There has been a LOT of Star Wars news coming out over the last week or two – so much that I can barely keep up with it all! And some of it is not as interesting to me YET, because it doesn’t affect me yet, like news about Star Wars Rebels, which I’m not currently watching (only because I’m still in the middle of The Clone Wars series… I’ll hit Rebels next!). But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to talk about it. So, what I’m going to do is every now and then I’ll do one big blog post covering all or most of the Star Wars news that’s come out recently. This is the first of that series. Now, here we go – your recent Star Wars news. Hang in there, because there’s quite a bit!
Star Wars Rebels Returns (Last Season)
Rebels is a currently-airing animated TV series that takes place between Episodes III and IV. It’s been airing on Disney XD since 2014 and is now in its last season, Season 4. It’s been on hiatus since November and returned this past Monday, February 19 with two supposedly pretty epic episodes. (Don’t spoil it for me, I’ll get there eventually!) The names of the episodes were “Jedi Night” and “DUME”. The season finale is on March 5, and we’ll also get two more new episodes before then on February 26.
Script Finished for Episode IX
JJ Abrams is at it again. Our returning director for both Episode VII and now Episode IX has claimed, “we have a script” and “we start shooting end of July” for Episode IX. Great news! Our next installment is soon going to be in process.
Anthony Daniels’ Birthday
One of our lovable droids had a birthday this week! Well, at least the actor who played him did. Anthony Daniels, the man behind C-3PO, celebrated his 72nd birthday on February 21. I have a really great story about meeting him at Celebration 2017 – ask me about it sometime!
Annihilation Opens
Ok, so technically this isn’t Star Wars news. But it does concern two big Star Wars actors, Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac. Both are starring in the new sci-fi thriller Annihilation, which opens TODAY. I, for one, am very excited to see this and will be heading to the theater tomorrow to check it out. Who knew that Padmé Amidala and Poe Dameron would end up together in a different universe?
Mark Hamill’s Hollywood Star
It’s about time! The man behind our lovable Luke Skywalker is getting his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star ceremony will take place on March 8, with both George Lucas and Harrison Ford rumored to be there to help celebrate. You can stream the ceremony live from the official Walk of Fame site.
No More Wilhelm Scream
The Wilhelm Scream is a story all on its own, but it has been included in every Star Wars movie from A New Hope to The Force Awakens. It was not, however, included in Rogue One or The Last Jedi. “We’re letting the past die” says Matthew Wood, the supervising sound editor for Episode VIII. Instead there’s another scream they’ve decided to utilize, which is apparently in both Rogue One and TLJ. But Wood won’t elaborate on when or where it occurs. “In due time it will be revealed,” he claims. Anyone got any guesses about this new scream?
Solo Trailer Recut with Beastie Boys
As you know, Star Wars has some dedicated fans. Also, some fans with possibly way too much time on their hands. Or too much talent, depending on how you look at it. Released into the wild of the internet this week was a version of the Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer to the tune of the Beastie Boys’ song “Sabotage”. It really does seem more… Han Solo-ish. Check it out here:
Galactic Nights at Disney World
This news has been out for a while, but tickets just recently became available for the next Galactic Nights event at Disney World. The event takes place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the evening of May 27, the weekend after Solo: A Star Wars Story is set to open. I personally am excited for this and already have my ticket! I attended the first Galactic Nights event last April during Star Wars Celebration Orlando and had a blast. This one will also take place during MegaCon Orlando, which I’ll be attending as well. What an epic Memorial Day weekend!
More Info from Galaxy’s Edge
Also from the world of Disney, we have a bit more info (or at least some more photos) now on both the new Galaxy’s Edge opening next year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as well as the new resort hotel that will be integrated with it. Take a look at the motion stills released on the Disney Parks Blog this week.
That’s it for now, folks! Enjoy the plethora of Star Wars news from this week, as I’m sure we’ll get plenty more soon.