World Box Office: THE FORCE AWAKENS vs. AVATAR? Forget it... Look At All That Cheddar.

As I've been postulating for weeks now (other than the fact I knew there was no way AVATAR 2 would hit its latest release date), there is no way STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS challenges James Cameron's AVATAR in worldwide box office. Let's face it, worldwide box office is the number that matters most and while the domestic record is an awesome achievement, it's only a third of what really matters or in SWTFA's case, half. Yes, TITANIC may sink, but AVATAR is quite safe.

Was there really any doubt about this? Not to me. There's the old description of a four quadrant movie that sort of fits both movies: Males under 25, Males over 25, Females under 25 and Females over 25. I think SWTFA delivers admirably on this, but not in the league of AVATAR. But of course there is much more to the story than just four quadrants.

Many will argue that shiny new 3D technology helped push AVATAR to dizzying heights and while that is true to some degree, SWTFA has nostalgia and an extremely well established fanbase and, count 'em, SIX previous feature releases. SWTFA also has 3D revenue in MORE theaters. AVATAR was an original work. That more than balances the scales.

Here's why AVATAR will remain king of the world in my opinion:
1. James Cameron. The world loves him. They love his movies and love his environmental stance. That's a huge reason why AVATAR commanded the box office it did. SWTFA must measure up to this standard of relevance or fail in my opinion. Cameron is AVATAR's scientist to SWTFA's fantasy magic. It's a very interesting comparison to contrast AVATAR's environmental message to THE FORCE AWAKENS' well... force, and while I'm sure I'll hear from more Star Wars fans on this (I am one!), AVATAR much better aligns with true Science Fiction. Star Wars embraces the supernatural, albeit in a passionate, space opera setting. Don't underestimate the power of "James Cameron Presents". Just his name alone will bring in masses of people. Abrams is good and is getting better, but he doesn't command Cameron's respect yet in the theater - and very probably never will. Cameron IS Captain SciFi. I feel the pure SciFi play is a better option for box office when we're dealing with four quadrant movies.

2. Everyone can relate to AVATAR's story. Indigenous people's oppression. The environment. Corporate greed. Romance. The world responded to it. It had legs. With SWTFA however, the story continually evolves around the soap opera of grandparents, parents, siblings and children with unexpected gasps from audiences as lineages are revealed. There needs to be more at stake and more that relates to our world directly to connect as AVATAR has. THE FORCE AWAKENS needs more meat to move to the next level. Perhaps EP. VIII or the spin offs will.

3. The AVATAR sequels will punch up cinematic technology once again and potentially set the bar even higher in the coming years. You didn't think he was done with just 3D did you? You can bet Cameron will be marketing some new technology very, very hard for the sequels. AVATAR broke amazing ground with 3D, crossing the uncanny valley with photo realism, performance capture and virtual real-time cameras. You can expect more of the same for the sequels only with technology 10 years better. Imagine what he could and will do.

So if not SWTFA, then what will overtake AVATAR? AVATAR 2? Maybe. I suspect the movies will be BETTER than the original (as Cameron always shines in sequels) and will do massive box office, but AVATAR was a must see event for the world. It will be hard to replicate that again and re-energize that urgency. That being said, if there is one person in the world that can beat James Cameron, it's James Cameron. He's already proven that. And there's plenty of causes that are of urgent priority on this planet. Mine that cheddar.

World Exclusive: Han Solo And Chewbacca Final Concept Artwork For STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS !!

This is the real deal folks! I received these concept art images directly from my top STAR WARS source and so you know these are absolutely legit. This is the same source that gave us the exclusive information years ago that STAR WARS VII, VIII & IX are coming and that the original cast would be involved. I have complete and absolute trust in this source, so have a look and enjoy!

These are absolutely final iterations of concept art for Episode VII.

I am loving the artwork here. Looks like a gorgeous watercolor (by hand?) with Solo's name in grey at the bottom right and Chewbacca may be a pastel or digitally done. I'll leave you guys to zoom in and do further analysis which I'm sure you will be doing, but Han Solo in particular definitely looks the hero role! And that's an awesome full length coat he's got on! Definitely has a western brown leather feel to it as opposed to his black and white fashions of the original series.

