George Lucas »

It's day-old if not month-old news that there's another Fast and the Furious sequel on the way. It's called Fast Five, which cuts out the "furious" this time so as not to get sued by Grandmaster Flash or Kung Fu Panda. But I'd like for Friday installments of the Pitch of the Day to be unofficially "Franchise Fridays." This means that all pitches on Fridays will be suggestions on what to do with a franchise. This is different from "Part Two Tuesdays," which will only be pitches for a first sequel -- a part two -- of a film. So with that clarified, let me present my preference for the next F2F film to be...

Fast and Furious in Space

Guess what it's about. I'll give you one hint: there are no cars this time. Give up? Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are racing space ships! How'd their characters get into outer space and the future? Maybe they're cryogenically frozen? Maybe Paul Walker is really an immortal android? It doesn't really matter. It's science fiction, after all. And whatever method of explanation used won't be any more ridiculous than the rest of the series anyway. And the audience won't care as long as they get to watch some awesome space ship-racing action.

Get ready, folks -- George Lucas is bringing us a musical, and no, it's not Star Wars: The Musical. The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision Blog reports that Lucas and Skywalker Ranch are in preproduction on an "untitled, top-secret CGI-animated film." The only plot details that have been released: fairies are featured. David Berenbaum (Elf, The Spiderwick Chronicles) penned the secret screenplay, and Kevin Munroe (TMNT) will direct. There's no word as to whether Lucas came up with the story, or if this is an original idea by Berenbaum.

So, some sort of musical CGI world that includes fairies. That's really not saying too much since the film will be animated -- but considering the creative backgrounds of those involved, this probably won't be a straight, modern tale of some regular kids who meet fairies. I imagine it will be heavily stylized fictional world full of all those fancy cinematic elements available to those over at the Skywalker Ranch.

For the most part, all that Lucas does these days is Star Wars projects, but remember -- this project isn't his only vacation from that. He's also got Red Tails on the way -- the WW2 adventure movie about the Tuskegee Airmen.

Excited for an animated fairie musical? Wishing it was Star Wars? Wishing Lucas wasn't entering musical land? Weigh in below!

Now that Avatar is the second-highest-grossing film of all time, 3D is finally confirmed as the future of movies. In a way, it's as if The Jazz Singer hadn't really harked the arrival of talkies and instead it took until Frankenstein arrived four years later to prove converting to sound was truly worth it. Anyway, just as films in production in the late 1920s were quickly turned into talkies, this year we keep hearing word of upcoming blockbusters being turned into 3D releases. For example, The Sunday Times is certain Ridley Scott's Robin Hood will indeed be available, as rumored, in both 3D and 2D versions when it opens this May (UPDATE: Universal says the Times is incorrect in this information).

The Times additionally reports on what we've been expecting for years now, that theatrical favorites like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings will now definitely receive 3D-version re-releases. The LOTR trilogy could apparently be out in the format by Christmas 2012, timed to follow the release of the second part of The Hobbit (which may end up being 3D after all, too). Action sequences from the films have already been tested in 3D by the effects company Weta and are quoted as being "gob-smacking." The Times believes the Star Wars trilogies will be retrofitted for 3D even sooner, with George Lucas already spending $10 million for the conversion.

Everyone loves the brooding, over-bearing look of Darth Vader; clad all in black, draped in a cape, wearing an almost featureless mask. We're given no glimpse of any speck of his flesh, forcing us to speculate what kind of person the embodiment of evil actually looks like, and when we're finally given a look at the man under the mask in Return of the Jedi, we understand the reason for his full-body suit: Vader is horribly disfigured, his body severely withered for reasons yet to be revealed.

