Deadline is reporting the cancellation of future Star Wars 3D releases:

I learned of this decision just now from Lucasfilm‘s promotional partners who are telling me the studio now owned by Disney wants to focus only on “rebooting the franchise” with three new Star Wars films. This surprising decision follows the underwhelming box office performance of Episode I: The Phantom Menace re-released in 3D in February 2012. It debuted to only $23M domestically but maybe even more importantly hardcore fans felt it was yet another craven cash grab by George Lucas.

If true, this is quite surprising. I think analysts who loved and hated the prequels alike expected The Phantom Menace to not do as well as the future releases, but this was the keystone announcement made at Star Wars Celebration VI. And I don’t think “hardcore fans” had the reaction that it was a cash grab on the part of Lucas. For one, we were excited to see the films on the big screen again. For two he donated all of that Star Wars money to charity.

If I’m correct, FOX has the deciding vote on the distribution for this. And it would make sense for the franchise to continue having Star Wars releases every year between now and 2015.

But Deadline is usually reliable. Let’s hope they got this one wrong.

UPDATE: Sadly, this announcement was just made via the official Star Wars website:

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.

That is not a cancellation, though. It’s a postponement. We’ll see how this plays out at that later date.

It’s official.

JJ Abrams is directing Star Wars: Episode VII. MTV gathered some of my thoughts about it. I’m still wrapping my head around it now that it’s not a rumour.

Here’s the official Lucasfilm press release:

After a bevy 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 be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year’s Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm’s preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

Past Star Wars veterans, dating back to the classic trilogy, offered words of praise from their direct experience with Abrams:

Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren, ASC, whose credits include the original Star Wars trilogy as well as landmark films such as E.T. and Jurassic Park, also worked with Abrams on Super 8. “He puts everything he has into his work,” said Muren. “He totally immerses himself. He’s got such a visual eye, which is so important to the Star Wars films. It seems that a lot of the same things that were in George when he made the first Star Wars films are also in J.J. I think he’s going to fit into the other movies perfectly, with the energy that J.J. has. We’re kick-starting Star Wars again with dynamite. It will knock people out, including the people who get to work on it. I think it’s a great choice.”

Ben Burtt, responsible for such iconic Star Wars sounds as Darth Vader’s breathing, R2-D2’s beeps and the classic lightsaber, has worked with Abrams as sound designer and sound editor on Star Trek and Super 8. “J.J represents the next generation of filmmakers from those that were making Star Wars when I started,” said Ben Burtt. “When he was a teen, he was a fan of Star Wars, and a great deal of his love for movies came out of his reaction of that first Star Wars film. You feel that he’s already invested so many years in it, and he’s going to propel it forward in a new way. In other words, you’re having a fan who has grown up and developed tremendous directorial skills finding himself at the steering wheel to take the franchise into the next stage. I feel like I’m there watching history turn over from one era to another.”

Matthew Wood, who served as supervising sound editor on Super 8, similarly grew up as a Star Wars fan before working on the films through the prequels. “Working with him, it was so obvious to me that J.J. and I have the same nostalgic love of that era. Now we have someone from that generation who is going to be at the helm of the Star Wars franchise that I’ve known and worked on, so it’s a great circle. Just seeing what he did with Super 8 and capturing those moments, and knowing what was so special about that era, it’s going to speak to a new generation of audience as well.”

Be sure to tune into the Full of Sith podcast on Sunday for full reactions.

We’ve all been expecting Dr. Strange to come together sooner rather than later. He’s a character perfectly suited to this new Marvel Universe, he’s of about the same level of importance and popularity that Iron Man was before his film launched, and he’s owned by Marvel Studios outright.

Marvel Producer Kevin Feige confirmed to MTV News that Dr. Strange was, indeed, in:

“‘Doctor Strange,’ which I’ve been talking about for years, is definitely one of them,” he confirmed. “He’s a great, original character, and he checks the box off this criteria that I have: he’s totally different from anything else we have, just like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ He’s totally different from anything we’ve done before, as is ‘Ant-Man,’ which keeps us excited.”

