THE CLONE WARS: INTRODUCING SAVAGE OPRESS!

2011 will no doubt be the year of Savage Opress!

Note: This feature contains possible SPOILERS

Savage Opress. He's not just your "average horny little devil." He wants to spill blood. Blood, in particular, that belongs to the Jedi Knights.

Trouble with a capital T!

When Ray Park's indomitable and terrifying destructive force, Darth Maul, met his final end - sliced in half by Ewan McGregor's Force intuitive Obi-Wan Kenobi in one of THE PHANTOM MENACE's greatest scenes (which we can't wait to see in 3D. Take that, Mister Simon Pegg!) - audiences around the world were thrilled yet disappointed to see that he had been killed off so quickly and would not return for more high octane action. So, Opress, one of Maul's equally highly trained brothers, is George Lucas, his daughter Kaite, and Dave Filoni's attempts, which will be very successful, to try to atone for the fall of the earlier Zabrakian, and we're sure all kinds of hell will be following within his large shadow when he, a chaos causing gift to Count Dooku by the Night Sisters of Dathomir, eventually takes on the Republic forces for numerous acts of Sith propelled slaughter. There are also rumours floating about on cyberpace - and please take them with a pinch of salt - that Ahsoka may eventually (and we're talking at the end of the animated series entire run) fall victim to this new warrior, of which her death will propel Anakin further to his destiny with the Dark Side as he surely gets his revenge! Of these rumours, I can only quote Qui-Gon Jinn: "Be wary!"  


Things are about to get a lot worse for the Jedi. All images: copyright LUCASFILM ANIMATION




http://tv.yahoo.com/star-wars-the-clone-wars/show/38472/videos/22903025#111010
http://www.starwars.com/video/view/001147.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBK7uaX5dOA

Time will tell on all things, but, in the meantime, the fireworks of battle will fly! Especially against Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi!

DUEL OF THE FATES. Part Two!

Coming from 7th January 2011 to CARTOON NETWORK in the US and SKY MOVIES PREMIERE and HD in the UK.

"THE CLONE WARS" COMING SOON: QUINLAN VOS

Created by writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, the EPISODE I inspired Expanded Universe CLONE WARS comic favourite (later mentioned by name in EPISODE III by Obi-Wan Kenobi, though his on screen death during ORDER 66 was animaticed but never filmed (it fortunately exists in vosual form in the DARK HORSE 2005 comic adaptation)), is a Jedi who walks a dangerous path between the light and dark sides of the Force in his missions, and was once partnered to Aayla Secrura (who mentions him, but not by name, in THE CLONE WARS first season episode JEDI CRASH), and he'll soon be making his much anticipated first animated appearance in the hit show (presumably this third season- as they're using him on series promotional material currently (as seen in the above image). Intriguingly, Vos was to have appeared in the first season episode BOMBAD JEDI, alongside Jar Jar Binks, but he was dropped as the production team didn't have the budget to create additional new characters in the shows opening year). I think we can also assume that wherever Vos is in this new tale, Secura will be involved, too (who knows, perhaps she even gets a solo episode linked to his!).

More news on Vos and his episode (could it be linked to his Dathomir/ Witch Sisters upcoming plotline?) as and when we get it...

UPDATE - 1/11/10. Vos will be seen in Episode Nine of SEASON THREE - THE HUNT FOR ZIRO - alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi.

CELEBRATION V: "THE CLONE WARS" SEASON THREE NEWS...

With THE CLONE WARS then still under wraps, aside from some early art and a wow factor trailer, for the most part of the previous Celebration IV, the gloves were now off and the secrecy shackles removed from Dave Filoni for this years Celebration V, as he presented two spectacular digital screening panels to packed and eager audiences for the upcoming third season of THE CLONE WARS. Here's some of the great information I was able to glean from the event, on what looks set to be an absolutely fantastic new season of epic battles, grand heroics and truly evil deeds.


Please note, there are lots of spoilers below.