However, protecting his crippled frame is not the real reason behind Darth Vader's helmet and breathing mask. The following may be common knowledge for die hard Star Wars trivia masters, but for those of us casually in love with the original trilogy, it should come as an amusing bit of insight into the design of one of cinemas most iconic characters. SCI-FI Wire recently interviewed Ralph McQuarrie, George Lucas' conceptual designer responsible for the look of much of what ended up in Star Wars, including Vader's appearance, and the reason he gave is more mundane than menacing:

Time is running out! But if you act fast, you can be the proud owner of a Starbucks cup that George Lucas himself slurped mediocre, overpriced coffee out of! Bid on it now on eBay. You have about 3 hours and change to own this monumental piece of history! Right now it's only $8.07 -- what a steal.

As per the description:

This is an extremely rare item, and no it's not a joke. I was at a press event at Skywalker Ranch earlier this year, where George Lucas was drinking from this very cup. I have a photo of him drinking from it, where the name on the cup is very visible and is the same as in this photo. I'll include the photo with the auction for the winner. It includes the sleeve, which has his secret magical coffee mixture written on it, so you'll be able to order what George does, and the lid that his lips actually touched! In the future you might be able to snag some DNA off of this and clone him. You never know.

Yes, this is an extremely crazy auction. Yes, I actually took his coffee cup when he left it behind as trash, and yes, I even flew with it on a plane. It's ridiculous, I know it. I meant to frame this in a lucite square, but I figured there has to be a bigger Star Wars fan out there than me who would probably want this thing. Check it for midichlorians, frame it, put it in your Lucas altar, what have you.

May The Force Be With You.

If you purchase this, please let us know ASAP. Especially if you do, in fact, clone Lucas.

Update: The guys at ReelGuyz.com won the cup for $51, plus shipping. They have a few ideas of what to do with it, but are looking for suggestions from readers too. Personally, I'm down with a Viking funeral, but that's just because I like a good excuse to wear my helmet with horns.

It seems like you can't swing an Ewok without hitting some kind of fan-made Star Wars art, toy, or collectible, but have you ever wondered what would have happened if the Rebels had started a grass-roots movement rather than mounting up and chucking an explosive down the thermal exhaust port of the Death Star? Well, Derrick Jensen has and the result is a funny video called If 'Star Wars' Was Made By Environmentalists. In *Jensen's video, the activist and author of A Language Older Than Words takes us through the 'original screenplay' for the sci-fi fantasy classic as it was written by a group of environmentalists ... and Eco-Tours to Endor are only the beginning.

The video takes plenty of jabs at the Left's inability to come to a decision, and the absurdity of trying to stop a murderous force with harsh language and touchy-feely slogans. But keep in mind that Jensen is what you could call a hard-line 'tree-hugger', and his philosophy is based on the idea that civilization is inherently unnatural and based on violence. But don't let that scare you off; there are jokes a-plenty for Star Wars fans, including relegating Luke, Leia, and "some robots" into minor characters and Vader's inability to produce accurate paperwork. But no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on, the beauty of this particular video is that you don't need to share Jensen's views to find it funny, you just need a healthy appreciation for absurdity.

After the jump: a world where Ewoks sell designer coffee and Luke and Leia are only background...

*CORRECTION: The video was created by Frank Lopez of Submedia

I guess this is the news that nobody was waiting for, but the threat of another Indiana Jones film has been inching closer to reality by the day, and now The Insider has received reports that Harrison Ford will be polishing off the fedora and the whip one last time. There have been rumblings about a fifth film ever since Crystal Skull first hit theaters, but now we've gone past rumblings and finally started to hear some details. Both Shia LaBeouf and producer Frank Marshall have recently confirmed that a film is in the works, and now, Insider's sources are saying that, "...filming will not start until next year, and it will not be released before 2011." Now, if you happen to be mathematically inclined, you might notice that Ford will be almost 70 by the time the film starts production, which would probably make for a slightly less 'active' Indy this time around.

I won't waste your time recounting all the ways that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a let-down for fans -- you know things are bad when an unflattering 'buzz-word' is created as a tribute. But maybe it's possible that a fifth film could correct some of those mistakes. Call me naive, but there is a very (and I mean, very) small part of me that thinks George Lucas and Steven Spielberg may have learned their lesson, and will go back to what made the original films so great. Maybe this time they could capitalize on the relationship between Indy and his son Mutt to try recapturing some of that Last Crusade vibe? But, I guess we can take comfort in the fact that no matter what those two come up with this time, it certainly couldn't get any worse than what was ... or can it?

