Moff Tarkin Returns For Rogue One

In what is surely a very controversial move, Star Wars Rogue One will feature Grand Moff Tarkin. Why is this contraversial you ask? Simple.This isn't a look alike actor or an actor with prosthetic facial make up.....it's a full on CGI rendering of Peter Cushing!

A source on the set has revealed that "This is one of the most complex and costly CGI recreations ever". Obviously it would make sense that Moff Tarkin would be around, as he oversaw the construction of the Death Star, but there is also a new angle being introduced to us...

Contrary to what Revenge of the Sith showed us, apparently Moff Tarkin had a pivotal roll in the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader. An idea that was never relayed in ROTS, as it was portrayed as a decision by Palpatine alone.

The source goes further and discusses the fact that in A New Hope Peter Cushing was always stationary in his scenes so there is not footage, edited or otherwise, showing what Moff Tarkin's feet look like or how he walked. "They are going through hours and hours of old footage from the horror movies to recreate his legs and feet to produce realistic movements. It is eerie to see someone who has been dead for so long come to life on a screen."

I'm sure some of you will share my sentiments below about this, as Cushing was an amazing actor, and Moff Tarkin was a very unique character that no one could have portrayed as well as Peter Cushing:

This is DANGEROUS territory. In order to preserve the character, they'll have to go above and beyond any CGI project that has been attempted. Not only that, but they'll have to find one hell of a voice actor to fill in for all the dialogue, or face some serious backlash from the fan base.

One person who comes to mind for bringing Tarkin's voice to the screen is Stephen Stanton. He voiced a younger Tarkin in Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series as well as in the new Star Wars Rebels TV series, and I think he could pull off an older version very well.

A side by side of Stephen Stanton & Tarkin from The Clone Wars

Stephen Stanton in costume as a young Tarkin

What do you think of this new development? Do you think Disney will pull this off, or will they put the first mark of imperfection in the return of Star Wars to the big screen?

You can bet there will be discussions about this all over the fan-verse, so why not get in on the action and be a part of one of the largest Star Wars communities on Facebook! Join our FB Group and like our FB page for all sorts of Star Wars news, fun, and all around fandom!

Source: The Guardian

The Skies Are Getting Even Friendlier... For Forcestrong Fans

New R2-D2 and BB-8 Planes

From CNN:

In the latest corporate tie-in to build buzz for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," ANA, Japan's largest airline, announced Tuesday that two more planes will be decorated with characters from the films.

The new "Star Wars"-themed vessels will join the previously announced R2-D2 ANA jet, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner bearing the beloved droid's likeness, scheduled to go into service on international routes this fall.

The new "Star Wars" ANA jet will feature R2-D2 on the outside of a Boeing 767-300 with his buddy BB-8, a new droid from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." For now, it is scheduled to start flying domestic Japanese routes in November.

Disney to open 'Star Wars' theme parks

Another vessel, a Boeing 777-300ER featuring the roly-poly BB-8, is scheduled to start serving international routes between Japan and North America in March.

And for the first time ever, these planes will feature all 6 Star Wars movies as the 'in-flight entertainment'!  That in itself should get you in the air ;)

Do you think this is just a temporary fade to push The Force Awakens movie or could it be here to stay?  Sound off on our FB group and make sure you like our page.

Artist Spotlight: Brandon Harrelson aka AirforceB

Completed Kylo Ren piece. Colored pencils on black paper.

Brandon retired from the US Air Force, October 2014 after 20 years of service to our county. That same month he enrolled in the Art Institute of Seattle. Initially he wasn’t sure what path to follow, at first it was Game Art and Design. However, he realized he "didn’t know enough about the gaming world" so he started in Animation and Media Arts.  

After a few quarters he didn’t like the technical side of animating so now he's moving towards concept art. He was able to speak to a concept artist that’s worked on Guardians of the Galaxy and Iron Man 3 and he liked the work Brandon was doing. Brandon had a dream to work in the movie business using his talents and working behind the scenes.  

Stick to your dreams and you can do anything! While he's going to school his awesome wife, Megan, is at home taking care of the kids and supporting him through school.

Enjoy some of his select pieces and contact his page for more.

Warlock character from Destiny.

Ezra Bridger from Star Wars Rebels...looks like another series.

