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Tag: Star Wars

  • Jon Watts Confirmed to be Co-Creating and Directing Post-ROTJ Star Wars Series

    Jon Watts Confirmed to be Co-Creating and Directing Post-ROTJ Star Wars Series

    This past winter, rumors began to swirl that Jon Watts, who recently served as the director for the MCU-set Spider-Man trilogy, was being lined up to direct a developing Star Wars streaming series. Recently, the pieces started to fall in place when Watts and Marvel Studios parted ways on the Fantastic Four project that Watts had been set to helm. Now, Vanity Fair has revealed that Watts has indeed been brought on board for the Star Wars project, but in a much bigger role than originally expected.

    Watts has reunited with Chris Ford, the writer of Spider-Man: Homecoming, to create an original Star Wars streaming series for Disney Plus. The project, code named “Grammar Rodeo”, will be set in The New Republic era, which means it’ll be taking place around the same time as Lucasfilm’s biggest streaming success to date, The Mandalorian. Earlier rumors suggested it might be set during a much earlier time known as The High Repbulic.

    The series will reportedly revolve around a very young main cast, with Lucasfilm casting several teen and pre-teen actors. According to Vanity Fair, the series will be a “galactic version of classic Amblin coming-of age-adventure films of the ’80s”, meaning such films as E.T., The Goonies and perhaps even Back to the Future could serve as inspiration for the project. Watts has a great track record working with young actors, so he seems a perfect fit for Lucasfilm’s plans.

    Production on the series is rumored to kick off next month, so it’s likely we’ll learn much more about the project soon, perhaps even at Star Wars Celebration, which runs from May 26th-29th.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • Rian Johnson’s ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Put On Indefinite Hold

    Rian Johnson’s ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Put On Indefinite Hold

    Rian Johnson divided the entire Star Wars fandom when he released Star Wars: The Last Jedi a couple of years ago. The film, celebrated and loathed by many circles, took the mythology in new directions, which Lucasfilm was quick to avoid when JJ Abrams returned to direct the finale. Not long after the film’s release, Lucasfilm nonetheless announced a brand new trilogy written by the Knives Out director.

    And now that trilogy has been put on indefinite hold. In an interview with Vanity Fair, producer Kathleen Kennedy revealed that the trilogy has been put on the back burner due to Johnson’s current commitments with Netflix.

    And the trilogy from The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson that was announced five years ago? Back-burnered. “Rian has been unbelievably busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies.”

    Kathleen Kennedy

    The in-depth interview with Vanity Fair outlines the company’s future plans with the franchise beyond the announced properties. With so much on their plate, it’s not surprising to see them shelve Johnson’s trilogy for the meantime. There’s no telling if they’ll ever revisit the project as Lucasfilm has historically been known to put long-gestating projects to rest. Johnson was one of the more interesting directors to ever helm a Star Wars film so it’ll be a shame if none of it ever comes to fruition.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • RUMOR: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ Sequel’s Title Potentially Revealed

    RUMOR: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ Sequel’s Title Potentially Revealed

    Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was quite a unique experience, as the developers took some inspiration from Dark Souls and used similar mechanics in a Star Wars game. We follow the story of Cal Kestis, who is on the run after having lived through Order 66 when he was a young Padawan and is now faced with the Inquisitors. We’ve still waited for some kind of update on the sequel, but a new rumor may have given us at least the title for the sequel.

    Gaming insider Jeff Grub asked some of his Twitch users what they believe the title might end up being, and it turns out colonelsanders21 was the right one to guess it, as Grubb went on to reveal that the title will be Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. He was the first to hint that a reveal for the sequel would follow at some point this month. So, we’ll see if more follows soon.

    UPDATING

    Source: Twitch via The Direct

  • Bryce Dallas Howard is Ready To Direct a ‘Star Wars’ Film

    Bryce Dallas Howard is Ready To Direct a ‘Star Wars’ Film

    Disney+ has given us a whole new look into the Star Wars Universe with its original series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Those series have featured multiple episodes directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, for what many fans believe to be some of the best of both shows. For a while now, people have to say Howard deserves a shot a directing a film, we hear have even talked about how she’d be perfect for one and even recently ranked her amongst our top picks for the new Fantastic Four director.

    In an interview with Gizmodo, while promoting her newest film, Jurassic World: Dominion, Bryce Dallas Howard was asked if she was ready to take the reigns of a Star Wars feature film, and it seems like she’s onboard if someone is willing to ask her.

    Oh, my goodness, I think it would take someone asking me.

    Bryce Dallas Howard

    Howard‘s episodes of The Mandalorian are seen as some of the most memorable with “Sanctuary” seeing the first meeting of Dinn Djarin and Cara Dune. In it, the pair band together to defend a village from a group of raiders who’ve taken control of an empire AT-ST. “The Heiress” was another one of her episodes, bringing Bo-Katan and the Night Owls into live-action, previously only seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels.

