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Jon Favreau Says The Mandalorian’s Big Season-Ending Cameo Wasn’t Originally Planned

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 16:14:33 +0000

We tried to avoid giving away any big spoilers in the episode title, but c’mon now: if you haven’t seen the second season finale episode of ‘The Mandalorian’ yet and have somehow avoided knowing that Luke Skywalker makes a cameo appearance, then you’re probably not reading this article anyhow, and if you are, well oops, consider yourself spoiled. In any case, the appearance of the CGIed Young Skywalker was likely the biggest surprise to come from the series, which in an of itself is an impressive feat, as the show has routine dropped surprise after surprise for viewers in the form of cameos, fan-favorite characters from other media, and lets not forget about the pretty huge bombshell all the way back in the first episode about the appearance of Baby Yoda Grogu in an of itself. Believe it or not, however, the inclusion of Luke into the series’ story arc was not something that was in the mix from the get-go. Showrunner Jon Favreau, in a recent interview, was asked directly about this, and his answer shed quite the light on his process: “No. The story unfolded as I wrote it. ‘The Mandalorian’ inherits a great deal from existing Star […]

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An Exhaustive List Of Disney’s Newly Announced Star Wars Projects

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 04:58:46 +0000

Dank farrik, Disney had it’s Investors Day 2020 on Thursday and unleashed a metric butt-ton of information about its forthcoming Star Wars properties. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive right in. Directly from Disney’s press release: Lucasfilm announced an impressive number of exciting Disney+ series and new feature films destined to expand the Star Wars galaxy like never before. Among the projects for Disney+ are “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” starring Ewan McGregor with Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader, and two series set in the Mandalorian era from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni: “Rangers of the New Republic” and “Ahsoka,” a series featuring the fan favorite character Ahsoka Tano. Additional new titles announced for Disney+ include “Andor,” “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” “Star Wars: Visions,” “Lando,” “The Acolyte,” and “A Droid Story.” The studio is also revisiting “Willow” in a new series with Warwick Davis returning in the title role. The next feature film in the Star Wars franchise, releasing in December 2023, will be “Rogue Squadron,” which will be directed by Patty Jenkins of the “Wonder Woman” franchise. So that’s NINE new projects heading to streaming service Disney+, and some specific clarity on the future of the cinematic franchise […]

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One Big Thing From This Week’s ‘The Mandalorian’ That No One Is Talking About…

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 20:10:33 +0000

WARNING: Spoilers lie ahead for “The Tragedy,” episode 14 of ‘The Mandalorian.’ If you have not seen this episode and wish the details to remain unbeknownst to you, the time to stop reading is now! This past week’s episode of ‘The Mandalorian’ is a prime example of why Disney simply refers to the each installment as “Chapter XX” until their actual air date. If the average fan’s response is anything like my wife’s when she saw that this episode was titled “The Tragedy,” then most folks knew they were in for a serious emotional roller coaster. (I believe her exact words were, “If that sweet, sweet Baby Yoda dies, I will burn Disney to the ground.”) Indeed, the episode was filled with suspense, intrigue, a return of not one but two previously-left-for-dead characters (one of whom was left for dead back in the 1980s, no less), and of course, the aforementioned tragedy (although, fortuitously, it wasn’t quite as bad as my wife thought it was going to be, and the Disney campus remains standing). Truly, the full on-screen return of fan-favorite Boba Fett is the headline-maker of this chapter; an impressive feat, considering that Mando lost Grogu back to the clutches […]

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Book Review: ‘Star Wars: Death Troopers’ (2007)

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 16:37:19 +0000

It’s a Thursday, and it’s October, the “Halloween Season” …so what’s a combo Star Wars fan/die-hard zombie aficionado like myself supposed to do? Talk about one of the only pieces of media on the planet that crosses the two over, of course! Initially released over a decade ago, when it was firmly in sorta-canon upon its release but now relegated to “Legends” status – and long before ‘Rogue One’ used characters of the same name in its opening sequence – “Star Wars: Death Troopers” is the mixing of a Star Wars story and a zombie horror story. While it sounds amazingly amazing in theory, and indeed is a pretty fun read, as a proud-yet-critical fan of both universes I feel I must be a little, well, critical here. The experience of reading this book feels a little like meeting a supermodel might: your preconceived notions make you insanely excited for the big event, it seems so amazing and perfect from a distance, but after you spend some time with it, you find out that it’s definitely not perfect and you actually end up a little bummed out. The book was written by Joe Schreiber, who has written a few horror […]