He definitely still has it! There are few actors that can carry a role like Harrison Ford and I can't wait for him to revisit this iconic character. Back behind the wheel of the Millennium Falcon!

Speaking of iconic roles, how about Solo's good ol' buddy Chewbacca? Check him out! I don't see too much in the way of difference with Chewy except for perhaps some aging going on. Maybe some of you eagle eyed Star Wars fans can spot some differences that I'm not.

Chewy does look quite pensive in the artwork. What's on his mind? Looks a little worried about something.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the early look at these pieces of final concept art while you can. I suspect Lucasfilm will want to have these removed soon. Just a guess.

I will have more STAR WARS and AVATAR exclusives coming up soon. You KNOW I will :-) Have a happy holidays everyone! Nothing beats an early gift right?

STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS will open on December 18, 2015.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Teaser Trailer Here!

Tim here with the first exclusive teaser trailer for star wars: The Force Awakens finally upon us! Let me say that it's pretty awesome! Below is the YouTube video:

You can also head over to Apple Trailers to watch it, and if you have a an AppleTV it's able to be played on your HDTV through that by going to the Trailers app. First thoughts are that the opening shot is very JJ Abrams, and gets the trailer moving with some quick glimpses of his vision of the Galaxy Far, Far Away… It's John Beyega in Stormtrooper uniform without his helmit seemingly stranded on Tatooine. We get a brief look at a new droid, followed by an intense three (possibly four) shot sequence with Stormtroopers in a drop ship. Next we get Daisy Ridley on top of a speeder, and I must comment that she looks like a descendent of Padme Amidala based on her facial structure, and as a result the daughter of Leia and Han Solo. That seems to fit with the running theories. We then get an interior shot of an X-Wing pilot followed immediately by an exterior shot of that X-Wing being joined by two others. And we finally get the forshadowing shot: a tracking shot of a Sith, in a snowy and wooded environment, walking amongst the trees until something/someone causes him to pull out his red lightsaber. Note the cool design where the hilt of it shoots out short perpendicular blades. And the trailer concludes with the money shot: the Millennium Falcon soaring over the sky while the camera tracks it back down to the surface of Tatooine and two TIE Fighers shooting at it… and missing.

 star wars: The Force Awakens is set to hit theaters Dec. 18, 2015. JJ Abrams is directing, and it stars John Boyega, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher also reprising their roles. It's shot in 35mm Film, with some sequences shot in 70mm IMAX film, and will be a 3D conversion.

STAR WARS EPISODE VII Title Revealed!

Tim here, and in additional news for the day we finally have a title for  star wars episode vii: THE FORCE AWAKENS! Revealed in a tweet from Walt Disney Pictures announcing a wrap on Principle Photography. The reveal of the title brings with it many questions: What does it mean? Why does the Force need to be awakened? Is is JJ Abrams secretly Jar Jar Binks? Okay the last one is a goof, but still we're left with a lot of unknown information at this point about the plot of the movie. The title does little to reveal anything more.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has completed principal photography. #TheForceAwakens #StarWarsVII pic.twitter.com/qBhel6CDjr
— Walt Disney Pictures (@DisneyPictures) November 6, 2014

star wars episode vii: the force awakens is set to hit theaters Dec. 18, 2015. JJ Abrams is directing, and it stars John Boyega, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher also reprising their roles.

Rian Johnson Tapped for STAR WARS Sequels!

star wars episode viii director

Rian Johnson (left) on the set of Looper with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (right)

Tim here, and I've got the most exciting news of the week. This may be more exciting for me than most of you, but believe me when I say this news is really exhilarating. The news is that young writer and director Rian Johnson will be taking over the screenwriting and directing helm for  Star wars episode viii from JJ Abrams. Reports are also varied as to whether he's also tackling episode ix, but consistently reported is that he'll at the least be writing the treatment. If lucky he will also be writing and directing episode ix. Fingers crossed that he is the man behind the helm.

For those of you who don't know who Rian Johnson in then you're in for a treat. I was first introduced to his filmmaking brilliance in 2006 when I first saw the trailer for his indie directorial debut Brick, which I then later saw in theaters. Brick was a surprise hit at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005. There it nabbed a Special Jury Price for Johnson's "originality of vision" and then went on to win several Independent Spirit nominations. Brick was a very creative breakthrough film that set the film noir genre in a high school environment and starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He followed Brick with another indie film called The Brothers Bloom in 2008. He also directed episodes of Breaking Bad in the following years, including "Ozymandias," which is considered one of the best episodes of the series. And then, in 2012 he made his first foray into sci-fi with Looper, which starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. Ram Bergman, who produced Brick and Looper, will produce with Johnson.

I hope that gives you an idea why this news is so exciting for me. Now, JJ Abrams is shooting  Star wars episode vii in 2D on 35mm with IMAX cameras, so whether Rian Johnson will continue that is debatable. Johnson is most comfortable with 35mm Film as he shot that format on all his previous films, and as well on Breaking Bad. So if he chooses to shoot natively in 3D it would be his first time and as well his first time working digitally. Thus it is hard to say whether this  Star wars Trilogy will be native at all over being converted.

I hope this news excites you. JJ Abrams  Star wars episode vii is slated for release on December 18, 2015. Rian Johnson's sequel is supposed to hit soon after. Rian Johnson shared this video clip from The Right Stuff to express how he feels:

Star Wars Episode 7 Cast Revealed!

Tim here. It's Official: The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer.  

The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

EXCLUSIVE: Source Update On STAR WARS EPISODE VII ! Casting, The Twins And TWO More Indys !!

Here's the latest and greatest about the state of affairs regarding STAR WARS: EPISODE VII ! This all comes from my top STAR WARS source - the one who gave us the news that Lucas was planing a third trilogy in 3D (back in 2009), and that Lucas would not be directing. Quite frankly, I think he's been the top STAR WARS source for advance news for at least the past 5 years.

Here's what my source had to say about some of who will wind up being cast:
"Ian McDiarmid, Harrison Ford (our exclusive story), Carrie Fisher (our exclusive story), Mark Hamill (our exclusive story), Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Warwick Davies, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Oldman. I believe Cumberbatch and Oldman were pursued for the same role, but I don't know how that will work out with the script changes, but I'm told they are both involved." 
- So yeah, Cumberbatch and Oldman too potentially. Awesome casting if all goes well. 

"Regarding Harrison Ford, two more Indiana Jones features are in the negotiation stages as per Ford's contract clause on Star Wars, which is the primary reason he didn't 'publicly' or 'privately' commit, or so I'm told." 
- There you go guys - TWO more Indiana Jones movies being planned, not just one. I'll try to get more info on this asap.

"Many Star Wars pre-production issues, an 'inadequate' central story which nobody would stamp off on, a problematic initial release date and an 'indecisive' director (J.J. Abrams) with the hardest gig in the industry. It's not going to be a cakewalk, but it will be a product shipping with the majority of its original parts." 
- Confirmation of the current state of things.


"Ultimately it's about twins, and which will take a path towards darkness and which will follow in their fathers footsteps, or at least that is what it used to be, that may come later as I think changes are being undertaken to bring the original cast into the forefront of the story leading to ramifications that lead up to the next generation of Skywalkers." 
- So we could be seeing an evolution of the story with the availability and willingness of the original cast plus the fact the Abrams is notorious for changing dogma (*ahem* STAR TREK). When Lucas handed Disney the keys to STAR WARS I believe that dogma was intact but now it seems changes may be afoot. We'll see. In the meantime, MarketSaw will continue to be your best site for advance news on the STAR WARS sequels. I have 100% confidence in this source. If he says it's happening, it is happening. Right now. Of course things could change especially with JJ at the helm, but as of this very second - this news is up to date.

More when I get it! And thanks again - you know who you are :-) Click here for all of our Star Wars coverage over the years.


STAR WARS: EPISODE VII is slated for release on December 18, 2015.

JJ Abrams: STAR WARS Script Is Done!

Here's an update that director J.J. Abrams gave on STAR WARS EPISODE VII recently to media during the TCA Press Tour for his TV series BELIEVE.

The biggest news out of the session is that the script is in hand for the movie which opens the door to the next phases of pre-production including casting. Further is Abrams insistence on using film for the movie. Meanwhile, Paramount has totally thrown film out the window and distributed THE WOLF OF WALL STREET completely by digital distribution. Only 8% of all theaters remain film only projection. Fox is also due to stop film distribution as is Disney and Lionsgate.

Disney is investing a TON of money into first of all buying Lucasfilm, but secondly in the new franchise movie budgets. Why would you invest top dollar into a dying, and in fact dead (in some studios) medium? The Abrams and Nolans in the world do carry significant sway obviously but we are talking hundreds of millions of dollars here.

What are your thoughts on film vs. digital distribution? You know where I stand...

Here's the Q and A:

Are you close to finding a director for Star Trek 3?

Abrams: I’m just focusing on Episode VII, right now. That’s the focus.

Where are you on Star Wars? Is the script done?

Abrams: Yeah. We’re working really hard. We’ve got our script and we’re in deep prep. We’re full steam ahead.

Since you’re going to have to start production soon, when might we hear announcements about cast?

Abrams: When the announcements happen. But, we’re working really hard on it and it’s quite a thrill.

What are the craziest rumors you heard?

Abrams: God, there have been so many of them, honestly. I don’t know. But, it’s amazing to see how many there are. It’s really remarkable. But, it’s sweet because it shows that there’s an interest in this movie that we all obviously know is there. It is an incredible thing to see how many crazy things get thrown out that people then often write commentaries about how happy they are or how disappointed they are about something that’s completely false. But, it’s a lot of noise, frankly.

Was the Jesse Plemons report accurate?

Abrams: He is one of the actors that we’ve talked to, yeah. It’s not often that I read about actors that I’m going to be meeting. I get to read articles about actors who were going to come in, so I get to see someone and say, “Oh, I read that I was going to see you. It’s very nice to see you.” It’s usually agents talking to people about what’s happening. It’s just a lot of noise.

Would you like to shoot it in IMAX, at all?

Abrams: In the right situation, I’d like to use IMAX again. The problem with IMAX is that it’s a very loud camera. It’s a very unreliable camera. Only so much film can be in the camera. You can’t really do intimate scenes with it. It’s slow. They break down often. Having said that, they’re working on digital versions of that, so there may be a version one day. But, we’re going to be shooting this next movie on film.

More STAR WARS news when we get it...

Further Confirmation Of Our Exclusive: Mark Hamill Says Original Cast In Talks...

Yes - Mark Hamill has chimed in on the story we broke back in November that the original cast will be back for the third trilogy, the real possibility of including the Skywalker offspring as characters and that the tone of the new trilogy will be much closer to Ep IV, V and VI then I, II and III.

I've been paying very close attention to franchise developments especially since we broke the story that there will indeed be a new STAR WARS trilogy and that it will be in 3D. In fact, Steve Sansweet even had the gall to to call our story ignorant and stupid. One of the beautiful things about the Internet is that it never forgets :-)

Anyway, Hamill had a few things to say on the subject:
(On whether he will appear in STAR WARS VII):  "They're talking to us. George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we'd be interested. He did say that if we didn't want to do it, they wouldn't cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out. … I can tell you right away that we haven't signed any contracts. We're in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed -- on their end, not mine. They're more busy than I am."

(On the tone he would like to see used with STAR WARS VII): "I said to George that I wanted to go back to the way it was, in the sense that ours was much more carefree and lighthearted and humorous – in my opinion, anyway. And another thing I'd want to make sure of is are we going to have the whole gang back? Is Carrie and Harrison and Billy Dee and Tony Daniels, everybody that's around from the original [returning]? I want to make sure that everybody's on board here, rather than just one. I guess I'll have to tune into your show to figure out who's on board."

"I'm assuming, because I haven't talked to the writers, that these movies would be about our offspring -- like my character would be sort of in the Obi-Wan range [as] an influential character. ...'Well, I'm going to wind up like Sir Alec [Guinness]. I'm going to be a lonely old hermit living out in some kind of desert igloo with a couple of robots.'"

"I hope they find the right balance of CGI with practical effects. I love props, I love models, miniatures, matte paintings -- I'm sort of old school. I think if you go too far in the direction of CGI it winds up looking like just a giant a video game, and that's unfortunate. … If they listen to me at all, it'll be, 'Lighten up and go retro with the way it looks."