    But perhaps her most coveted work is in episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett. In “The Return of The Mandalorian” we see the return of Dinn Djarin as he plans to visit Grogu, but is stopped by Ahsoka Tano in order to help him continue the youngling’s training. The episode also features the first on-screen meeting of Tano and Luke Skywalker, quite the monumental moment for fans of the franchise.

    While there’s no word on a possible project right now for Howard, Star Wars Celebration is rapidly approaching and we will hopefully get some news on the future there.

    Source: Gizmodo

  • ‘Star Wars’ Prequel Trilogy’s New-Found Love Changed Ewan McGregor’s “Outlook” with the Franchise

    ‘Star Wars’ Prequel Trilogy’s New-Found Love Changed Ewan McGregor’s “Outlook” with the Franchise

    It’s hard to deny that the Star Wars prequel trilogy faced an uphill battle when it releases initially. The pressure of following up on of the most popular franchises of all time that has been largely dormant in theaters is nothing to scoff at. Even with the original creator George Lucas at the helm, it didn’t quite jell with people at the time. Luckily, there have been a new group of fans that look back at these three films quite fondly nowadays and it seems that this new perspective has also sparked something in Ewan McGregor.

    During his promotion for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series, McGregor talked about what it’s like seeing the renewed love for those that grew up from watching it as kids has also changed his own relationship with the series. @DreamedOfMagic took to Twitter to share the following quote by the actor:

    You were a kid when our films came out, so we sort of made them for you… We now meet those people that really love our films, but it’s taken 15 years for us to hear that and it’s so nice…. It’s changed my outlook – my relationship with Star Wars…”

    Ewan McGregor

    While it’s not spoken, the newly found reception for these films may have also been a reason he was open to potentially return. Hayden Christensen also faced a lot of backlash at the time of this portrayal of Anakin Skywalker but is welcomed with open arms by the community. So much so, that he’s now also making a general return in the role with other appearances planned in the near future. With only a few more weeks to go, we’ll see what the future has in store for us with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

    Source: Twitter

  • Michael Waldron Provides an Update on Kevin Feige’s ‘Stars Wars’ Project

    Michael Waldron Provides an Update on Kevin Feige’s ‘Stars Wars’ Project

    In an interview with Variety, Michael Waldron discussed what his future has in store in terms of his screenplays. The Doctor Strange 2 writer has been tapped to write a mysterious film in the Star Wars franchise produced by Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige. Waldron briefly provided an update on the status of said Star Wars project.

    We’re finally into it in earnest. I mean, I’m writing away. It’s a lot of fun. I’m enjoying having the freedom on that to do something that’s not necessarily a sequel or anything.

    Michael Waldron

    After having minimal updates on this secret project beyond its initial announcement over a year ago, it’s certainly an exciting development to know there is finally progress on this highly anticipated project. In the interview, Waldron further elaborates on the differences between working on projects for both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    It just doesn’t have a bunch of TV shows and movies that you’re servicing on top of it, the way I did with “Doctor Strange.” So it’s nice. It feels like a different exercise.

    Michael Waldron

    The lack of a definitive, overarching connective tissue is definitely a big change in relation to being previously ensconced in the lore of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Waldron’s previous two projects. As well, it provides many questions about where this project exists in the timeline of the Star Wars franchise.

    Especially with Lucasfilm producing various projects in different eras of the timeline such as Andor, The Acolyte, and the Patty Jenkins directed Rogue Squadron film, there’ll be many questions as to where and when Kevin Feige and Michael Waldron will base their upcoming film. With the news of this film being in active development, many theories will begin to rise as to how the Marvel Studios stalwarts will influence the direction of a corner of the Star Wars universe.

    Source: Variety

  • Star Wars’ Next ‘The Mandalorian’ Spinoff ‘Ahsoka’ Has Started Production

    Star Wars’ Next ‘The Mandalorian’ Spinoff ‘Ahsoka’ Has Started Production

    All eyes have been busy on Marvel’s various ventures and films, it’s finally time for Star Wars to take the limelight once again. Disney+ has just shared a new image that confirms that The Mandalorian spinoff series Ahsoka has finally started production. Sadly, the image doesn’t really give anything away or a look at the production, it’s a confirmation that they’ve finally started work on it. It’s the second spinoff series to come out of the Star Wars series that started Disney+’s hold on the streaming market after The Book of Boba Fett was released back in December.

    It’ll be interesting to see if the series follows some similar elements that we saw in The Book of Boba Fett, where the story suddenly turned into a continuation of The Mandalorian. While it does create a very unique yearly release model as everyone’s story intertwines with each other, it does go against usual TV mentalities as it creates confusion for those watching The Book of Boba Fett or Ahsoka as its own project.

    We’ll see what the future may hold for the Star Wars series, especially as they expand with some new projects. Obi-Wan Kenobi is confirmed as a limited series, but it may still possibly also set up more series moving forward. While Marvel has been moving forward with their new projects, it seems that Lucasfilm, who actually kicked off the streaming service initially, still in a preparation stage for their projects.

