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Tag: Lucasfilm

  • ‘Indy 5’ Opens with an Impressive Thursday Preview

    ‘Indy 5’ Opens with an Impressive Thursday Preview

    Ahead of its full theatrical opening, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny grossed an impressive $7.2M from its Thursday night preview screenings. While that total may not seem to ring the bell in the same way that Marvel Studios preview nights do, as Deadline reports it is a very good haul when compared to similar films.

    Dial of Destiny outgrossed both No Time to Die and Mission: Impossible-Fallout which opened to $6.3M and $6M, respectively. Both of those films opened near enough to the $65M projected opening for the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise which would be considerably less than the $100.1M opening of the last installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Given the film’s large production and marketing budgets, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the final Indy adventure will break even much less turn profit.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Heading to a Soft $65M Domestic Opening Weekend

    ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Heading to a Soft $65M Domestic Opening Weekend

    Indiana Jones is a household name and while it’s a franchise that has way more breaks between releases than others, the nostalgia factor alone would seem like the perfect draw for audiences. Yet, it seems that even Harrison Ford’s return to the iconic role isn’t going to be putting a lot of butts in the cinemas. As of now, the film seems to be heading to a $65M opening weekend in 4,500 theaters.

    Globally, it’s not looking too much larger as it’s heading towards $80M with a potential total of $150M worldwide. Now, that isn’t a terrible start mind you but the issue lies in the fact that the film costs around $295M. That is excluding marketing and promotion costs, which makes it the most expensive entry in the franchise. So, the film has a long shot at turning a profit.

    It’s also set to open below Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which pulled in $100M in May of 2008. That film went on to make $790M globally and remains the highest-grossing entry of the franchise. James Mangold is taking over from Steven Spielberg with Dial of Destiny, but it seems a mixed reception from critics due to a risky Cannes showcase that may be backfiring on Disney and Lucasfilm.

    The film could still make a decent amount but it would need to make at least 600M to cover its production budget with another 200M minimum to cover its marketing budget, which might be far more expensive than we think. So, it’s a high gamble from Disney and who knows if they’ll be willing to do the same. This lower opening also continues to highlight that what some are trying to call superhero fatigue is affecting the entire blockbuster scene. Did theaters overestimate how ready audiences are set to return?

    Source: Variety

  • Disney Adds Two Star Wars Films to Its 2026 Slate

    Disney Adds Two Star Wars Films to Its 2026 Slate

    At Star Wars Celebration 2023, it became clear that Lucasfilm intended to make a splash in their return to theaters. Just a few months later, the studio has staked out a pair of new theatrical dates.

    According to THR, Lucasfilm, which has not released a film since 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker, will now have two releases in 2026. The first of those, originally slated for 2025, will debut on May 22nd, 2026 and will be followed up with another theatrical release on December 18th, 2026. They are joined on the slate by the preexisting December 17th, 2027 date and it’s likely that those 3 dates will be occupied by the three films revealed at Star Wars Celebration.

    Of Lucasfilm’s 3 announced films, it’s believed that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy‘s New Jedi Order era film, which was being rewritten by Steven Knight after Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson left the project, is furthest along in development. That makes May 22nd, 2026 the likely landing spot for that film and it now seems likely that it will be joined that year by Dave Filoni‘s New Republic-era film which might occupy the new December 18th, 2026 date. James Mangold‘s Dawn of the Jedi-era project remains in development but given the director’s current slate, it seems likeliest to end up in 2027.

    Source: THR

  • Star Wars Streaming Series ‘Ahsoka’ Shifts Release Date

    Star Wars Streaming Series ‘Ahsoka’ Shifts Release Date

    With under 3 months to go before it’s set to stream on Disney Plus, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars streaming series, Ahsoka, has gotten a new release date. Originally set to release on August 31st, the Rosario Dawson-led series will not debut on August 23rd.

    The series is set to reunite former Jedi Ahsoka Tano with the crew of the the Ghost as they embark on a quest to find Ezra Bridger. Mandalorian Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla and Chopper (and maybe some surprises) will join Bridger in making their live-action debuts along with the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn.

    Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.

  • Natashsa Liu Bordizzo on Sabine’s Headspace in ‘Ahsoka’

    Natashsa Liu Bordizzo on Sabine’s Headspace in ‘Ahsoka’

    In 2018, the final episode of the final season of the animated canonical series Star Wars Rebels ended with Sabine Wren making a promise to find Ezra Bridger. Five years and a jump to live-action later, fans will finally see Sabine, brought to life by actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo, make good on that promise in the Disney Plus streaming series Ahsoka.

    As teased in the epilogue to the final episode of Star Wars Rebels, former Jedi Ahsoka Tano will accompany Sabine on the journey to find out what happened to their friend after they freed Ezra’s home planet of Lothal from looming Imperial presence. While it’s not entirely clear how much time has passed in the galaxy far, far away since the epilogue, Bordizzo says that Sabine’s promise to find Ezra remains at the forefront of the character’s mind.

