Showing posts with label Wars'. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wars'. Show all posts

'Star Wars' update: Filming resumes after Ford's recovery

Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Han Solo for "Star Wars: Episode VII." Lucasfilm Ltd.

Han Solo is back! Actor Harrison Ford has returned to the "Star Wars: Episode VII" set after a break to recover from leg surgery.

"Filming restarted earlier this week at Pinewood Studios in the U.K.," according to The Hollywood Reporter, citing unnamed sources. The production had been on hold for two weeks.

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Ford had sustained injuries on the set of "Star Wars: Episode VII" at Pinewood in June when he was filming a scene involving the Millennium Falcon, the ship his character Han Solo piloted with best friend and Wookiee, Chewbacca.

Now that Ford has recovered from surgery, filming is back on track in the U.K., and both Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed earlier that the hiatus will not affect the film's Dec. 18, 2015, release date.

While "Star Wars: Episode VII" director J.J. Abrams is keeping movie details close to his chest, fans have been given a first look at various spacecraft, characters, and even a possible Jedi cyborg arm when money was raised through Disney and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: Force For Change" campaign for UNICEF.

Perhaps his ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was good for Ford's leg, and not just the soul. This is good news not only for "Star Wars" fans, but also those anxiously awaiting more news about Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard in the sequel to 1982's sci-fi hit "Blade Runner," which has already been confirmed by filmmaker Ridley Scott.

Tags: Crave Tech Culture Star Wars About the author

Forged lightsaber-katana fit for a 'Star Wars' samurai

Darth Vader takes the lightsaber-katana for a test drive. Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

Few swords have reached the iconic status of the classic samurai katana or the sizzling, glowing lightsaber from "Star Wars." It seems the two were destined to meet, bridging the gap between time and genres to become one in a new episode of "Man at Arms: Reforged." The resulting lightsaber-katana is a work of art.

Brothers Matt Stagmer and Kerry Stagmer and a team from Baltimore Knife & Sword tackled the project with Jedi-like focus. The first step involved forging the actual blade using high-carbon steel. A Japanese-style forging hammer and a power hammer were used to work the blade into shape. The blade gets heat-treated at a blazing 1550 degrees Fahrenheit and is then tempered in a hot oil bath at 450 degrees.

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Creating the handle for the sword was just as involved as making the katana itself. Perhaps the biggest decision was whether to go with a Jedi or Sith handle. The Dark Side won out on this point.

The Galactic Empire symbol became the basis for the tsuba -- the guard mounted at the top of the handle. Once the handle was put together, it was wrapped in traditional Japanese style using black silk.

As usual with "Man at Arms" productions, the finalized weapon gets taken outside to do some damage to some unsuspecting fruit. It destroys an enemy watermelon in one swift slice. Then, costumed "Star Wars" fans get to try it out, though a Stormtrooper has trouble getting it to work.

If you are ever lucky enough to own a lightsaber-katana, then you'll want to be sure to pair it with one of these "Star Wars" samurai costumes. Then maybe we can finally get the Kurosawa-Lucas crossover film we all deserve.

Tags: Crave Tech Culture Star Wars About the author
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