Oh, man. There seems to be a new Star Wars rumour every day – this week alone has suggested origin movies for Han Solo and Yoda – but today’s is so good that I’m just praying that this one turns out to be true.
An Australian radio show is quoting a reliable source that insists the main baddie in JJ Abrams’ new Star Wars will definitely be…John Noble, AKA Walter Bishop from Fringe.
This guy
If you’ve seen him as the evil alternate Walter or his character in *Lord Of The Rings* then you’ll know how deliciously evil he can be without turning his character into a pantomime stereotype. Exactly what Episode VII needs. So, while I’m pretty sure that 99.999% of all the current *Star Wars* rumours will prove to be completely false, I’m hoping against hope that this one happens.
> Lucasfilm has decided to postpone this fall’s scheduled release of Star Wars Episodes II and III in 3D. Given the recent development that we are moving forward with a new Star Wars trilogy, we will now focus 100 percent of our efforts on Star Wars: Episode VII in order to ensure the best possible experience for our fans. We will post further information about our 3D release plans at a later date.
Yet another win. I’m sure they’ll keep milking existing Star Wars to death but for now they’ve decided to make something new before they do it. Hopefully Episode VII turns out good enough that when they inevitably milk it to death I’ll be ok with it.
When it was [announced that JJ Abrams had been signed to direct the new Star Wars](https://awesomefriday.ca/2013/01/awesome-daily-26th-jan-2013/) there’s been on big question: does this mean he’s not doing any more Star Trek?
Gina McIntyre at the LA Times:
> According to Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore, Abrams — who directed both 2009′s “Star Trek” and the upcoming sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness” — will still be involved in some capacity with a possible third “Trek” movie, at the minimum as a producer, if not also directing the film.
> Moore also pointed out that Abrams will continue to play a role in another of the studio’s most valuable franchises, “Mission: Impossible.”
> “J.J. will continue to develop projects for us including a new ‘Mission: Impossible,’ and he is committed to produce another ‘Star Trek,’” Moore said Friday afternoon.
I’m taking this as good news. I still have mixed feelings on the whole affair, no small part of which is that I’m not really sure that its right to have one guy at the helm of three major franchises (two of which are completely beloved).
That said, power to him. That much high profile work must be a good problem to have.
[source: [LA Times Hero Complex](http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2013/01/25/j-j-abrams-directing-star-wars-what-happens-to-star-trek/#/1)]
### Kitty Pryde, Iceman and Rogue all back for X-Men: Days of Future Past
Bryan Singer announced Saturday via the twitters that Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore and Anna Paquin will all be returning to the franchise in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past film:
This is going to be interesting. Days of Future Past is a crazy time travel story which is how we have the _First Class_ cast and the _X1_, _X2_ and _Last Stand_ casts all together. I’m looking forward to seeing how they tie the 60s versions of the characters together with the present versions of the characters if only because of the few very subtle things that made me consider them to be different time lines. – _Matt_
### Star Trek fan talks about JJ Abrams taking the job directing Star Wars
Jordan Hoffman at Badass Digest:
> Know this: I love Star Wars. Star Trek is a key
> part of my life, but the other, lesser franchise
> is still a great deal of fun. You wanna grab beers
> and yap about IG-88 or Midi-chlorian counts or the
> lesser known works of the Mon Calamari Ballet
> Company? I’m down. But the thing is that Star Wars,
> at least for people in my age group, was something
> that was accepted – it was never not cool. Star Trek
> only became cool very, very recently. And J.J. Abrams,
> for better or worse, had something to do with that.
>
> The basic gist, as Mashable quoted me, is this: I feel
> like J.J. Abrams took me out to the prom but left
> with the hotter girl.
The whole thing is definitely worth a read. He’s more upset than I am, but it does mirror my feelings on the situation pretty well.
_So many little things happen during the day that Matt and I want to share, but often they’re little snippets or redirects and not really suitable for a full-blown article. We’ve started putting them on our Facebook page ([LIIIKE USSSSS](https://www.facebook.com/AwesomeFriday) sorry) but want to make them available to everyone. So, we’re going to try and make a single daily post of all the little bits and bobs we think are cool from the day. It could be the announcement of a new film from our favourite director, a quick iPhone recommendation or just a reaction to something we’ve heard – a quick and easily digestible slice of the day’s cool news. Let us know what you think._
### Ready Steady Bang, Free game for iOS
So, let’s get started with my new favourite thing – Ready Steady Bang on iOS. It’s a free single press quickdraw game that is all about fast reactions. The single, multi and online play modes, combined with a deliciously simple graphic style, has already made this essential. Grab your gun and start taking down those pesky outlaws.
[[iTunes link](https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/ready-steady-bang/id447588618 “Ready Steady Bang on iTunes”)] – _Simon_
### JJ Abrams Confirmed to Direct Star Wars Episode VII
It’s official folks. [Press Release from StarWars.com](http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-is-being-kick-started-with-dynamite-jj-abrams-to-direct-star-wars-episode-vii.html “STAR WARS IS BEING KICK-STARTED WITH DYNAMITE J.J. ABRAMS TO DIRECT STAR WARS: EPISODE VII”)
> After a bevvy of emails and phone calls, the formalities have been > wrapped up, and at long last everyone can exhale and properly share > the word with an excited Internet. Yes, J.J. Abrams will direct Star > Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to > come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams > will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt > will write the screenplay. > > “It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set > off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the > perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as > a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He > understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring > that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.” > > George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with > J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.” He’s an ideal choice to direct > the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”
To me this is good news. I’ve found his films good but, uh, safe. What I will say is that while I like what he and his team with Star Trek, the storytelling style is likely much better suited to Star Wars which is more Science Fantasy than Science Fiction. Not that it really matters, you know I’m going to be there on opening day. – _Matt_
### LOL: Everything Wrong With _Avatar_ in 4 Minutes or Less
CinemaSins released the latest in their _Everything Wrong With…_ series.
Some of these are a bit of a stretch if you ask me but it’s still funny.
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