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Tag: Star Wars

  • RUMOR: Disney+ May Have Found Its Live-Action Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn Actors

    RUMOR: Disney+ May Have Found Its Live-Action Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn Actors

    Some rumors seem to keep coming and going. Star Wars is quite popular and has been surrounded by quite a few over the last year. Ever since The Mandalorian expanded into new Disney+ series, many have wondered what iconic characters from history’s past might make a grand return. Especially now that Ahsoka is getting a live-action series and can tie up loose ends for Star Wars Rebels. The latest rumor is one of those, as it seems Lucasfilm may have found their live-action versions of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger.

    Aladdin‘s Mena Massoud is eyed for the role of Ezra, which we first heard rumors around five months ago from Kessel Run Transmission. It didn’t help when he posted an iconic line of Ezra’s some time ago on Instagram, which added more fuel to the rumor. He’ll be joined by Lars Mikkelsen, who will join Katee Sackhoff as one of the few actors to voiced a character and play them in live-action. His performance was quite memorable and added a new depth to the vicious admiral. They are set to potentially appear in an upcoming Disney+ series.

    If this casting turns out to be true, they may make their live-action premieres in the upcoming Ahsoka series. It’s uncertain if they might connect to an overarching plot that was built up with The Mandalorian series, but there’s a lot of potentials. Thrawn in competition with Giancarlo Esposito‘s Moff Gideon would be an amazing dynamic to see in the franchise’s future. Here’s hoping we get a confirmation by the time The Book of Boba Fett releases.

    Source: LRM

  • RUMOR: Sung Kang Will Play ‘STAR WARS: REBELS’ Character in ‘OBI-WAN KENOBI’

    RUMOR: Sung Kang Will Play ‘STAR WARS: REBELS’ Character in ‘OBI-WAN KENOBI’

    It’s possible we have our first information on Sung Kang’s mysterious Obi-Wan Kenobi role. A new report from Jordan Maison and the folks at Cinelinx are claiming that Kang will portray one of the Empire’s Inquisitors in the Disney+ series. More specifically, he is said to be the Fifth Brother, an antagonist we saw frequently in the second season of Dave Filoni’s animated Star Wars Rebels.

    In that show, the Fifth Brother was voiced by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez, and worked closely with Sarah Michelle Geller’s Seventh Sister to track down the Force-sensitive Ezra Bridger and his master Kanan Jarrus. The Fifth Brother ultimately met his end at the hands of the former Sith Lord, Maul.

    In the Star Wars universe, the Inquisitors are a group of Dark Side Force users who work for Darth Vader and the Empire. They spend much of the time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope hunting down Force-sensitive individuals in an effort to kill or turn them. Maison claims that they won’t be the only Rebels characters who appear in Kenobi, but the scooper did not clarify who else might make an appearance.

    Sung Kang is best known for his role as the fan favorite character Han Lue in the Fast and the Furious franchise. In recent years, he has also appeared in films like Raya and the Last Dragon and We Can Be Heroes. On television, he had a starring role in three seasons of the popular Starz series Power.

    Source: Cinelinx

  • RUMOR: Vivian Lyra Blair Cast As Princess Leia in ‘OBI-WAN KENOBI’

    RUMOR: Vivian Lyra Blair Cast As Princess Leia in ‘OBI-WAN KENOBI’

    She may only be a child, but to us, she’s royalty. Rumor has it Princess Leia Organa will be making a return to live-action in next year’s Kenobi series. The news comes from Jordan Maison at Cinelinx, who claims actress Vivian Lyra Blair has been cast as a younger version of the iconic character for the upcoming Disney+ project.

    The same report reveals that Leia will be a major part of Kenobi’s story, with Maison describing her role as the “impetus” of the whole show. If the rumor is true, it seems the young Princess will be the reason Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi dives into a new adventure.

    Blair is perhaps best known for her work in 2018’s surprise hit Bird Box, and also had a role in Robert Rodriguez’s Sharkboy & Lavagirl spin-off We Can Be Heroes. Princess Leia is one of the founding characters of the Star Wars franchise. She was originally brought to life by Carrie Fisher, who famously portrayed the character in six films over the course of forty years. The rebellious dignitary also had a cameo appearance in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, with Norwegian actress Ingvild Deila standing in as a body double for Fisher.

    Other than this cameo, not much of the character’s life before A New Hope has been explored. Leia appeared briefly in Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Rebels, working against the Empire on her adoptive father’s orders. She may be a little too young to be participating in missions in Kenobi, so it will be interesting to see what shenanigans could end up getting Obi-Wan out of exile on Tatooine.

    Source: Cinelinx

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale Gets Special ‘Disney Gallery’ BTS Episode

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale Gets Special ‘Disney Gallery’ BTS Episode

    We’ve been anxiously awaiting any news on The Mandalorian‘s third season. Sadly, it seems that we will have to wait until 2022 before we find out what Din Djarin’s future has in store for him without Grogu by his side. Until then, we’ll get a spin-off The Book of Boba Fett that’s eyeing the Disney+ series main release window. Luckily, it seems the wait for anything Mandalorian-related just got shorter, as the official Twitter account for Star Wars unveiled a special Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian episode will release August 25th that’ll focus on the making of the finale.

     

    It makes sense that they’re giving the finale a special episode. Many have wondered how they de-aged Mark Hamill for his grand return as Luke Skywalker. Overall, the finale featured some amazing effects that could keep up with any high-budget film that are worth highlighting. The first Disney Gallery season consisted of multiple episodes that explored different perspectives on developing the series. Showrunner Jon Favreau sat down with the directors, writers, animators, and cast to talk about how they brought the galaxy far far away to Disney+.

    As the pandemic was raging when the second season was released, it was unlikely that they could get the team together at one table. So, they only released a singular episode that covered the entire season.  It’ll be interesting to see if they do the same with others. Marvel Studios’ Assembled series took a similar approach by adding a new episode after each Disney+ show was released. It’s still surprising we didn’t get a rebranding for the Star Wars series, as they will slowly expand in the future.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Star Wars: Visions’: New Spin-Off Novel ‘Ronin’ to Focus on Former Sith

    ‘Star Wars: Visions’: New Spin-Off Novel ‘Ronin’ to Focus on Former Sith

    Not too long ago, we got our first look at Star Wars: Visions. It was a brand new anthology series heading to Diseny+ that would feature original short films by famous Anime production studios. It was a new direction for the franchise and allows them to break away from its canon. It seems that one of the short films has inspired a novelization, as the official Star Wars site just revealed a brand new novel titled Star Wars: Ronin: A Visions Novel written by Emma Mieko Candon. Here’s a first look at the book’s cover:

     

     

    It’ll focus on a former Sith who is now known as Ronin. It’ll act as an expansion of the short film titled The Duel, which is directed by Takanobu Mizuno for Kamikaze Douga. Lucasfilm Story Group’s James Waugh, who also acts as an executive producer of the Vision anthology series, shared the inspiration to expansion:

    Out of all the shorts, The Duel felt most rife for an ongoing story in a novel. Another one of Ronin’s adventures. One of the things I always loved about the short was that it was clear there was a larger history at play. That this wasn’t the first adventure this warrior had been through and it certainly won’t be their last. What are those stories?

    He went on to share that Kamikaze Douga even pitched in ideas to expand the story’s lore. It’s Candon‘s first foray into the franchise. She went on to state that the story will dive into Japanese period dramas, also known as jidaigeki. So we can expect Japanese monsters and folklore. It’s an exciting prospect to dive into a unique take on the galaxy far far away that also acts as a character study on the dark side of the force. The novel will arrive on October 12th.