For those who may not know, Dr. Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme. A former brain surgeon who lost the finer use of his hands in an accident is chosen to be brought into a life of cosmic magic. He’s one of the most epic characters in the Marvel Universe and when things are beyond his power, you know things are grim. He’d mesh well with many aspects of the current Marvel movie continuity and I’d love to see him face off with The Avengers.

Perhaps we’ll get a Secret Defenders movie out of this? Why not? I mean, Guardians of the Galaxy was equally unexpected, why not The Secret Defenders?

If you’re interested in catching up on some Dr. Strange comics, Brian K. Vaughn’s “The Oath” is a great place to start.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news last night (amid all the JJ Abrams Star Wars foofaraw) that Warner Brothers has signed commercial director Nic Mathieu to the post of director for their long in development live-action conversion of Robotech.

Many names have been attached to the script, most excitingly Lawrence Kasdan, and Tobey Maguire is still set as a producer.

If this movie gets made, I’ll be able to die a happy man. Robotech is one of my favorite cartoon series’ from my childhood and it holds up in a way that people don’t seem to believe. It’s epic, it’s heartbreaking, it’s fantastic. And this could put Warner Brothers on the map with another massive geek franchise. It has the potential to beat the pants off of Transformers and be like a sci-fi Lord of the Rings for them.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

The project is a coup for Mathieu, a commercials director whose spots are known for their inventive CG effects but who has yet to make his feature debut.

But Warners already has shown it has plenty of faith in the burgeoning filmmaker: He is attached to direct The Wind, a David Keopp-written sci-fi project that the studio picked up in spring 2012 after being dazzled by his impressive presentation.

Mathieu also is attached to direct The Story of Your Life, an alien drama being produced by Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps.

There’s still no word on when the movie would happen, but it’s still exciting to hear and see it moving forward.

Yes, you read that headline correctly.

According to Latino Review, Marvel is courting some big time “comedy” actors for Guardians of the Galaxy, and they have reached out to inquire about Jim Carrey’s and Adam Sandler’s availability. For which character they may be inquiring for, no one knows, but I would place my money (with the rest of those speculating right now as well) on one of the CG characters, Rocket Raccoon or Groot – and I would even lean more towards Rocket Raccoon.

That all said, I would take this with a grain of salt. My head just can’t wrap around Adam Sandler having anything to do with a Marvel movie, and even Jim Carrey would be a stretch; however they are both very animated actors who may lend a great voice-over to one of these characters. I like to think all of us geeks out there learned a lesson with the casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight, but still, Carrey and Sandler? In any case, if these sources prove to be correct it sounds like Marvel is just putting some feelers out there. There hasn’t been any offers, any discussions, just rumored inquiries lending themselves to some interesting speculation.

Guardians of the Galaxyis set to start filming this Summer, and slated for an August 2014 release – and I am quite anxious to see the casting lineup we get for this film.

What are your thoughts on the rumored possibility of Sander or Carrey voicing/playing a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy? Sound off in the comments below!

Way, WAY back there was some rumors of Zombieland to continue on as a TV series – which is actually what the film was intended to be by the writers. Well, now those rumors have ramped up again, and Broadcast Now is pointing to Amazon.com’s Instant Video service as the one to make it happen.

Netflix has already started to dabble in the original programming ring, most popularly by bringing back the cult-hit television series, “Arrested Development”, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that Amazon would want to throw their hat in the ring.

In addition to this news/rumor, io9 reportedly got their hands on some casting sheets for the television adaptation of Zombieland which reveals the return of the four main characters from the film, along with two newcomers to this group of survivors. According to what they obtained, the show will maintain the same humor from the film, but have a bit stronger focus on the relationship between Tallahassee and Wichita – because, you know, all the focus groups said they want more romance in their television shows.

