Domhnall Gleeson knows “everything” on Episode IX, and he’s terrified

They’re filming Episode IX, but Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac both have movies coming out (The Little Stranger and Operation Finale) and are making the press rounds. They can’t say much about IX, obviously, but there are a few things of note, plus a check-in with Keri Russell and Dominic Monaghan.

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Episode IX begins filming August 1, confirms Williams and Fisher

J.J. Abrams’ Episode IX will begin filming on August 1 at London’s Pinewood Studios, StarWars.com has announced, confirming that Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher (via unused The Force Awakens footage) will be returning.

Interestingly, the release calls IX “the final installment of the Skywalker saga.”

As expected, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Anthony Daniels, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd are also returning. They’re being joined by new (to Star Wars) faces, Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant.

A late addition to the release was Keri Russell, the only new-to-Star-Wars actor rumored for this round.

More details on the Fisher footage:

The role of Leia Organa will once again be played by Carrie Fisher, using previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” says Abrams. “Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”

Composer John Williams and Director of Photography Dan Mindel are also returning.

Hey kids! You want a Last Jedi blooper reel?

Here’s one! It has the infamous 27 slaps, a surprise from (we assume) BB-8 and hugs.

And another! Even more Oscar Isaac shenanigans, an overenthusiastic wind machine and John Boyega’s big bio-hexacrypt problem.

Man, I love these things.

The spoilery concept art for The Last Jedi has landed

io9 has the concept art for some of The Last Jedi’s biggest surprises – the stuff that was held back from the art book due to spoilers. There are only a handful of pieces, but they’re some good ones.

StarWars.com has an interview with Joonas Suotamo on taking over Chewbacca full time for The Last Jedi and Solo. He also appeared on the latest Star Wars Show. They also talk to droid builder Lee Towersey.

Kelly Marie Tran stops by Oh My Disney (with BB-8!) and Fangirling to talk shooting The Last Jedi, ships, and working with John Boyega and Benicio del Toro.

Continue reading “The spoilery concept art for The Last Jedi has landed”

Rumor: Will The Last Jedi drop on digital March 14?

Multiple sightings (Reddit, SWNN) are showing that The Last Jedi digital release may be March 14, nearly two weeks ahead of the (still unannounced) release of the Blu-Ray copies on March 27. The digital and physical releases for both The Force Awakens and Rogue One were only a few days apart. Word is we’ll get an official announcement on the 20th.

→ Oscar Isaac on shooting both The Last Jedi and the upcoming Annihilation at the same studio, and sometimes on the same day. (To make it even weird, he was playing Natalie Portman’s husband. Filmmaking!)

→ Really want tio dig into the nitty-gritty of The Last Jedi sets and filming? Production designer Rick Heinrichs wrote an article for the Art Directors Guild’s official magazine, which anyone can download in PDF form.

→ Domhnall Gleeson on how Peter Rabbit’s Mr. McGregor is like General Hux, and figuring out The Last Jedi’s choking scene.

The Last Jedi was named AARP’s Best Film for Grownups. ::sad trombone::

The Last Jedi passes $1.3B, Rian Johnson, Domhnall Gleeson and more

The Last Jedi has now made more than $1.3 billion, making it the all-time 9th-biggest global grosser. It’s unlikely to go any higher as we start heading into blockbuster season, with Fifty Shades Freed and Black Panther on the horizon. Scott Mendelson at Forbes writes why it’s still (duh) a big win for Disney.

→ Rian Johnson did another podcast! This time it’s the /Filmcast, and here are the highlights.

→ Domhnall Gleeson was at Sundance for National Lampoon biopic A Futile and Stupid Gesture, and we’ve gotten several interviews from him that touch on the sequel trilogy. In an IMDB interview, he revealed the origins of Hux’s blaster scene.With The Huffington Post, he talks about Hux and the aim of the character, while on the Happy Sad Confused podcast he touches on The Last Jedi‘s “broken phone call,” surviving the film, and his relationship with Kylo Ren. Also recently unearthed in a Japanese guide to The Force Awakens is a behind the scenes photo of Gleeson (with J.J. Abrams) filming the snow rescue scene that was cut.

Lupita Nyong’o is profiled in The Hollywood Reporter, and she talks a bit about the security measures of getting The Force Awakens script. On Episode IX: “I don’t know yet,” she says. “I’ll know soon.”

→ Rotten Tomatoes says that The Last Jedi was 2017’s best-reviewed SF/F movie.