Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
It’s here! And you’ll see a few familiar things…
Entertainment Weekly has a gallery with a closer look at the trailer imagery, including that ‘Jyn Erso’ is the proper spelling of Felicity Jones’ character’s name, and that is indeed Genevieve O’Reilly (from the Revenge of the Sith cut scenes) reprising Mon Mothma. io9 has a good breakdown, too.
The first teaser for Rogue One is premiering on Good Morning America tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a teaser for the teaser, because this is how we live now.
In addition to the comic tie-ins we heard about earlier, a prequel novel for Rogue One will be coming in the fall, Del Rey announced at C2E2. No author was given, but Catalyst: A Rogue One Story will be out on October 4.
The author will remain a mystery for now, and some of us suspect that means it’ll be a name we recognize… Either a Legends standby well-known in the mainstream (a pretty short list) or a brand new ‘name’ author. Note that the movie’s first screenwriter Gary Whitta has shown some interest in doing Star Wars novels…
Authors Adam Bray, Jeffrey Brown, Claudia Gray, John Jackson Miller and Del Rey’s Elizabeth Schaefer were on the panel. Gray revealed that one character from her first Star Wars novel, Lost Stars, will appear in Bloodline. There’s still no sequel planned, but let Lucasfilm and Disney Lucasfilm Press know.
John Jackson Miller had a great explanation of how the Story Group at Lucasfilm has changed things. From Newsarama’s live blog:
Miller explained that the authors working on the current novels work closely with the producers and writers of the films and TV shows that they’ll tie into – including story points that won’t appear on the show for some time. He explained that the reveals and continuity are planned out years in advance, with the various media all tying together and “counting” equally.
There was also a fair amount of talk about naming Star Wars characters, which you can also find the the liveblog. Live tweets under the cut.
Continue reading “Rogue One prequel novel, Catalyst, coming in the fall”
The Hollywood Reporter claims that Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!), Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction) and Taron Egerton (Kingsman) are on the short list to star in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s young Han Solo film. Variety reporter Justin Knoll says other names on the list include Blake Jenner (Supergirl) and Jack O’Connell (Unbroken).
The film is currently scheduled for 2018.
Disney CEO Bob Iger today referred to Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s 2018 standalone as “an origin story about Han and Chewie,” our first official word that the Wookiee will be part of the film. Is this what Peter Mayhew’s script bonanza on Twitter been leading up to?
In the old Legends universe, the two met while Han was serving in the Imperial military and Chewbacca was a slave. Han’s refusal to kill the Wookiee led to their eventual partnership and Chewbacca’s life debt – elements that may or may not be incorporated into the film. (I’d bet on not, but stranger things have happened.) In the current canon, there’s nothing on record about Chewbacca’s life between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. – or Han’s before ANH, though he was in consideration for ROTS.
So, the next question: Young Lando?
A /Film reader was a Disney’s shareholder meeting this morning and reports that there was a quick look at Rogue One show in a sizzle reel, along with some other upcoming Disney films. It “had a classic Star Wars” look and feel, he said. Head over to /Film for the (brief) details.
→ Some cast and crew gear spotted on eBay may reveal a logo from the film. It’ll look pretty familiar if you’ve been paying any attention at all to the era.
→ io9’s Rob Bricken on why Rogue One is just as important to the franchise as Episode VII.
→ There are a few trailers in play, Jordan Maison says on Twitter. “Sounds like they’re figuring out the “tone” they want to show first.”
→ Spoiler corner: Details on the new droid from Making Star Wars, who also pitches in some stuff on the footage from above.
Making Star Wars has a few bits for Rogue One: A name or codename for Felicity Jones’ character. (Remember, most sources for The Force Awakens were calling Daisy Ridley’s character ‘Kira’ – we didn’t hear the name ‘Rey’ until it was officially revealed just after the first teaser trailer, which could also be the case here.)
They also have a bit on Jiang Wen’s character, and a pair of posts on new trooper types we may see.
→ At Toy Fair, Jedi News heard from several licensees that Force Friday will return to launch Rogue One merchandise on September 30, 2016.
→ Scottish model Eunice Olumide has a part in the film, and she described a scene to the Edinburgh News. (via)
→ On Today last week, Forest Whitaker described the film as a “little edgier” for Star Wars.
Just like they did last year, Hasbro won’t be showing any toys from Rogue One at Toy Fair this year, per a statement from the company. On the other hand, we do expect lots and lots of The Force Awakens stuff!
Meanwhile, for the rumor hounds, Making Star Wars has a pair of reports. The first pertains to an all-new villain and his striking wardrobe, while the second has to do with hero disguises and code names.
Variety claims that Lucasfilm has narrowed down the possible actors for the upcoming young Han Solo film to a dozen names.
Sources tell Variety that after seeing thousands of actors, execs have cut the list down to about a dozen actors with Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco, Jack Reynor, Scott Eastwood, Logan Lerman, “Brooklyn” star Emory Cohen and “Everybody Wants Some” actor Blake Jenner among the names making the cut.
Variety’s sources also claim the rush could be to get the new Han into Rogue One for a cameo.
The solo Solo film, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, is currently scheduled for a May 25, 2018 release.
While everyone is freaking out over this shortlist, Drew McWeeney has the right idea.
So if there’s one thing I’ve learned the past few months, it’s that it is really, really hard for me to get excited or inspired about Rogue One when there are actual Episodes in play. Well, to be specific, sequel Episodes, because the prequel apathy has always been strong with me. I may, however, be in the minority on this: The next Star Wars film – which is, technically, a prequel to A New Hope – is the most anticipated movie of 2016, according to Fandango.
On the other hand, The Hollywood Reporter’s Graeme McMillan wonders if the film is too early a detour, a sentiment I can’t help but agree with.
In any case, today’s big Rogue One rumor, per Star Wars Time, is that the trailer will be attached to May’s Captain America: Civil War. That seems less like a rumor and more like plain old common sense, as we’re certainly going to see it drop in the spring, if not before.
If you’re looking for some heavier rumors, Making Star Wars is back in the mix with some (possible) details on the characters played by Mads Mikkelsen and Felicity Jones, and a set description from Pinewood.
Rogue One is due out December 16, 2016.