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Star Wars Short Film ‘Hunted’ From Lucasfilm & EA Shows The Empire’s Point Of View

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 15:18:59 +0000

Depending upon which Star Wars fan you talk to on any given day, the franchise has had its fair share of perceived hits and misses, not only recently but across its 40-plus years of history. If you’re fan like I am, you may take particular interest in any Star Wars tale that doesn’t specifically center around someone named Skywalker – and if that kind of Star Wars is your cup of tea blue milk, then you are in luck with ‘Hunted,’ an amazing new short film released last week to help herald the arrival of the franchise’s newest video game. The 7-minute mini-movie takes a character approach that is fairly unique in the Star Wars universe: it follows the plight of the Galactic Empire as (ostensibly) the “good guys,” or at least the side of the whole good-versus-evil battle that’s being persecuted. Taking place shortly after the Battle of Endor (aka the events shown to us at the end of ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ and the “original trilogy”), ‘Hunted’ flips the narrative and shows the Rebellion as the aggressors in the conflict, ruthlessly destroying an Empire base and looking to take no prisoners as the battle mops up. […]

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The Trailer For ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Has Arrived

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 15:27:41 +0000

After a wait of what felt like 1,000 years of being digested in a sarlacc’s stomach, the wait is finally over – Baby Yoda is back! Disney has announced that the second season of its hit TV show ‘The Mandalorian’ will make its debut on October 30th of this year. The first-ever live-action TV series set in the Star Wars universe, the show follows the exploits of the titular character, a bounty hunter for hire in the post ‘Return of the Jedi’ era who gets more than he bargains for when he discovers that his latest bounty is none other than “The Child,” a youngling from the little-known race made famous by Jedi Master Yoda. Okay, The Child is 50 years old, but Yoda was over 900 years old when he finally Force-Ghost-ed out so, y’know, it’s all relative. Directly from the House of Mouse, here’s the description of the second season, along with the trailer itself: Today, Disney+ shared the new trailer, key art and new images from the highly anticipated second season of Lucasfilm’s critically acclaimed series, “The Mandalorian.” The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through […]

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Ewan McGregor Is Excited That Fans Like The ‘Star Wars’ Prequels Better Than The Original Trilogy

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 14:36:41 +0000

2020 may be a challenging year all around, but if there’s one silver lining, it might be this: it’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan. Whether you were in the camp that was please by the recently-completed “Sequel Trilogy” or not, most genre fans can agree that the “extended universe” of story-telling in the galaxy far, far away is really firing on all cylinders right now: the much-beloved ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’ animated series got it’s long-awaited seventh and final season earlier this year, and 2019’s successful launch of the first season of the live-action TV series ‘The Mandalorian’ pleased fans and critics in a near-universal fashion, amping up excitement for Season 2 to debut next month. On the horizon for the franchise is the live-action limited series featuring long-time character Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the original trilogy of films, the character was portrayed by Sir Alec Guinness, and in the “Prequel Trilogy” of films from the early 2000s, the character was memorably brought to life by Ewan McGregor. Now, McGregor prepares to revisit the character in the upcoming TV stint, which will commence filming soon-ish, as the global pandemic situation allows. In a recent interview with Empire, […]

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Jon Favreau Talks ‘The Mandalorian’s Stripped-Down Approach And Pleasing Hardcore Fans

Jax Motes — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 17:06:04 +0000

There is no denying that ‘The Mandalorian’ was a huge smash when it debuted on Disney+ late last year, but as popular as the show was, it wasn’t seen as being particularly high-brow. So it came as a shock when the series was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards, including the prestigious Outstanding Drama Series, possibly the top award of the night. As part of the Emmy campaign, series creator Jon Favreau discussed the approach that he took with the series and how that may have led to its incredible success. “We wanted to really wind it back to the things that inspired the original Star Wars and really get it small in scale and tell simple stories, because part of what you inherit when you’re going to see Star Wars now is this whole history, because the stories have been told for decades, and it was nice, with the new medium, to be able to start with a new set of characters to introduce a new audience. “But we always knew…and this is something I learned from…over at Marvel and working with Kevin Feige, is you always want to keep the core fans in mind, because they have been the ones that’ve been […]

