Beyond Skywalker: What’s the future of Star Wars?

Kathleen Kennedy talks to the Los Angeles Times about what we can expect from Star Wars in the post-Rise of Skywalker world:

Kennedy said she plans to make key decisions about the direction of the franchise in the coming weeks. But some things she already knows. While the “Skywalker” saga is ending, the company won’t abandon the characters created in the most recent trilogy. Additionally, she said, the plan is to move beyond trilogies, which can be restricting.

“I think it gives us a more open-ended view of storytelling and doesn’t lock us into this three-act structure,” she said. “We’re not going to have some finite number and fit it into a box. We’re really going to let the story dictate that.”

Not too many detail details – although we do learn that Jon Kasdan has completed a pilot script for a Willow series – but some things to chew on.

Friendship, flashing lights, and other things you’ll find in Rise of Skywalker (and other news)

A new featurette showcases the on-set friendships – primarily Daisy, John and Oscar – of The Rise of Skywalker.


Disney has issued a warning to theaters about The Rise of Skywalker containing sequences with flashing lights that could cause seizures in those with photosensitive epilepsy. They’re working with the Epilepsy Foundation to get the news out.

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Entertainment Weekly’s Rise of Skywalker issue and other movie news

Entertainment Weekly has unleashed the cover story, and it’s actually three covers: One for each trilogy. And great news for those who love publicity shots! Honestly, this whole thing makes me yearn for the days of illustrations on magazine covers. But seriously, the main cover story, several new images, and of course, Rey’s parentage and Reylo.

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The Rise of Skywalker showtimes are starting to appear

The Rise of Skywalker (D23 sizzle)

You can’t actually buy tickets yet, but some The Rise of Skywalker showings are appearing on Fandango. Interestingly, I’m seeing 6:00pm as the first showings on December 19, when in the past the so-called “midnight” screenings started at 7:00pm, so consider that in your planning.


There’s a tiny bit of Star Wars in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, and in addition to the new Zorii Bliss photo, we also have Daisy Ridley on “this whole Reylo thing,” and J.J. Abrams with the stuff he always says.


They’re attempting to win China over to Star Wars again, this time with… Books? A popular Chinese internet novelist will write a new story, and 40 existing novels will be translated and available for free on the digital reading platform of the country’s biggest publisher, Tencent. This is, as io9 points out, some real interesting timing.


Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has been named an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her contributions in bringing film projects to the U.K. All the Star Wars films under her tenure have been primarily filmed in the country.

What we learned about The Rise of Skywalker from Vanity Fair

Per usual, the Vanity Fair story on the upcoming Star Wars film – The Rise of Skywalker, the final episode of “the Skywalker saga,” the grand finale of all three trilogies, etc. – was chock full of information. Granted, most of it’s peicemeal, but that’s where we tiny fan blogs live, isn’t it? Let’s dig in.

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John Williams has seen The Rise of Skywalker, of course

Composer John Williams has seen an early cut of The Rise of Skywalker, likes it “very much” and has written about 25 minutes of the score, he tells The Times. The original article is behind a paywall, but head to /Film for the relevant quote.


Several new stills from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have surfaced via an interview with with still photographer David James.


As the opening of the first Galaxy’s Edge park grows closer, there are new photos of the land and details on how they’ll be enforcing the initial four hour limit. Of course, if you have the connections, there’s always a personal tour with Bob Iger.

Episode IX set for Friday at Celebration

The Episode IX panel at Celebration Chicago is set for Friday, April 12. Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams are our only confirmed panelists, but previous Celebrations generally featured a good chunk of the main cast. Also, could that picture, from today’s ReedPOP email, above be our third from IX, or it is a TFA pic that’s only now coming to light? Mystery!

Today also featured more new guests, headlined by Forest Whitaker (Saw Gerrera), Hugh Quarshie (Captain Panaka) and Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan).

Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams on Episode IX filming in Jordan

Although there have been numerous reports – and even social media posts from the likes of John Boyega (mostly via Instagram stories) and Oscar Isaac’s wife Elvira Lind – we finally have some comments from higher up the food chain. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams both talked to Roya News about Jordan’s Wadi Rum:

“Wadi Rum is breathtakingly beautiful and the perfect location for our film,” says Abrams. “I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to shoot in Jordan. Between the warm welcome from the government and the dedication and hard work of the local film professionals, we couldn’t have had a better experience. We are enormously grateful.”

Producer Kathleen Kennedy said “I also want to thank the Royal Film Commission Jordan, and the Army, whose tremendous support has been invaluable, and helped make this shoot possible.”

Other than Boyega and Isaac (and maybe Anthony Daniels,) the cast has been mainly mum on who exactly is out in Jordan. There are fuzzy photos that may indicate at least one other cast member joined them, but they’re hardly conclusive.

There’s plenty of speculation on what Jordan means for the story – understandably, a return to Jakku is a common theory – but it’s interesting that Daniels’ tweet implies it may be standing in for more than one. Curious.