    “She feels an obligation to him,” Bordizzo told Empire. “When they freed Lothal, she was given this hero status. But she doesn’t feel that she’s earned that because she lost her friend in that whole debacle. She’s just focused on the promise she made to him to find him.” And while finding Ezra will fulfill that promise, Sabine and the rest of the crew of the Ghost will have to deal with the fact that their friend won’t be the only familiar face they find. How will she and her friends deal with the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who went missing alongside Ezra? Tune into Ahsoka when it debuts on Disney Plus on August 31st to begin to find the answer to that question.

  • Dave Filoni on His Biggest Challenge in Creating ‘Ahsoka’

    Dave Filoni on His Biggest Challenge in Creating ‘Ahsoka’

    Now one of two primary creators of the New Republic era stories being told through multiple streaming series on Disney Plus ahead of a theatrical event, Dave Filoni was once the chief creative mind behind Lucasfilm’s canonical animated adventures such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Through Disney Plus streaming series such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Filoni has had the opportunity to shepherd the adaptation of several fan-favorite animated characters into live-action.

    Of those characters, none was dearer to Filoni than Ahsoka Tano, who, played by Rosario Dawson, made her live-action debut in the second season of The Mandalorian. Now, three years later, the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker will take center stage in her own streaming series, Ahsoka, and Filoni opened up to Empire about putting his beloved creation at the center of a series to be shared with legions of Star Wars fans, some of whom have not seen the animated adventures that fleshed out her story.

    Ahsoka Tano from “STAR WARS: TALES OF THE JEDI”, season 1 exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    While Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels are considered canon, Filoni is acutely aware that not everyone who will be tuning into Ahsoka will be a Star Wars completist, meaning that not insignificant chunk of the audience won’t be fully familiar with the lead character’s story. According to Filoni, that presented him with a bit of a problem. “The biggest challenge was, there’s a whole bunch of audience that know her, and a whole bunch that don’t,” said Filoni. “She has one foot in the Star Wars that a lot of people know because of her connection to Anakin, and yet she’s all new and can go in her own direction, in her own way.”

    As is often the case with creatives, however, Filoni found a way to reframe that challenging aspect of the character. Rather than limit Ahsoka by holding her to what little fans who haven’t seen the animated series do know about her, Filoni has chosen to see the unfamiliarity as door that opens myriad possibilities. “I think that makes her an interesting bridge between what came before and what’s really possible,” said Filoni of Ahsoka’s potential. Given that the character is likely set to play a major role in Filoni’s New Republic era film and his enduring love for her, it sounds like there may be many more stories in Ahsoka’s future.

    Ahsoka debuts on Disney Plus on August 31st.

    Source: Empire

  • Ahsoka Tano Creator Dave Filoni on the Character’s Lonely Journey to Her Solo Series

    Ahsoka Tano Creator Dave Filoni on the Character’s Lonely Journey to Her Solo Series

    After making the jump to live-action in The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano her own streaming series this August on Disney Plus. Ahsoka, brought to live action by Rosario Dawson, has had one of the most compelling and emotional arcs of https://www.empireonline.com/tv/news/ahsoka-wanderer-dave-filoni-exclusive-image/any character in the great history of the Star Wars franchise. Once the promising Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka is a Jedi no more and now finds herself in a galaxy again on the brink of another major power struggle. The series, set in the same New Republic era as The Mandalorian, will reunite the character with her friends from the cast of and, according to an Empire interview with creator Dave Filoni, help her find a “new purpose.”

    “She’s a wanderer at this point,” says Filoni of Ahsoka’s lifestyle at the beginning of the series, “and is in a lot of ways wary of any organization as such because of the power that comes with it as a group. She walks a path that basically died out a long time ago,” he explains. “And there aren’t many like her left, if any. So that’s a lonely thing.” No longer a Jedi, Ahsoka is more of a ronin, as fans have seen in her appearances in The Mandalorian.

    However, as teased in the final episode of Star Wars Rebels, the former Jedi has one very important mission to take care of that will reunite her with her friends, the crew of the Ghost, who she hasn’t seen in years. “If you are a loner, you have a very small circle of friends. What is it like, then, when you try to open back up?” That question seems to be at the heart of what fans can expect in Ahsoka.

    With the series set to see Grand Admiral Thrawn return to the galaxy far, far away, it is expected to play a major role in the ongoing New Republic era of stories. While it’s not been confirmed, it’s widely believed that the character will play a large role in Filoni’s untitled and undated Star Wars “Heir to the Empire” film. If that’s the case, that makes Ahsoka a ca n’t-miss for fans when it starts streaming on Disney Plus on August 31st.

    Source: Empire

  • Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Updates the Future of Indiana Jones

    Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Updates the Future of Indiana Jones

    Harrison Ford has made it very clear that Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny will be his final appearance as Dr. Henry Jones Jr. The film, which screened at 2023’s Cannes Film Festival, opens in just over a month and the press tour is already in full swing. In a recent interview with EW’s Dagobah Dispatch podcast, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy gave an update on what the future holds for the franchise.

