Tony Gilroy went “old school” for Star Wars: Andor, and by that he doesn’t mean no digital effects of course, he means they didn’t use the LED Stagecraft room technology known as “The Volume”, the first Star Wars live-action Disney Plus series to not use it. We discuss that debate over how these shows are made, and on Gilroy’s approach. We also discuss all the latest Star Wars news including Cameron Monaghan addressing the live-action Cal Kestis rumor, and the real life politics that shape stories in a galaxy far, far away. That and more including your submitted questions!
The Resistance base is open to all, so please spread the word about our Star Wars podcast and join us! Listen or watch below, and make sure to subscribe free to the show on your preferred platform!…
Lucasfilm is currently in development on multiple new Star Wars series for Disney+, including The Acolyte. Coming from executive producer Leslye Headland, The Acolyte is set to explore the waning days of the franchise’s High Republic era as the Dark Side of the Force begins to grow stronger.
Beyond that, not much is known about the streaming show. Its assumed that the Acolyte in the title will refer to a character who follows, or is being taught, the ways of the Sith. This seems especially likely given the sinister-looking red lettering that makes up the series’ logo.
In July, however, fans got that much closer to understanding the scope of the series when Lucasfilm officially announced that The Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg was boarding the show as its lead actor. And now, it would seem as though the studio’s list of potential stars for The Acolyte wasn’t especially lengthy.
Next year, Lucasfilm and Disney+ will bring Rosario Dawson into her own solo series as Ahsoka Tano, aptly going under the title of Ahsoka for the streaming series. This will serve as a spin-off from both the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Dawson’s debut as Ahsoka in The Mandalorian as fans hope to see a number of key plot threads revisited next year.
One of the biggest threads that remains unanswered is the mystery behind Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was last seen fighting Ahsoka and her cohorts in Star Wars: Rebels. Rumors have even teased that Thrawn was set for his live-action debut in Ahsoka, although no specific casting announcement has been made ahead of the series’ release.
With no plot details confirmed for Ahsoka as filming continues to move forward, Thrawn remains one of the fans’ biggest questions, especially with his absence in the story since his last appearance in Rebels. Thankfully, in her latest public appearance, starring actress Rosario Dawson seemed to answer some of those questions when asked about the villain’s place in the story….
2023 will bring a couple of exciting new adventures to the Star Wars universe with Season 3 of The Mandalorian and the first season of Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka. Mando’s third season is confirmed to bring back Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kyrze, who has played a limited but important role in the Mandoverse over the past three years.
The last time fans saw Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan, she had joined the battle with Din Djarin and Luke Skywalker before Luke took Grogu to begin his Jedi training, while Mando took control of the Darksaber. Due to Mandalorian customs, Bo-Katan couldn’t accept the blade when Din offered it to her, along with the title of ruler, without winning it in battle. Although, that sets up plenty of intriguing action for Season 3.
Bo-Katan also had a budding relationship with Ahsoka Tano thanks to their time together in Season 7 of The Clone Wars, leading fans to wonder if and when they’ll interact in a live-action format. And recently, the star behind Bo addressed the chances of that meeting happening in Rosario Dawson’s own solo series….
Fans have once again discovered a new set of books that will be releasing as part of Star Wars: The Essential Legends Collection shortly after the arrival of Wave 4.
As discovered through Edelweiss, three new Essential Legends Collection books have been confirmed: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, Republic Commando: Hard Contact, and Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. The current release date for Wave 6 is set for April 25, 2023. These books are reprints of stories from the Star Wars Legends continuity with new cover art. For those of you who came onto Star Wars from about 2015 onwards, Legends is what was once referred to as the “Star Wars Expanded Universe”, and it comprises material made or actively developed prior to the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012. In 2014, Disney officially confirmed that they would only consider the first six movies of The Skywalker Saga, alongside The Clone Wars and the various projects tied to The Clone Wars Legacy, canonical, in order to give new storytellers creative freedom on new projects….
A brand-new LEGO Star Wars animated special for Disney Plus has been released, titled LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation. After celebrating Life Day in 2020 and getting scared by some terrifying tales last year, our main characters are now trying to relax and have some fun aboard (cue in Disney’s shameless plug of their expensive hotel) the Halcyon starcruiser.
