Tag: star wars

  • Obi-Wan Star Wars Spin Off Has a Synopsis and Set To Begin Production

    Obi-Wan Star Wars Spin Off Has a Synopsis and Set To Begin Production

    It’s been five years since Lucasfilm officially announced that “new spinoff films that will expand the mythos and depths of the Star Wars universe in previously unexplored ways.” Now with the release of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” only a week away, it seems like a great time for some production news about the next movie in the ‘Star Wars Story’ franchise to make its way to the internet.

    Last year, Disney CEO Bob Iger positively announced that a third standalone Star Wars film would roll out in 2020. In a newly released production bulletin making its rounds on the internet, Disney’s next spin-off series appears to be called “Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story,” with a working title of “Joshua Tree.”

    The Obi-Wan Movie will not be an origin story though.  The synopsis reads as follows: “Obi-Wan is on Tatooine being an elusive hermit and stuff, but secretly watches over an infant Luke Skywalker, whom he delivered to his uncle, Owen. Tensions between the local farmers and a tribe of Sand People — headed by a ruthless war chief — eventually brings Obi outta hiding … and into Jedi kickass mode. Scene.” according to the bulletin.

    Stephen Daldry is listed as the director which confirms his involvement which has been rumored from the beginning. Production is set to begin next spring and the movie is shooting in London’s Pinewood Studios, recently used for ‘The Last Jedi.’

  • Special Appearances And Merchandise Coming to Star Wars: Galactic Nights

    Special Appearances And Merchandise Coming to Star Wars: Galactic Nights

    Star Wars: Galactic Nights, a one-night special event, will return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 27.

    In case you aren’t familiar, Star Wars: Galactic Nights is a thrilling Star Wars-themed event held after park hours from 7 p.m.-midnight. It will celebrate the entire Star Wars saga – including the release of the new film Solo: A Star Wars Story – with out-of-this-world entertainment, special photo opportunities, event-exclusive merchandise and food and beverages, and encounters with rarely seen characters that guests can only experience during Star Wars: Galactic Nights.

    This week we’re sharing a sneak peek at a few of the exclusive merchandise opportunities guests will be able to enjoy at the event.

    Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano) Star Wars Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano) Star Wars
    • Appearance by Actor Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano) – Ashley is known to Star Wars fans as the voice of Ahsoka Tano, but she’s also known as the person behind the company responsible for filling fandom’s closets and wardrobes with stylish apparel and accessories. Ashley will appear at the event in the Once Upon a Time gift shop with an assortment of her merchandise. She will also sign her new book, “IT’S YOUR UNIVERSE,” in which Ashley shares her life lessons, as well as lessons from iconic Disney characters, as a way to inspire girls to create big dreams and work to make them a reality. The book will be released May 8.
      • A wristband is required to meet Ashley and will be distributed with purchase at the signing location on the day of the event.
      • Merchandise available while supplies last.
    Galactic Nights Merchandise Galactic Nights Merchandise Galactic Nights Merchandise
    • Shop Skywalker Vineyards – Stop by Launch Bay Cargo to meet Tom Johnson, the General Manager of Skywalker Vineyards. Tom will be available to sign your purchased wine or olive oil bottles from 7 p.m.-midnight (intermittently).

    Galactic Nights Merchandise

    • Shop For Exclusive Star Wars: Galactic Nights Merchandise – Limited-edition event-exclusive merchandise will be available featuring art from the upcoming movie Solo: A Star Wars Story, including a T-shirt, stainless steel water bottle and pin.
    • Grab a Solo: A Star Wars Story Droid Factory Set – Stop into Tatooine Traders to purchase this set of Droid Factory action figures which includes the newest Astromechs – R2-F1P, R5-232, R2-S8 and R5-PHT – featured in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

    Want to know more about what there is to do and see at Star Wars: Galactic Nights? Check out the list of blog posts below!

  • Foodie’s Guide For Star Wars: Galactic Nights Is Out Of This Galaxy

    Foodie’s Guide For Star Wars: Galactic Nights Is Out Of This Galaxy

    This will be food long remembered…That’s right – Star Wars: Galactic Nights returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 27, and we’ve got the Foodie Guide to everything being offered at this special event! These items will be available at various locations throughout the park.

