Sansweet next moved the subject to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The smash hit series is now running in 166 countries, and translated into nearly 30 different languages. Sansweet reminded the audience that, in addition to a compilation of four episodes being released on DVD in March, this year will bring the entire season in a deluxe boxed set complete with value-added bonus material (and a Blu-Ray release!). Sansweet explained that the audience at New York Comic-Con selected, via their applause, some of the bonus material that ended up on the DVD, and screened the winning piece — a “Show Reel” made very early from rough concept art and paintings that helped explain what The Clone Wars could be.
But that was the past. Fast-forward to the present — and future — of the series. An edgy preview of the March 20th season finale then screened — clips of a bounty hunter-filled episode called “Hostage Crisis,” which introduces a new character — Cad Bane. Supervising Director Dave Filoni took to the stage next to discuss the evolution of Bane.
“That one gets pretty violent,” warns Filoni of the episode. “We wanted to get a bit more intense in some of the episodes of the series, so if you have really little kids, there’s stuff that’s pretty intense. Nothing that you don’t see in Star Wars, normally.”
The inclusion of bounty hunters is new ground for The Clone Wars series. But the directive to include Bane came from George Lucas. At first, early artistic explorations were based on the character Durge. “It was going to be a different version of Durge. Henry Gilroy and I discussed different ways of bringing him into the show.” The character underwent significant style evolution, before Lucas gave the specific direction of referencing Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More.
In his research, Filoni then came across a vintage image of a bounty hunter with a wide-brimmed hat, done for the original trilogy.
“Something you notice about George after a while is that he’ll mention a name like ‘Mace Windu’ in a [1973] version of Star Wars, and then it pops up in 1999. So, this, I guess might have been an idea George had for the character Cad Bane way back when, and now finally he’s getting around to bringing him to the screen in The Clone Wars.”
Lucas’ additional directive was that Bane be a Duros alien, like those seen in the cantina in Episode IV. After some sketches by Filoni, the design of Cad next went to Kilian Plunkett. “Kilian is a fantastic artist, and I got to pick from the best of what he does.”
Filoni describes Cad Bane as an older bounty hunter at the top of the game since Jango Fett is no longer around. “Cade Bane has a lot more looser moral content than Jango ever had. He’ll shoot you dead, unless you offer him more money, and he might not and shoot the person who hired him dead.”
Filoni next previewed another bounty hunter, this one based on a fishlike alien Senator design illustrated by Iain McCaig for the prequels. This character is now Robonino, a small brightly colored fish-faced bounty hunter that is part of Bane’s posse. Filoni also showed images of fan-favorite hunter Aurra Sing, who also appears in “Hostage Crisis.”
Tags: WonderCon
[...] Sansweet. What follows is a partial transcript of the event, divided into three parts. See part two here, and part three [...]
Wow, Cad Bane looks awesome! And now Aurra Sing is going to be in it too?! I can’t wait for Hostage Crisis!
…Awesome. Cad Bane is now one of my favorite characters.
Very cool !
This looks like the season’s best episode! And I thought I read on wookiepedia that it involved Commander Fox & Padme. This looks awesome!
no boba? just cause he is only 16 doesnt mean he cant be a badass, come on…..
Tight.
Aurra Sing?! So awesome.
aurra sing is going 2 b n it!!!!!
tight!!!
BobaBobaBobaBobaBobaBoba
i cant wait to see the bounty hunters
this episode is going to bee cool!
Response to DarthBobaFett:
Boba Fett is only 12 or 13 by then. He is likely to be doing small local jobs for Jabba at that time, and he doesn’t do anything that big (with his dad’s armor and everything!!) until it’s been 30 months since the Battle of Geonosis (6 months before Episode 3).
But he should get an appearance in the show sometime at least!!
Han Solo would have been 8-9 years old at the time, doing petty theft for a pirate. It would be so cool to see him in the show, too!!
i hope boba fett is in it!
I hope that young boba or boosk will be shown
Boba is married during that time- I think. But if not, stick him in!
