Archive for ‘in the media’



George Lucas Appears on The Daily Show

January 10, 2012

George Lucas appeared on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart last night to talk up Red Tails, the new action-adventure movie about the heroic Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. Lucas shared the process of making the film, why he felt compelled to bring the Tuskegee Airmen’s story to the screen, and his hopes for a Red Tails sequel (and prequel!). Stewart, a self-confessed Star Wars fan, couldn’t help making comparisons to his favorite film saga – an idea Lucas seemed receptive to:

“I’m just talking about a bunch of guys, kids, who are 19-20 years old, flying the fastest prop-plane ever built, and going up against the new-fangled jets,” explained Lucas. “It’s a combat movie. Honestly…this is as close as you’ll ever get to Episode VII.”

View the George Lucas interview segment here. Red Tails will be released in US theaters on January 20, 2012. Check out the official Red Tails site here and follow on Facebook and Twitter.

The Middle Actor Meets Darth Goofy

November 29, 2011

Actor Atticus Shaffer, better known as “Brick Heck” from ABC’s comedy series The Middle, made a stop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida today and giddily posed for a portrait with Darth Goofy in front of the new revamped Star Tours – The Adventures Continue attraction. According to Shaffer’s bio at ABC.com, the actor is a “huge fan of everything Star Wars,” and even showed up in his own Stormtrooper t-shirt!

Photo above by Matt Stroshane/Disney, photographer.

Drew Struzan Doc Panel at NYCC

September 29, 2011

Drew Struzan, the artist responsible for many of the iconic poster images used throughout the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movie sagas, will soon be featured in an upcoming documentary which examines his life, craft and expansive portfolio of film posters.

To celebrate the near completion of Drew: The Man Behind The Poster, a portion of the documentary feature film will screen at the New York Comic Con on October 15, 2011. The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the film’s creators and special guests from the documentary itself, and audience members will be given a limited edition Drew Struzan poster (while supplies last)!

The NYCC screening will take place October 15th at 9pm at the Jacob Javitz Center, Room 1A24.

Drew: The Man Behind The Poster delves into some of Struzan’s most memorable works, including the Back To The Future, Indiana Jones and Star Wars film series, as well as The Thing, Harry Potter, E.T., along with much of the original artwork for the early Muppet films. Stories are told via an impressive lineup of Hollywood talents, including exclusive interviews with, among many others, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Guillermo del Toro, Frank Darabont, Michael J. Fox, Alice Cooper, Michael Uslan, Thomas Jane, Sam Witwer, Bob Gale, Leonard Maltin, Carroll Spinney, Greg Hildebrant, Steven Spielberg and, of course, Drew Struzan.

The full feature, which is expected to be completed next month, will premiere at a film festival this coming year.

Read more about Drew: The Man Behind The Poster at the official New York Comic Con website or visit the official movie website.

Typographic Star Wars Posters to Benefit Children

September 27, 2011

UPDATE: These posters are now available for a limited time on eBay. Also, starting November 25, canvas editions will be available (10 of each) for 100 euros each. Sales for all the posters and canvas editions will end on December 31, 2011.


H-57 Creative Station, a boutique advertising agency and design studio based in Milan, Italy, had a small idea that blossomed into an Internet
phenomenon.

Its three principles, Matteo Civaschi, Gianmarco Milesi, and Sabrina Di Gregorio, all happen to be huge Star Wars fans and last November they decided to make a series of promotional posters of Star Wars characters exclusively through the use of existing—and mostly older—
type fonts. They printed some as gifts for customers to show H-57’s creativity. Then the images of Darth Vader, Yoda, and a Stormtrooper—using typefaces with names like Bodoni Bold and Helvetica Light Condensed—were posted online and within days went viral. The agency received hundreds of emails from new fans all over the world.

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Lightsabers Spotted on Japanese Trains

September 22, 2011

Lucasfilm associate Ken Ogawa recently sent us a handful of snapshots from Japan depicting the lightsaber handrails being used to promote Star Wars on Blu-ray in the Land of the Rising Sun. And just in case riders didn’t get the not-so-subtle hint that something Star-Wars-y was afoot, several transit posters promoting the Blu-ray release were also displayed throughout the train cars.

For more images of Star Wars Blu-ray related promotions seen throughout the world, check out our ever-expanding Flickr series here.