Finn, afraid to lose his friends before they move on to their next adventure, tries to maximize their time together but quickly realizes that they are not all on the same boat. Poe wants to engage in all the activities he can get his hands on, while Rey just wants to sit by the pool and sleep it off. The group quickly disperses, and Finn, while looking for them, is visited by three Force ghosts who try to teach him three valuable lessons. They are Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Leia, and they each tell a story of a vacation they had had back in the day….
Gwendoline Christie would love to return to the Star Wars galaxy as Captain Phasma; she admitted as much in a recent interview.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, Christie was asked about the possibility of reprising the role of Captain Phasma in a future Star Wars project. While it’s impossible for her to appear in anything after the events of The Last Jedi, Empire raised the possibility of a live action adaption of the character’s story in the comics, which go into more detail about her origins in the First Order.
I haven’t read the comics but, I mean, it’s Star Wars! I would absolutely love that. There was a template for a character that people got really excited about. It would be smashing if they felt that it was worthwhile to explore, along with some fabulous action….
In the latest episode of Sith Council, I had the absolute pleasure to represent Star Wars News Net as a guest on the show hosted by Kristian Harloff and featuring Steph Sabraw. The wide range of topics covered in the episode include a long conversation on the latest Andor trailer, what we can expect from Lucasfilm at the upcoming D23 Expo in September, and whether or not the next main trilogy (Episodes X-XII) will happen anytime soon.
With the Multiverse Saga introducing a whole new era of heroes and villains to the MCU, Hollywood talent is constantly signing on for major Marvel roles. Phase 4 has already brought plenty of A-list talent into the fold, including several actors from Disney’s next biggest franchise, Star Wars, such as Oscar Isaac, Alden Ehrenreich, and Richard E. Grant.
Now, fans have begun speculating which other Star Wars actors may be up for Marvel roles, with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Adam Driver all having had their names thrown around. Over the years there have been various rumors pointing to each of these stars joining the MCU such as Ridley for Spider-Woman or Driver in an unknown role, but Boyega is the latest name to enter the fold.
Recently, reports circulated to suggest the sequel trilogy’s Finn actor had filmed scenes for a Marvel project in secret, but sadly, Boyega has put those rumors to rest.
Diego Luna recently appeared on The View to talk about Andor with Whoopi Goldberg and the other hosts. During the interview, he spoke about how long he’s been working on the show, the importance of diversity in Star Wars and roughly how long the first three episodes will be when they arrive on September 21st.
One of the most noteworthy bits of information of the interview comes right towards the end, as Diego Luna talks about the three episodes debuting at once, mentioning that the runtime all three together comprises nearly two hours…
Join us for a very special LIVE Rebel Force Radio. Jimmy Mac is in Petaluma, CA, at Rancho Obi-Wan as we sit down for an extended interview with legendary fan ambassador and Guinness record holder for the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia Steve Sansweet.
Steve will showcase some of our favorite items in his collection while also taking your calls. Plus, 100% of all super chats will go to Ranch Obi-Wan. If super chats aren’t your thing, please consider making a donation at the link below.
John Boyega has stated that Lucasfilm has been supportive of his career after he raised some concerns to the company.
Getting a major role in Star Wars was a dream for Boyega, but as soon as the first trailer for The Force Awakens dropped, the actor became a target of racist online trolling campaigns that the company didn’t know how to deal with. Boyega temporarily left social media due to how he was treated online to focus on his role in the franchise and other acting opportunities. While this hate subsided over time, Boyega felt that his character was sidelined in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker after being the co-lead for his first film, with Kelly Marie Tran facing similar abuse and a subsequent decrease in prominence. In 2020, he vented his frustrations in an interview with GQ:
“What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a [person of color], market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side… Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver. You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all… They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.”…
Hey Star Wars fans. Apologies for the delay tonight but we are having issues with the internet in a Ohio and cannot connect with Jason so we are postponing tonight’s show from Rancho Obi-Wan to tomorrow – Wednesday August 3 at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific on the RFR YouTube Channel. We’ll be taking your calls and talking Star Wars with Steve…Please join us!
Brought to you by RFR on Patreon!