If Zombieland were to come to Amazon Instant Video as a weekly series, I would definitely have to consider once again signing up for their service. When they first launched their Netflix competitor I tried out the free trial, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth my money to essentially have a clone Netflix service that might have a few different titles. However, with these two companies beginning to step into the original programming arena they are making a strong case for customers to consider having both, or at the very least, take a moment to think about which streaming service will get their hard-earned money. If you are only looking to have one streaming service, the decision to go with Amazon or Netflix could become increasingly more difficult.

So, what say you, readers? Does a Zombieland TV series sound enticing to you? If you are only a Netflix subscriber, could this potentially convince you to sign up for Amazon’s service as well? Sound off in the comments below!

The Amazing Randi is an amazing person. You should all know who he is. Watch the above video.

Now, Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein need our help to finish the film.

I know Tyler and have even done an incredibly small amount of work for him on this film and I 100% believe that it’s going to end up being an amazing film. If you don’t believe me, just watch that pitch one more time.

I’ve worked on the film AND I’ve pledged to the Kickstarter. I hope you will, too.

For more information about the film, be sure to check out their website, An Honest Liar.

And spread the word!

My generation does not know the war of movies past. We do not know the air raid drill, or hiding under our school desks, we have never had a vainglorious kiss on any V-Day. We don’t know the epic steady-cam tracking shot or the confetti parade. We know fear for our husbands and wives, our brothers and sisters. We know dusty chaos and fear that a truck will explode in front of our bank. We know Kathryn Bigelow’s war.

“Zero Dark Thirty” opens in blackness, and the only sounds are snippets of 911 calls placed on September 11th, 2001. My experience was not gratuitous; I felt it all over again, but this time with far less hate and fear. The journey back is necessary and helps the viewer return to a place when we were all so hungry for justice, and there we meet Maya. Played by Jessica Chastain, Maya is loosely based on a real person, and it is her work that leads a decade long manhunt to its successful end. She is joined by a CIA team that operates out of several locations in the Middle East, including several detainment camps. I have heard several complaints of gratuitous violence, and even saw some calls to boycott the film. The scenes of torture were not without reason, and in my cynical eye were, in all likelihood, Disney compared to actual events. No human beings were treated with disrespect. There was no heartless torture master, there were no shrieking zealots.

The film is comprised of almost entirely hand held shots, but the shaky-cam was not nearly as “guerilla-film” as I expected. The camera work was noticeable without being distracting, and was especially effective in the oddest of places – the close-ups. Maya is young and conflicted but her shell is tough and confident. The camera almost serves as character development. Maya might be young and tough (having already gained fame as “a killer”), but Chastain plays the discomfort in the torture cells just as powerfully as the demanding low-level op who is working for her own vengeance as well as her country’s security.  The first acts of “Zero Dark Thirty” are espionage thriller – interrogations, moles, double agents and diversions. Tension builds slowly as leads are found and lost, battles won and risks assessed. If any fat could have been trimmed from the film’s 2:37 run time, it could have been during these moments, notably while trying to find notorious courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti. While the means to locate the man were crafty, the scenes became redundant.

By act three, I remembered why I was madly in love with Kathryn Bigelow. She shot a night time covert op and still managed to create some of the most striking imagery I have ever seen. Unlike other films that utilize large military teams, this one was easy to follow, characters were not lost, and not once did I have to squint and remind myself where the action was taking place or heading. Night vision was used sparingly as a device, but night sights and goggle helmets made the action almost alien and completely submersive.

I cannot speak to the historical accuracy of the film, as I didn’t follow the story as it originally developed and did not research it before the film. When I go to the movies, it’s because I want to see a good movie, and I have rarely taken fault with Hollywood taking artistic license. Especially when the facts (as we are meant to know them, anyway) are readily available in countless other mediums.

