The Bearded Trio

Step back into 1979, when the future of Star Wars was full of mystery, playground hype, and massive promises. I love these retro videos from the 70s where we had so much anticipation for Star Wars. So many unanswered questions which was part of the fun, the mystery of Star Wars. I even remember the buzz in the school playgrounds back then, with everyone talking about Lucas making more Star Wars movies. Some said there were going to be nine in total while others swore it was twelve. To be honest, I just wanted more of it, all while I negotiated with friends to swap their Topps trading cards so I could finally complete my blue bordered series. Back in 1979, Kenner released an internal promotional video aimed at toy store buyers and department stores. The main goal was to convince retailers that Star Wars was far more than a passing fad and to get them to commit massive shelf space for the upcoming toy lineup. Partway through the presentation, the narrator drops a pretty wild line, claimi...

THOR #803 INDIANA JONES MARVEL ARTIFACT VARIANTS COVER BY MAHMUD ASRAR –   75960621705280331 To celebrate the return of Indiana Jones to Marvel Comics, new INDIANA JONES MARVEL ARTIFACTS VARIANT COVERS, featuring the iconic archaeologist uncovering legendary artifacts from across the Marvel Universe, arrive in November. He recovered The Ark of the Covenant. He secured the Holy Grail. Now, famed archaeologist Indiana Jones sets his sights on some of the most powerful items found in the Marvel Universe in all-new INDIANA JONES MARVEL ARTIFACTS COVERS! On Sale 11/25 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1004 INDIANA JONES MARVEL ARTIFACTS VARIANT COVER BY SARA PICHELLI –  75960623001300431   Across five spectacular covers by superstar artists Carmen Carnero, Marco Checchetto, Sara Pichelli, Mahmud Asrar and Iban Coello, Indy goes artifact hunting for some of Marvel’s most legendary items including the Infinity Gauntlet famously wielded by Thanos, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, the Crimson Gem of Cytt...

Exploring the legendary director's foreword for The EC Archives: Shock SuspenStories Did you know Steven Spielberg wrote the foreword for an EC Comics collection? In The EC Archives: Shock SuspenStories Volume 1 , Spielberg talks about growing up reading these classic 1950s comics. While many people at the time dismissed them as just pulpy shockers, he sees them as brilliant little morality tales. He credits writers Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein with being completely fearless, using mystery and sci-fi to take on real-world issues long before mainstream media dared to touch them. He also mentions how the sharp twist endings and killer visual pacing of artists like Wally Wood taught him early lessons in building suspense. You can definitely see that classic EC Comics DNA running through movies like Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark . I personally love these comics and the artwork. UK readers will certainly remember Scream! comic from the 80s, which carried a similar atmospheric vibe....

Just announced at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Comics kicks off a new era of Indiana Jones comics this December with INDIANA JONES AND THE SWORD OF PANDEMONIUM, a five-issue series by acclaimed creators Jason Aaron and Aaron Kuder. Fans who attended the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel at San Diego Comic-Con just witnessed one of the weekend’s biggest surprises! Following reveals for upcoming Marvel Star Wars titles, Marvel Comics’ Outgoing Editor-in-Chief and Editor, Asia Originals C.B. Cebulski announced that Indiana Jones returns to Marvel Comics this December in INDIANA JONES AND THE SWORD OF PANDEMONIUM, an all-new five-issue limited series from superstar writer Jason Aaron and acclaimed artist Aaron Kuder. The series kicks off an all-new era of comic book adventures for the iconic archaeologist set during the original groundbreaking films. In the wake of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy’s most notorious villains, including the impossible return of an archenemy, seek a...

NEWLY RELEASED HIGHLIGHTS FROM SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON  Star Wars™: The Experience, an epic journey through the legacy of Star Wars™, will make its world premiere at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on February 13, 2027, as part of the global celebration of the 50th anniversary of Star Wars. The first exhibit renderings, official key art and new details were unveiled today at San Diego Comic-Con.     Developed by The Franklin Institute in collaboration with Lucasfilm, Disney Consumer Products and MDSX, Star Wars: The Experience – A Journey Through the Galaxy is the official exhibition of the landmark anniversary year, taking fans of all ages inside the galaxy’s creation and celebrating the art, innovation and fandom that have made Star Wars a global phenomenon.    “Debuting the world premiere of Star Wars™: The Experience in Philadelphia is a tremendous honor for The Franklin Institute and for our city,” said Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Frank...