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Legendary screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan was recently a guest on Entertainment Weekly‘s Star Wars podcast Dagobah Dispatch (you can check out the episode here), to promote his documentary series Light & Magic. This is a six-part event, now available on Disney Plus, that recollects and documents the history of Industrial Light and Magic, the company that George Lucas founded back in 1975 to bring the visual effects he needed for Star Wars to life. Here are some interesting bits from the interview.
Kasdan started explaining how he was first contacted by Steven Spielberg to do the script for Raiders of the LostArk, even before he got the job for Empire StrikesBack. But then, when he handed the first draft to George Lucas, Lucas asked him to help him out on Empire — even before he read a single page of Raiders. Here’s how Kasdan explained it:
“It had taken me seven years to sell two scripts that I had written, two spec scripts. And the second one was purchased by Steven Spielberg. And the day I met Steven Spielberg, he said, ‘I’m going to do a movie with George Lucas and I want you to meet him. Are you okay with that?’ I said, ‘Yes, I’m very okay with that.’
And we walked over and we saw George, and he gave the bare bones of what Raiders would be. And I wrote Raiders before. And when I finished it after about six months, I took it to George and before he read it, he said, ‘I’m having trouble with the sequel to Star Wars. Will you help me with that?’ And I said, ‘Well, don’t you want to read the [Raiders] script first?’ And he said, ‘I’m going to read it tonight. If I don’t like it, I’m calling you up tomorrow, I’m taking back this offer.’ I thought that was perfectly fair, but he did like it. And so I found myself unexpectedly writing first Raiders and then Empire in quick succession. And I was in heaven.”…
The third issue of the Obi-Wan comic is out, and it brings us back to the Clone Wars! Each issue begins with a weary Obi-Wan, reflecting on transformative moments from his life as he waits out a brutal sandstorm on Tatooine. The Jedi Master’s thoughts cut deep in these pages. We get a glimpse at the inner turmoil and sadness still seeping into Obi-Wan’s soul. He even points out that if he dwells too long on some of these moments the pain of it all will overcome him. While this sadness swells it is met by an even superior force: Obi-Wan’s resolve. Kenobi has experienced strife and despair in much of his life, but through it all, he has come out with a firm foundational trust in the Force and stands firmly in the light.
With the release of the new issue of Empire Magazine, new images from the show and interviews featuring the cast and crew are being released online. In this new image (see above), we see Fiona Shaw’s Maarva interact with Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, an encounter that was already hinted at by the trailer when we saw Maarva and B2-EMO together.
Speaking to Shaw, the actress revealed to Empire that the show that Tony Gilroy came up with will be an exaggerated take on the reality we are living in now:
“Tony has written a great, scurrilous [take] on the Trumpian world. Our world is exploding in different places right now, people’s rights are disappearing, and Andor reflects that. [In the show] the Empire is taking over, and it feels like the same thing is happening in reality, too.”
She then added that the series has a lot of heart, too…
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, actor Cameron Monaghan, who portrayed the young Jedi Cal Kestis in the video game Jedi: Fallen Order, fired up the rumors about a possible jump to live-action for his character.
While promoting his new project Paradise Highway, the actor was asked about a possible live-action appearance of Cal, and he said:
“Well of course there’s interest. That’s about all I can say. [Laughs]”
It’s a bit unclear if he means he is interested in it, or if Lucasfilm is interested in it, but judging from the second sentence, it could potentially be the latter. We should keep in mind, though, that the actor probably had to sign a lot of NDAs that would prevent him from even addressing this question if there were no plans for a Cal Kestis series…
Following the release of the new Andor trailer, we’d like to take a closer look at it and try to figure out what the show has in store for us. We cannot stress enough that what follows is pure speculation from this writer, and there is a high chance it will all be wrong. But there is a lot of fun to be had analyzing this trailer while we wait for the show to come out, so let’s get into it!