I aggree with anonyomus- Boba and Han would be cool. And Shaak Ti also- one of my personal favorites. On a forest astriod….
with a caamasi youngling- OK, I’m just rabiling now
dude wheres durge? hes a giant part of the clone wars story
AURRA SING!
May long fingers and bald pony tails be with us…Slick
Sweet! I can’t wait for Hostage Crisis and Cargo of Doom! I’m still waiting for Innocents of Ryloth and Liberty on Ryloth though.
Was wondering when Cad Bane would show up ever since we saw his pic in the Clone Wars Visual Guide. This series just keeps getting better and better.
Lol @ Boba Fett in this series, please NO!!! This is the same dude that couldn’t beat a blind guy and a “walking Carpet” with every advantage possible at a mature age, we see enough of him in the clones!!
Will this episode be big? I got the feeling that it is going to be a TV Movie.
As the series goes on, the series gets darker into the dark side of the Clone Wars. Hostage Crisis with the bounty hunters will be an example of this darker side. Still, it’s on my TV show list to watch. I can’t wait to see it.
cad bane will also be in season 2 inclueding cargo of doom and hasbro are making a figure of him can not wait for cad bane
also on you tube on christmas i will start a clone wars action figure series with 6 eps of cad bane,s revenge!
For some reason, bounty hunters in the Star Wars universe have been revered above all other professions. The first to gain noteriety was Boba Fett and his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back caused a cult status reserved for very few characters in cinema history. He was given a number of peers in that film (Bossk, IG-88, 4-LOM, Zuckuss and Dengar) but none matched in his comparasin.
More recently, we’ve been given Jango Fett, Zam Wessel, Aurra Sing who have, in their own small ways broached some part of Boba Fett’s popularity.
In the current, most popular form of Star Wars (Clone Wars, which you hear me rave about regularly) Boba Fett has yet to come of age. And so the galaxy needs a Bounty Hunter.
At WonderCon last week, Steve Sansweet unveiled Cad Bane.
Bane is a bounty hunter modeled after Lee Van Cleef and his turns in the Man With No Name Trilogy (which you should all race out, buy and watch repeatedly.)
Series director Dave Filoni describes Cad Bane as an older bounty hunter at the top of the game since Jango Fett is no longer around. “Cade Bane has a lot more looser moral content than Jango ever had. He’ll shoot you dead, unless you offer him more money, and he might not and shoot the person who hired him dead.”
He’ll be making his Clone Wars premiere (alongside Aurra Sing!) in the season finale episode Hostage Crisis which airs March 20, 2009 in the United States on Cartoon Network.
A ruthless bounty hunter from planet Duros, Cad Bane is the pre-eminent manhunter in the galaxy. No quarry is too dangerous for Bane if the price is right. Using an impressive arsenal of weapons and evil allies, the cold, cruel and calculating Bane stops at nothing, even if it means tracking his prey to the ends of the galaxy.
Boba Fett will not appear in the Clone Wars animated series, but I do expect to see him in the upcoming Live Action TV series.
His character will be old enough to inflict some serious damage on the galaxy and kick some butt!
Finally bounty hunters in Star Wars:The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network! Yay! Hooray!
David has 24 Mighty Muggs.
anyone chatting?
huh?
Easter has fun games to do.
yay!
Cad Bane seems quite cool, but he could’ve benefitted from bettter writing. He would’ve failed if the plot hadn’t forced Anakin to act like a moron, which really downplays Bane’s competence. Hopefully in his future appearances they’ll show him kicking ass legitimately instead.
Of course, Boba Fett’s first on-screen fight was a pathetic embarassment in RotJ, so we know that a bad first showing wouldn’t ruin a good bounty hunter character.
Cad Bane is so awesome! (love his spine-tingling voice) <3
his overall character design was very good
he just became my favorite villain in the Star Wars series… 2nd from General Grievous of course ^.^
He’s bound to be better than Boba and most of the other villains; I mean, he’s actually successful by the end of the episode! I think the series got interesting again.
Robonino is my all time favorite character. =D
The purple fish guy? Gotta admit, I like his design. “You BETTER not fail me, bubble-brain.” XD