Iain Mccaig Discusses His Concept Art for Star Wars

At a recent Art and Manufacture of Imagination conference in New Zealand, concept artist Iain McCaig spoke about what it was similar to make concept art forThe Strength Awakens. I of our readers (E.R. Cina) has told us virtually the details he mentioned about the pre-production ofThe Force Awakens – and he strongly implies a very important story development regarding Luke Skywalker and another character inEpisode Eight.

The conference that Iain McCaig attended happened weeks ago, simply nobody seems to have reported on it, so I'll take the liberty of doing just that. Without whatever further ado, here's what McCaig told the audition according to our source:

• Lucas initially wanted naught to practise with VII, but in a short while after pre-production began, he decided he wanted to submit a script. He brought in Ian and another prequel artist (possibly Doug Chiang, I missed the name) to the Ranch to assist him realize his concepts. The script was rejected outright, equally a result of…
• Disney's banishment of anything mildly prequel-related. Usage of prequel-only characters, environments etc were banned, as to not incur the fan base'southward wrath.
• Disney execs were reluctant to include non-Caucasian characters. The new trio were all initially all Caucasian, merely information technology was JJ's favoring of Boyega that brought near VII'south multi-cultured graphic symbol gear up.
• A number of initial script ideas teased Anakin/Vader's force ghost's interest, and Ian presented an thought so titillating (even to prequel-haters) along these lines that he had the audition clapping.
• Lawrence Kasdan actually wrote the script for Han Solo before he began piece of work on VII, and that it is (paraphrasing) 'By far the best Star Wars script, and one of the best scripts menses, that I have ever read. I laughed, I cried, I did all the things you should do when reading a good script. You're in for a care for.'
• After being questioned by an audition fellow member, he responded that he was unable to confirm nor deny if Lucas' script had any influence or effect on the Arndt/Kasdan/Abrams script – just strongly implied to the positive.

Iain'south take on the Han Solo script seems to be pretty reassuring, considering that a lot of fans are on the fence about that project. Other than that, let's clarify each signal with what we know most the picture's pre-production.

George Lucas infamously said that Disney didn't employ his ideas when asked about The Force Awakens. Even so, we know the truth to be a bit more than complicated – as Pablo Hidalgo will tell y'all on Twitter, Lucas's many ideas for the Star Wars franchise as a whole were treated as the Gospel for the Galaxy Far, Far Away, and that includes elements from the pitch he had aboutEpisode VII. But knowing that Lucas penned a script early on into product does provide helpful context in maxim exactly what information technology was that got rejected, and it'due south very likely that Michael Arndt used it for office of his unfinished treatments on the moving picture. While McCaig seems to be bummed out that Lucas isn't very involved with the franchise that serves equally his magnum opus, there is a argent lining – by his own account, Lucas seems to be happier than he ever was when working on the other movies, and he seems to be enjoying his matrimony and his semi-retirement.

Information technology'southward as well interesting that Disney internally had an embargo on Prequel Trilogy content for the flick, considering that they've greatly increased their output on works drawing influence from the movies orThe Clone Wars since the moving picture had finished filming. WhileThe Force Awakens has been criticized for using a lot of familiar elements from the Original Trilogy, it's very probable that Lucasfilm drew from that well considering it was what worked dorsum in the late Seventies and early Eighties, while fans are nevertheless divided over the Prequel Trilogy. Perhaps Rian Johnson and Colin Trevorrow will be given more room to pull content from the era at present that the fanbase has (mostly) been united with the Sequel Trilogy. Like the decision to focus on Original Trilogy content, the conclusion to bandage John Boyega also seems to have paid off, because how the actor'due south career has taken off considerably.

