Thursday 5 March 2015

MADAME TUSSAUDS UK UPDATE: OUR HEROES TAKE SHAPE!

The best talents for the best heroes, as Luke, Leia and Han take shape. Images: MADAME TUSSAUDS.

Those imagineering waxwork-making talents at MADAME TUSSAUDS, London, have sent us another exciting behind-the-scenes update on their eagerly awaited STAR WARS exhibition (which opens its box office up from today), giving us our first superb look at the heads of our main Classic Trilogy heroes: Luke, Han and Leia- surely some of the finest work the company has ever done. We can't wait to see more updates! 

German fans- the second most popular SW community in Europe after the UK- must be equally delighted with the news of a separate all-new exhibition opening in Berlin, with different figures and recreated scenes. 

First glimpse of Star Wars waxworks | London - ITV News Madame Tussauds London - Star Wars





STAR WARS HEROES TAKE SHAPE AT MADAME TUSSAUDS LONDON

Thursday March 5, 2015. It is a period of great excitement. A group of talented sculptors and set designers are continuing work on a project of galactic importance, the recently announced, major new Star Wars experience at Madame Tussauds London. The multi-million pound expansion, being created in collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm, is due to open on Saturday May 16, 2015 and work is now well underway bringing to life 16 of the movie’s favourite heroes and villains including Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. 



As the first tickets for the new experience went on sale today, Madame Tussauds London released images of early work in progress of these three figures, revealing startlingly accurate, perfect clay sculptures of some of the best-loved characters in movie history. The clays will be used to make the moulds to create the figures’ final wax heads and when complete the likenesses will feature in a series of atmospheric walk-in sets, inspired by iconic moments from Star Wars Episodes I-VI.



Han Solo is portrayed in his trademark maverick style with a relaxed expression and lopsided grin. His finished figure will feature in a scene from the famous cantina bar as he faces down bounty hunter Greedo. Princess Leia is portrayed as Jabba the Hutt’s prisoner, her head sculpted in accurate detail complete with massive gold hoop earrings, swept up hair and an expression of muted fury. Luke Skywalker’s expression is one of intense concentration, as his figure will feature in the pivotal final battle scene with his father.



The team creating the experience understands they have a responsibility to get it right, and Senior Sculptor, Dave Burks, who is creating Luke Skywalker’s figure is a massive Star Wars fan. “I know if I get any aspect of this figure wrong, a generation of fans will have a lot to say about it, so it is a huge responsibility,” Dave commented. He continued: “I have loved the films since I first saw them as a child and would certainly describe myself as a major fan. I was delighted to be asked to sculpt Luke and to be involved in such a unique project is awesome. Luke has a great face for a sculptor - big eyes and very expressive - but we are aiming to inject a sense of the character too, so I’ve got to ensure there’s a certain intensity to him. His figure is featured in the final duel with Darth Vader when he’s a bit older and battle worn.”  
    
These three heroes will be joined by many more including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn from Episodes I-III and villains like Darth Vader, Darth Maul and sinister Stormtroopers. Guests will be able to get close to their favourite film heroes as wax figures BUT they will also be able to star alongside them as the experience recreates some of the most iconic scenes from some of the most famous films ever made.  
The experience is a significant new expansion at Madame Tussauds London, opening up an entire new area across two floors of the iconic Baker Street site to provide a spectacular finale to the current visit.

The experience is due to open on Saturday May 16, 2015 - tickets are now on sale at www.madametussauds.com/london, where you can also find all the latest news and updates.

A similar experience will also open at Madame Tussauds Berlin in May featuring 11 Star Wars characters, but in different specially recreated scenes. 



No comments: