The Summer of Gaming has truly arrived, as we are getting an onslaught of rumors, reports, and whatever the Internet can imagine. The latest story is now Star Wars related. Not just that, but it’s all about Ubisoft’s first foray into the science-fiction franchise. We’ve long heard the rumor of an open-world game being in development by Massive Entertainment. It was first mentioned back in January 2021 and it seems we might finally see more of it soon.
While an early 2024 release doesn’t mean we should expect it in the upcoming PlayStation Showcase or Xbox Showcase, it does mean that they might be revving up marketing for the latest entry sooner rather than later. Supposedly, the game is eyeing a March 2024 release as “another large game” would release alongside Assassin’sCreed Mirage, Skull and Bones, as well as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
So far, we still have no clue what exactly the game will be about. There has been a lot of hope that the franchise moves away from the Jedi for a bit and focuses a bit more on the life of a bounty hunter. Getting the chance to play a Mandalorian would be fitting for those that still mourn what could’ve been Star Wars 1313 if it wasn’t canceled back in the day. Plus, The Mandalorian proved just how popular the race is and how fitting they’d be for a game adaptation.
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.
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.
There’s no easy way to really talk about a project like Star Wars Visions. The anthology series offers something unique with different studios getting the chance to tell a unique story in a galaxy far far away. Going into the second season, Lucasfilm is taking a new approach by expanding beyond Japanese studios to give the world an opportunity to leave a unique stamp on this anthology series. Did their ambitions continue to make this series stand out in this ambitious era of animation?
One thing is clear: the idea to go beyond anime made this season truly stand out. The animation is beautiful and every studio brings something unique to each project. What continues to be the big selling point of this anthology is just taking known concepts and giving them new life by allowing other creatives to play around with the world we are familiar with. With the added variety of creatives, it adds to the feeling that these stories are quite a bit more personal this time around.
El Guiri’s Sith offers a visual showcase that blends the lines between reality in its visual style to add something that uses color in such a creative way, it caught me off-guard when its story caught up with the visuals. A lot of this season, at least early on, explores the themes of on which side of the Force you’ll find yourself. Screecher’s Reach by Cartoon Saloon and Mir’s Journey to the Dark Head offer these really interesting stories in two distinct ways. They offer a look at what you’re willing to do to accomplish your goals but end up in very different places.
Then you also have some fun with Aardman’s animated I am Your Mother, which just looks at a young X-Wing pilot cadet and her relationship with her mother. Of course, there’s also something just so charming about the stop-motion approach from the creators of Wallace and Gromit that makes this little special just stand out, especially with its humor.
Then you also have 88 Pictures’ The Bandits of Golak and Punkrobot’s In the Stars, which explore the galaxy far far away from the unique perspectives of those just trying to survive. It highlights how two very distinctly animated projects explore tales of survival in a Sith-dominated world. Even Studio La Cachette’s The Spy Dancer uses that concept to offer a rather heartfelt twist in its short runtime.
Then you also have Triggerfish’s beautifully animated Aau’s Song and D’art Shtajio’s The PIt that highlight just how diverse these stories can be told. The new season continues where the first left off and hopefully, they will continue making more seasons. Stand-outs personally were Screecher’s Reach and The Spy Dancer which felt like the perfect combination of beautiful animation with emotional storytelling. It’s not to say that the others didn’t provide the same but when you have so many good choices, it becomes difficult to truly pinpoint what makes a project stand out.
Season 1 of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars streaming series Andor took a deep dive into some uncomfortable corners of the galaxy far, far away. One of those corners included the moon known as Narkina 5, which was the location of an Imperial Prison Complex where Cassian Andor found himself sent following his arrest on Niamos. There, Andor met one of the series’ most talked about new characters: Andy Serkis‘ Kino Loy.
The floor manager of Unit-Five-Two-D, Loy evolved from a no-nonsense ball buster to one of the organizers of the wonderful “One Way Out!” breakout from Narkina.
When he was incarcerated, he then almost sheds any desire to look out for other people apart from himself. Just do his time and get out. To try and get out and just survive the sentence, the torture, the desensitization. I think it was that desensitization that made me perhaps have that slightly lost but kind of hardened and toughened shell.
Andy Serkis on Kino Loy
That breakout, as you might remember, led to the prisoners having to jump into the water surrounding the prison and the revelation that, after having led the prisoners to freedom, Loy couldn’t join them in their escape because he couldn’t swim. The last we saw of him, Loy was left behind in the prison to face an uncertain fate: did he make the jump or choose to remain in prison and face the consequences? In an interview with ET, series creator Tony Gilroy and Serkis recently revealed Loy’s choice.
“Well, he didn’t die,” revealed Gilroy, adding “I don’t know what happened, but he didn’t die. We never see him die.” According to Serkis, that means Loy stayed behind at the prison because he certainly didn’t jump. “If he jumped, that would be the end of him and he would be out of the picture,” explained Serkis. “But no, he’s alive and [Kino’s] working out his next move.”
Does that mean Loy might turn up in Season 2? While neither Gilroy nor Serkis gave any indication, the short answer is most likely “no.” While fans responded well to Serkis‘ character and there might be a time and place for him to return, Season 2 of Andor looks set to move at breakneck speed covering 4 years of time in 12 episodes. The Narkina 5 arc was beautifully designed and shot and had a major impact on the audience and Andor and with the fact that the prisoners there were making components for the Death Star already revealed, it might be best to let that part of the story remain complete.
One of the most interesting aspects of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars streaming series Andor was how it tied into not only the live-action film Rogue One but also the beloved animated streaming series. One character who tied into both eras is Saw Gerrera, played by Forrest Whitaker, and it seems that the character is destined for another go around in Andor Season 2.
Locations for Season 2 of Andor have indicated that the streaming series would find a way to incorporate not only major characters from the animated series but also the transitional live-action series as well. Despite the bad news facing them and according to Whitaker, Gerrara is set to appear in Season 2 of Andor.
As for what Whitaker’s Gerrera might be up to ahead of Andor Season 2, it is absolutely tied to the events of Rogue One. The first season of the show deals a significant amount of growth for Diego Luna‘s Cassian Andor. At some point soon, Andor will be faced with the totality of his actions and we all will be left to judge its success!
What began as a “top secret” Star Wars sequel-era project being written by Damon Lindelof has now become known as the first project in an all-new era of Star Wars stories know as the New Jedi Order era. That film, which looks to be on track for a 2025 release, is set to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and will see Daisy Ridley–and possibly John Boyega–return to the franchise. Though it looks like production will be able.to get underway sometime next year, it hasn’t necessarily been a smooth ride.
After delivering a script co-authored by Justin Britt-Gibson, Lindelof left the project but was quickly replaced by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. The announcement of Ridley’s return as Rey stirred up both positive and negative buzz, though it was recently rumored she was not intended to be the film’s protagonist. That role was expected to go to Aquaman and Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who is already on board for a major Disney project in Marvel Studios streaming series Wonder Man. Now, a new rumor from the same source that initially reported Abdul-Mateen‘s involvement indicates the star has left the project.
During a recent segment on The Hot Mic Podcast, the show’s co-hosts seemed to confirm that the film’s “original lead”, who was “from Watchmen“, had departed the project. It seems the timing of Abdul-Mateen‘s departure coincided with Lindelof’s decision to move on, though no further details about that connection were given.
Despite all that, it’s full speed ahead on the New Jedi Order project. Casting is expected to be ongoing throughout the Summer with principal photography to follow in either late-2023 or early-2024. Though it has been made official by Lucasfilm, the project is expected to be in theaters on December 19, 2025.
According to the Hot Mic Podcast, Lucasfilm is negotiating a return of sequel star John Boyega. If true, it’s especially noteworthy given that Boyega had relatively recently made it clear that he had no plans to return to the franchise.
At this point I’m cool off it. I’m good off it. I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation. But I feel like ‘[Episode] VII’ to ‘[Episode] IX’ was good for me.