    Source: Star Wars

  • Zack Snyder’s Turning His ‘Star Wars’ Pitch Into the Netflix Original Sci-Fi ‘Rebel Moon’

    Zack Snyder’s Turning His ‘Star Wars’ Pitch Into the Netflix Original Sci-Fi ‘Rebel Moon’

    Some time ago, Zack Snyder revealed that he was working on a script for his next project during an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. In it, he revealed that it was originally based on a pitch he made to Lucasfilm that would take place in the iconic Star Wars franchise. He never gave away any details but did state it was heavily inspired by Akira Kurosawa‘s Seven Samurai. The director has always been diverse in how he tackles genres. So, it seemed likely he would follow up on the project now that his Army of the Dead franchise is expanding. Well, luckily it seems the wait won’t be too long. The Hollywood Reporter has just revealed that Netflix has gained the rights to his next project, which is now titled, Rebel Moon.

    The story will follow a colony at the edge of the galaxy, who are about to face the wrath of a tyrannical regent. Their only hope is a mysterious young woman who will seek out warriors from other planets to take on this mysterious threat. Snyder gave the following statement to share his enthusiasm for taking his next story into space:

    This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan. It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.

    He will direct and produce the film. Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, who helped write Army of the Dead and 300, are on board to bring the space adventure to life. His wife Deborah Snyder will produce the film via Stone Quarry with Eric Newman‘s Grand Electric. It seems likely that similar to Army, this franchise might expand beyond just the singular film, as the director also reveals he spent around two to three years mapping out this distinctive galaxy. It’s an exciting venture, and the streaming service is offering him the creative flexibility to bring his stories to life.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • First Details for Disney+ Anthology Series ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Revealed

    First Details for Disney+ Anthology Series ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Revealed

    Lucasfilm is venturing out into new territory. Most of the Star Wars series that hit Disney+ continued the overarching story and explored the different eras throughout the franchise’s history. Currently, The Bad Batch is continuing where The Clone Wars left off. We also are expecting the release of The Book of Boba Fett that continues where The Mandalorian’s last season left off. Luckily, that isn’t all, as they just revealed the upcoming anthology series Star Wars: Visions during the Anime Expo Lite. It’ll release September 22nd with nine unique stories that are inspired by the famous franchise and they even revealed the official listing of which iconic Anime studio is tackling which story:

    • The Duel (Kamikaze Douga)
    • Lop and Ocho (Geno Studio)
    • Tatooine Rhapsody (Studio Colorido)
    • The Twins (Trigger)
    • The Elder (Trigger)
    • The Village Bride (Kinema Citrus)
    • Akakiri (Science Saru)
    • T0-B1 (Science Saru)
    • The Ninth Jedi (Production IG)

    It’s quite the line-up of talent and Lucasfilm did not restrict them to follow the franchise’s current canon. As such, these unique shorts are their own independent stories that even explore stories of existing characters, such as Tatooine Rhapsody. The pandemic has affected the productions with various shorts being in production simultaneously. As the trailer revealed, each episode will follow a different art style, such as The Twins looking like it could be an episode of Kill la Kill. Akakiri and T0-B1 have a similar art style and tone with the former seeing the return of Astro Boy‘s sound designer, which was recorded at the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. It’s great to see the franchise explore new avenues and, hopefully, it might also be a sign that Marvel adds an anime-inspired anthology series in the future s well.

     

    Source: Star Wars, YouTube

  • Patty Jenkins’ ‘Rogue Squadron’ Adds Writer Matthew Robinson

    Patty Jenkins’ ‘Rogue Squadron’ Adds Writer Matthew Robinson

    It looks like the upcoming Star Wars film Rogue Squadron has finally found its writer, as The Hollywood Reporter has just revealed that Matthew Robinson has joined the project. He famously co-wrote and co-directed the 2009 comedy The Invention of Lying with Ricky Gervais. The upcoming Star Wars film will be the first entry since 2019’s Rise of Skywalker. Not much is known bout the project and THR has also pointed out they are unsure how long he has already been working on the film’s script. It seems the project is eyeing a production start this fall or early in 2022 to hit its 2023 December release date.