    Source: Twitter

  • Star Wars Celebration Newsletter Confirms ‘Tales of the Jedi’ Animated Anthology Series

    Star Wars Celebration Newsletter Confirms ‘Tales of the Jedi’ Animated Anthology Series

    It looks like the Star Wars celebration newsletter may have accidentally leaked the long-rumored Tales of the Jedi series. It’s been long rumored that they were working on an animated project, especially as the animation studio behind Monsters at Work hinted at a collaboration with Lucasfilm. Then there was a gift to Lucasfilm employees which included the logo for Tales of the Jedi. It was rumored we might get a confirmation at this year’s Star Wars Celebration event, but it seems their newsletter accidentally confirmed it, as shared by @SteeleWars on Twitter.

    There has been quite the hunt on what exactly this series is going to end up being, as there’s also one that takes place during the High Republic that’s been strongly rumored and may even start production soon. Still, it seems that we might have a lot more heading our way during the upcoming Star Wars Celebration, as it might offer a few more teases of what the future has in store.

    There was a noticeable absence of coverage for the franchise, as while Marvel Studios is promoting two Disney+ series and two films at the same tie, we are barely trying to keep up with Obi-Wan Kenobi and have no idea when we can expect something on Andor or any other project from the franchise. Here’s hopping that may change soon with the event by the end of May.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Deborah Chow Debunks Darth Maul Rumors

    ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Deborah Chow Debunks Darth Maul Rumors

    Some time ago, a rumor hit the internet that Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally going to feature the return of Darth Maul. Yet, as production got ready, they seemingly have removed away from that concept to feature Darth Vader as its main antagonist alongside the connections to the animated series with the live-action debut of the Grand Inquisitor. Yet, showrunner Deborah Chow revealed in an interview with Total Film that this wasn’t the case since she’s been involved with the project.

    As long as I’ve been involved, we’ve never had Darth Maul in any of it. Dave [Filoni] did a beautiful job of telling that story already.

    Deborah Chow

    There could always be a potential discussion if these ideas were very early in the concept stage of the project. Lucasfilm has probably planned on exploring this era for quite some time, and a very early draft may have included Maul before Filoni used that concept in Star Wars: Rebels. They may still have plans for the character moving forward, especially after the tease of his return in Solo, but it’s unclear how exactly they are mapping out their projects.

    Lucasfilm hasn’t been very consistent with promoting their projects and we know very little about their future plans with the franchise. They are expanding with new TV series but we know very little about their theatrical release plans. We also have been seeing a strong focus on the post-Return of the Jedi era. Obi-Wan Kenobi will be the first live-action project to focus on an earlier point of the timeline with Andor following. There’s also the long-rumored High Republic series that may be completely disconnected form the rest.

    Source: Total Film

  • ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Ewan McGregor Was “Scared” Facing Off Against Darth Vader for the First Time

    ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Ewan McGregor Was “Scared” Facing Off Against Darth Vader for the First Time

    In just a few more weeks we’ll get the next Star Wars series on Disney+. While we take a break from The Mandalorian Universe, we take a look back at the pre-A New Hope era in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ewan McGregor returns to the iconic role, as he also will get one more time to face off against Hayden Christensen‘s Anakin Skywalker. This time around, however, he will return as the fully formed Darth Vader.

    In an interview with Total Film, the actor revealed just how surprising it was to face off against Darth Vader. It seems that it left quite an impression on him, especially because he never got to meet the character in the Prequel trilogy. He goes on to say:

    I’ve never met Darth Vader. I had rehearsed the scene with Vader, but not with the helmet on or anything like that. When we came to do the scene, when they shouted ‘action’, he had to come from behind me. I turned around, and fucking Darth Vader was coming at me. It was like I was six again. I’d never acted into Vader’s helmet. I’d never looked him in the eye.

    Ewan McGregor

    It’s great to see just how much of an impression the suit and design left with the actor. Reminds many of the first time they were faced with the imposing force that is Darth Vader and how scary he was for many of us when we saw the force of nature. He even highlighted that it was his first time working off a Stormtrooper as the Clone Troopers were CG at the time.

    It scared the shit out of me. I’m not joking. It gave me a proper jolt of absolute fear. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not acting. That’s real. I’m really, truly frightened right now.’ And the same thing would happen with the Stormtroopers. I’d worked with Clone troopers before, but so many of them were CGI. I never worked with Stormtroopers, and, again, I was like seven years old again. Because when you’re actually faced with a Stormtrooper, with a blaster, it’s like: ‘Fucking hell.’

    Ewan McGregor

    It shows how much has also changed in the productions, as while CG still remains an important part of modern filmmaking, more practical elements are being integrated into the projects. his excitement and “fear” to face off against Darth Vader may hopefully even find their way into the production, as it’ll be the first time that Obi-Wan realizes what happened to his former Padawan.

    Source: Total Film