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The ‘LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special’ Set For Disney+ In November

Jax Motes — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:21:33 +0000

Disney+ may not offer the ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’, but it will deliver a new spin– a ‘LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special’. And like the original, this will be a celebration of Life Day. In this one, Rey and BB-8 stumble upon a Jedi temple, where she learns more about The Force, but then they find themselves transported through space and time, interacting with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and more characters from the saga. They must find their way out of the time warp and the temple in order to reunite with their friends for their planned Life Day festivities on Chewbacca’s home planet of Kashyyyk, the setting of the original ‘Holiday Special’. The story is set after the events of ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, although executive producer Josh Rimes cited ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’, ‘Christmas Vacation’ and Burl Ives as inspirations. Rimes stated: “We wanted to give a wink and a nod to the original… It’s a celebration of the saga. A lot of characters will be interacting with different characters and perhaps even different versions of themselves at different ages.” He revealed that the LEGO versions of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, […]

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Disney+’s ‘Cassian Andor’ Casts Its Leading Lady With Adria Arjona

Jax Motes — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 12:00:47 +0000

Adria Arjona has been cast as the female lead in Disney+’s prequel series ‘Cassian Andor’ starring Diego Luna, reprising his role from ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’. Alan Rudyk is also returning from ‘Rogue One’ as the voice of wry droid K-2SO, and Genevieve O’Reilly will return as Mon Mothma. The series will also feature actors Denise Gough, Stellan Skarsgård, and Kyle Soller in undisclosed roles. Arjona’s character is also unknown at this point. Tony Gilroy, who oversaw reshoots on ‘Rogue One’ will write and direct, while ‘The Americans” Stephen Schiff will act as showrunner. ‘Rogue One’ made over $1 billion at the box office, and so far, Disney+’s one ‘Star Wars’ series, ‘The Mandalorian’ was a streaming and merchandising bonanza, and “Baby Yoda”/The Child became a viral meme sensation. Hopefully, the other ‘Star Wars’-based shows on Disney+ will come close to that degree of success. An Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor is also in the works, as are shows whose details have not yet been disclosed. The ‘Cassian Andor’ series was expected to begin filming in June, but then there was this global pandemic that popped up, delaying everything. Arjona will be seen in the upcoming Sony […]

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Emmy Nominee Giancarlo Esposito Teases The Darksaber In ‘The Mandalorian’ S2 + Talks Peter Cushing Influence

Jax Motes — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 23:02:37 +0000

Giancarlo Esposito‘s performance as Moff Gideon on Disney+’s ‘The Mandalorian’ was memorable enough to land him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama. He only appeared in two episodes of the first season, but expect to see a lot more of him in Season 2 when it debuts later this year. Gideon was a sinister enough threat on his own, but by the end of the season finale, he revealed an even greater danger– one that raised a lot of questions– the Darksaber. Esposito teased: “You’ll see more of the Darksaber, you’ll get the explanation of this ancient weapon to the modern world, a collapsed world. Where did this saber come from and how was it revived? It’s a key in our second season, which will be back sooner than later… (The saber) is a key to Moff Gideon’s past, which possibly has a lot to do with where he comes from and his desire to build a planet and bring it back together.” The Darksaber has appeared on ‘The Clone Wars’ and ‘Rebels’ cartoons, in various video games and comic books. It was created by a Mandalorian Jedi named Tarre Vizsla, but passed through many hands, […]

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Taika Waititi Doesn’t Want The Attention That Comes With His Emmy Award Nominations

