Al Bhatti
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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
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
---------------------
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