Lastly, information technology's worth talking about the controversial-sounding Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader apparition that had been planned to announced in the moving picture. Something which is interesting is that, George Lucas told Dave Filoni that there'southward evidently a hidden reason why Anakin learned how to become a Force Spirit, which could cistron into the thought that McCaig had illustrated (which unfortunately, our source didn't say anything about detail-wise). My judge is that the thought would revolve around Anakin struggling to further absolve for his many sins as Vader posthumously, which comes across as an interesting concept that I would hope that they would follow up on, whether it's in the Sequel Trilogy or elsewhere. Another theory is that, when Kylo Ren was really talking to Darth Vader'due south helmet, a vision of the haunting figure was meant to announced when he asked to exist shown the power of the Nighttime Side. Here'southward one flake of concept art showing the Anakin/Vader apparition ( Episode VIII spoilers brainstorm below the image ):

Now for the skillful stuff – the hint McCaig left regardingEpisode Eight. The post-obit is continued from our source's testimony:

But hither's where information technology gets interesting… The meat actually came at his mention of Rey, and so her mysterious background. He spoke of h ow Qui-Gon and Shmi had a romantic affair in early-mid drafts of TPM, and how yous can still see the remnants of this thought in the final film. He also teased that (paraphrasing) 'though none of these prequel-related concepts were able to be used outright, these ideas remain in the Lucas ecosystem, and filter through.' AND, though he spoke thus quietly, he almost certainly and so said: "…And now we accept a new Skywalker." To me, this confirms without a shadow of a doubt that Rey is, if not Luke'due south daughter, certainly a Skywalker of sorts, and that her backstory volition involve a grey Jedi (Luke?) having an thing with a citizen – possibly with a child built-in of another virgin mother through the Force.

George Lucas's plans for the franchise style dorsum when seemingly excluded Luke Skwalker from getting married (which is why he wasn't happy about Luke tying the knot with theLegends character Mara Jade without the writers asking him commencement), just they stillinvolved Luke having a child. Interestingly enough, Lucas did mention that Jedi weren't necessarily required to be celibate and then long equally they didn't have actual attachments, significant that there probably are a bunch of illegitimate Jedi babies running around throughout the Galaxy. This itself presents the possibility that Luke may take had offspring that he didn't know about on his travels (regardless of whether or not his accept on the Jedi philosophy would take revolved around keeping the tenants that led to the Jedi Order's downfall, which seems a flake unlikely). What McCaig discussed regarding the ideas that surrounded Rey's grapheme suggests that the story backside her family is of import, and that her story could very well involve utilizing concepts that had previously been discarded. So with all that in mind, it seems like there'due south a good chance that Rey is Luke's babe daughter later all.

Now, that'south the story. But before I close the article, I came up with a crazy theory regarding Rey's lineage while writing this, and since the article's already pretty long, I might as well throw it out to the world. Since McCaig brought upward the scrapped concept of Qui-Gon Jinn and Shmi Skywalker'due south cursory love affair, I got to thinking – what if Rey'due south not Luke'southward daughter, simply she's descended from a kid that Shmi conceived with Qui-Gon, who never lived long plenty to learn about his son? This would thus expand the Skywalker bloodline to an entirely new family, though information technology would too crave an explanation equally to why we didn't hear anything most a 2d Skywalker inAttack Of The Clones. "At that place is another Skywalker…" would certainly accept on a brand new meaning in this context. Occam's razor typically indicates that the simplest caption is unremarkably the correct i, just hey, we're yet a year and a half abroad from the movie – and allow's face up it, coming up with featherbrained theories are fun.

More on this story in part 2Hither.

Stay tuned toStar Wars News Internet – your Force for news for all things related to the Galaxy Far, Far Away – as nosotros encompass more rumors nearEpisode Viii. Special thanks to E.R. Cina for providing the info.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan ofStar Wars for as long equally he tin can call up, having seen every picture on the big screen. When he's not hard at piece of work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds ofStar Wars news for SWNN and general moving picture news on the sister site, Movie News Internet. He served every bit a frequent commentator on SWNN's The Resistance Broadcast.

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Source: https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2016/06/iain-mccaig-talks-about-production-on-the-force-awakens-hints-at-star-wars-episode-viii-plot.html