The Empire is in expansion mode. We already saw hints of this in the first teaser, with the opening drums, but the threat seems bigger than ever when the Star Destroyer appears in the sky. From what we’ve seen in both trailers, my guess is that we are going to open the series with the Empire invading a planet, where I think we will find Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor…
Over at TheDIRECT, in which I feel they give the article a title that could be misinterpreted as if it was going to be critical (for what reason, I don’t know), actor John Boyega gives his opinion on the Disney+ show Obi-Wan Kenobi:
Boyega has spoken often about his time playing FN-2187/Finn in the sequel trilogy, shining a light on the positives of being part of the Star Wars universe as well as some of the negatives. Even having largely felt misutilized in the last couple of theatrical releases, there may be a chance that he returns to the role in the future, but he’s admitted that it would have to be alongside co-stars Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac.
Regardless of what his future holds in terms of playing Finn for Disney and Lucasfilm again, Boyega remains up to date with everything that Lucasfilm continues to develop within the Star Wars narrative. Recently, he even shared his thoughts on the franchise’s newest release, Obi-Wan Kenobi, giving fans his honest review of Ewan McGregor’s return to the galaxy far, far away…
During her recent appearance on the Adam Carolla Show, Gina Carano talked about the STAR WARS streaming series that was being developed for her, RANGERS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC. We listen to the highlights and analyze.
Filmmaker and Friend of RFR Kyle Newman’s latest movie “1UP” is a hilarious look at competitive E-Gaming with a great cast. And, of course, with it being a Kyle Newman flick, there are a few fun STAR WARS references and easter eggs. Find out what they are! You can watch “!UP” now on Amazon Prime. Check it out!
Emmy nominations were announced today and Star Wars has one nomination to celebrate. Last year’s animated series of anime shorts Star Wars: Visions scored a nomination for Outstanding Short Form Animation Program. This is an animated anthology of shorts made by Japanese studios that told unconnected stories set outside of Star Wars canon, where creators were given carte blanche to turn their wildest dreams into reality.
Disney had already submitted one of the shorts, “The Village Bride”, for Oscar consideration in the category of Best Animated Short Film, though it ultimately didn’t earn a spot. Another short, “The Duel”, did get a nomination at the Annie Awards, but lost to an episode of Arcane. The series is now being recognized as a whole by the Television Academy, and will go up against Netflix’s Love, Death and Robots, HBO Max’s Robot Chicken, Amazon’s The Boys Presents: Diabolical, and Disney’s When Billie Met Lisa. The 2022 Emmys ceremony will take place on Monday, September 12.
Star Wars: Visions was received rather well by the audience and critics alike, and Lucasfilm was satisfied enough with its numbers to greenlight a second season. This was officially announced at StarWars Celebration in May 2022, where they said that Volume 2 would be released in spring 2023….
Obi-Wan Kenobi has ended and we now turn our attention to Andor! We give our takes on the latest news about the next live-action Star Wars series which arrives next month, as well as updates on Ahsoka and The Mandalorian. We also react to the trailer of the upcoming Lawrence Kasdan ILM documentary Light & Magic!
The Resistance base is open to all, so please spread the word about our Star Wars podcast and join us! Listen or watch below, and make sure to subscribe free to the show on your preferred platform!…
We’re closing in on the debut of Andor and The Bad Batch season 2, while Ahsoka and news around an upcoming Star Wars film gains momentum. With all of that comes an assortment of news and updates you don’t want to miss!
This past week we also had an awesome opportunity to interview Natalie Holt, Obi-Wan Kenobi composer, in an exclusive podcast episode.
Before we head into another week, catch up on all of the reviews, stories, and news from July 4-10!
Taika Waititi has been popular this week. Between the release of his new Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder and his tongue-in-cheek quotes, like joking about not knowing Natalie Portman was in Star Wars (which many took seriously) or not knowing whether his Star Wars film will be made (likely also a joke), the director has found himself front and center in headlines and across social media. Well now The Hollywood Reporter is saying plans for Waititi’s mystery Star Wars movie is on firmer footing than the filmmaker would have you believe. Check out the story!
During Star Wars Celebration 2022, Lucasfilm confirmed that Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts is working on a new live-action Star Wars series for Disney Plus titled Skeleton Crew. Here’s everything we know so far!
Nielsen’s tracking for Obi-Wan Kenobi indicate that the Star Wars spin-off series earned a fifth place spot in its third week of release, with nearly 700 million minutes of the show being streamed at that frame of time. Read the update!…