Netflix just sent us straight back to the living room carpet in 1987 So Netflix have decided to mess with our nostalgia and released a VHS-style version of Stranger Things. Not joking. You can watch it on Netflix but it looks exactly like it’s coming through your old VCR. Grainy picture, fuzzy sound, random crackles, and that glorious 4:3 format that made everything look like it was filmed in a shoebox. It honestly looks like something you got from that one person we all knew who could get the latest movies. Barry the barber was my source. And I have to admit, it made me grin. It got me thinking. Should streaming platforms do more of this? It’s not real VHS of course, but it scratches that retro itch. Imagine watching Raiders, Star Wars or E.T. like this. And yes, everyone seemed to have a dodgy copy of E.T. at some point. Good idea or just a bit of fun. Right, I’m off to adjust the tracking before the picture starts rolling. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George ...

Jurassic Park Star Passes Away Sad news: Sam Neill, one of cinema’s true greats, has passed away at the age of 78, surrounded by family in Sydney. His family confirmed the news in a statement, describing the loss as sudden and unexpected, though blessed by the fact that he remained cancer‑free in his final months. Sam Neill wasn’t just an actor, he was a storyteller, a steady presence, and a beloved figure across film, television, and even social media. From Jurassic Park to The Piano, Dead Calm, My Brilliant Career, The Hunt for Red October, Peaky Blinders, and countless other roles, he brought warmth, intelligence, and humanity to every performance. Born in Northern Ireland and raised in New Zealand, Neill carved out a career spanning nearly five decades, becoming one of the most respected actors of his generation. A gentle soul, a remarkable talent, and a true legend. Thank you for the stories, the characters, and the memories. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during t...

Happy Birthday, Tom! Tom Hanks celebrates his 70th birthday today, marking a milestone for one of cinema’s most enduring and beloved figures. Few actors have shaped modern film quite the way Hanks has. For decades he’s brought unforgettable characters to life, always with that unmistakable blend of warmth, honesty and humanity that audiences connect with instantly. It’s also impossible to celebrate the day without recognising his extraordinary creative partnership with Steven Spielberg. Together, Hanks and Spielberg have delivered some of the most powerful and memorable films of the last thirty years. Their collaborations include Saving Private Ryan , a landmark war film that changed the genre; Catch Me If You Can , a stylish and witty chase across decades; The Terminal , a gentle and heartfelt story anchored by Hanks’ charm; and Bridge of Spies , a gripping Cold War drama with quiet emotional weight. Their work hasn’t been limited to the big screen. Hanks and Spielberg have also colla...

THE OFFICIAL EXHIBITION CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF STAR WARS™ OPENS FEBRUARY 2027 AT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE IN PHILADELPHIA MORE EXCLUSIVE DETAILS AND FIRST LOOKS TO COME AT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2026 The world premiere exhibition, Star Wars™: The Experience, an epic journey through the legacy of Star Wars™, will open at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on February 13, 2027, as part of the Star Wars 50th anniversary celebration. Created by The Franklin Institute, in collaboration with MDSX, Lucasfilm and Disney Consumer Products, Star Wars™: The Experience – A Journey Through the Galaxy, is the largest and most comprehensive behind-the-scenes exhibition celebrating the Star Wars galaxy, and the official exhibition during the landmark anniversary year. The all-new exhibition spans 18,000 square feet of visually rich, interconnected galleries, featuring large immersive moments, screen-used artifacts, and an RFID-powered experience for an interactive, personalized, and cinematic journey...

The Boroughs – A Modern Score with an 80s Soul I’ve been listening to John Paesano’s The Boroughs soundtrack a lot lately, and it’s one of those scores that immediately takes you somewhere familiar. It’s atmospheric, mysterious, and wrapped in that unmistakable 80s glow. There’s a warm, analogue sheen to it that instantly brings to mind the golden age of Amblin, suburban fantasy, and gentle sci‑fi wonder. Even though the show is set firmly in the present day, the music feels like it could sit comfortably alongside Poltergeist, Cocoon, Back to the Future, Close Encounters, and even Raiders of the Lost Ark. The show itself has been described as Stranger Things with adults, and that tone absolutely carries through into the score. There’s a Cocoon‑like warmth in the softer cues, a touch of Silvestri’s magic, and moments where I genuinely thought I was listening to James Newton Howard. Paesano leans into the mystery in a way that feels very Shyamalan, restrained and atmospheric with a quie...

