truck. Later, they performed a rap song about the year's films that repeated the refrain "Leo got (expletive) by a bear" in reference to "The Revenant."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was named movie of the year at the 25th MTV Movie Awards on Saturday. The audience at Warner Bros. Studios waved what looked like red and blue lightsabers as star Daisy Ridley and director J.J. Abrams accepted the final golden popcorn trophy at Saturday night's ceremony.

The film was nominated for 11 awards going into the Los Angeles ceremony, but only won three including prizes for its stars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. Ridley beat her Star Wars co-star John Boyega to win the breakthrough performance award, while Driver was voted best villain for his role in the franchise.

Following on from his Oscar win in February, Leonardo DiCaprio won best male performance for his role in The Revenant.

Will Smith and Melissa McCarthy each received special honors, and their heartfelt speeches were respites of sincerity in an expletive-laden show that featured more F-bombs than awards.

Will you guys be watching tonight? Make sure you join our Forcestrong Facebook Group and talk/interact with over 30,000 other fans/members!

The Future Looks Bright For Star Wars Fans! What Comes Next?

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" smashed box-office records, taking only 12 days to gross $1 billion and only 20 to become the highest-grossing domestic film. The film has successfully rebooted the "Star Wars" franchise and set high expectations for the Disney-produced films to follow, which will consist of six films total through 2020.

In addition to Episodes VII-XI, three stand-alone spin-off films make up the Anthology series. "Rogue One," the first, will hit theaters December 16, 2016, and has a new trailer. A Han Solo origin film and Boba Fett film will round out the series for now.

Disney is continuing to invest in strong female leads. Many were pleased that Star Wars: The Force Awakens starred a fierce heroine, Daisy Ridley, as its lightsaber-wielding Jedi disciple warrior. The trailer for Rogue One confirms that the spinoff, too, will have a female lead, with Oscar nominee (and fellow Brit) Felicity Jones playing Jyn Erso, a rebellious fighter forced to complete a dangerous mission.

Aside from Jones, the cast includes Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Jiang Wen, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, and Alan Tudyk as a motion-capture character.

But Disney might not stop making Star Wars movies in 2020, a new report indicates, as the company is apparently planning at least five more standalone pictures on top of the ones that are currently in development.

“There are some really cool things being discussed. It is very exciting to see how it is being put together,” J.J. Abrams told The Sun, which also reports that Disney is working on projects focusing on new and legacy characters. Movies for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu are among the ideas Disney execs are toying with.

I'm probably most excited about Rogue One and the other anthology movies. Sound off on our Forcestrong Facebook Group (30,000+ Members) and let us know what you're most excited to see.

Homemade Full-size 'Chicken Walker' (AT-ST) Replica

Do you think your backyard tree house or fort is impressive? Then check this out!

Built in his backyard, this AT-ST is constructed of wood, plastic, and sheet metal. On the inside it is decked out with joysticks, display panels, and other knobs and buttons for your imagination to go wild with. It even features solar panels on the roof to power two ventilation fans to keep you cool while daydreaming of blowing up Rebel scum on Hoth.

Check out the videos below:

Full story from Hackaday.

Sound off on our Forcestrong Facebook Group (Over 30,000 Members)

Daisy Talks Episode VIII Filming & More

Daisy Ridley sat down Monday for a Facebook live chat about the home release of Episode VII, of course the topic of Episode VIII inevitably came up. Ridley was asked to compare her experiences working on the two films. The actress said they are two different animals--for a number of reasons. She also mentions she's not sure just yet if she'll even be in Episode IX.

“They’re honestly two very different things,” Ridley said. “[The Force Awakens] was like the beginning of the whole thing, and it was terrifying and incredibly rewarding. I felt like I pushed myself beyond boundaries I thought I had. Now I feel more together and present. Now I look at things and think, how are people going to react to that?”

This response made Ridley sound a little like her alter ego, Rey, who has gone from a desert loner searching for home to a Jedi adept ready to accept her role in the Force. Ridley added that she now feels a “responsibility” to both the character and her fans.

“Carrie [Fisher] calls herself the custodian of Leia, and now I feel like the custodian of Rey,” Ridley said. “I know what people liked in [The Force Awakens] and now I feel like I’m carrying that responsibility, which is nicer cause I feel like I’m more part of it. I couldn’t say I’m enjoying either one more. It’s all this incredible journey. And then if I am in 9, all three will be one amazing journey that involves thousands of people. I think of Episodes VII, VIII, and IX as part of one experience, not three different ones.”

Overall, Ridley said she couldn't say which movie, Episode VII or Episode VIII, she's enjoyed making more. Instead, she sees the overall new trilogy--spanning Episodes VII through IX, as an "incredible journey." Also, interestingly, she said she's not completely sure that she will be in Episode IX.

I for one can't wait for the next chapter of this 'journey'! I'm very happy about the choice for Rey and I'm excited to see how Finn, Poe, and the rest of the gang come into their own.

Make sure you join our Forcestrong Facebook Group (over 30,000 members)

Sources:  EW, Gamespot