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….
The creative team behind the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special and LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales had always hoped to make a trilogy of animated specials. And Director Ken Cunningham really hoped the third installment could fulfill his dreams of helming a rollicking musical.
With the release of LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation today on Disney+, the third special in the trifecta arrives complete with two musical numbers, including a new song sung by “Weird Al” Yankovic. Set in the time after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the story follows Finn and his friends on a luxury vacation aboard the Halcyon starcruiser. But instead of relaxing with a good book or enjoying the pool, Finn spends his time fretting about the future, which spurs visits from three Force ghosts who impart crucial lessons upon the young Force-sensitive hero.
Like its predecessors, collaborators at the LEGO Group, Lucasfilm, and Atomic Cartoons looked to favorite films and pop culture touch points to inspire the brick-based storytelling. “We were wrapping up Terrifying Tales and started talking about summer vacations and road trips,” recalls David Shayne, the writer behind all three specials.
“What are the iconic beach movies and summer movies?” producer Josh Rimes of Lucasfilm remembers asking the team. The first one that came to mind was the classic comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation. To translate the Griswold family road trip into the Star Wars galaxy, creators reimagined a very Solo family vacation. “It’s remembering our vacations and our road trips and what we went on and going, ‘What would that look like on the Millennium Falcon?’” says Shayne….
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….
New Andor Trailer, Lawrence Kasdan Talks Light & Magic, and More!
This week in Star Wars, we get a fresh look at Andor in the new trailer, slather on SPF for some fun in the sun with LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation, and pull back the curtain on Industrial Light & Magic with the six-part documentary Light & Magic streaming exclusively on Disney+. Plus, the docuseries director and executive producer Lawrence Kasdan, whose writing credits include the scripts for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, stops by to talk about his latest project.
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!
Official YouTube Video Home for Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast
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.
The next phase of Star Wars: The High Republic storytelling is just a few months away! Last week at San Diego Comic-Con, we got our first look at covers and interior pages from several comics and the forthcoming audio original, Star Wars: The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha.
And today on a brand-new episode of Star Wars: The High Republic Show, our host Krystina Arielle revealed variant covers from the relaunch of Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic and new concept art for two characters we’ll meet during Phase II of the initiative.
First seen in Zorida Córdova’s Convergence, we have your first look at the chancellor’s son, Axel Greylark, with art by MinJi Yoon.
And from the forthcoming Quest for the Hidden City, Jedi Master Silandra Sho shown here in an illustration by Jeff Thomas and based on concept art from Iain McCaig. Like her weapon of choice, Silandra views herself as a shield against evil in the galaxy.
We’ve also got our first glimpse at variant covers from Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic issue #2, illustrated by Rachael Stott and Rod Reis….
Star Wars: The High Republic takes us back to the prime of the Jedi Order — centuries prior to the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, during a previously unseen era. A multi-platform publishing initiative with books and comics for all ages, the story introduces new heroes to cheer on, new worlds to explore, and new threats to face. There has never been anything like it before in the galaxy far, far away.
If you’re new to The High Republic or looking to fill in some gaps to your collection, starwars.com has compiled a chronological guide to the tentpole stories told thus far, though The High Republic can also be read in release order or by format. However you choose to enjoy these tales, we’re glad you’re along for the ride. For light and life!…
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 this exclusive excerpt, learn more about the actor’s surreal transition from fan to cast member.
A longtime fan of the Star Wars saga, Carey Jones had enjoyed a successful career as a filmmaker and actor before being cast as the fearsome Wookiee Krrsantan. It was Jones who brought the character to life when the bounty hunter made his surprise transition from comic book icon to live-action force of nature in Chapter 2 of The Book of Boba Fett, “The Tribes of Tatooine.”
In an exclusive excerpt from Star Wars Insider #212, Jones discusses landing the role and upholding the Wookiee legacy that began with Peter Mayhew about 45 years ago.
Star Wars Insider: Portraying a character in the Star Wars galaxy is a unique accomplishment, especially for a fan. How did the role come your way?
Carey Jones: I had worked with Robert Rodriguez on Predators (2010). He’s friends with Greg Nicotero (the legendary special makeup effects artist), who happened to mention me in the course of a conversation, and Robert remembered that experience. He gave me a call and that’s really how it started. When someone asks you if you want to be in Star Wars, you say, “Yes!” You don’t really ask a ton of questions after that (laughs).
Star Wars Insider: What went through your mind when you learned that you’d be playing Krrsantan in The Book of Boba Fett?
Carey Jones: The funny thing about it is that although I knew that I’d been cast as a Wookiee, I didn’t know that it was Krrsantan, or that we’d be making The Book of Boba Fett. For a while, I’d assumed it was for another Star Wars show altogether, because Disney and Lucasfilm like to keep things so close to the vest, and they kept the scripts so secret. I didn’t know it was actually a Boba Fett show until I was on set, but that was okay because I was going to be in a Star Wars production!…
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…
Star Wars has always been about family. Just like the inhabitants of the galaxy, families come in all shapes and sizes. It might be a found family, like Rey Skywalker, Poe Dameron, and Finn, or siblings fighting together for a better tomorrow, like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.
While sister pairs may be somewhat rare in Star Wars, they all left their own unique mark on the galaxy far, far away. Let’s take a look at four pairs of sensational sisters who protected each other and relied on one another to make it through the galaxy together.
Bo-Katan and Satine Kryze
Bo-Katan and Satine Kryze both dedicated their lives to the betterment of Mandalore, but couldn’t agree on how to do it. Satine, the Duchess of Mandalore, was a pacifist. She believed that the Mandalorians’ violent past, which had practically destroyed their planet, should be left behind them. Satine insisted that Mandalore remain neutral in the Clone Wars. Not even the involvement of her beloved Obi-Wan Kenobi could change her mind.
Bo-Katan was part of the Death Watch, a faction of insurgents that believed in upholding Mandalore’s warrior tradition. She eventually turned against Death Watch when Maul seized control of the group and imprisoned her sister.
While the Kryze sisters didn’t see eye to eye on everything, they were both passionate, brave, and fearsome in their own ways. They both believed in Mandalore.…
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…
Wow, unexpected…I, personally, was looking forward to the original air date of August 31st but it seems the release has now been pushed back to September 21st. Announced in a new trailer and confirmed by starwars.com, it was a surprise to be sure.
Still, it looks great and we will just have to wait that little bit longer.
Check out the trailer and also great new poster below.
Watch the new trailer for #Andor, a Star Wars original series, streaming only on Disney+. Experience the three-episode premiere September 21.
The entire process of making Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) are shown here in this documentary. From pre-production through post-production we get to see visual effects meetings, John Williams music sessions and even the storm that wiped out the pod-racers and props.
In this episode of Star Wars: The High Republic Show, Krystina takes a look back at the entirety of Phase I, checks out some amazing High Republic Cosplay from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, and reveals some sweet exclusive reveals including the brand new crawl for Phase II. Plus, we sit down with Zoraida Córdova, George Mann, and Tessa Gratton to chat about their new books coming to Phase II. Have questions about Star Wars: The High Republic? Tweet them to us using the hashtag #THRSQuestions and your question might get answered in the next episode! Learn more about The High Republic at http://www.starwars.com/thehighrepublic
The all-new animated special from Lucasfilm and the LEGO Group and the newest entry in the popular signature branded cross-saga storytelling series that began with “LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special” and continued with “LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales,” will premiere August 5, 2022, exclusively on Disney+.
“LEGO® Star Wars Summer Vacation,” which is set shortly after the events of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” features the voices of “Weird Al” Yankovic, Yvette Nicole Brown, Kelly Marie Tran, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and returning cast members from previous “LEGO Star Wars” specials, and includes “Weird Al’s” new original song, Scarif Beach Party.
Who’s ready for a relaxing vacation adventure? Stream LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation, an original special, on @disneyplus August 5.
The all-new animated special from Lucasfilm and the LEGO Group and the newest entry in the popular signature branded cross-saga storytelling series that began with “LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special” and continued with “LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales,” will premiere August 5, 2022, exclusively on Disney+.
“LEGO® Star Wars Summer Vacation,” which is set shortly after the events of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” features the voices of “Weird Al” Yankovic, Yvette Nicole Brown, Kelly Marie Tran, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and returning cast members from previous “LEGO Star Wars” specials, and includes “Weird Al’s” new original song, Scarif Beach Party.
5/10 reveals and first looks from the San Diego Comic-Con staple.
There’s a conflict brewing on Jedha, a nameless terror lurking in the galaxy, and a new class of Jedi heading to Star Wars: The High Republic later this year.During the Lucasfilm Publishing panel at San Diego Comic-Con this afternoon, creative director and moderator Michael Siglain was joined by eight Star Wars authors — Kristin Baver, Cecil Castellucci, Adam Christopher, Claudia Gray, George Mann, Beth Revis, Cavan Scott, and Kiersten White — reuniting to reveal book and comic covers, comic pages, and interior spreads from Phase II of The High Republic and beyond. Here are 10 reveals and first looks from the hour-long discussion.
1. We got our first look at the cover of Star Wars: The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha.
With a script by George Mann and a cover from artist Grant Griffin, the audio original story will take us back to the moon first glimpsed in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for a new tale set during the apex of the Jedi Order.
2. But something wicked is plaguing the Jedi.
Mann will also pen the new Dark Horse limited series, Star Wars: The High Republic: The Nameless Terror. The first pages from artists Eduardo Mello and Ornella Savarese, introduce an array of new characters including a Bith Jedi!
3. Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures is returning.
During the panel, the cover of the new issue #1 from Dark Horse Comics was revealed featuring Sav Malagán and the tantalizing question: Padawan…or Pirate? The debut story will reunite writer Daniel José Older and illustrator Toni Bruno, with a cover by Harvey Tolibao.
4. We got our first look at the cover of Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic issue #2 and other issues heading to your local comic book shop this November.
Headed to a comic shop this fall, the second issue in the series once again features cover art by Ario Anindito and a story written by Cavan Scott.
And, we got our first look at cover art from Star Wars #29, Darth Vader #29, Doctor Aphra #26, Bounty Hunters #28, The Mandalorian #5, and Han Solo & Chewbacca #7.
5. Beth Revis showed us the rest of that dress from her new book, The Princess and The Scoundrel.
The full artwork from the cover of the forthcoming novel set after the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi gives us our first look at Han and Leia’s wedding, including the flowing gossamer gown worn by Princess Organa….
