Disney Parks announced that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the official name for the twin lands that will be coming to Disneyland and Disney World. We know we’ll all keep calling it Star Wars land regardless, but hey: They’re trying.
We learned more about the park’s two rides, including concept art. And although we don’t get slid dates, the Disneyland version is expected to open first – though likely only by a few months, as they’re both still expected for 2019.
Also coming – though only to Disney World – will be a Star Wars-themed resort that will be “100-percent immersive.”
It’s here! The behind-the-scenes reel for The Last Jedi gives us a peek at the production, and a LOT of new things, or at least, things we’ve heard about…
The land’s setting will be a brand-new planet, “a remote trading port and one of the last stops before Wild Space.” It will debut with two rides – a Millennium Falcon mission and a First Order/Resistance battle – but it looks like the real fun may just be wandering around the place.
I haven’t heard if they’ve said if this model is the Disney World or Disneyland model, but in the concept art the two had extremely similar layouts. The Orlando version will be at Hollywood Studios, while Anaheim’s will be part of Disneyland.
For more video and photos from the Expo, head below the cut.
The Star Wars Show is teasing all the stuff we’ll see (or hear about) at this weekend’s D23 Expo. The likeliness of behind-the-scenes content for The Last Jedi seems high. It seems very high.
Andi also mentions a livestream, and you can see the schedule here. It doesn’t seem to include any panels, but Andi will be talking to Ashley Eckstein Friday and Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and Jennifer Heddle on Sunday at noon.
Lucasfilm and Star Wars will be at San Diego Comic-Con, but The Last Jedi won’t be taking a slot as one of the con’s big Hall H panels. The company told SDCC Blog that “our presence at SDCC 2017 will be focused on our booth on the convention floor, so there will be no press events or interview opportunities this year.”
The good news is that by the time SDCC rolls around, we may already have some movie news. Disney’s D23 Expo is the week before the mega-con, and Lucasfilm is part of their live action panel on Saturday, July 15. Speculation has it that we may get a behind-the-scenes featurette – something like what Lucasfilm brought to SDCC back in 2015. Rogue One launched theirs at Celebration Europe in 2016. Both were also July cons, so there’s an established pattern at work.
There may or may not be Han Solo news – there are rumblings about a title – but would anyone blame LFL if they keep quiet? On the other hand, giving a basic logline about the film beyond “young Han Solo” may help alleviate some of the ever-present wangst about its very existence. (A girl can dream.)
We probably will get some Star Wars news out of San Diego – it’s a frequent target for books, comics, collectibles and other things too minor league for D23 – but expect that anything big will be out on the 15th.
There’s still the question of that trailer, but I wonder if it’ll just turn out to be a shortened version of the first one? Stranger things have happened.
Disney has announced dates for their next D23 Expo as July 14-16 in Anaheim, California. While the con has always been positioned as the company’s own alternative to San Diego Comic Con, these dates put D23 awfully close to when SDCC traditionally falls. The last D23 was held in mid-August, while Star Wars was the only Disney property to have a major Hall H panel at that year’s SDCC.
Although D23 was fairly light on the Star Wars movie news in 2015, it was where they revealed our first look at the so-called ‘Star Wars Land.’
2017 is also expected to be the next domestic Star Wars Celebration, but that will likely be held in either the spring or fall. We’ll probably find out at the closing ceremonies this year’s Celebration Europe.
Legendary poster artist Drew Struzan told Movie Weekly that The Force Awakens is “probably going to be the best Star Wars you’ve ever seen.” Pretty high praise, even from a guy being paid by Lucasfilm. He also talks about how J.J. Abrams called him up, how much of the film he’s seen, his process, and why the lightsaber colors on the Revenge of the Jedi poster were reversed.
→ On that note, a nice, if top-heavy, piece from newcomer The Star Wars Post on if Star Wars 7 News leaking the Luke Skywalker image crossed a spoiler line. I’ll just say that SW7N has never exactly been known for their sound judgement, which is why I tend to warn so profusly when linking them.
During Disney’s biennial D23 Expo, Bob Iger stormed the stage to the tune of John Williams’ titular Imperial March to deliver arguably the biggest news of the Worlds, Galaxies, and Universes: Live Action at The Walt Disney Studios panel: Dual, 14-acre themed Star Wars lands in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida and the Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California.
From the official press release: “I am thrilled to announce the next chapter in the long and exciting history between Disney Parks and Star Wars,” said Iger. “We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single themed land expansion ever. These new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.”
A true collaboration between Disney Imagineering, ILM, and Lucasfilm, the Star Wars land will be a truly immersive and authentic experience. Both lands will feature two signature attractions, one of which is piloting the Millennium Falcon on a clandestine mission. Iger stressed that every element would feel as if you were a part of the world: restaurants, storefronts, and entertainment would all feature galactic characters for an authentic interactive experience.
And yes, there’s going to be a cantina.
Later Saturday, during D23 Expo’s Parks and Resorts panel, additional details on the recently announced Star Wars Land were revealed along with more immediate changes coming to the domestic parks towards the end of this year.
Season of the Force
Season of the Force will be a limited-time, seasonal event in 2016 at both Disney World and the Disneyland, bringing new Star Wars experiences to both parks. At Tomorrowland in Disneyland, guests will have an opportunity to partake of Star Wars-themed entertainment, food and beverages, and new merchandise. The popular Space Mountain coaster will be turned into Hyperspace Mountain with a temporary Star Wars layover in which you’ll get to experience a high-octane X-Wing battle. On the other side of the country, guests of Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be treated to a new fireworks spectacular set to John Williams’ memorable Star Wars scores.
Star Wars Launch Bay
Also at both parks will be the newly created Star Wars Launch Bay that will be located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. The Launch Bay will be a hub for interactive experiences for guests that want to learn more about The Force Awakens, as well as an opportunity to purchase special merchandise and food. It’s expected to open late this year.
Star Tours
The ever-popular Star Tours: The Adventure Continues will see a new update later this year in both U.S. parks. (Information on the update availability coming to the international parks is currently unknown.) The anticipated updates will be include locations and characters from The Force Awakens.
At this point, the Star Wars invasion is real and it’s happening. I’ll see you all in the pit.
I doubt they’d hire Struzan just for a con exclusive, though, so I expect this is only a portion – or a remix – of the real thing.
We also have the return of Daisy Ridley to social media – Instagram, this time.
Present on the D23 stage were Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong’o and Harrison Ford. And J.J. Abrams may have said that The Force Awakens is currently 124 minutes long… D23 being D23, and Star Wars being only a small part of the panel, so we heard a bit more out of the press room.
Head under the cut to see the full poster, direct from Struzan himself!