    One of two iconic characters brought to life by Ford, Indiana Jones has been at the center of five films and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series and according to Kennedy, that’s all there will ever be…for now. “It’s Harrison’s last entry. That’s how we look at the Indy franchise,” said Kennedy. “I mean, truthfully, right now, if we were to do anything, it might be in series television down the road, but we’re not doing anything to replace Indiana Jones. This is it. There are five movies that Harrison Ford did. And Harrison is so specific and so unique to creating this role. We just, Steven [Spielberg] agrees, we just wouldn’t do that.” Perhaps partially fueled by the poor reaction to Alden Ehrenreich replacing Ford as his other iconic character, Han Solo, it seems the decision has been made to leave well enough alone.

    While that’s pretty a definitive answer on the future of the character, Kennedy’s mention of a potential television series is of note, however. While there may not be more Indiana Jones, the world the character has inhabited over the years included many colorful characters and big-name IPs are hard to come by in Hollywood. Lucasfilm has already dipped its creative toes into that Indy IP stream once, beginning development on a streaming series centered around Indy’s mentor, Abner Ravenwood; however, that project was reportedly abandoned as the studio refocused its efforts on Star Wars. For now, it seems that fans of the character will have to make do with what’s out there and enjoy Ford’s last ride.

    Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30th.

    Source: Dagobah Dispatch

  • ‘Ahsoka’ Release Date May Have Been Revealed

    ‘Ahsoka’ Release Date May Have Been Revealed

    Lucasfilm’s next Star Wars streaming series, Ahsoka, has been slated for an August release since Star Wars Celebration 2023. However, as Bob Iger‘s return to Disney has slowed the roll of the company’s big hitters on its streaming service, it’s been tough to pin down exact release dates…until recently. Kevin Feige just revealed when the next two Marvel Studios’ series, Loki and Echo, would hit Disney Plus and now it seems the release date for Ahsoka may have made its way out into the world, although not intentionally.

    In a page now unavailable, Disney Movie Insiders indicated that Ahsoka is scheduled to premiere on Disney Plus on August 31st. Of course, on the internet nothing is ever truly gone and a screenshot of the information was captured before it was taken down.

    Disney Plus has been releasing Star Wars and Marvel Studios on Wednesdays for some time and August 31st is a Thursday but there’s some reason to believe the date for Ahsoka might be accurate. Feige’s recent release of the start dates for Loki and Echo revealed that those Marvel Studios series will drop on Disney Plus on Fridays. With Loki set to debut on August 6th, Ahsoka’s last 3 episodes would run concurrently with Loki’s first 3 episodes (assuming both of the shows are releasing one episode per week). By moving Ahsoka to Thursday and running Loki on Friday, Disney Plus original series would more often than not dominate the weekend discourse on social media. We’ll continue to monitor the situation but until Lucasfilm releases the date officially, don’t etch it into your stone calendars just yet.

  • Yoda’s Age in ‘Young Jedi Adventures’ Revealed

    Yoda’s Age in ‘Young Jedi Adventures’ Revealed

    Though Lucasfilm’s new animated series, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, is set during the High Republic Era, a period of time that spans 500 BBY-82 BBY and is set well before the prequel films, it does include a familiar face. At the center of the series are three Jedi Younglings, Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay and the adorable Poob, Nubs, who are learning the ways of the Force and the core values of the Jedi Order. While the trio of Younglings are assigned a Jedi Master at their Jedi Temple on the planet Tenoo, they are frequently visited throughout the seven-episode series by one of the most iconic Jedi: Master Yoda.

    Including Yoda gives the show a sense of familiarity while exploring the High Republic era, a time period which to date has only been developed through comic books and novels; additionally, it fills in the gaps of the Jedi Master’s long life. Fans of the original trilogy remember that Yoda was 900 years old at the time of his death in The Empire Strikes Back. Given that the events of that film took place four years after the Battle of Yavin, that places Yoda’s birth in the year 896 BBY…well before the beginning of the High Republic Era. So how old is Yoda in Young Jedi Adventures?

    Though he’s already walking with a cane, Yoda is a bit sprier than he’s shown to be during the prequel era…as to be expected from a youngster only in his 600s! According to an official synopsis of the show, the events of Young Jedi Adventures are set 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. That film was set in the year 32 BBY, so following that canonically established timeline, Young Jedi Adventures is set in the year 232 BBY meaning Yoda would be 664 years old during the time period explored in the animated series.

    By the time Luke Skywalker came to him on Dagobah, Yoda had been training Jedi for over 800 years and that’s exactly what he’s up to in Young Jedi Adventures. Given his incredibly long life, Yoda’s inclusion in the High Republic Era was always a given and this is hardly the first time he’s appeared in a project set during that time. Since the conception of the High Republic Era’s rollout, Yoda has always been a part of the plan to introduce the new time period and has been featured in multiple comic books already. According to Daniel José Older, a lead story architect for the High Republic Era publications, Yoda is “already a respected member of the Jedi Council at this point,” and is “doing what he loves best: looking out for the young folks.” Given the expansion of Yoda’s story currently ongoing in a solo comic, it’s safe to say the wise, old Jedi Master will continue to show up across Lucasfilm’s line of media.

    Source: Star Wars