    Galactic Nights FOOD

    Drawing inspiration from the beloved characters, worlds and stories, our culinary team has created a whole host of gourmet bites just for the occasion, including a few new offerings, such as the Dueling Gazpacho. This dish is a standoff between spicy red pepper and cool cucumber-melon, and was inspired by the famous lightsaber duel between Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Sith Lord Darth Maul.

    Galactic Nights FOOD Galactic Nights FOOD

    Next up on the list of new items is the Three-Cheese Pasta with a Meatball – a bold pasta inspired by the brave and persevering Resistance Movement, with creamy three-cheese sauce and a spicy lamb and beef meatball, a truly perfect pairing. There’s also the Sweet and Spicy Fried Drumstick. This honey-chili glazed drumstick is served with a pepper jelly biscuit, because what goes better together than chicken and biscuits? Well actually, Chewbacca’s friendship with the porgs of Ahch-To comes pretty close, and also serves as the inspiration for this dish.

    Galactic Nights FOOD

    Speaking of Ahch-To – this dish reminds us of Luke’s time on that marine planet. The Lemon Diver Scallop with Pork Belly unites land and sea, and is available exclusively at The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge. Also exclusive to this location is the Tofu and Rice Noodles, inspired by the vibrant and diverse capital of the galaxy – Coruscant. This contemporary dish features a medley of pan-seared tofu, leeks, red onions and noodles.

    Galactic Nights FOOD Galactic Nights FOOD

    If you love the adorable Ewoks, then you’ll love the new Soba Noodle Salad, a dish that compliments the Ewoks and their habitat on their Forest Moon of Endor. This vegetarian dish consists of chili-soy Soba noodles, cucumbers and carrots and is topped with a hard-boiled, chili-glazed deviled egg. But that’s not the only new vegetarian dish – there’s also the Plantmeat on Rootcrush! Inspired by Unkar Plutt’s concession stand on Jakku, this ration of vegetarian meatloaf, mashed potatoes, root vegetables and mushroom gravy will get you energized to go trade with the scavengers.

    Galactic Nights FOOD Galactic Nights FOOD

    “It’s a trap!” …of delicious flavors! These Cheese Grits are inspired by Mon Cala and feature a savory steamed crawfish smothered in decadent Louisiana boil broth served on top of sweet corn cheese grits. Also filled with flavor are the Loaded Red Curry Duck Fries. Based on the Battle of Crait, these seasoned fries are topped with duck confit, red curry ketchup and white blended cheese sauce, a snack that’s sure to ignite the spark of hope to any rebellion.

    Galactic Nights FOOD Galactic Nights FOOD

    This next dish was inspired by the Erso’s homestead, known for its lowlands and black sand beaches. This delicious meal of Fish and Chips with Smoked Paprika Remoulade comes with root vegetable chips and is sure to have you reminiscing of Lah’mu. And if you’re up for more seafood, then you won’t want to miss the Ancho-Chili Octopus, exclusive to BaseLine Tap House. This dominant dish of octopus and jicama, pear and cucumber slaw was inspired by the Sarlacc, the legendary creature found in the Dune Sea region of Tatooine.

    Churros

    But that’s just the new items – I haven’t even gotten to the returning items yet, like the popular LIGHTSABER CHURROS! That’s right, those bright blue and red churros are back along with the tasty Lightsaber Churro Sundae with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. Other returning sweets include the Sweet and Crunchy Popcorn, the Star Wars-themed Orange Truffle Cupcake, the Mini-Éclair Trio, and the Glow Cotton Candy.

    Galactic Nights FOOD

    Galactic Nights FOOD

    On the savory side, we’ve got several popular dishes returning, such as the C-3PO Charcuterie, Yoda Pepperoni Pizza, Pork Wings with Blueberry Slaw, Vegan Blue Milk Curry, the Grilled Wagyu Beef Slider, the Bloody Mary Grilled Shrimp and Chorizo Skewer, the Crab Duo, and the Ribeye Steak Puff. And for drinks, you can find the refreshing Jettison Juice (non-alcoholic) or Skywalker Wine Flight, featuring Sommità Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Rosé, and Sommità Pinot Noir from Skywalker Vineyards in Marin County, California.

