Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
I don’t know why Hasbro is doing a 4-figure The Last Command action figure set in 2024 – the book turned 30 last year – but here we are. The Black Series set (aka 6-inch figures) features Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Joruus C’baoth and Luuke from the book’s final confrontation.
Continue reading “Hasbro flashes back to the 90s with The Last Command action figure set”
I briefly mentioned Del Rey’s new Essential Legends Collection – trade paperback reprints of the greatest hits – back in May, when Heir to the Empire turned 30. Of course Heir was part of the first wave, but today, Del Rey has announced that the remainder of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy is coming to the format this fall.
Continue reading “Mara Jade finally appears on a reprint cover”
Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars novel Heir to the Empire was first released in hardcover on May 1, 1991. It was the first Star Wars novel to be released since L. Neil Smith’s Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka dropped in November 1983, and the first Star Wars novel to actually take place after Return of the Jedi. It was a lot of firsts, actually.
Continue reading “Heir to the Empire is 30 years old”
Even if you didn’t wake up this morning and read all the wildly divergent reviews, it’s no surprise that The Rise of Skywalker is divisive. There’s just too much baggage for it not to be, and what Star Wars project ever manages to please everyone?
And it’s true that it’s not a perfect movie. It plays things far too safe. It has more MacGuffins than any given Indiana Jones film. It’s not as good as either The Last Jedi or The Force Awakens. But I can say that I enjoyed it, and think it manages to hit most of the right beats. Not all of them, but most.
Continue reading “Review: The Rise of Skywalker is a wobbly but enjoyable conclusion to the saga”
It’s movie week! The Rise of Skywalker will have the official premiere tonight in Hollywood, and debut throughout the rest of the world Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
But first up, let’s look at the comics that are dropping here in the U.S. on Wednesday, December 18. There’s The Rise of Kylo Ren #1 and Empire Ascendent from Marvel, plus Star Wars Adventures #29 from IDW.
Then in addition to the movie, Friday, December 20 brings Pablo Hidalgo’s The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary. We usually get the art book here as well, but The Art of Rise of Skywalker has been pushed back to spring.
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.
The Rise of Skywalker clip that debuted in Fortnite yesterday is basically what leads up to the “Jedi Mind Trick” bit from the commercials. This version is a little dark but you get the idea.
Also in this post: Victoria Mahoney writes on how she nabbed the second-unit directing gig, new TV spots, some interesting interviews and one question with the Late Show folks. Read on!
Continue reading “A new Rise of Skywalker clip and other news”
Co-writer Chris Terrio is Rolling Stone‘s latest The Rise of Skywalker interview.
He talks about developing the films, how to go about writing Star Wars “for real” and more. He also talks about going beyond the movies, and not just the cartoons – Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath books get a shoutout.
Continue reading “Chris Terrio speaks on The Rise of Skywalker and other news”
A new clip – our first with Kylo Ren – is up on the Star Wars Facebook page. If you’re spoiler-sensitive, maybe skip out on this. If you’re not, it’s nothing that’ll shock you too much!
It’s under the cut just in case.
Continue reading “Kylo goes visiting in new Rise of Skywalker clip (and other news)”
The latest The Rise of Skywalker spot features a new shot of Leia – with Rose Tico, Dominic Monaghan’s Beaumont Kin and Snap Wexley in the background.
Josh Gad takes his pestering of Daisy Ridley full corporate with the help of a chorus line full of Disney stars – including Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk and even John Boyega – but she doesn’t break. Again.