Could Peter Mayhew be reprising his role as Chewbacca?  Check out this Jedi Insider posting, because Peter's clearing his convention appearance calender.

---

In other news, three more young actors have been added to the rumored cast list for Episode VII on IMDB.  They include:

Ed Speleers - Eragon, A Lonely Place To Die
John Boyega - Attack The Block
Matthew James Thomas - Billy Elliot, About A Boy


No mention of the previously rumored Jesse Plemons, who some thought might be in the running to play the son of Luke Skywalker.  It looks as though that might be the role filled by Ed Speleers.

Speaking of which, **** I hope Admiral Ackbar shows up in them.  That would make me very happy.

I DEFINITELY would like to see Ackbar return.

This wave seems to be selling through much like wave 1 did.  The Stormtrooper seems to be the first to go, just like the Sandtrooper sold through.  When I got my Obi-Wan all that was left was Obi-Wan and Bespin Luke.

George RR Martin has posted another excerpt of 'Winds of Winter' on his website.  And he's also mentioned that there's another excerpt available via the iOS app called George R. R. Martin’s A World of Ice and Fire – A Game of Thrones Guide.  I just downloaded the app, but I don't quite know how to unlock the chapter that's available via the app.

But when is the book actually going to come out?

I saw the trailer for Godzilla in a theater today.  It played really well on the big screen.  And it left me wanting to see the movie in the theater.

As for what I saw today?  It was 300 - Rise Of An Empire.  From a stylistic standpoint it took a lot from the first 300.  However, because 300 was so stylized there seems to have been a danger of a sequel looking like a parody of the first film.  Certainly that seemed to be the case with the Spartacus series on Starz.

As for the movie itself?  A number of the cast returned in varying capacities.  That gave this movie a lot of continuity with the first film.  And the Spartans were referenced heavily in this movie, which appears to have run almost parallel to the events of 300.  As for new cast, like Sullivan Stapleton and Eva Green?  Stapleton took a different tack than Gerard Butler as the lead of this movie, and it works.  And Eva Green?  WOW!  The 3-D was VERY kind to her.  If you've seen the movie you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.  I've liked her ever since I saw Kingdom of Heaven, and I have to say I like her a whole lot more now!

Overall, I think this is one of the first 3-D movies I've seen in some time where it really works well for the film.  The stylization that set apart the first film and was echoed in this one really lends itself well to the 3-D process.  So if you liked the first film, consider checking this one out while it's still in theaters.

Having finally gotten this wave in the past couple of weeks, it's left me thinking.  Is this one of the last gasps in the basic figure line for Prequel Trilogy & EU figures?  The rumor mill seems to be indicating that the basic figure line is going to be shifting focus towards the OT, the REBELS series, and eventually Episode VII.  It comes across as a bit of a letdown since there are still some PT characters that would've been nice to get around to.  Cin Drallig comes to mind.

But mostly?  I'm really glad that Hasbro got to Merumeru.  I've been wanting a figure of this particular Wookiee ever since one of the ROTS teaser trailers came out and showed Merumeru leading a company of Wookiee warriors.  Hasbro really seems to have delivered with this particular Wookiee, and I'm genuinely pleased not just by the fact that the figure came out at all, but by how well it was executed, too.  Merumeru looks FAR BETTER than the ROTS Tarfful figure, and works well with some of the best sculpted Chewbacca figures.

I'd definitely like to see Hasbro revisit some of the Wookiees if at all possible.  I agree with Jesse, that the smaller of the Wookiee warrior figures was somewhat lacking in terms of leg articulation.  And Tarfful was not so great, either.  If Hasbro can get around to these Wookiees in a fashion similar to Merumeru?  That would be fantastic!

Hmmm.  I am getting the distinct feeling from this new trailer that the advanced Sentinel Nimrod is part of the story.

Photos have been sneaking out from the set. In the images that turned up on Facebook are Jeremy Renner in costume as Hawkeye, Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch and an actor in an Ultron motion capture suit. Hoping that it was actually Spader doing that, because it would be very cool!

EDITING is a wonderful thing.  As are concise, direct arguments.  Is it any wonder that people would tap out of reading the tomes that were posted on the previous page?

Your idea is interesting.  But again, it is operating under the assumption that Hasbro will be able to respond QUICKLY to market research and get their manufacturing contractors to do the same.  These are very BIG ASSUMPTIONS.

Hasbro doesn't communicate a lot about their production methods, but some things do sneak out.  Like the timeline:  12-18 months for a new figure to be developed.  And another thing?  Not all figures are produced at the same factory.  Certain figure tools are located at specific factories.  Hence certain characters from some waves tend to be grouped together.

How does that play out with your concept?  Well, suppose we have 4 waves of figures to draw from for this year end greatest hits case.  And of those 4 waves, wave 1 and 4 were produced at factory number 1, wave 2 was made at factory number 2 and wave 3 was made at factory number 3.  8 figures are going into this case of 12, with 2 each of 4 different characters and 1 each of the other 4.  From wave 1 you have 2 figures, wave 2 is represented by 1 figure, wave 3 has 3 figures, and wave 4 has 2 figures in the greatest hits wave.  In terms of sourcing that might mean that this greatest hits wave has 4 figures from factory 1, only 1 figure from factory 2 and 3 figures from factory 3.

So then you have the logistical issue of drawing together figures from 3 seperate factories and getting them packed into a single case for shipment.  From a production standpoint that's a possible nightmare.

And this isn't taking into account the production schedule at the factory.  It's very likely that when the factory isn't turning out Star Wars, they might be working on Transformers, or Marvel figures, or GI Joe.

Sometimes it's tough to go from concept to reality.  It also seems very clear that Hasbro's market research is not perfect.  Over time it has become more and more refined.  Hasbro studies the problems and adjusts.  And then the market changes again.  And it takes Hasbro more time to adjust.

Does your idea have merit?  Possibly.  But I think the timeframe is overly optimistic considering the timeframe that Hasbro works within.  If Hasbro were to plan on a greatest hits of 2014 wave?  Given their current production schedules, I think it would be much more likely to hit retail in Q2 or Q3 of 2015, and not in Q4 of 2014.  Additionally, both Hasbro AND the retailer would seem far more likely to want NEW product on the shelves and pegs for the holiday season, and not a refresh wave.