FREE Digital Edition of Star Wars Insider Magazine

September 21, 2011

Here’s your chance to take a close look at Star Wars Insider, the official magazine of the Star Wars saga. This free digital sampler edition is packed with sensational features from the magazine, including:

  • The Return of the Jedi — Mark Hamill on playing Luke Skywalker, and more.
  • Myth Makers — Star Wars creator George Lucas, and Dave Filoni, Supervising Director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars reveal the secrets behind the hit show, and how to create the perfect villain!
  • Interrogation Droid — Suave, stylish and always ready to charm the ladies! How will Billy Dee Williams fare against Star Wars Insider’s Interrogation Droid?
  • My Star Wars — Actor and writer Simon Pegg reveals to Star Wars Insider why he loves the saga so much!
  • R2-D2 and C-3PO’s Greatest Hits! — A look at ten memorable expanded universe adventures of the dynamic droid duo!
  • Clone Wars Comic Strip — A double-helping of comic strips that join together to form an epic adventure from Star Wars: The Clone Wars Magazine, featuring Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawan Ahsoka Tano!

To read this free digital sampler edition of Star Wars Insider Magazine, click here

Subscribe to the print or digital edition of Star Wars Insider wherever you are in the world! Click here for all the information you need to subscribe.

Look Inside: Star Wars Insider #128

September 9, 2011

Celebrate the release of the Star Wars movie collection on Blu-ray with Star Wars Insider #128 and collect all four special covers, featuring gorgeous art from all six movies!

Check out the other three covers and editorial highlights from issue #128 after the jump!
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Star Wars Invades Milan Fashion Week

June 20, 2011

Fashion designer Thom Browne’s spring and summer 2012 collaboration with Moncler Gamme Bleu took inspiration from Star Wars as it hit the runway at Milan Fashion Week.

WATCH VIDEO: Moncler Gamme Bleu S/S 2012
(via Wallpaper)

Adam Tschorn, reporting from Milan:

When the lights came down and the strains of John Williams’Star Wars soundtrack started to fill the room, I knew my fear had been misplaced; Browne had wrapped in elements of the George Lucas mythology -– the faceless drones behind the fencing masks became the stormtroopers, there were fair-haired Lukes (although no Leias) and even a few dark-garbed Darth Vader types — one with a camera taped to his chest to simulate the Darth Vader gadgetry, and a second one, with a long, flowing, black cape in athletic mesh that kept getting stuck in the metal floor used for fencing matches.

That the juxtaposition of fencing and Star Wars provided so much entertainment was a good thing because this collection seemed to serve up less in the way of wearable wardrobe pieces than any Moncler Gamme Bleu to date. (Then again, maybe I was just preoccupied with trying to figure out which guy was supposed to be Grand Moff Tarkin.)

Read more here:
Milan Fashion Week: Fencing crosses swords with Star Wars at Moncler Gamme Bleu (via LA Times)

See more of the Moncler Gamme Bleu fashions here:
Moncler Gamme Bleu Spring 2012 – Milan Fashion Week
(via The Fashionisto Blog)

Back to Space-Con Premiere

March 14, 2011

Words: Pete Vilmur

Anyone who’s followed my articles on StarWars.com knows that I’ve got a soft spot for Star Wars’ first fandom – that is, those early fans who pre-empted the official costumes, books, and other merchandise in the months following A New Hope’s May ’77 release and created their own homespun papier mache masks, fanzines, bumper stickers and buttons to share their enthusiasm for the newfound faraway galaxy.


Luke Skywalker costume from a ’70s Space-Con

The appeal of those often clumsy, awkward early days lead me to a small premiere screening at Michaan’s Theater in Alameda this weekend, a somewhat forgotten early century movie palace nestled along the edge of San Francisco Bay near Oakland, California. A new documentary was debuting on DVD celebrating the history of Space-Con, a series of Star Trek/science fiction conventions that got their start at a Bay Area high school in 1975 and made seven more successful runs through 1980, becoming a fondly-recalled facet of Bay Area fandom thereafter.

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Vote for the Star Wars VW Super Bowl Ad!

February 6, 2011

The Super Bowl isn’t just about football, it’s about great commercials. This year Volkswagen created an adorkable ad about a young Star Wars fan dressed as Darth Vader in the search of Force powers.

WATCH VIDEO: Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

Here’s a selection of sites where you can show your Star Wars pride by voting for the ad in Best of the Best Super Bowl Commercials polls.

Super Bowl Spots 2011 – Voting Sites: