Han Solo and the Very ’70s TMZ Leaks

TMZ has a whole gallery of leaked pictures from the Han Solo set, including our first look at Alden Ehrenrich in costume (his hair is so fluffy) and a whole bunch of ridiculously ’70s-looking vehicles. After Rogue One’s very limited embrace of the real-world era style, I am so ready for Han to go full tilt. There better be a lady extra with Farrah hair somewhere.

→ Spoilerphobic? You can check out Ehrenrich’s (unstyled?) Han hair in an off-set shot from Woody Harrelson. Or, y’know, above.

Star Wars Insider confirmed Ian Kenny is part of the cast, as Variety reported a while back. Guess I gotta stop skimming the thing.

They’re apparently filming at Fawley Power Station, where parts of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation were shot. That may be the location of the leaked pics, though it’s tough to tell.

Leaks may give a name to the Canary Islands location.

The Last Jedi, the Force, and a tie-in spotted

A quick look at how things stand with the Jedi and the balance as we approack The Last Jedi from /Film. They also recently took a look at Snoke.

→ A new tie-in has been spotted, a juvenile novel called Bomber Command. It’s part of the Replica Journal series, which implies that said squadron will see some action (the fighters we see on Crait, perhaps?) in the film. (via)

→ An 8-bit version of the trailer.

→ I guess we’re paying attention to flyers in Japan now. Somehow I doubt there’s any special scoop here, but you do you, SWNN.

Would you name your baby Kylo? ‘Cause a lot of people are

There were a lot of baby Kylos last year. The name jumped the popularity ranks from #3269 in 2015 to #901 in 2016, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration. So it’s not incredibly popular (to contrast, Ben was #704, and Benjamin is #6) but it is getting more popular. And note – it’s still less popular than Anakin, which is #778, up from #910.

At #175 Finn is the most popular sequel-trilogy related name associated with a major character – but it’s in been in wide use and gaining in popularity for more than a decade now, so we can’t peg that to Star Wars alone. Rey hasn’t shown any major growth, though it did jump from 904 to 868 (though as a male name – it’s not in the top 1000 for girls.)

As for the old standbys, Leia is #321, while Luke is #29. Poe, Han, Padme and Armitage (I had to look it up just for kicks) are all unranked.

First look at Kylo Ren’s starfighter in The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi toy leaks have begun! We have our first look at Kylo Ren’s starfighter, a new TIE variation. There are also various signs of what toys we’ll be getting in the early waves, including what seems to be two versions of Snoke.

We only see half of it at the link, but John Burns did a painting based on MSW’s previous report of the fighter; Check it out under the cut.

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May the 4th roundup: Mark, Rian and Doctor Aphra

May the 4th is rarely a big day for anything but goofiness, and we did get that in spades. Below, Kristen Bell (guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live) surprised Adam Scott with Mark Hamill.


→ In addition to giving a few quotes to Entertainment Weekly, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson did share a quick video with another Star Wars luminary:

→ Meanwhile, Han Solo director Philip Lord teases something he can’t talk about just yet.

Marvel’s Doctor Aphra won the latest Hasbro fan figure poll. Expect a 3.75-inch action figure, the character’s first, sometime next year.

→ Also: Laura Dern still isn’t saying much, Star Wars character popularity by state, Padme’s outfits ranked, and a Force playlist.

→ And no, we didn’t get a new Vanity Fair spread, as many of us were assuming. But do expect one later this month. Let’s just not pin it on any specific dates this time.

What Rian Johnson asked J.J. Abrams to change about the ending of The Force Awakens

Rian Johnson had (at least) one request for J.J. Abrams about The Force Awakens‘ ending – to have Artoo go with Rey instead of BB-8, so the classic droid could be reunited with Luke Skywalker. Luke, naturally, is central to The Last Jedi:

“Figuring out where his head was at was the very first thing I had to do when writing the movie. I had to crack this. And it had to be something for me that first and foremost made sense. Why did Luke Skywalker go off to this island?” Johnson says. “That was the starting point, and that’s what the entire movie explores.”

So Luke’s self-exile – and his reasoning – is a key factor in the film.