Star Wars filming in Abu Dhabi confirmed

[Al Bhatti]

April 12, 2014

Star Wars: Episode VII to film in Abu Dhabi

Makers of new chapter in series to recreate Tatooine, home of Luke Skywalker, in UAE desert

Could Abu Dhabi be the next Tatooine? The makers of Star Wars: Episode VII have reportedly chosen the capital to the recreate desert planet, home of Luke Skywalker and Anakin, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Filming is set to take place for four weeks, beginning mid-May.

Tatooine was created in Tunisia for the original Star Wars and subsequent movies. But sources told the trade magazine the political climate there is currently too dangerous to house a big Hollywood production.

As of Sunday, Disney, which bought the rights to the franchise from George Lucas’ Lucasfilm in 2012, had not confirmed the Abu Dhabi trip. Local production house TwoFour54, which is facilitating the shoot for Fast & Furious 7, told tabloid! it had no comment.

J.J. Abrams, who’s directed the Star Trek films, Mission: Impossible III and Super 8, will helm this third trilogy of the hugely successful franchise. The trilogy will follow after Return of the Jedi (1983) in the saga’s chronology. Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to release in 2015.

If the reports are true, the film will join a number of high-profile Hollywood productions to shoot in the capital.

The cast and crew of Fast & Furious 7 are currently back in town to film the action franchise, production for which was halted in November last year following actor Paul Walker’s death.

Actors Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez arrived in the capital city over the past week with Christopher ‘Ludacris’ Bridges landing on Sunday.

“Abu Dhabi, here I come,” Bridges Tweeted on Sunday morning. The caption came with a picture of his feet propped up in front of him on a first class flight with a flat screen television in view.

“Now that’s ludicrous,” was his hashtag.

A representative for TwoFour54 said Sunday production for Fast & Furious 7 was going ahead as planned in Abu Dhabi.

Star Wars: Episode VII to film in Abu Dhabi | GulfNews.com

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April 22, 2014

Star Wars filming in Abu Dhabi confirmed

Next episode of sci-fi epic franchise has begun shooting in UAE capital, says Disney chief

It’s finally confirmed: The first Star Wars movie to be made under Walt Disney Co. has started filming in Abu Dhabi.

Rumours that shooting for the seventh Star Wars would take place in the UAE’s deserts have been flying around faster than the Millennium Falcon in hyperdrive, and have been nearly as unreliable.

Finally on Tuesday, Alan Horn, chairman of Disney’s film unit, confirmed Abu Dhabi as a location and revealed some secondary scenes have been shot already. Principal shooting on the film, to be directed by J. J. Abrams, hasn’t started, and casting was to be announced soon, Horn said

A spokesman for TwoFour54, the most likely partners for filming locally are TwoFour54, on Tuesday declined to comment on the report.

TwoFour54 last Friday wrapped up shooting in Abu Dhabi emirate on Fast & Furious 7, another Hollywood production. TwoFour54 offers at 30 per cent rebate on international productions.

Horn spoke at a Bloomberg Business of Entertainment event in New York, reported Bloomberg, adding that he was due to travel to the UK to finish work on the screenplay; Pinewood Studios will be the primary filming venue.

“We have all these locations we have to film and we have to give it that ‘Star Wars-ian’ look,” Horn said. “So we need to go to different places that give us the right look and feel.”

The film has a scheduled release date of December 18, 2015, and is the first part of a planned third trilogy in the franchise. The first film, Star Wars: A New Hope, was made in 1977, and had two follow ups, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. A second trilogy, a prequel to the first films, was released from 1999-2005.

Lucasfilm, the makers of Star Wars, was purchased in 2012 by Disney in a $4.05 billion bet on the franchise created by George Lucas.

At Warner Bros, where he co-lead the film studio for 12 years, Horn oversaw the Harry Potter and Dark Knight franchises.

Star Wars filming in Abu Dhabi confirmed | GulfNews.com

 

[Developereo]

Rumor has it that the core cast from IV (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and "Chewie") will be in this movie.

Can't wait...

 

[KAL-EL]

Rumor has it that the core cast from IV (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and "Chewie") will be in this movie.

Can't wait...

Me too!! I just hope that J. J. Abrams doesn't **** it up !! Or else like Obi Wan Kenobi said "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

 

[Developereo]

Me too!! I just hope that J. J. Abrams doesn't **** it up !! Or else like Obi Wan Kenobi said "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

Making sequels is always tricky business since few of them ever live up to expectations.

I don't know what else Abrams has made, but I really liked his Star Trek.

Personally, IV is my favorite of all the Star Wars movies so, if Abrams can make a movie that is even halfway decent compared to the other sequels, then I would be happy.

 

[Al Bhatti]

April 23, 2014

Disney confirms that Star Wars: Episode 7 is filming in Abu Dhabi desert

Over two weeks after The National first reported on speculation that Star Wars: Episode 7 was set to shoot in the Abu Dhabi desert, and more than a week after we published what are assumed to be the first photos from the set, widely identified by fans as the foot of an All Terrain Armoured Transport (AT-AT) from the film, Disney has finally stepped up to the mic and admitted that filming is indeed taking place in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking at the Bloomberg and Tribeca Film Festival Business of Entertainment Breakfast on Tuesday in New York, Disney’s chair Alan Horn said: “We did some second-unit work in Abu Dhabi. We have to give that the Star Wars-ian look, if I can use that as an adjective — we need to go to these places.”

Arabian adventure

Horn may have finally confirmed what had become one of the worst-kept secrets in showbusiness, but he wasn’t giving too much away. His use of the past tense was noteworthy – has Star Wars shooting in Abu Dhabi already concluded? Our own sources suggest multiple sets are being created in the desert, which seems a lot of effort for a bit of second unit work. But then this is one of the biggest films of the last 20 years, so the producers can probably afford some effort – Horn suggested a budget in the region of US$200 million (Dh734m) at the same event.

The Disney chairman remained tight-lipped about casting information, saying only that casting is “almost complete”. He added: “I’ve learned to be very careful about Star Wars. If I say, ‘There will be no skateboards in Star Wars … that gets headlines.”

Plot thickens

Horn further confirmed that principle photography will begin at London’s Pinewood Studios in May, which we already knew, and that’s about as much drip-feeding as fans are getting for now.

We still have no confirmation of a local production company. Twofour54, who by all accounts remain odds-on favourites, remained silent when asked for comment on the latest developments.

We may be getting too caught up in internet forums having been tracking this story for over two weeks now, but it’s looking increasingly likely that more information will be revealed on International Star Wars Day – May the 4th (Be with you). Of course, we’ll be keeping you updated before, during and after this momentous date.

Disney confirms that Star Wars: Episode 7 is filming in Abu Dhabi desert | The National

 

[Al Bhatti]

May 21, 2014

Twofour54 confirms Star Wars: Episode VII is shooting in Abu Dhabi

For the first time, twofour54 has confirmed what The National reported in a world exclusive five weeks ago: that the seventh instalment of the Star Wars franchise has been shooting in Abu Dhabi.

Confirmation that the emirate was the first location for Star Wars: Episode VII, which is due in cinemas in December 2015, came from twofour54, the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi, came yesterday via press release.

The film’s director, J J Abrams, and cast members – twofour54 did not name them – flew into Abu Dhabi earlier this month and have been working alongside hundreds of local and international cast and crew, with support from twofour54 intaj and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission.

“We were very excited to start the filming of Star Wars: Episode VII in Abu Dhabi – it has been an incredible place to commence this journey,” said Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm.

Six lucky Emiratis are working as interns on the project, with two following the production to London’s Pinewood Studios for valuable international production experience.

“Twofour54’s vision is to enable the development of world-class Arabic media and entertainment content,” said Noura Al Kaabi, twofour54’s chief executive. “By exposing our local young talent to international productions and prominent directors, we look forward to developing their skills and developing our next big director.”

The emirate offers a 30 per cent rebate for film productions and in the past year has attracted the paranormal thriller Deliver Us From Evil from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 7 and the Bollywood feature film Bang Bang from Fox Star Studios.

The desert landscape is also an obvious fit for Star Wars. It was April 15 when The National first captured and published pictures that indicated the Abu Dhabi desert would be used to recreate Tatooine, the desert-like planet that is the home of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Jabba the Hutt and the famous hangout, the Mos Eisley Cantina, in the series.

“We are delighted that Abu Dhabi has attracted another major international production and are thrilled to have welcomed the Star Wars team,” said Al Kaabi. “Having Star Wars: Episode VII film in the emirate shows Abu Dhabi is emerging as the region’s leading media and entertainment hub.”


Twofour54 confirms Star Wars: Episode VII is shooting in Abu Dhabi | The National

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May 21, 2014

Abu Dhabi Film Commission released this image of a clapper for the new Star Wars film currently being shot in Abu Dhabi, on May 21, 2014.

‘Star Wars’ cast now in Abu Dhabi

Director J. J. Abrams and 600-strong crew filming sequel in emirate since early May says twofour54

Have you spotted Harrison Ford in Abu Dhabi yet? The Hollywood actor could be one of the stars already in the capital to film Star Wars: Episode VII.

Paul Baker, the executive director of twofour54 Intaj confirmed to tabloid! on Wednesday that the lead and supporting cast of the much-anticipated film, along with director J.J. Abrams and a 600-strong production crew, have already begun shooting in the Abu Dhabi desert.

“They will be here for three weeks,” said Baker, who revealed talks with producers Lucasfilm began as early as last year to bring the production to the UAE. Baker would not confirm if the Abu Dhabi desert will be used as a setting for the desert planet of Tatooine in the film.

Abu Dhabi is the first location for the seventh installment of the hugely successful space franchise, after which production will head to London’s Pinewood Studios, Baker said. The film is due to premiere globally on December 18 next year.

“We were very excited to start the filming of Star Wars: Episode VII in Abu Dhabi — it has been an incredible place to commence this journey,” said Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm, in a statement released by twofour54.

The confirmation comes after months of speculation that the epic space film was heading to the UAE. Rumours that Abu Dhabi would be a location for the film were first confirmed by chairman of Disney’s film unit, Alan Horn, in April, who said then that some secondary scenes had already been shot.

Star Wars: Episode VII is the latest international movie to take advatange of the 30 per cent production rebate offered by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission. High-profile productions that have filmed in the capital in the last 12 months include the paranormal thriller Deliver us from Evil from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 7 and Bollywood feature film Bang Bang from Fox Star Studios. twofour54 is the commercial arm of Abu Dhabi’s Media Zone Authority.

“The fact that Star Wars in filming here is testament that they have confidence in us as a great filming location, not just because of the rebate,” said Baker. “It’s a demonstration that Abu Dhabi has the infrastructure to provide facilities for film shoots of such magnitude. It’s not just the locations, but the hotels, the production talent and all the things that bringing a massive production to town would require.”

He is grateful to the Abu Dhabi government for all its help, he said.

“We just recently finished Bang Bang and Fast & Furious 7, which required entire roads to be shut down, cars to be crashing and blown up. If it wasn’t with the help of all the government entities, none of this would have happened,” Baker said.

Casting for Star Wars: Episode VII was announced in April. Besides Ford, who will reprise his role as Han Solo, returnees from the first Star Wars trilogy will include Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker; Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia; Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and Kenny Baker as R2-D2. New members will include performance capture legend Andy Serkis, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Max von Sydow and Domhnall Gleeson.

Star Wars creator Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. J.J. Abrams, known for hits such as Mission: Impossible III, Super 8 and the Star Trek films, was drafted in last year to direct.

As part of the Abu Dhabi rebate, six Emiratis will also have the chance to work on the set through twofour54’s Creative Lab programme. Two of the interns will get to follow the production to Pinewood Studios. The rebate is also offered to television productions, said twofour54 Intaj’ Baker, who said two Bollywood films and two Hollywood films are already lined-up to film in Abu Dhabi next.

“I think we can now confidently say we have the ability to manage any kind of production in Abu Dhabi,” he said. “Especially after getting Fast & Furious 7, Bang Bang and now Star Wars -- three big movies on top of each other. I can say the two that have left have left extremely happy.”

‘Star Wars’ cast now in Abu Dhabi | GulfNews.com

 

[Star Wars]

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Abu Dhabi....Seems like Tatooine ?

 

[saiyan0321]

Gonna watch this film in the cinema total star wars fan style. Cant wait for its release.

 

[Jungibaaz]

Rumor has it that the core cast from IV (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and "Chewie") will be in this movie.

Can't wait...

Here's a pic of the cast:

May the force be with them all.

Me too!! I just hope that J. J. Abrams doesn't **** it up !! Or else like Obi Wan Kenobi said "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

lol

Me too, but fear not. Nothing can be as bad as the phantom menace.

Abu Dhabi....Seems like Tatooine ?

My thoughts exactly.