Beyond Skywalker: What’s the future of Star Wars?

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.

Out this week: Willow on Blu-ray, Star Wars #3

The first Blu-ray of Lucasfilm’s 1989 fantasy film Willow will be out tomorrow. Star Warwick Davis and director Ron Howard will be holding a live Q&A tomorrow under the hashtag #WillowChat.

Willow was my first Lucasfilm movie – first that I remember, anyway – but I haven’t watched it in years, and I’ll be live-tweeting it sometime next weekend. I hope some of you will join me – stay tuned for details.

Now, back to Star Wars – literally. Look for Brian Wood’s Star Wars #3 in the comic shops on Wednesday, as well as the digest The Clone Wars: Defenders of the Lost Temple.

Our next novel, Tim Lebbon’s Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, is due in May.

Willow turning 25, coming to Blu-ray next year

USA Today reports that a digitally restored version of Lucasfilm’s fantasy film Willow will be coming to DVD on March 12.

Willow was originally released in 1988. It was produced and written by George Lucas, directed by Ron Howard, and starred Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, and Joanne Whalley.

The Blu-ray will contain commentary from Howard, Davis’s own personal video diary, and and Dennis Muren’s “From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking” with a new intro.

Anyone who thinks George Lucas might have issues with redheaded ladies working for evil empires should probably check this one out. Of course, as a child of the late 80’s, I admit I have a HUGE soft spot for this movie and will totally be buying it.

Is Willow cartoon just a fan’s dream? Probably.

A few days ago I threw a link to some Willow cartoon art in an an EUbits. Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo expressed some skepticism, and came back with the above tweet today. My working theory is that the ‘animation’ art was fan art, or – if io9’s theory of the art’s Nelvana origin is true – some speculative art from an Ewoks or Droids animator that never made it any further than that?

“Although to be fair, I didn’t ask EVERYONE,” Pablo told me later. “Just those who would know.”

EUbits: Karen Miller returning with Insider short story, inside Del Rey and more

Is Miller writing a post-ROTJ story? On her Livejournal, Karen Miller wrote that she is “getting ready to put together a short story for Star Wars Insider magazine.” She also shares/gloats that she got to read Aaron Allston’s Mercy Kill for “preliminary research.” All three of Miller’s Star Wars novels were Clone Wars tie-ins, so if Mercy Kill is any indication, this may be her first foray into post-ROTJ – or even post-Fate of the Jedi, since that’s when Mercy Kill is set. Or, she’s just writing about fighter pilots. We’ll see, I suppose.

Inside the beast. A new feature on Del Rey’s Star Wars Books Facebook page offers a few hints, including an “an author who is new to the GFFA.” And they liked our (also your) snark!

Speculation. It may be a moot point since Zahn said most of the Scoundrels scoundrels will be new folks, but EU Cantina has some theories on who might appear.

Excerpts. A little Scourge and a big Scourge. (via)

Review. James seems really excited about Dawn of the Jedi #2. Someone has to be, I suppose.

Randomly… io9 has some art from a Willow cartoon that never came to be. It’s not quite EU – unless you count that StarWars.com April Fools joke a few years back – but where else am I going to put it?

Star Wars in the news: George Lucas still rich, Harry Potter still popular

George tops Forbes Hollywood list. George Lucas is the top earner on the business mag’s brand new list of Hollywood’s highest-paid men. (Wait, men? I guess Oprah isn’t ‘Hollywood.’) Coming up second is Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford shows up at #11.

Number games Because Harry Potter could soon beat Star Wars as the best-grossing movie franchise in the U.S. And yeah, while it didn’t beat Transformers 2’s opening weekend, Half-Blood Prince hasn’t done too shabby. (Would J.K. Rowling count as ‘Hollywood,’ Forbes?)

Flashback. Geoff Boucher digs up an old photo from the 70’s.

Other franchies… Warwick Davis talks a bit about a sequel to Willow with MTV. (We also learn that I am not the only person who hated the sequel books!)

The fandom minute: Wedge, dreams of Episode VII, collecting, princesses, day camp and go pro

A good wingman is hard to find. A t-shirt tribute to everyone’s favorite secondary character. This is an excellent shirt to wear when asking Aaron or Mike to sign your arm. (Yes men, you can get one, too.)

If you thought Episode I was slashtastic… Episode VII is among the five posters for sci-fi spinoffs that Sci Fi Wire really wants to see. Nice idea, but their suggestion of Peter Jackson is a bit much. (I mean, really? REALLY? Did no one see his King Kong? Lord of the Rings is one thing, but no giant gorilla movie has any right to go on that long.)

They don’t serve your kind. Duncan Jenkins’s guide to cantina collectibles.

Distressing damsels. Leia and Willow’s Sorsha are among Sci Fi Squad’s top ten princesses of sci-fi and fantasy.

Whoops. Seven classic star wars characters who totally dropped the ball.

Of course it’s Ann Arbor. TFN found a Star Wars day camp.

Lucas Online is hiring! Pablo and Bonnie have been out and about urging folks to apply for the Project Web Developer job. One could certainly do worse…