Adam Driver’s and Lupita Nyong’o’s Characters - Star Wars Revealed

Unlike most film-set photo shoots, there are more than slick costumes and stunning locations on display in these new images from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Annie Leibovitz traveled to London’s famed Pinewood Studios to photograph some never-before-seen characters and confirmed a rumor or two in the process. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the closely guarded Star Wars set, but a few of those well-kept secrets are finally out, thanks to these exclusive photographs from the June issue of Vanity Fair.

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Next-generation bad guy Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) commands snowtroopers loyal to the evil First Order on the frozen plains of their secret base.

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

First of all, as we suspected, Adam Driver is playing the hooded bad guy Kylo Ren and, yes, the Girls star is the lucky cast member swinging that next-generation three-pronged lightsaber that prompted so much discussion in the first teaser. In case the all-black ensemble wasn’t enough to tip you off to Ren’s allegiance, those ominous snowtroopers behind him are a big clue.

A small galaxy’s worth of tracking dots affixed to Lupita Nyong’o’s face allowed artists at Industrial Light & Magic to transform her into the C.G.I. character Maz Kanata.

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

And while we may not know which side of the Resistance (the film’s new term for the Rebel Alliance) Lupita Nyong’o’s C.G.I. character, Maz Kanata, is on, we do know from the caption on this eye-popping rogue’s gallery photo that she’s a pirate.

Galactic travelers, smugglers, and other assorted riffraff fill the main hall of pirate Maz Kanata’s castle.

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

Don’t let that sway your opinion, though. Smugglers like Han Solo and Lando Calrissian were heroes of the original trilogy, and the rebellion has a long and loving relationship with so-called scum.

Dashing Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) stands alongside his trusty X-wing fighter.

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

Speaking of heroes, this new gallery is also full of faces that Star Wars fans have already come to know and love. The raffish photo of Oscar Isaac’s Resistance pilot Poe Dameron hanging off an X-Wing is classic nerd pinup material.

J. J. Abrams directs Actress Daisy Ridley for a scene in which her character, the young heroine Rey, pilots her speeder through a bustling marketplace on the planet Jakku.

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

This behind-the-scenes shot of J.J. Abrams directing Daisy Ridley’s Rey on her trusty speeder gives us another look at the strange creatures inhabiting the desert planet Jakku. We still don’t know her character’s last name, but fans suspect that it’s one Star Wars fans know well.

Members of the brain trust behind The Force Awakens: composer John Williams, producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, and director and co-writer Abrams, photographed at Bad Robot, Abrams’s production company, in Santa Monica.

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

Avid fans of the franchise may feel a special connection with the portrait of the Star Warsbrain trust comprised of director Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and veterans to the franchise composer John Williams, and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan.

Watch the Star Wars Cast on Set for Vanity Fair’s Cover Shoot

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'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': Gwendoline Christie's Character Revealed

Revealed via Vanity Fair, Phasma — who wears a uniform that looks like a cross between a Stormtrooper and a droid — was confirmed to be played by Game of Thrones's Gwendoline Christie, and will be part of the First Order, formed out of the ashes of the Galactic Empire after the events of 1983's Return of the Jedi.

The Vanity Fair piece specifically hints that Phasma might not be all bad, however: "Should we really assume that Christie’s Phasma is pure evil? In a franchise where a rakish smuggler can get the princess, a Sith Lord can be redeemed, and a stormtrooper can be a potential hero, anything can happen," the article notes.

Ahead of the release of a print issue filled with Star Wars: The Force Awakens material, Vanity Fair is offering a lot of information about the new addition to George Lucas's space fantasy series, including the name of Adam Driver's character — Kylo Ren, AKA the guy with the lightsaber that launched a million Internet comments in the first teaser — and the fact that Lupita Nyong'o's character, Maz Kanata, is a CGI-created pirate who has her own castle filled with "galactic travelers, smugglers and other assorted riffraff."

Director J.J. Abrams even jokes that fans can see yet another character from earlier movies show up unexpectedly. "I have a thought about putting Jar Jar Binks's bones in the desert there," director J.J. Abramsis quoted as saying. "I'm serious! Only three people will notice, but they'll love it."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released Dec. 18.

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Hateful eight shoot at el colorado

Fans of Oscar-winning filmmaker Quentin Tarantino know that the writer/director has had a very eventful 2014 as he begins work on his newest Western, The Hateful Eight. An infamous script leak caused the auteur to consider shelving the project entirely, but he thereafter had a change of heart and is now prepping his new movie for release sometime in 2015.

The movie’s teaser trailer provided nicknames for the titular group (i.e. “The Bounty Hunter,” “The Little Man,” etc.) and it is expected that Tarantino veterans such as Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell will be reprising their roles from the successful live reading of the screenplay. We don’t know what thespians will be joining them (though Jennifer Lawrence and Viggo Mortensen are rumored), but now we’ve learned where the cast and crew will be shooting once principle photography commences.






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The Denver Post is reporting that Hateful Eight will film entirely in Colorado, now that the state has provided the production with a $5 million incentive package – besting offers from Utah and Wyoming. The newspaper notes that Tarantino’s latest is the highest-profile project to shoot in the region since the 1969 version of True Grit; not only is it a landmark occasion for the state, but Hateful Eight will also undergo filming in the same place as one of the most famous westerns. That’s got to be a good omen.

With a location now selected, Tarantino will begin prep work before starting the film on December 8 at the Schmid Ranch. Earlier reports indicated that the director would get the cameras rolling in January 2015, but apparently things are moving at such a great speed that he’ll be ready a whole month early.



Since filming is slated to begin in just a couple of months, we should start to get official word on the cast sooner rather than later. As stated previously, some big names are thought to be in discussions, but it will be nice to put the rumors to rest and see who exactly will be filling out the eight roles. Tarantino is known for crafting memorable and outrageous characters, so he’ll no doubt be looking for talented actors who are up for the challenge.

Budgeted at “just” $44 million, Hateful Eight is shaping up to be a significantly smaller scale offering when compared to Tarantino’s previous efforts such as Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds. In addition to a fairly tight cast, the film will (allegedly) take place mainly in a single location – harkening back to the filmmaker’s 1992 debut, Reservoir Dogs. On paper, it sounds like a nice change of pace, in that it won’t be another sprawling revenge epic (not that there’s anything wrong with those).

Either way, Hateful Eight should be one of the must-see films of 2015. Tarantino is working in a genre he’s comfortable with and if his recent history is any indication, we could very well have a major Oscar player here. This movie is one of many arriving from respected directors in 2015; if everything meets the lofty standards Tarantino has set for himself, it’ll definitely be a contender.

The Hateful Eight will arrive in theaters sometime in 2015.

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