John Boyega on Tell Me Everything
While the only known details about the film indicate it will focus on Rey and tell “the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down” the Hot Mic Podcast co-hosts also suggested that Rey will not be the film’s lead but rather fill the sort of mentor role that Luke Skywalker did in the sequel trilogy. Those rumors seem to fall in line with a previous rumor that Yahya Abdul-MateenII had joined the project in a lead role. It’s unknown just how big of a role Boyega‘s Finn would have in the film should he agree to return.
With Chapter 24 of The Mandalorian now streaming, Season 3 of the series is now in the books! Though the finale made good on several season-long arcs, made some major moves and significantly changed the status quo of the New Republic era, it probably won’t erase some of the hard feelings fans felt towards some of the other episodes along the way. Now that all eight episodes have been etched in beskar, we take a look back and the best and the worst of Season 3.
Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore
One of the best episodes of the entire series, The Mines of Mandalore was the highlight of Season 3. This chapter saw Din Djarin, Grogu and still reluctant Bo-Katan Kryze take the first step in restoring Mandalore to its former glory. The episode’s exploration of the mythology and culture of Mandalorians was something hardcore fans loved and are still buzzing about even after the finale.
Kicking off the second half of the season, The Pirate was a remarkably well-made episode that firmly grounded the events of the series in the larger universe of the New Republic and set in motion the march to the finale. While it started off as the story of Grogu and Din Djarin, The Mandalorian has grown into something much bigger as has its central cast of characters. Just as everything seemed to be trending up for everyone, The Pirate reminded everyone it’s not always so easy to put the past behind you.
Chapter 23: The Spies
The Shadow Council. The revelation that Gideon had set up shop deep within Mandalore. Din Djarin’s impassioned speech to Bo-Katan. The sacrifice of Paz Viszla. The Spies was about as good of a penultimate episode as we could have hoped for and was the perfect bridge between Chapter 22’s feel-good story and Chapter 24’s finale.
Before Chapter 20 streamed, fans had spent the better part of a week bemoaning its short run time. And then the episode spent almost every second of that runtime with its ears pinned back and having a helluva lot of fun. A huge episode for Bo-Katan’s redemption; an incredible action sequence with some crazy birds of prey; more of Grogu’s story complete with the live-action introduction of Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. Just a great all-around Star Wars story.
Chapter 24: The Return
While it lacked the big cameo appearance of the Season 2 finale, The Return gave fans everything they’d been asking for in Season 3 and somehow still made them unhappy. The Mandalorian Renaissance has officially begun with the destruction of the Darksaber symbolically ushering in a new era free of the prejudices of the past. Mando and Grogu kicked ass together and left to begin their journey anew in Season 4. Big action and big heart came together for a fun and fulfilling Season 3 finale.
Though it felt like a sluggish start to Season 3, in hindsight, The Apostate laid the foundation for a great season of The Mandalorian. Not only did it remind us of just how big the galaxy in which this story is told is, it subtly set us up to see what had previously been a story with a pretty small scope expand into one that has major consequences for the New Republic era of storytelling.
Chapter 19: The Convert
Notable for establishing the hypocrisy of the New Republic and establishing it as anything but safe, The Convert took the focus off of Din and Grogu in lieu of some time with Doctor Pershing and Elia Kane. If the characters of The Mandalorian were ever going to start impacting the galaxy on a larger scale (spoiler, they were) then making sure the audience has a good grasp on the goings on of that galaxy matter. So while this episode seemed pretty humdrum, not every episode can be action-packed.
Memorable for is wild cameos and the hatred they inspired online, Chapter 22 actually had quite a bit to say for anyone paying attention to the story rather than than the players. From beginning to end, Guns for Hire actually served as a reminder of just how big of a mess the galaxy is and how hard it is for the wounds of war to heal. Unfortunately, the episode relied too heavily on fans being both savvy and pretty deeply immersed in Star Wars lore to be able to read between the lines of the over the top cameos of Jack Black and Lizzo and will probably continue to be used as an example of “Disney Star Wars bad” for years.
One of three new films announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023, the untitled New Jedi Order movie will feature Daisy Ridley’s return to the Star Wars universe as Rey. Set 15 years after the events of Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker, the project will tell “the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down.”
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