So a fair amount of things to say with the end result being bang on with what we presented. I'll have more information on the new trilogy and hopefully the spinoffs when I get in touch with our magnificent source with knowledge of the situation!

Source: ETOnline

MarketSaw Exclusive Gains Traction!! You Heard It Here First - Harrison Ford Circling STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

Well if you are a MarketSaw reader than you know that we had this story a LONG time ago in a post far, far away. But going back even further to October 21, 2009 we were the first to break the story that the STAR WARS franchise will have Episodes VII, VIII and IX *AND* that they were going to be in stereoscopic 3D *AND* that George Lucas would NOT be directing.

All of that has been been proven correct and verified by Lucasfilm (eventually - they denied it at first of course) and Disney.

Let's skip ahead to November 2, 2012 now, when we broke yet another exclusive story that the third trilogy (EP VII, VIII and IX) will in fact bring back the original stars including Harrison Ford as Hans Solo. Yeah, this is old news. Ford may be close to signing something, but the fact that the story involves him and that he may have already been approached is MarketSaw's story.

It's nice to know that all of our STAR WARS exclusives are coming true (just like all of our AVATAR and HOBBIT exclusives) but it does irk me that other sites claim to have the exclusives on these things. Not by a long shot.

Keep checking back with us if you want to be the first to know, months if not YEARS before other sites. More STAR WARS and AVATAR news soon!!

Source: Ford close to signing via Latinoreview 

 

CONFIRMED: J.J. Abrams Taking Reins Of STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

Finally we have word (via The Wrap) that J.J. Abrams has accepted the helm of STAR WARS: EPISODE VII! This after turning down the opportunity back in December.

Apparently ARGO director Ben Affleck was being seriously considered as well, but an aggressive Kathleen Kennedy and Disney nabbed the STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS director Abrams.

By the time he starts lensing EP VII Abrams will be well versed on the requirements of shooting with an eye toward a 3D conversion. I was hoping for native 3D but will we see this from Abrams? Most likely not unfortunately. But a great conversion will suffice - along the lines of Marvel have been doing lately will bring a smile to my face.

What do you think of this selection? Personally I think Affleck would have been better, but I've been warming to Abrams of late. I just think Abrams style is better suited to STAR TREK which always seemed a bit lighter to me than STAR WARS.

Source: The Wrap | Confirmed by the LA Times

Does STAR WARS: EPISODE VII Have It's Writer? Spielberg To Review Treatment??

Things are developing fast to get STAR WARS: EPISODE VII fully written and in the hands of would-be directors. Apparently Disney and Lucasfilm have found a writer they have confidence in to at least be involved in fleshing out the full storyline, if not the main writing contributor. Using George Lucas' existing material of course.

And that writer is Oscar winner Michael Arndt (TOY STORY 3, OBLIVION, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE,  LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) a so-called STAR WARS expert. Further, Arndt's 40-50 page treatment that he has supposedly already churned out will be read by none other than Steven Spielberg (on our list already), Brad Bird (an interesting potential choice) and J.J. Abrams (I really have to say I hate this idea).

All this speculation comes from Vulture and it's all the more powerful as they do collaborate our exclusives that are already out there, namely Spielberg's interest and that the studios want the top line cast from the original STAR WARS to return. FirstShowing seems to back up Arndt as the guy too.


Hit the jump to read what Vulture's source had to say:

More Spotlight On The Potential Director Of STAR WARS: EPISODE VII: Matthew Vaughn !!

Well it seems that Matthew Vaughn MAY be the director of choice for STAR WARS: EPISODE VII for a couple of reasons:

1. You heard it hear first that MarketSaw's own proven STAR WARS source included Vaughn as a definite possibility for the coveted role right here.

2. My friend Steve Weintraub over at Collider now has a source that now says that Vaughn is in talks with Lucasfilm / Disney for the directorship and that is why he has dropped out of the X-MEN sequel. The timing of the fact that Vaughn dropped out and that he is being considered for STAR WARS: EPISODE VII was speculated in the comments section of the various sites that picked up our news - it definitely makes sense and lends credibility to substantiate this.

Hit the jump for more...