    The franchise has mainly focused on its Disney+ outings that started with The Mandalorian. It’ll expand into a variety of franchises, which include this year’s The Book of Boba Fett and the upcoming Ahsoka seres. There have already been hints that the latter started casting and is seeking to add The Clone Wars‘ character Barrs Offee. Just recently, Discussing Film shared some details regarding The Acolyte series which is eyeing a February production start.

    After a brief slowdown, it seems that a lot more Star Wars is heading our way in the near future. In the meantime, Disney+ has been dominated by Marvel Studios’ original series that is also seeing a return to theaters in July with Black Widow. Disney has been expanding their iconic franchises through different media and it’ll be interesting to see how they plan to expand the Star Wars franchise through films that are more loosely connected than before.

    Source: THR

  • REPORT: ‘Star Wars’ Disney+ Series ‘The Acolyte’ Eyeing February Production Start

    REPORT: ‘Star Wars’ Disney+ Series ‘The Acolyte’ Eyeing February Production Start

    It looks like the Star Wars live-action series are revving up, as Discussing Film has shared some interesting news regarding the upcoming The Acolyte Disney+ series. It seems it is eyeing a production start in February of 2022. They will film in London’s The Volume, which has been popularized by the streaming platforms’ first galactic entry The Mandalorian. It currently is being used by Peyton Reed for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. They also revealed that casting has already started. Lucasfilm is currently eyeing a young woman of color to tackle the lead role. Leslye Headland is serving as the show’s showrunner after her success with Netflix’s Russian Doll.

    Details have been quite sparse on the project. It’s uncertain if the multitude of shows might build up to a specific storyline. The various shows that are spin-offs from Mandalorian‘s second season might potentially build to a crossover event. Now, there are some series that explore the different timelines such as Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the above-mentioned Acolyte. There is a chance these series will act as their own independent property that can spin off into other various shows that explore that specific era.

    Andor is all bout the beginning of the Rebellion, while Kenobi explores the fallout from Order 66. It could even connect into the currently running The Bad Batch series that is exploring a similar timeline. It’s not the first time we’ve seen animated characters find their way into live-action. So, the franchise is certainly not restricted in how it expands. Here’s hoping we get more information on what the future holds for Star Wars in the near future.

    Source: Discussing Film

  • Disney+ Officially Shifting All Original Series to Wednesday Premieres After ‘Loki’s Success

    Disney+ Officially Shifting All Original Series to Wednesday Premieres After ‘Loki’s Success

    It turns out Tom Hiddleston wasn’t lying when he said Wednesdays are the new Fridays. After his show, Loki, debuted to record-breaking numbers last week on Disney+, the streaming service has officially made the move to leave weekends behind and shift all original programming to Wednesday episode drops. Only Disney+ original films will continue to be made available on Fridays. The shift in their schedule will affect the platform globally, with every series set to debut after July 1 changing its initial release date. For example, the anticipated Monsters Inc. spin-off Monsters at Work will now drop its first episode on July 7 instead of July 2, and Disney’s Turner & Hooch reboot series will move its debut from July 16 to July 21. Other series impacted include Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life, Growing Up Animal, Short Circuit, Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts, and The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse.

    The change is a notable one, considering Disney has been fully committed to the classic weekend episode drop since its launch. Marvel’s previous series, WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, both adhered to the policy with great success, as did Lucasfilm’s The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. It would seem Loki debuted to astronomical numbers if they were convincing enough to alter a working machine. Disney+’s current Star Wars project, The Bad Batch, will not be affected by the new corporate policy. Episodes will continue to be released on Fridays. Yet, it will most likely be the last high-profile series to do so on the streaming service.

    Source: TV Line