Category: star wars

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New (but brief) look behind the scenes of The Last Jedi

The British Film Institue has posted a brief video featuring trainees who are working on Star Wars. Most of the trainees are shown working on the Han Solo movie – and we do see cinematographer Bradford Young – but the headline is few brief peeks at the filming of The Last Jedi. The shots, which feature Rey and Captain Phasma, are from scenes that we see briefly in the trailer, but it is our first look at any new Last Jedi footage since then.

→ Some new information indicates we might see a second trailer this summer. D23 Expo (July 15) is teasing “never-before-seen footage,” but given that they group all their live-action films together, we’re not guaranteed anything Star Wars.

→ Adam Driver, in an interview that’s mostly about him presenting the daughter of a disabled veteran with a scholarship, says The Last Jedi creates “new rules for the Star Wars universe.”

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Forces of Destiny begins airing July 3 on Youtube

Forces of Destiny will debut online July 3 – next Monday – on Disney’s Youtube channel. New shorts will then premiere on the channel every day at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT.)


Eight in total, the shorts will feature Rey, Jyn Erso, Leia Organa, Sabine Wren, Padme Amidala, Ahsoka Tano “and others.” (We get a glimpse of Luke, Yoda and… a tree in the preview video above. Is the tree female? Or is that supposed to be Anakin?)

Rebels’ Hera Syndulla will reportedly appear in an episode set during Return of the Jedi.

Their broadcast debut will be Sunday, July 9 on the Disney Channel. Merchandise drops in August – early looks at the toy packaging are floating around now.

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Yes, we’ve already seen your Arrested Development joke: Ron Howard to take over the Han Solo film

Ron Howard is the new director of the untitled Han Solo film. His name came up in the trades shortly after it was announced that original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were leaving the project. (Or fired, if one believes the trade reports.)

Entertainment Weekly’s Anthony Breznican has a new take on what lead to the split – and why it wasn’t apparent earlier.

Howard may not be the most exciting choice, but he is a proven director with a lot of experience – which is probably just what this extremely complicated situation needs.

The film will resume shooting on July 10.

And now, the tweets. Under the cut with you!

Continue reading “Yes, we’ve already seen your Arrested Development joke: Ron Howard to take over the Han Solo film”

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Directors Lord and Miller exit Han Solo film (which is still shooting, btw)

I have rolled my eyes at a lot of the so-called “panic” over the Han Solo film, mainly because most of it didn’t actually seem to be about Han Solo. But directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller leaving due to “creative differences” before the film is even done shooting is concerning, because: Just now?

“It’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film, and we’ve decided to part ways,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “A new director will be announced soon.” It’s apparently keeping the May 2018 release date, at least for the time being.

This is all very unusual, and I haven’t the slightest idea what to think. (Word is there’s still three more weeks of shooting.) The rumors and thinkpieces will be flying over the next few days. Be cautious! But for the moment, we’re all just going with “what?”

Update #1: Variety is reporting that the two clashed with Kennedy – who fired them – and co-writer/executive producer Lawrence Kasdan. The Hollywood Reporter has more details.

Update #2: Deadline says Ron Howard is a top choice to finish off the film. Kasdan himself is also reportedly a contender.

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Looking for Leia aims to document Star Wars’ female fans

The fan documentary Looking for Leia is looking for backers. With only 7 days left in their Kickstarter campaign, they still need more than $8,000 to meet their goal.

The documentary is covering fans of all ages and walks of life:

We’re featuring an intergenerational and culturally diverse group of female fans, as well as women who are film buffs and cultural scholars, cosplayers and gamers, artists and authors. We’re talking to women in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math); women who use Star Wars in the classroom; women whose career path was shaped by Star Wars; women whose love of Star Wars has helped them battle cancer and live with disability and mental illness; mothers, daughters, and sisters in Star Wars families; women who are rebels and royalty, imperials, bounty hunters, and jedi. Every generation has a Star Wars story, and we’re hearing about the original trilogy, prequels, animated series, comics, Extended Universe/Legends, video games, new trilogy, stand-alone films, and conventions.

Head on over to Kickstarter to donate.

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First look at the Captain Phasma comic mini

One of the few plotty Journey to The Last Jedi tie-ins that we know about, Marvel’s Captain Phasma comic, released a few preview pages today. They’re textless, but isn’t that always how it goes? The mini is written by Kelly Thompson and illustrated by Marco Checchetto (Who also did most of Shattered Empire, the mini which had a similar spot during Journey to The Force Awakens.)

The comic will begin in September, which also sees the release of Deliah S. Dawson’s novel Phasma, which will cover (at least) some of the character’s backstory.

In other comic news, IDW Publishing has revealed the creative teams for their all-ages Star Wars Adventures series. Here’s hoping these breed some top-quality humor, because I still miss Dark Horse’s Star Wars Tales.