Terry Richards Disappointed Over Iconic Raiders Scene It was on this day back in 2014 that it was announced we lost Terry Richards, the brilliant British stunt man whose career spanned Indiana Jones, James Bond, Star Wars and so many classics. Richards had actually passed away on 14th June, aged 81. Richards served in the Welsh Guards before being told by a friend that they needed extras with military training.  He was asked if he could fall from a scaffolding which ultimately led to his long career as a stuntman. Most fans remember him as the Cairo Swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark, a scene that became iconic completely by accident. Richards had trained hard for a full sword fight, but Harrison Ford was too ill to perform it. As Ford explained: “I was no longer capable of staying out of my trailer for more than it took to expose a role of film, which was 10 minutes, and then I would have to flee back there for sanitary facilities.” Ford admitted Richards was disappointed after ...

Retro Sci-Fi Trivia Time!  ​Take a look at this snippet from Starburst Vol. 1, No. 3 which appropriately features Close Encounters on the cover.  The segment in the news section explains just how much George Lucas and Steven Spielberg loved Chuck Jones’ legendary cartoon, Duck Dodgers in the 24½ Century.  ​According to the article: ​George Lucas loved it so much he opened his initial Hollywood cast and crew screening of Star Wars with it, eventually getting it to play before the main feature in a San Francisco cinema. ​Steven Spielberg gave it a shoutout in Close Encounters, where it plays on the TV in the playroom scene ("H'h'h'happy birthday, you thing from another world, you!"). ​​I love finding little stories like this in old mags. The hype for a movie or the industry back then seemed more exciting and more innocent, but at the same time, more cosy.  But rose tinted glasses and all that as they say - Rob The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, Geo...

A look back at the Welsh filmmaker whose work on Return of the Jedi deserves far more recognition. Every now and then I like to shine a light on the filmmakers who helped shape the movies that meant so much to us growing up. Today I’m revisiting one of them: Richard Marquand, the Welsh director of Return of the Jedi . I’m sharing a video tribute I made to him more than ten years ago. The quality is a little rough because it was created long before modern editing tools were easily available, but the heart behind it is still very much there. Marquand is one of those names that often slips through the cracks when people talk about Star Wars. Ask many fans who directed Jedi and you’ll hear the same line repeated again and again: “George Lucas basically took over.” It’s a comment that has been repeated so often it has become part of the mythology. But if you’ve ever read The Making of Return of the Jedi , you’ll know that Marquand’s involvement was far deeper and far more hands‑on than he’...

Brian Johnson, the Oscar‑winning special effects maestro behind some of the greatest sci‑fi films and TV shows ever made, has sadly passed away. His work helped define the look and feel of modern science fiction. From 2001: A Space Odyssey to Alien , from Thunderbirds and Space: 1999 to The Empire Strikes Back , Brian’s craftsmanship shaped entire generations of storytelling. His Oscar for The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the most deserved honours in the history of the Special Achievement category. I was fortunate enough to interview Brian back in 2016 at Showmasters’ Cardiff Film & Comic Con. He was warm, funny, and wonderfully candid, the kind of person who could talk about groundbreaking visual effects with the same ease as sharing a quiet memory from a frozen location shoot. One story that always stayed with me was his time filming The Empire Strikes Back in Norway. While most of us imagine the epic Hoth battle, Brian remembered something far less glamorous: the tiny...

If you love Indiana Jones as much as we do here at The Bearded Trio, this is one to mark on your calendar. Marvel is re‑releasing their entire 1980s run of Indy comics in two gorgeous hardcovers this September and they’ve gone all‑out with the presentation. Leatherette binding, debossed covers, ribbon bookmarks.… these things look like artifacts straight out of Indy’s office. Each volume collects the classic comic adaptations of Raiders , Temple of Doom , and Last Crusade , plus the full Further Adventures series that expanded Indy’s world with brand‑new quests. These stories were created by some absolute giants of the era — Michelinie, Simonson, Byrne, Buscema, Ditko — the list goes on. For anyone who remembers these comics from the 80s, or for fans discovering them for the first time, this is a brilliant way to experience Indy’s adventures beyond the films. Both books land on 30 September , and preorders are open now.

