Sci-Fi Storm

With last week’s surprise announcement that Colin Trevorrow was ousted as director of Star Wars IX, speculation ran wild on who would take over…but that’s all put to rest now as it was announced today that J.J. Abrams himself will return to direct and co-write the script with Chris Terrio.

With the change in direction, the release has been pushed back to December 20th, 2019.

J.J. ushered a new era of Star Wars with The Force Awakens, directing and producing along with co-writing with Lawrence Kasdan. He handed the reins over to Rian Johnson for the upcoming The Last Jedi, and was considered the front runner to replace Trevorrow.

News is spreading across the galaxy fast that directory Colin Trevorrow is out of Star Wars IX in a mutual parting.

In a release from Lucasfilm, the company stated “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.”

Trevorrow, who ushered back the Jurassic Park franchise with Jurassic World, was announced as the director of the ninth saga film just over two years ago. Last month it was announced that Jack Thorne would take over writing duties from a draft Trevorrow and Derek Connolly worked on.

In June, Ron Howard took over the director’s chair for the Han Solo anthology film from co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller after the two were ousted, also over “creative differences”.

Star Wars IX is expected to release on May 24, 2019.

It appears that the Guillermo del Toro-led remake of 1966’s sci-fi classic Fantastic Voyage is getting pushed back about a year, to allow time for del Toro to deal with the release of The Shape of Water, which is coming out December 8th in time for Oscar season.

Deadline reports that Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment are willing to push full development of the film until next Spring, to allow del Toro to be able to fully concentrate on the development before they start spending money on set production, etc. Given the original timeline was to start dull production in the Spring for a late 2019 release, but this would probably push filming until the Fall, and a release sometime in 2020.

Thomas Meehan, who wrote many various Broadway productions and book adaptations, passed away on Monday at the age of 88.

Meehan was best known as the writer of the musical Annie with songwriter Charles Strouse, was also a collaborator with Mel Brooks and helped to bring the latter’s 1967 movie The Producers to Broadway. He also worked on the book for Hairspray, making him the only person to have written three productions that each ran for more than 2,000 performances.

Another collaboration with Brooks resulted in the screenplay for Spaceballs, the standard for science fiction spoofs. He won three Tony Awards for Best Book from a Musical.

Rumor no more…Disney/Lucasfilm is developing an Obi-Wan-centric movie to be the third Anthology film in the Star Wars franchise.

And this is EARLY in development. There is no deal currently in place with anyone, but we understand that Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Reader) is being eyed.

So now the next movie rumor can be put to rest, and now we can speculate on who will play him…

We have to report the sad news that a stuntwoman working on the set of Deadpool 2 unfortunately was killed during a motorcycle stunt this morning on location in Vancouver near near Jack Poole Plaza. The cause is under investigation.

According to witnesses, the stunt had been rehearsed a couple times, but on the last attempt the motorcycle appeared to accelerate instead of slowing down at the end of some ramps and went out of view, but she apparently jumped a curb and crashed into the plate glass windows of the Shaw Tower. Emergency responders arrived quickly and treated the woman but she died at the scene.

Ryan Reynolds tweeted, “Today, we tragically lost a member of our crew while filming Deadpool. We’re heartbroken, shocked and devastated… but recognize nothing can come close to the grief and inexplicable pain her family and loved ones must feel in this moment. My heart pours out to them — along with each and every person she touched in this world.”

The summer blockbuster hit for DC and Warner Bros. starring Gal Gadot arrives before the summer is out…and it will include a bonus scene not shown in theaters!

It will be available first on [sfs=1618]Digital HD[/sfs] on August 29th, followed by the [sfs=1617]Blu-Ray[/sfs], [asin=B072M856GW]Blu-Ray 3D[/asin] and [asin=B0714QRG51]4K Ultra HD[/asin] discs on September 19th.

Additionally, all of the special features, including an all-new bonus scene, interviews with filmmakers, featurettes, and extended scenes, can be experienced in an entirely new, dynamic and immersive manner on tablets and mobile phones using the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App, available for both iOS and Android devices. When purchased digitally and redeemed on UltraViolet, the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App allows users to watch the movie and simultaneously experience synchronized content related to any scene, simply by rotating their device. Synchronized content is presented on the same screen while the movie is playing, thus enabling users to quickly learn more about any scene, such as actor biographies, scene locations, fun trivia, or image galleries. Also, users can share movie clips with friends on social media and experience other immersive content. The Movies All Access app is available for download on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

See the trailer again below!

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 comes out on [sfs=1615]Digital HD[/sfs] tomorrow and [sfs=1616]Blu-ray[/sfs] on August 22nd, and to celebrate, they released a music video with a bunch of cameos…I have no more words to say… 🙂

[Reposted from our sister site, WDW Untangled]

A collaboration between Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB division (which works on immersive entertainment) and VR experience startup THE VOID, will see a VOID Entertainment Center open at both Disneyland’s Downtown Disney and Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs, which will feature Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, a fully immersive VR experience, which The Void calls “hyper-reality”.

THE VOID already operates locations in New York City (inside Madame Tussaud’s), Toronto, Lindon, Utah and Dubai, where they have Ghostbusters Dimension.

The Void says Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire “will plunge guests directly into the iconic Star Wars galaxy. They will move freely throughout the untethered, social, and multi-sensory Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire experience in a way that allows them to interact and engage with friends, family and Star Wars characters. This ground-breaking experience will open to the public at two new VOID Experience Centers at Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort and Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort beginning this holiday season.”

“At The VOID, we combine the magic of illusion, advanced technology and virtual reality to create fully immersive social experiences that take guests to new worlds,” said Curtis Hickman, co-founder and chief creative officer at The VOID. “A truly transformative experience is so much more than what you see with your eyes; it’s what you hear, feel, touch, and even smell. Through the power of The VOID, guests who step into Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire won’t just see this world, they’ll know that they are part of this amazing story.”

Vicki Dobbs Beck, executive in charge of ILMxLab, said, “At ILMxLAB, we want people to step inside the worlds of our stories. Through our collaboration with The VOID, we can make this happen as guests become active participants in an unfolding Star Wars adventure. By combining Lucasfilm’s storytelling expertise with cutting-edge imagery, and immersive sound from the team at Skywalker Sound, while invoking all the senses, we hope to truly transport all those who experience Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire to a galaxy far, far away.”
“Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire marks an important milestone in the continued expansion of The VOID, which also joined the 2017 Disney Accelerator earlier this year,” said Cliff Plumer, CEO of The VOID. “Through the power of The VOID, guests can now experience the magic of Star Wars firsthand.”

Expect to have to make reservations FAR in advance…

Star Wars: Episode IX will be getting a rewrite courtesy of Jack Thorne (The Fades, Wonder).

Director Colin Trevorrow along with writing partner Derek Connolly had come up with the initial draft based on a premise from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director/writer Rian Johnson. Little is known, although the cast from Star Wars: The Force Awakens is expected to return – assuming they survive the events of The Last Jedi (because who knows?!?), which opens December 15th.

Production is expected to begin in January, with a planned May 24, 2019 release.

Thorne is currently working on a new BBC adaptation of His Dark Materials and wrote an episode of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Sheep anthology.