Jax Motes — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 19:21:56 +0000

Is Taika Waititi so OVER the Emmys? He seems to be, as he posted a couple of tongue-in-cheek tweets after it was announced that he had been nominated for Character Voice-Over Performance for his role on Disney+’s ‘The Mandalorian’. That was just one of 15 nominations that the series received, including Outstanding Drama Series which shocked many, as ‘The Mandalorian’ is a half-hour show and is aimed at more of a family audience. Via Waititi’s Twitter: The entire planet is buzzing about me being nominated for my robotic acting. Guys, there are other nominees outside of the coveted Voice-over Character category. Ugh, it can’t be all about me ALL OF THE TIME! https://t.co/wo9om8Bd2j — Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) July 28, 2020 Some people’s acting skillz are so powerful that they don’t even need to use their face! #Emmys2020 https://t.co/OjT7Fb0RZ4 — Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) July 28, 2020 In his second tweet, Waititi made sure to give a shout out to his fellow contenders: Hank Azaria and Nancy Cartwright for ‘The Simpsons’; Leslie Odom Jr. for ‘Central Park’; Maya Rudolph for ‘Big Mouth’; and Wanda Sykes for ‘Crank Yankers’. In the Drama Series category, ‘The Mandalorian’ is competing with ‘Better Call Saul’, ‘The […]

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San Diego Comic-Con’s @Home Event Was A Flop According To Social Media

Jax Motes — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 21:57:02 +0000

It appears that Comic-Con@Home was a bust. Obviously, due to COVID-19, an actual in-person con couldn’t be held, so instead, organizers offered up streaming panels, featuring creators, cast members, and fans of popular comic books, TV shows, video games, and movies, and unlike the usual, these were absolutely free to everyone in the world. However, the social media analytics firm, ListenFirst, reports (via Variety) that buzz surrounding SDCC@Home was not just quieter than normal, it was practically muted. Tweets mentioning SDCC@H were only 5% those of 2019’s Comic-Con! That’s 93,681 tweets versus 1,719,000 last year. Specifically, tweets about the TV show panels were down 93%, and those about movies were down a mindblowing 99%! Ironically, SDCC@H’s most viewed panel was for a movie– ‘The New Mutants’. It has racked up over 208,000 views since its release last Thursday. The ‘New Mutants’ panel offered a Q&A with director Josh Boone and the cast, a first look at the movie’s opening scene, a new trailer, and six posters, copies of which were raffled off to viewers. Then again, ironically, the trailer that was released on July 16, announcing the panel, has 303,000 views! So more people have watched the advertisement for the […]

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Disney Removes ‘Mulan’ From Its Schedule; Pushes All ‘Avatar’ Sequels And ‘Star Wars’ Movies Back By A Year

Jax Motes — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 22:18:07 +0000

Disney has pulled ‘Mulan’ off of its release schedule entirely. It had been scheduled to open on August 21. But the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on Hollywood, as virus transmissions are only going up as Americans refuse to wear masks or avoid large gatherings. The virus is a threat all over the world, but other nations have… well, gotten their shit together and cases are decreasing rather than skyrocketing as they are here. A Disney spokesperson stated (via Deadline): “Over the last few months, it’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis, and today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world.” Warner Brothers similarly pulled ‘Tenet’ from its schedule, and it looks as though that movie will be released in other countries as they reopen their cinemas. WB is adamant that ‘Tenet’ will open on the big screen and it will not give it away for free on HBO Max. (It cost a reported $400 million to make and needs to make over $800 million just to […]

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Comic-Con@Home: Sunday Panel Schedule

Jax Motes — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 11:00:28 +0000

Due to the COVID-19 shutdowns, one of the biggest pop culture events of the year, San Diego Comic-Con International, will not be held, but organizers have managed to pull together some of the biggest names in entertainment to provide a virtual Comic-Con that millions will be able to view from the safety and comfort of their homes. Just because the Con wraps up on Sunday doesn’t mean that the day isn’t packed full of panels to appeal to fans of all stripes. There is a celebration of the original ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ movies. There will also be a virtual gathering of various ‘Power Rangers’ from throughout the years. And ‘The 100’ creators and cast may be gathered for their final panel. Check out all of the Sunday panels below. Times are Pacific.: 10:00 AM Animated Illustration Celebrating 80 Years of Will Eisner’s The Spirit Emily the Strange Virtual Panel Experience First TMNT Film 30th Anniversary Hoops Imagination & Fun for Kids – The IDW Way! Little Fish: From Physical to Digital, Thriving and Growing Motherland: Fort Salem: A World of Magic, Action, and Intrigue Over30Cosplay: Virtual Costuming and Cosplay Advice and Support for the Mature Cosplayer Turning Fandoms […]

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