George Lucas Says Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher & Mark Hamill Are Signed Up for Star Wars 7

[Teh One Who Knocks]

by Natalie Finn - E! Online




Sounds like Carrie Fisher knew what she was talking about when she said she was going to return as Princess Leia for Star Wars: Episode VII.

Though the actress' rep later said Fisher was "joking," George Lucas went and told Bloomberg Businessweek that, even before Lucasfilm was sold to Disney for more than $4 billion, "we had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison—or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation."

Wait, what?!

"Maybe I'm not supposed to say that," Lucas added after a pause, per Bloomberg. "I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them. I won't say whether the negotiations were successful or not."

But count on the folks at Wired and CNet and other interested parties to pick up on that one exchange out of the middle of a massive article about deal-making and the future of the Star Wars franchise.

And despite the attempt at backtracking, this does mark the first time anyone has used the word signed when it comes to Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, let alone all three in one sentence, and the upcoming seventh film in the saga.

Prior to Fisher's moment of candor, Hamill had said that he and his two principal costars had not yet signed contracts and Ford had been characteristically mum on the subject, despite a report that he was interested in returning as Han Solo.

J.J. Abrams has signed on to direct and Oscar winner Michael Arndt is penning the screenplay for Episode VII, which Disney is aiming to release in 2015, with Episode VIII and IX following in two- or three-year intervals.

Disney boss Robert Iger confirmed last month that The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi scribe Lawrence Kasdan is teaming with Sherlock Holmes screenwriter Simon Kinberg to develop spinoff films apart from the planned trilogy.

[redred]

interesting, wonder if Mark Hamill even knows how to act any more

[lost in melb.]

interesting, wonder if Mark Hamill even knows how to act any more

I hate to break it to you red, but he probably couldn't in the first place

[redred]

True

[Goofy]

[Noraf45]

I wonder what they'll do with Leia. The years have not been kind to Fisher.

Maybe they'll just use CGI for her.

[DemonGeminiX]

Galactic Jedi retirement home!!!

[Hal-9000]

I still remember the story/rumor about how most of the original cast took a pay check rather than an offer of royalties...

Harrison Ford got something like 100, 000 for the first movie and Alec Guiness was the only one who opted for a percentage of royalties against the movie and any marketing items.



Obi Wan was a very wise man....

[DemonGeminiX]

I also remember the story where a Star Wars fan told Alec Guinness that he watched Star Wars over 100 times and Alec told him to never watch it again.

[Hal-9000]

[DemonGeminiX]

From Alec's IMDB page:

Reportedly hated working on Star Wars (1977) so much, Guinness claims that Obi-Wan's death was his idea as a means to limit his involvement in the film. Guinness also claims to throw away all Star Wars related fan mail without even opening it.

Despite popular belief, he never uttered the line 'May the force be with you' in any of the Star Wars films (the closest he came was 'the force will be with you').

Though he often spoke critically of Star Wars, the three leads, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, have always spoken very fondly of him, praising him as being a very professional actor who was always respectful to the people he worked with.

Reportedly answered one "Star Wars" fan's boast that he had seen the first movie over a hundred times, with a nod and the words "Promise me you'll never watch it again." The boy was stunned, but his mother thanked Guinness.

George Lucas said Guinness was very patient and helpful to him during the filming of Star Wars (1977), even to the point of getting the other actors to work more seriously.

Harrison Ford said that Guinness helped him find an apartment to stay at when he arrived in England to film Star Wars (1977).

Is the only person to receive a best acting nomination in any of the Star Wars movies.

Contrary to popular rumors, he did not hate working on the Star Wars films. What he hated was the fact that many of the Star Wars fans would only ever remember him as Obi-Wan Kenobi despite all the success of his previous roles.

Quotes:

[on how much he disliked working on Star Wars (1977) and his attempts to encourage George Lucas to kill off Obi-Wan Kenobi] And he agreed with me. What I didn't tell him was that I just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo.

I shrivel up every time someone mentions Star Wars (1977) to me.

[during filming of Star Wars (1977)]: Apart from the money, I regret having embarked on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps being changed and only slightly improved, and I find myself old and out of touch with the young.

[on media reports of his income from the "Star Wars" films]: The Times reports I've made £4.5 million in the past year. Where do they get such nonsense?

[on the performances in Star Wars (1977)]: The only really disappointing performance was Anthony Daniels as the robot - fidgety and over-elaborately spoken. Not that any of the cast can stand up to the mechanical things around them.

[while considering doing Star Wars (1977)]: Science fiction - which gives me pause - but it is to be directed by George Lucas, who did American Graffiti (1973), which makes me think I should. Big part. Fairytale rubbish, but could be interesting.

[on his first lunch meeting with George Lucas]: I liked him. The conversation was divided culturally by 8,000 miles and 30 years; but I think we might understand each other if I can get past his intensity.

[his diary entry after viewing Star Wars (1977) for the first time] It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle and technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warmhearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but it remains a vivid experience.

[Asked if Star Wars (1977) had made him a fortune]: Yes, blessed be "Star Wars". But two-thirds of that went to the Inland Revenue and a sizable sum on VAT. No complaints. Let me leave it by saying I can live for the rest of my life in the reasonably modest way I am now used to, that I have no debts and I can afford to refuse work that doesn't appeal to me.

[on Star Wars (1977)]: When it came to me in script form, I was in Hollywood on the last day of another movie and I heard it was a script by George Lucas, well that meant something; you know, American Graffiti (1973), this is a new generation, lovely. And then I opened it and saw it was science fiction and groaned, I thought "oh no, they've got the wrong man." I started to read it and I thought some of the dialogue was rather creaky, but I kept turning the pages, I wanted to know what happened next. Then I met George Lucas, fell for him, I thought he was a man of enormous integrity and bright and interesting, and I found myself involved and thank God I did.

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I would have loved to have met this man.

[Hal-9000]

the dialogue was lamentable and excruciating among other things

[Hugh_Janus]

I've never watched star wars (1977)

[Hal-9000]

I have a hard time believing this...Lucas prefers CGI actors and these 3 are plenty long in the tooth..

[Pony]

I've never watched star wars (1977)

You are dead to me.