The opening episodes see a stunning attack on the clone facilities at Kamino by the Separatists, led by Asajj Ventress, in underwater attack ships (similar to the one that captured Rotta the Hutt's Tatooine Sail Barge from the Clone Wars movie) that literally latch themselves onto the Kaminoan cities and smash their way into the superstructures, unleashing destruction on a grand scale (including an incredible scene where the Clone vats are destroyed) and a new series of Super Battle Droids.


Several new Jedi faces will be added to the ranks, though one will be killed by a mysterious assassin or creature during the series run. Shaak Ti is also a new face to the series- the decision was taken to introduce her later in the run so that kids would not get her confused with the similar looking Ahsoka.


Its been hinted at by Filoni that the previously thought to be destroyed Slave One vessel of Boba Fett is in the hands of pirate Hondo Ohnaka, and is getting a refurbishment that will make the ship look a little closer in appearance to the way it will be in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.


There will be a link/character from the Classic Trilogy appearing in Season Three (our money is on a teenage Han Solo, whose planned appearance was cut from EPISODE III).


The series may go beyond its planned five year run (Lucas and co. are currently working on Year Five as you read this), and looks set to run for as long as its popular with fans and audiences.


In a question I asked Filoni at one of the talks he confirmed that, with the advances in series CGI realisation (including rain and sea waves for Kamino, fire and costume material for the characters), we will one day see Wookiees and Kashyyyk in the series.

The action sequences have been amped up with better lighting and angles and a greater sense of realism now that the CGI has been improved and refined even further. Expect to see a lot more believability of movement and more shadows and reflections.


Count Dooku, in very stylish pyjamas no less!, will have a stunning lightsaber duel with a group of mostly invisible assassins-an idea that was conceived by Lucas (though it's initial concept did put a smile on Filoni's face at the thought of invisible people!) and looked superb in the footage shown at the event. Overall, there will be more of Dooku in this season and we'll also find out what the title crawl to EPISODE III meant when it said "There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere."

Based on designs originally conceived by Ian McCaig for EPISODE ONE, the scarily drawn Sith Witches become reality, now known as the Witches of Dathomir, the home race of Asajj Ventress, revealed in Season Three. In the episode/s, Ventress is seemingly on the run from Dooku/Sidious and seeks refuge with her "family" on Dathomir, on a planet where the male and female races have evolved separately from one another. Its been hinted at that this season will be the last for Ventress's character-which is a bit of a shame.


From the new mega trailer (first shown exclusively at the CV event, and edited by one of Filoni's best friends, who now also works for LUCASFILM), the Duchess of Satine and the Mandalorians will return, as do the Toydarians, Aurra Sing, Clone Commander Wolf, Jabba and Ziro the Hutt (the latter, possibly along with Boba Fett (?), busted from prison on Coruscant and heralding the start of a Hutt clan war later in the season), Jar Jar Binks (once more voiced by Ahmed Best), plus General Grievous and Cad Bane (who gives Obi-Wan Kenobi an "electrifying" time in one lightsaber duel).


The big highlight for many though was the reveal of Darth Maul's brother, Savage Opres, who will become a regular enemy for the Jedi to fight this season- a gift from the Witches of Dathomir to Count Dooku.


The Clone Commandos also make a brief cameo in one episode, in a sequence shown at the convention that brought the house down with applause after years of waiting for a visual appearance somewhere in live action or animated Prequel-dom.

Katie Lucas has written quite a few episodes for this season, including the Ventress/Dathomir episodes and one coming up which will star the entire Lucas family as the blue skinned Papanoidia family, with George's Baron heavily involved in an action sequence in a cantina, though son Jett was unhappy that his animated character's gun wasn't as big as his dad's!

The Year Three mega trailer for THE CLONE WARS can be seen on the official STAR WARS site's main CELEBRATION V home page, and is coming to the US CARTOON NETWORK from September 17th 2010, and on SKY in the UK by at least the end of October this year.