“Zero Dark Thirty” is not a patriotic film. It is the story of a woman’s quest, but in its details prompts discussion on what humans are capable of when confronted with war and genocide. Americans are not flawless heroes (but heroes all the same), and the death of the greatest villain my generation has yet to face is treated with dignity and without pomp. If Bigelow isn’t careful, she just might re-define a genre.

Another of our amazing bots, KMC1138, wrote an excellent review of Zero Dark Thirty which I would call the definitive review from BSR on this film. But in my discussions with her and some of the editorial staff, I had to add in my two bits becuase they are strikingly different from almost every other critic I have heard on this film.

Bottom line: This film is excellent. 3 solid stars. It ended up on my Best of 2012 list for a reason. I also happen to think Kathryn Bigelow was robbed of at least a nomination for Best Director. But it also ended up low on my list for a reason.

I originally saw Zero Dark Thirty the week before Christmas and came away with mixed feelings. And after I saw it top critic after critic’s top 10 list of 2012 I almost had a fit. But after some chiding from critics whom I really respect, I decided to give it another chance with a late night showing opening weekend. Perhaps Id let my insufferable desire for holiday cheer interfere with my ability to appreciate the dark gritty nature of this masterpiece. Perhaps I was letting my political feelings get in the way because I hated the idea of justifying torture. Unfortunately, upon seeing it again tonight, my initial reaction was completely reinforced.

This was my reaction in my Top of 2012, where I placed it 23rd overall (for context, that would’ve been my 12th favorite movie of the year):

This is an intentional snub to put this so intentionally low. People need to calm the f— down about this movie. It’s good, it’s tense, and it blurs the line between justifying torture and not. As interesting as it was, it was immediately disavowed and condemned by the actual CIA, who said that none of the intelligence used in the raid on bin Laden actually came from torture. It makes for a better story, though. But when your movie purports to be based on the truth, and the truth is so recent, you can’t be so lackadaisical with basic facts. Great, Kathryn Bigelow– we already know you can direct taut war thrillers. We saw The Hurt Locker. But Zero Dark Thirty is this year’s Emperor’s New Clothes. Everyone wants to praise it because they can’t grapple with the moral dilemma behind it. To which I say: f@#$ that. This was a great movie. So was Hurt Locker. But it’s not /that/ great, people.

I stand by that now 200%. But, let me unpack all of that a bit, as it was quite (intentionally) glib and parsimonious.

First, to those of you who say it justified torture. No. No it does not. It glorifies violence in a way unseen outside of most other films this year. But that’s justifying the military-industrial-intelligence complex, not torture. If anything, it shows you that torture. doesn’t. work. They were so busy waterboarding these people that they missed, oh, the actual intelligence that led them to the guy they were looking for.

That being said, it doesn’t condemn torture either. Which seems like they could’ve done that. Maybe someone says “Do you ever think maybe we didn’t need to waterboard them? We didn’t need to abuse them?” And someone else says, “Yes.” That’s it. But maybe Kathryn Bigelow wanted us to have to live in the grey areas. But I think that’s being controversial just for being controversial’s sake. Torture is wrong. It is bad. And most importantly, it doesn’t work. So why not condemn it?

Because it’s a gripping way to introduce a film, that’s why. But it’s also kind of a cheat. We’re thrown into this visceral situation and put on edge and supposed to feel some sort of outrage or compunction or collective guilt. Or we feel like we’re taking some revenge on that guy who we personify as being behind the murder of thousands of Americans. Like I said, it’s a cheat.

Because Zero Dark Thirty, far from being about the search for Osama bin Laden, is all about character. Namely, the character of Jessica Chastain’s Maya. But while we love Maya for her passion, we ultimately love her more for her intellect. She seems to be the only person in the entire film ahead of the curve. So, watching her react and interact with the prospect of torture… meh. Watching her in her element doing more straight up interrogations, sans waterboard? Beautiful. Masterful. And it places such a stain and such a strain right up front in the film that it detracts from the truly awesome moments later.