Thank you for creating a galaxy for us to play in — and for changing cinema in ways most people don’t even realise. Lucas didn’t just give us Star Wars. He reshaped the entire filmmaking landscape behind the camera: Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) — founded because the effects Lucas needed simply didn’t exist. ILM went on to pioneer motion control photography, digital compositing, CGI characters, and the modern VFX pipeline. Almost every blockbuster today owes something to ILM’s breakthroughs. THX — created to standardise and improve cinema sound. Lucas wanted audiences to hear films the way filmmakers intended, so he built a system that revolutionised audio quality in theatres worldwide. Non‑linear editing — Lucas pushed for digital editing long before it was mainstream. His work with EditDroid paved the way for Avid and the entire digital editing revolution. Digital cinematography — The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones were key stepping stones in moving Hollywood from film...

The Documentary That Led To The Bearded Trio The documentary The Beginning: The Making of Star Wars Episode I is more than just a behind‑the‑scenes look at The Phantom Menace — it’s the reason this page and our website exist at all. I’ve been a fan of Spielberg, Lucas and Williams since the 70s. Their films, their music, and especially the behind‑the‑scenes magic have always grabbed me. This documentary is one of the best windows into filmmaking I’ve ever seen. No commentary, no narration — just the feeling that you’re standing in the room with the incredible people who brought the film to life. I first watched it around the time The Phantom Menace came out, but when I revisited it in 2009 something clicked. It sparked the urge to create a place that celebrated the work of these three legends. A way to say thank you for the decades of movie magic they’ve given us. That spark became The Bearded Trio. So yes — this documentary is partly responsible for everything we’ve built here togethe...

"I've seen enough, you're fantastic!" - Steven Spielberg One of the great stories from E.T. the Extra‑Terrestrial is how a young C. Thomas Howell ended up playing Tyler, one of the boys in Michael's friend group. According to Howell, the role originally belonged to “a Mormon kid” but when the parents discovered the character had to smoke a cigarette on screen, they pulled him from the production. Suddenly, the door opened for Howell who wasn’t a smoker at all to step into a Spielberg film no less. “I learned to smoke cigarettes on the ride to the audition.” said Howell. In one retelling, Howell says that when he arrived at Steven Spielberg’s office, the director asked him straight out whether he could smoke. Howell, determined to prove he could handle the scene, pulled out a pack of Marlboros and put one between his lips. Before he could even strike a match, Spielberg stopped him. “I’ve seen enough, you’re fantastic.” The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spie...

As we get older, I often wonder if nostalgia loses its effect on us, or becomes more powerful. On one hand, as we age, we gain wisdom about the people and world around us; a normal thought is “Why couldn’t I have this understanding when I was younger?” On the other hand, in the modern world it can often be a challenge to find positive things about said world. Our parents age and depart. Our political leaders fail us. Everything is worse than it was, which naturally gives rise to wishing for a time when things weren’t so bad. Hence, nostalgia. I don’t think any single thing stirs nostalgia in me quite like Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983). I am often amazed at how I look back on my life and see how significant Star Wars events coincide with inflection points within my life. Friday, May 27, 1983, my dad picked me up after completing his work week and we drove to the local theater in Farmington Hills, Michigan, not long before the 6 p.m. showing. But he had a plan, due to the lines a...

£30,000 Alien To Be Sold To Highest Bidder, Shock Horror! Prop Store are holding another impressive auction and as usual there are a load of original props from the world of Star Wars and Star Trek but it's nice to see a unique prop from the world of Steven Spielberg movies and one of the best at that.  Close Encounters of the Third Kind is represented in the auction with this Alien Creature Display which the estimate comes in at an eye-watering £20,000 - £30,000! ($23,000 - $46,000) If you're in a fortunate position that you feel you can bid for this wonderful piece of classic movie history then this link will mean something to you:  www.propstore.com Rob (Lend us a fiver...TURKEY!) The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.