Star Wars

Star Wars

New ‘Star Wars’ TV Show Announced

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Entertainment Weekly:

Disney announced Thursday development on another live-action Star Wars TV series, this one centered around Diego Luna’s doomed Rogue One character Cassian Andor.

The company says the drama is in the works for Disney’s new streaming service and follows the adventures of the rebel spy during the formative years of the Rebellion. Naturally, the drama takes place before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The Beautiful, Ugly, and Possessive Hearts of Star Wars

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Film Crit Hulk:

I don’t care if you liked or didn’t like something. You are absolutely entitled to your opinion. But the opinion is not what matters. The point is that when you say something is “bad writing” or “bad direction,” I want to understand what you actually mean by that, and why you think that. And if you can only stammer out a few confusing words that add up to “that’s how I felt,” then I can’t understand you. And the simple truth is that applying the right words and backing them up with clarity, while showcasing an understanding of the nuance behind them, is literally what criticism is. Which is precisely why I take so much issue with critical culture trying assign a specific kind of value judgement, just because we think that’s what we’re supposed to do.

Amen.

I Won’t Be Marginalized by Online Harassment

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Kelly Marie Tran, writing at The New York Times:

It wasn’t their words, it’s that I started to believe them.

Their words seemed to confirm what growing up as a woman and a person of color already taught me: that I belonged in margins and spaces, valid only as a minor character in their lives and stories.

And those words awakened something deep inside me — a feeling I thought I had grown out of. The same feeling I had when at 9, I stopped speaking Vietnamese altogether because I was tired of hearing other kids mock me.

Jon Favreau to Executive Produce, Write Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ TV Series

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The Hollywood Reporter:

“I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president said in a statement. “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.”

‘Game of Thrones’ Creators to Write and Produce a New Series of ‘Star Wars’ Films

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Star Wars:

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are going from Winterfell to a galaxy far, far away.

It was announced today that Benioff and Weiss, creators of the smash-hit, Emmy Award-winning television series Game of Thrones, will write and produce a new series of Star Wars films.

These new films will be separate from both the episodic Skywalker saga and the recently-announced trilogy being developed by Rian Johnson, writer-director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

A Field Guide to the Musical Leitmotifs of ‘Star Wars’

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Alex Ross, writing for The New Yorker:

Scholars like Lehman are exulting in “The Last Jedi” because the score is full of such echt-leitmotivic moments. Williams manipulates his library of themes with extreme dexterity, often touching on a familiar motif for just a couple of bars. (Spoilers loom ahead.) In early scenes set at a remote, ruined Jedi temple, we keep hearing an attenuated, beclouded version of the Force motto: this evokes Luke’s embittered renunciation of the Jedi project.

‘The Last Jedi’ Has Massive Opening Weekend

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BoxOfficeMojo:

With an estimated $220 million, Star Wars: The Last Jedi delivered the second largest opening weekend ever behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which debuted with $247.9 million back in 2015. Last Jedi got off to a strong start on Thursday night with the second largest preview gross ever of $45 million and became only the second film to ever gross over $100 million on opening day resulting in the second largest opening day ever, second largest single day, second largest Friday and joins Force Awakens as the fastest films to reach $100 million.

Live Action ‘Star Wars’ TV Series Coming From Disney

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Variety is reporting that a live action Star Wars TV series will be coming to Disney’s new streaming service:

Disney chairman-CEO Bob Iger announced the “Star Wars” news during the company’s quarterly earnings call. In addition to the “Star Wars” TV series, Disney is working on TV series adaptations of Pixar’s “Monsters Inc.,” the Disney Channel’s “High School Musical” franchise and an original entry from Marvel.

Rian Johnson to Create All-New Star Wars Trilogy

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Star Wars:

Lucasfilm is excited to announce that Johnson will create a brand-new Star Wars trilogy, the first of which he is also set to write and direct, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman onboard to produce.

As writer-director of The Last Jedi, Johnson conceived and realized a powerful film of which Lucasfilm and Disney are immensely proud. In shepherding this new trilogy, which is separate from the episodic Skywalker saga, Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.

J.J. Abrams Returns for ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’

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J.J. Abrams has signed on to return and write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX. The movie will be out on December 20th, 2019.

J.J. Abrams, who launched a new era of Star Wars with The Force Awakens in 2015, is returning to complete the sequel trilogy as writer and director of Star Wars: Episode IX. Abrams will co-write the film with Chris Terrio. Star Wars: Episode IX will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Abrams, Bad Robot, and Lucasfilm.

Colin Trevorrow Leaves Next ‘Star Wars’ Movie

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Colin Trevorrow will no longer be directing Star Wars: Episode IX. A statement has been released from Lucasfilm:

Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX. Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ. We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon.

My first vote is to let Rian Johnson direct another. If that’s a no, I’d love to see Ava Duvernay behind the lens.