Like that last half hour with the actual raid on bin Laden’s compound. Amazing. Beyond intense. Perfectly directed. So why’d you have to distract everyone with the stupid torture?

Again, because it’s a damn fine way to introduce a film. But it’s still a cheat. And that’s what makes this great, not amazingly great.

Also a cheat are some of the liberties taken with the basic facts around the search for bin Laden and the CIA’s intelligence programs. The fact that this is now under Congressional investigation shouldn’t be surprising. What is surprising was how quickly the CIA condemned the film and refuted basic claims they made in the narrative. Either be like Argo and just say you’re based on the true story, or stick to just the facts. Because you also do a disservice to the audience who will watch your film and take everything away as fact. Because, after all, it’s those super-high tension moments of action or spy thriller that we all came to see anyway.

And to be fair, there were points where the film dragged. And as I sit here writing this review I popped in my Avengers Blu-Ray and started with where Iron Man flies into Stark Tower to threaten Loki. And as good as those last 3o minutes of Zero Dark Thirty are, and as awesome as Chris Pratt is as one of the Navy Seals, it is not even in the same league as Avengers for plot, script, character, morality, and sheer entertainment and artfulness.

It is, however, a fantastic film. And people should see it. And discuss it. Because as much as the film is worth seeing, those conversations are even more worth having.

In addition to the many invitations to go on other Star Wars podcasts (for which I am grateful), I’m asked twice as often why I never had my own Star Wars podcast. I never had a good answer for that.

Then, one day, inspiration struck and I called up the redoubtable Mike Pilot and asked him if he’d be interested in it as well. He’d had me on his show, Obviously Oblivious, as a guest, and I’d done some work for The Mediocre Show (like this video about a grown man suckling a pig), and I knew he was a massive sci-fi and Star Wars geek, so it made sense.

He wasn’t just interested, he was thrilled. He was thrilled, I was thrilled, and so we began to percolate a plan. One of the first places we went to was Rancho Obi-Wan’s media coordinator Consetta Parker and asked her if she wanted to be on the show, and she was thrilled and tickled.

There we had it. The Full of Sith podcast.

The Full of Sith Podcast is a show dedicated to bringing the most interesting Star Wars conversations in the galaxy.

Here’s the official blurb for the show:

Aside from breaking news in the world of Star Wars, we’ll talk the philosophy and influence of Star Wars just as readily as the deep mythology it represents. Hosted by Tha Mike Pilot (Mediocre Show, Obviously Oblivious, The Awful Show), Bryan Young (author, filmmaker, writer for StarWars.com), and Consetta Parker (Publicist, Rancho Obi-Wan), it’s your mandatory dose of Star Wars talk.

After having recorded three episodes, I can tell you already you’re probably going to love this show. I’ve never talked to a group more passionate about Star Wars and the guests we’re going to have on are going to be legendary. But it’s not just going to be people involved with Star Wars, we’re going to be talking to fans of all shapes and sizes to find out what Star Wars means to them. You could even be one of those fans.

In fact, you could be on the show right now. At the moment, we’re taking questions and comments by voice mail and we’ll use that to branch out and see who we’ll get on the show. So, after you listen to the first episode (or right now) call us and leave us a message about your connection to Star Wars at 206-426-5592.

You can also hit the Website, the Twitter, or the Facebook.

How do you listen to the show you ask? Here’s all that information as well:

All Episodes Will Be Listed In Our XML Feed, Website And Facebook

•  iTunes
• XML Feed
• Facebook (In Episode Artwork)
• Apple iOS Podcast App
• Android Podcast App
• Stitcher (pending approval)

If you have any other suggestions or questions please contact us at holocron@fullofsith.com or on our Facebook page.

I’m excited to hear what you guys think. The show is going to be weekly (with special stuff here and there) and we’ll be talking about all aspects of Star Wars. The movies (new and old), the television shows, books, comics, merchandise, collectibles… everything.

And I can’t wait to share it with you all.