One of my personal favorites  -T

The Forcestrong Network loves shining light on the little guy, artists, authors, fanfic, original content, and more. Contact the page if you are interested in having your own Artist Spotlight here and on my page and group. -T

Kylo Ren: 6 Revelations Raise More Questions

From the first glimpse we got of him as a cloaked character hiking through a snow filled forest with his back to us.....and that loud crackle of a lightsaber spewing raw energy, we were all hooked. We wanted to know "who IS that?"

As time went on, we got to see the face of the actor. Then the mask. Oh that mask....it reminded us of the ancient Sith Acolytes, Darth Revan, and to some extent even Darth Vader. 

Debates about whether or not the cross guard saber was cool or smart faded away as they were replaced with conversations and questions about who Kylo Ren is. Some wondering if he was related to the Skywalker line, or perhaps tracing back to Emperor Palpatine as a clone.

The problem is that with every tidbit that is revealed, more questions arise, adding more mystery to the character. Whether this is by chance or is something orchestrated is irrelevant, because we can all agree that it makes the character that much more intriguing.

Entertainment Weekly spoke with J.J.Abrams to try to get a better understanding of the character, and while some revelations were made...new questions arose that the director would not (thankfully) answer.

Straight from J.J. Abrams, here are 6 things we now know about Kylo Ren:

• He is allied with the First Order. (okay, so that was an obvious fact, but still...)

• He's aware of what happened before his birth (The downfall of Darth Vader), and it plays a major role in the story.

• The movie will explain the origin of his mask...where it came from. (In real life, the design was chosen as a nod to Darth Vader when costume designers were throwing around ideas)

• The cross guard saber was constructed by Kylo himself, without any guidance. It is "as dangerous and as fierce and as ragged as the character" Abrams says. (Okay, but he HAD to have a source for reference, right? That source remains a mystery)

• He might be the anti-Luke of this trilogy. Kylo possibly rose from obscurity, and made his own way. However unlike Luke, his path lead him down a darker road. Abrams said "As you see in storytelling, and no doubt the best of Star Wars, these are tales in which an everyperson has to step up. And I think that what makes Ren so unique is that he isn't as fully formed as when we meet a character such as Darth Vader, and I think that there are two sides to the force.Both sides, agruably, would see themselves as the hero of their story, and I think that applies here".

• Kylo Ren isn't his real name....at least, not the name he was born with. (Wait, what?!? That's not his real name?? Dammit Abrams! Why do you torment us so?!?)

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MTFBWY!

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Disneyland Unveils Star Wars & Marvel Expansion Plans

As if we didn't already know this was going to happen, Disneyland unveiled plans to expand it's attractions to include Star Wars and Marvel. We've all suspected for some time that this would happen, and the recent announcement of a 3 parcel purchase in Anaheim, CA by Disney only strengthened this suspicion. 

Well, Disney Imagineers unveiled concept art and overhead mapping of how they will set forth in making all this magic happen.

Concept art of the common area when entering the Star Wars section at Disneyland CA

Based on the images below, the Star Wars themed area will be in Disneyland, while the Marvel area will be at their California Adventure park. Looks like those park hopper tickets are going to be a necessity if you want to see both "lands".

As you can see in the image above, Disney will be taking a chunk of Frontier land and combine it with 2 of the parcels to expand the north end of the park into the Star Wars themed area. Most of the rides will be inside structures, so you can expect to see Star Tours moved from Tomorrowland into the new section as well. Disney imagineers are sworn to secrecy via disclaimers and contracts as designs will incorporate plots points, locations and characters from all the Star Wars movies. The design phase is going on at a secret location in Glendale, CA.

D23 Expo UPDATE: Disney announced that among the attractions in the new Star Wars theme area, guests will experience flying the Millennium Falcon, and being in the midst of a battle between The First Order and the Resistance.

The Marvel themed area (photo below) will incorporate the 3rd parcel and a good chunk of one of their cast member parking lots located behind the Tower of Terror at Disneyland's California Adventure Park.

It is said that both new "lands" will rely on "trackless car" attractions, but may also include conventional roller coaster style rides as well. To those unfamiliar with the term "trackless car", think Universal Studios Transformer style attractions, but themed for Marvel & Star Wars. The new areas will also include shows, and of course....themed merchandise!

Naturally, both new additions are going to affect the parking situation, so the engineers will have to come up with new parking solutions for the influx of guests as well as the loss of parking real estate from California Adventure. I wouldn't be surprised if they incorporate subterranean parking structures or even a few new multi-level parking structures over their existing single level lots.

Be sure to check back regularly for future updates about this story, and while your at it like and join our FB page and FB group for instant updates about all things Star Wars!

Source: TheMarySue.com