    During the event, The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge and BaseLine Tap House will offer table service dining with no reservations required. Here you can experience the flavors of the galaxy with many of the dishes listed above in heartier versions along with items exclusive to these locations.

    The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge Menu:

    • Lemon Diver Scallop with Pork Belly (Location Exclusive)
    • Tofu and Noodle Salad (Location Exclusive)
    • Éclair Trio
    • Shrimp and Chorizo Skewer
    • Wagyu Beef Slider
    • C-3PO Charcuterie
    • Skywalker Wines

    BaseLine Tap House Menu:

    • Ancho-Chili Octopus (Location Exclusive)
    • Éclair Trio
    • Ribeye Steak Puff
    • Vegan Curry
    • C-3PO Charcuterie
    • Dueling Gazpacho
    • Skywalker Wines

    Now, if you’re looking at these items and just can’t decide on one dish, try the Galactic Tasting and Viewing Package! With this sampler package, you can taste a selection of five items – with up to 25 different specialty items and beverages (alcohol included) to choose from. In addition, you can also use this sampler for any Disney Dining Plan Snack-eligible items throughout the park. This package does not include items served at The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge and BaseLine Tap House.

  • Disneyland After Dark Announces Second Star Wars-Themed Celebration on May 9

    Disneyland After Dark Announces Second Star Wars-Themed Celebration on May 9

    Exciting news Star Wars fans! Due to unprecedented demand for the Disneyland After Dark – Star Wars Nite event Disney has added a second celebration of Star Wars on May 9!

    Guests at this after-hours event will once again have special access to Disneyland park to celebrate a galaxy far, far away. You’re also encouraged to come dressed in favorite Star Wars attire!

    This next Star Wars-themed celebration will give you a chance to experience many of the same offerings from the first Star Wars Nite event, including:

    • After-hours access to Disneyland park, with mix-in access beginning at 6 p.m.
    • Special entertainment, including a galactic dance party and character encounters!
    • Themed décor and immersive Star Wars-themed photo opportunities.
    • Specialty food and beverage offerings.
    • Commemorative lanyard, event credential and unlimited downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos taken during the event.

    Additionally, they will be adding new experiences for this second celebration of Star Wars, which will include:

      • Opportunity to be among the first to purchase Solo: A Star Wars Story pins (quantities are limited).
      • An additional Star Wars-themed photo opportunity.
      • Acme Archives Limited artist showcase and signing.
      • Book signing for “It’s Your Universe” (quantities are limited).

    As a reminder, beginning May 4, all Disneyland park guests will be able to enjoy these new and returning Star Wars experiences:

    • “March of First Order” – Captain Phasma guides a squad of First Order stormtroopers through Tomorrowland in a dramatic show of force.
    • Encounter Rey – Meet the Resistance’s newest hero at Star Wars Launch Bay.
    • Hyperspace Mountain – This popular transformation of Space Mountain returns!

    A limited quantity of tickets will be available starting May 1.

  • First Look at runDisney 2018 Star Wars Half Marathon Merchandise

    First Look at runDisney 2018 Star Wars Half Marathon Merchandise

    May the course be with you! The 2018 Star Wars Half Marathon – The Dark Side presented by OtterBox, returns to Walt Disney World Resort this weekend and if you’re running in it then you’re going to love the out of this galaxy commemorative merchandise available at the event this year! Get a first look at this weekend’s offerings:

    Star Wars Marathon Merchandise

    In this year’s event merchandise collection, runners participating in the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon, Star Wars Dark Side 10K, Star Wars Dark Side 5K, and the runDisney Kids Races will find a performance apparel including short and long sleeved shirts, tank tops, jackets and accessories.

    Star Wars Marathon Merchandise

    Also look for a variety of apparel and accessories for runners participating in the Star Wars First Order Challenge, celebrating their completion of 19.3 miles.

    Star Wars Marathon Merchandise

    Other products to note include Star Wars lifestyle apparel, commemorative Stormtrooper and BB-8 figurines and specialty shoe ornaments inspired by the race weekend.

    Look for these commemorative items and more during runDisney Health & Fitness Expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. All Guests are invited to attend during the following dates and times:

    • Thursday, April 19, 2018: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
    • Friday, April 20, 2018: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Saturday, April 21, 2018: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  • Watch The Latest Trailer For Solo: A Star Wars Story Just Released

    Watch The Latest Trailer For Solo: A Star Wars Story Just Released

    The official trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story made their debut today, and they have us wishing we could just make the jump to May 25 already. Take a look below at the new movie poster just released today as well.

    The trailer clocks in at over two minutes and shows us more of the movie than ever before, including great Han-and-Chewie moments, a super-cool Lando and the equally super-cool droid L3-37, and some kinetic Falcon action.

    “I’ve got a really good feeling about this,” Han says while flying. The exact opposite of the famous line uttered by Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope in an obvious nod to the famous movie quote. Take a look at the trailer below:

    More details on the plot are clear now. Obias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) recruits Han for a mission to rip off an notorious gangster (Paul Bettany) and Lando, Chewie, the mysterious Val (Thandie Newton) and Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), possibly an old flame, are all along for the ride.

    “You might want to buckle up, baby,” says Donald Glover who plays the notorious smuggler Lando Calrissian.

    The newest poster was released today as well.  It’s got a definite retro vibe with an earth-toned, Western-movie-style image, featuring beautifully-painted takes on the main characters and a world from the film.

    solo-official-poster-691x1024

    Solo: A Star Wars Story opens May 25, 2018. Written by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan and directed by Ron Howard, it stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany.

  • Disney Imagineering and NVIDIA Team Up To Develop New Tech For Millennium Falcon Attraction

    Disney Imagineering and NVIDIA Team Up To Develop New Tech For Millennium Falcon Attraction

    Walt Disney Imagineering teamed with NVIDIA and Epic Games to develop new technology to drive the Millennium Falcon attraction that will be part of  Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort when it opens in 2019.

    When it launches, riders will enter a cockpit powered with a single BOXX chassis packed with eight high-end NVIDIA Quadro P6000 GPUs, connected via Quadro SLI.

    When the attraction opens next year, park guests will visit the planet of Batuu, a remote outpost that was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes. But you don’t have to wait another year to get a glimpse of it.

    An in-progress animated sequence from the Millennium Falcon attraction was unveiled Wednesday. Produced by ILMxLAB and running in real-time, it gives fans the first ever glimpse of the incredible detail and immersion the attraction will offer.

    Quadro Sync synchronizes five projectors for the creation of dazzling ultra-high resolution, perfectly timed displays to fully immerse the riders in the world of planet Batuu.

    Working with NVIDIA and Epic Games, the Imagineering team created a custom multi-GPU implementation for Unreal Engine. This new code was returned to the Epic Games team and will help influence how multi-GPUs function for their engine.

    “We worked with NVIDIA engineers to use Quadro-specific features like Mosaic and cross-GPU reads to develop a renderer that had performance characteristics we needed,” says Bei Yang, technology studio executive at Disney Imagineering. “Using the eight connected GPUs allowed us to achieve performance unlike anything before.”

    Yang and Principal Software Developer Eric Smolikowski dove into more details during their GTC talk, “Walt Disney Imagineering Technology Preview: Real-time Rendering of a Galaxy Far, Far Away,” and discussed how Disney Imagineering took advantage of the latest NVIDIA technology and the technical modifications they made for the Unreal Engine, which allows eight GPUs to render at unprecedented quality and speed.

  • RUMOR: Meryl Streep Considered To Replace Carrie Fisher As Leia In Episode IX

    RUMOR: Meryl Streep Considered To Replace Carrie Fisher As Leia In Episode IX

    After the passing of Carrie Fisher, Star Wars fans were left wondering what would happen to her titular role as Princess Leia and since that time rumors about the possibilities have been swirling around the internet like Midi-chlorians swirl around the galaxy far far away. With the production of Episode IX expected to begin in July, the internet is kicking up rumors again and the word is that Meryl Streep is being considered to replace Carrie Fisher as Leia.

    According to Fansided, there are several options being considered on how to handle the loss of the actress and still try to keep her character alive in the Star Wars universe, and the one gaining the most stem is that Meryl Streep is seriously being considered to take over the role.

    Fans were devastated after the death of the beloved Star Wars princess. Fortunately all of her scenes in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” had already been completed before she died, but this still left fans and filmmakers wondering what to do next.

    There is always the option of adding her in with CGI much like they did in “Rogue One”, but this option doesn’t seem befitting to the actress or the character and Lucasfilm said in a statement, “We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.”

    A few other options have floated around. Some have suggested a large time jump between “The Last Jedi” and Episode IX and explaining her death in the opening crawl of the film. Others propose ending her story in a Star Wars canon novel or killing Leia on-screen without actually showing her close enough to tell it’s not her.

    Truthfully there is no right answer as we all know that Carrie Fisher is irreplaceable, but if the rumors prove true, Meryl Streep could be the next best choice as the two became close friends on the set of “Postcard From The Edge”. The screenplay, by Carrie Fisher, is based on her 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same title about her growing as the daughter of the famous actress Debbie Reynolds. Meryl Streep actually played the role of Suzanne Vale who was based on the real-life Fisher.

    “Star Wars: Episode IX” is expected in theaters on December 20, 2019, but like all rumors we will just have to wait and see. What we know for now is that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy wanted a prominent role for Leia in Episode IX and with Fisher and Streep’s close friendship and history there probably isn’t a better choice out there if they were going to go the route of replacing her.

    Would you want to see Leia’s role recast and do you think Streep is the right person for the job? Let us know what you think in the comments.

     

     

  • Jon Favreau To Write Live Action ‘Star Wars’ Series For Disney

    Jon Favreau To Write Live Action ‘Star Wars’ Series For Disney

    The live action Star Wars series is still moving forward and Disney has just tapped Iron Man director Jon Favreau as writer and executive producer. The live action series was confirmed by Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger on a quarterly earnings call with investors last November and will debut on Disney’s digital streaming service.

    The director of iron man and the jungle book will helm the series for disney’s new direct-to-consumer platform.

    In early March, Lucasfilm announced that Emmy-nominated producer and actor Jon Favreau has signed on to executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars series for Disney’s new direct-to-consumer platform. Favreau is no stranger to the Star Wars galaxy having played roles in both the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story.

    “I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe. This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”

    Favreau is thrilled to be returning to the Star Wars galaxy: “If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.”

    Disney’s collaborations with Favreau extend back a decade, when he helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe as director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2 and as an executive producer of the Iron Man and Avengers films for Marvel Studios. For Disney, he directed and produced the massively successful The Jungle Book, which won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects. He is currently in production on Disney’s highly anticipated reimagining of The Lion King, set for release in 2019.

    The untitled Star Wars live-action series does not yet have a release date.

  • Disney Removes Weapons from New ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Movie Posters

    Disney Removes Weapons from New ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Movie Posters

    Disney has removed the weapons from the movie posters for Solo: A Star Wars Story. They released new imagines of Solo: A Star Wars Story’s cast without their iconic blasters.

    As you can see in the images, with the same ease that the Empire can erase a planet with the Death Star, Disney has eradicated all traces of blasters from all of the movie posters for the upcoming Han Solo flick with the stroke of a digital pen.

    Solo Blaster Poster

    There is not word from Disney about the alterations, but the change on the Solo posters appears to be in response to the recent gun control concerns following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida last month as well as some plagiarism charges by a freelance artist, according to Movie Web.

    Solo Blaster Poster

    Is this a step too far? We’ll leave that for the readers to decide, but blasters have been a part of Star Wars since Episode IV and it’s not like they are going to go back and digitally remove all guns like they did with E.T. and replace them with walkie-talkies… Well… at least we hope not.

    I can’t help but think of Han Solo’s famous line here:

    Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

    Disney likes to be a head of the curve on social issues, evident with the removal of the bride auction from Disney World’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  Their plans for the change started way ahead of the #MeToo movement, though it should be noted that the Redhead is now is packing heat herself. So pirates can’t auction brides, and they can carry guns, but space smugglers cannot carry them…  Got it!

    The new Solo posters maybe aren’t as cool to look at, but they’ll keep Lucasfilm and Disney from getting sued and they take them out of anybody accusing them of promoting gun violence. Perhaps it’s the appropriate time to be sensitive for the moment, because it’s not like they will be removing them from the movie or anything that extreme. It’s just a poster and if these were the posters they released first, no one would have even gave it a second thought.