"I like being thought of as a toymaker who makes films." In the summer of 1971, George Lucas talked with critic / journalist / scholar Gene Youngblood for a program entitled "George Lucas: Maker of Films," which aired on public television station KCET in Los Angeles. Michael Heilemann of Binary Bonsai has made it available for online viewing, and it's a fascinating watch.

The interview takes place a few months after THX 1138, his first feature, opened and died a quick death at the box office. It would be two more years before American Graffiti ignited the box office and six years before Star Wars changed everything. Young Lucas was already mighty unhappy with the Hollywood studio system. Binary Bonsai provides context for his late 60s ventures, and then in the interview, Lucas says he started the feature-length version of his short THX 1138:4EB in the wake of the freedom created by the success of Easy Rider, but by the time he finished, the studio wanted something closer to the commercial fare of Airport and Love Story.

The program includes snippets from 6.18.67, a behind-the-scenes short doc that Lucas shot while on location for McKenna's Gold in 1967, and Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, as retitled by USC at the time. Despite Lucas' repeated assertions that he wants to make personal films -- something that his old running buddy Francis Ford Coppola is finally doing -- it seems that he will always be thought of as "a toymaker who makes films." And here he is, in a rare glimpse at the early years of his career.

After the jump: Watch the video!

Mere days after Shia LaBeouf gleefully announced that Steven Spielberg had "cracked" the story for Indiana Jones 5 comes another confirmation that it'll rear its ugly head. Empire Online caught up with Indiana Jones' longtime producer, Frank Marshall, who didn't go so far as to green-light it, but revealed that they'll start hashing out ideas before too long.

"It's really about the script," said Marshall. "Once we see that, we'll see. We're not going to wait another 20 years. We'd all love to make another one. I'm anxious to hear the idea!" But he quickly added that he really didn't know what Spielberg was cooking. "Until there's a script, nothing's definite. I haven't heard the idea." (He should ask LaBeouf. I bet he knows.) Marshall also confirmed that Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford were equally eager to return for a fifth outing. "Yeah. We had a great time making the last one and, as Harrison said, we need to make this one soon. We're not getting any younger."

While talk is talk, and plans vanish, bear in mind that they were already chattering about a fifth outing before Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hit theaters, and were still dreaming of it after, despite the negative reviews and fan backlash. I have no doubt it'll happen regardless of what the fans say or think. When it does, that shrieking sound you hear? That'll be the death cry of my fangirl soul ... and I'm sure it won't be the only lament visited upon the heavens.

Ah, the sequel no one is clamoring for has reared its head again. To be fair, some people enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and with worldwide gross receipts totaling nearly $800 million, the only question that remained was when Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford would be ready to give it another go. (Our own poll last year suggested that it was time to retire the franchise.) Reportedly, Lucas favored the idea of continuing with old Indiana Jones as the lead character rather than handing things over to young Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf. Research was being conducted to find an artifact that the movie could be based on.

In the UK to promote Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, LaBeouf talked to the BBC and revealed that he had spoken recently with Spielberg about another Indiana Jones movie: "Steven just said he cracked a story on it before I left. I think they're gearing that up." Spielberg is busy filming The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, so maybe he talked with Lucas between shots: "Hi, George, it's Steven. What if Indy searches for a shabti?" "Steven, what's a shabti?" "You know, George, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, the inspiration for that segment with Mickey Mouse in Fantasia?" "Of course, Steven, who do you think you're talking to?" "Well, George, the shabti was a figurine that was buried with the dead and performed hard labor for the deceased in the afterlife." "Ooh, I know, Mutt could try to get to it first, so he would never have to do manual labor for Indy any more!" "George, I think we've cracked it."

We'll wait to see if an official confirmation seeps out. Are you holding your breath for Indy 5?