The Forcecast: Star Wars News, Talk, Interviews, And More!

Ian McKellen...Shia LaBeouf...Joel McHale...No, they aren't being cast for Episode VII. Rather, they're a small sample of our casting considerations for an Original Trilogy reboot! We take a lighter approach to our discussion this week and look at who we would (or wouldn't) want to see cast if Disney were to remake the first three Star Wars movies. We also talk about the first confirmed casting for Episode VII, an interesting statement from EA's CFO, cover art for some upcoming books, and more!

Erik Blythe is out this week, but Christian Blauvelt from the BBC and Teresa Delgado from the new podcast Fangirls Going Rogue join Eric Geller to discuss Star Wars Episode VII's open audition process and the December release date that Lucasfilm announced last Thursday. Then, we step back from the day-to-day buzz around the first sequel film and discuss all the ways, big and small, that Disney could mine the Star Wars franchise for new material. From spinoff films to new EU publishing strategies to Disney merchandising tie-ins, we explore the opportunities that the galaxy far, far away presents to the House of Mouse.

We have an official release date! We also have news about casting calls we believe may be for Episode VII. Eric and Erik read the audition piece for "Thomas and Rachel," discuss what the character descriptions mean (if anything at all), and discuss a new actor rumored to be considered for an unnamed role. We’ve got all this and more in this week’s ForceCast!

This week, we cover the big Episode VII screenwriter shakeup. Arndt is out and Kasdan and Abrams are in. What does this mean for the story and the key players? We also discuss a rumor that Harrison Ford is onboard, celebrate the one-year anniversary of Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, and read your emails.

This week we have the honor of interviewing someone who has over 300 hours of experience as the voice of Star Wars, voice actor and audiobook narrator Marc Thompson. We also discuss a leaked Star Wars licensing roadmap, talk bonus content from the "Making of" eBooks, and respond to your questions and comments!

What are heroes without villains? This week, we discuss the Star Wars Rebels panel at New York Comic Con, where Lucasfilm revealed that the main villain in Rebels will be an Imperial Inquisitor. There's also news about The Clone Wars bonus content and a rumor about Episode VII working titles. Plus, we speak to Star Wars author Dan Wallace about his work on the Essential Guides and his upcoming book The Bounty Hunter Code. It's a potpourri of Star Wars goodness, and we're covering it all, because this is The ForceCast!

What can we take away from the Star Wars Rebels teaser? We couldn't be more excited, but the teaser raised some interesting questions for our Discussion segment. We also take a look at the latest Disneyland rumors, some interesting comments from Jett Lucas, and more!

It's Star Wars Reads Day Eve here at The ForceCast. Pablo Hidalgo and Leland Chee join us from Lucasfilm to discuss their work answering Star Wars questions for a living. Then, we talk to two of the biggest names in the Expanded Universe author community, Timothy Zahn and Aaron Allston. On top of all that, we cover an exciting slate of stories about Episode VII, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: 1313, and much more.

This week we've got casting rumors for both Rebels and Episode VII! Also, LucasBooks Senior Editor Jennifer Heddle joins us to discuss the Empire and Rebellion books, the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and more. We also talk about Star Wars Detours and get to some great listener feedback.

It's a shorter show this week, but we cover the latest Star Wars news, rumors, and releases all the same. Disney's CFO calls the spinoff films "origin stories," J.J. Abrams reportedly expands his California headquarters, and Star Wars Rebels heads to New York Comic Con. Oh yeah, and there might be a young Han Solo movie in the works too.

It's important to revisit iconic aspects of prior Star Wars films in the upcoming trilogy. But at what point do throwbacks become stale? This week we talk about finding that balance between honoring what's come before and creating something fresh. We also discuss title and casting rumors, news about Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge, and the status of our predictions for the upcoming films.

WARNING: This episode includes brief but MAJOR SPOILERS for Star Trek Into Darkness. // Erik Blythe is out this week, but special guest co-hosts Bonnie Burton and Christian Blauvelt join Eric Geller to discuss the latest and greatest rumors about Star Wars Episode VII. Could we see Benedict Cumberbatch make the jump from Star Trek to Star Wars? Would that be a good thing? Plus, Eric, Bonnie, and Christian discuss the role of nostalgia, with its promises and pitfalls, in the sequel trilogy era.

Is The Clone Wars content coming exclusively to the Apple TV? Is Episode VII really being pushed to late 2015? Don't let these rumors get you down, because we have good news too! Lucasfilm Senior Events Lead Mary Franklin joins us to talk about Celebration, San Diego Comic Con, and much more!

This week's show is all about rumors and the fans who love (and hate) them. We discuss secrecy versus leaks in the Internet age, Star Wars blogging as a form of journalism, and how to manage expectations now that the next movie era is upon us. Plus, new Episode VII rumors, book news, and your Force ghost feedback.

Eric Geller is out this week, but Lou and Nate from The Sabacc Table fill in! They tackle some topics submitted by listeners, talk about the upcoming theme park changes, and give their take on the Episode VII release date. We've also got book news, a comic book trailer, DVD news, and more!

What if the films were released chronologically starting in 1977? What if Lucas created the series starting with The Phantom Menace? What if Luke suffers the same fate as Obi-Wan in Episode VII? This week, we take a look at how things could have been different, and we look at the possibilities of things to come. We also talk about Star Wars Celebration 2015, new DVD and Blu-ray releases, and more!

As Celebration Europe II winds down, we discuss the big panels and the news they brought us. From John Williams' return to Star Wars to the concept art and logo for Star Wars Rebels, we break it all down and put it in context. Plus, Disney promises Star Wars theme park teases at D23, Lucasfilm registers new domain names, and yet another Episode VII casting rumor appears.

This week we tackle the Special Edition changes, including a surprising argument over whether it's important that Han shoots first. And Erik reveals the only Star Wars scene he fast forwards through -- and it's not from the prequels! We also cover book news, debunk an Abrams rumor, talk about reveals from SDCC, and more!

This week, we tackle the important questions on every parent's mind: When should you introduce your kids to the Star Wars saga? In what order should you screen the movies? Should you include The Clone Wars, and if so, how so? Tune in to find out what we think about this big topic. Plus, we cover the latest theme park rumors, Celebration Europe II updates, book announcements, and more.

Join us for our fourth set of Celebration Europe II artist interviews. Once again ForceCast Clone Wars Roundtable co-host and Lucasfilm-licensed artist Spencer Brinkerhoff sits down with the art show participants and talks to them about their work, their experiences, and how they got to be contributors to the Star Wars universe. Today Spencer chats with JAKe, Matt Busch, and Paul Allan Ballard.