Sci-Fi Storm

Here is the first full official trailer for the upcoming Star Wars Rebels – stylistically the same as The Clone Wars but fast forwarded a few years to a more familiar time to those who love the original trilogy.

A debut date for the series has not yet been announced, but a prequel book, [asin=0553392867]Star Wars: A New Dawn[/asin], debuts September 2nd, 2014, and sets the stage for the time between Episodes III and VI.

Congrats to our friends at Lucasfilm and Star Wars: The Clone Wars! After it’s fifth and sort-of-final season (more episodes were completed and are available on Netflix), it received for nominations for the Daytime Emmy awards, which will be awarded on June 22nd.

The nominations are for: Outstanding Special Class Animated Program, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing – Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Animation, and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. The latter is a juried award that has already been announced, with Christopher Voy winning for Color work on Clone Wars.

Finally! Some cast members have been announced for the about-to-begin-production Star Wars Episode VII – and at least a couple of the names are familiar.

Aside from the core actors who will be reprising their roles – Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker – newcomers to the franchise will include familiar faces Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit) and Max Von Sydow, who has appeared in too many things to mention…

Another name you might recognize is Domhnall Gleeson, who is perhaps best known in these circles as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (and is also the son of Brendan Gleeson who played Mad-Eye Moody.)

Also listed are John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Mr. Selfridge), Adam Driver (Inside Llewyn Davis ), and Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis ).

No mention on roles yet, however.

Having just returned from the Kingdom of the Mouse (and thus the reason for lack of updates), they finally announced today the guest lineup for the upcoming Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. Aside from the previously announced returning host of all five weekends, James Arnold Taylor (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Mark Hamill, our friend Ashley Eckstein will return for all weekends to host “Behind The Force” show which provides a behind the scenes look, this year focusing on the upcoming Star Wars Rebels, and will feature a member of the voice cast each week. (Alas, we won’t be able to make it this year…)

The guest stars include (subject to change):

Weekend I: May 16-18

Ahmed Best: Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca (Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi; Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Vanessa Marshall: Hera Syndulla (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend II: May 23-25

Warwick Davis: Wicket W. Warrick (Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Wald (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

Jeremy Bulloch: Boba Fett (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Capt. Jeremoch Colton (Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith)

Tiya Sircar: Sabine Wren (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend III: May 30-June 1

Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

John Ratzenberger: Major Bren Derlin (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back)

Taylor Gray: Ezra Bridger (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend IV: June 6-8

Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Darth Bane (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) (Note: Mark will apparently not be signing autographs)

Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

Billy Dee Williams: Lando Calrissian (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)

Taylor Gray: Ezra Bridger (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend V: June 13-15

Dee Bradley Baker: Captain Rex/the Clones, Bossk and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Cat Taber: Padmé Amidala and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Tom Kane: Yoda, the series’ narrator and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Matt Lanter: Anakin Skywalker and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Steve Blum: Zeb Orrelios (Star Wars Rebels)

If you’re still a little down after the last night’s series finale of Being Human, perhaps this will pick you up a bit…Jim Cummings, one of the amazing voice actors who has done many, many voices but perhaps is known best as the voice of Winnie the Pooh, reading Darth Vader’s lines from Star Wars in Pooh’s voice…

Oh, bother…

Just announced today, and I believe the first celebrity announcement aside from James Arnold Taylor returning as host, is a big one…for the first time ever, Star Wars‘ own Luke Skywalker will appear at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during Star Wars Weekends.

He will be there for one particular weekend – Weekend IV, which is June 6-8. He will take part in the daily “Legends of the Force” motorcade and “talk show”, and presumably (but not confirmed) he will be signing autographs at a few points during the day. If you’re hoping to snag an autograph, though, beware – Disney uses it’s FASTPASS system for celebrity autographs, giving them out just before the park opens for the day – and the lines can form very, very early in the morning for top guests…people reportedly lined up close to midnight for the next day for Billy Dee Williams last year.

Typically a shareholder meeting isn’t generally where you get exciting news, but Disney isn’t your typical company. At this afternoon’s meeting, they gave hints of many upcoming things. Top on the list on the movie front was a peek at the timeline for Star Wars Episode VII, which will take place 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, which is no accident – it’s just over 30 years since the release of Return of the Jedi, which means the actors from the original trilogy will be – wait for it – 30 years older. And given that Chairman Bob Iger said that there will be “very familiar faces returning,” I think we know what that means. He also said that there would be three new young leads, lending credence to past rumors. Principal photography is expected to start this May.

Also mentioned is that Disney/Pixar is working on two new sequels – Cars 3 and Incredibles 2, but gave no further details. In addition, a fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean is in development, but has not been given a green light on production.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars returns for 13 final episodes in “The Lost Missions”, exclusively on Netflix March 7th. Check out this trailer, which really sets the mood for the final days…

With the growing popularity of Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park in Walt Disney World, it is perhaps not surprising that they are adding a fifth weekend this year. And maybe not surprising that the theme is “Join the Rebellion”, which will likely tie in Star Wars Rebels. But what is surprising that perhaps the biggest part of the weekends, the Hyperspace Hoopla that happens at the end of the day and features a “dance off” of sorts with the Star Wars characters, is apparently not going to happen this year.

Check out our sister side WDW Untangled for more and continuing coverage of Star Wars Weekends.

Check out the teaser for the upcoming Star Wars Rebels, dubbed “Spark”…

“To ignite a rebellion, all it takes is a single spark.” Those fateful words open this early look at Star Wars Rebels, in which new character Ezra is shown walking the plains of Lothal and launching a projectile at the pilot of a downed fighter. Also seen is a striking, orange, familiar-looking insignia…

Star Wars Rebels takes place between Star Wars: Episode III and IV as the Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy and a rebellion begins to form. The series, executive produced by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman, is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel and will be followed by a series on Disney XD.