Sci-Fi Storm

Some holiday weekend TidBits…

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is hitting all the tracking target with hyperspace speeds, and word on the street is that a $200 million opening weekend is possible…and check out this 30 second spot, “Tempt”…

On the other side of the SF franchise universe, one which has been spoken of for decades, Dune is making rumblings again, this time from Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve himself. In a Deadline Hollywood interview mostly about Blade Runner 2049, at the end he mentions how much he loved the book and wants to bring a new adaptation to the big screen. He mentions the 1984 David Lynch movie, but says it didn’t match his own vision of one of his favorite books, and he’d like to bring that vision to the big screen.

And lastly, this past week director Colin Trevorrow gave us a tease of the upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – a six second video showing Owen Brady (Chris Pratt) getting chummy with a baby Velociraptor…apparently he’s gotten over what happened with them last time…

From our Jurassic family to yours. @FilmBayona @PrattPrattPratt @BryceDHoward @LeDoctor #FALLENKINGDOM pic.twitter.com/KiR3et9Vx1

— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) November 22, 2017

Everyone wants a streaming service – and they need content to drive it…Disney is no different on that bandwagon, and head mouse Bob Iger announced today that one of the original series planned for their service is a live-action Star Wars series.

No real details were given – it was mentioned along with content based on other franchises such as Marvel, Monsters, Inc., and High School Musical – but speculation is growing that they might revive the long dormant live-action series that Lucas touted and we last heard might get life at ABC.

We’re probably some distance away from such a show, so there is plenty of time to speculate and dream…

I’m guessing that Disney likes what it sees in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi – the Mouse House announced today that Johnson will develop a new trilogy in the Star Wars universe, separate from the existing Skywalker saga, where he will “introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”

Johnson will work with long-time collaborator Ram Bergman.

“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”

“We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”

I was curious as to what would happen when they finally conclude the Skywalker saga – now we have our answer!

So the young Han Solo Star Wars anthology film finally has its official name. And I think everyone guessed what it would be, given its similarity to it’s predecessor, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Yup, that’s it. But director Ron Howard had fun with it…

Hey #Twitterville we just wrapped production so here's a special message #StarWars pic.twitter.com/8QJqN5BGxr

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) October 17, 2017

It’s here! Trailer #2 for Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out now – watch it below! Tickets are on sale now…Opening on December 15th…

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.

The fourth and final season of Star Wars Rebels will premiere on October 16th on Disney XD with an hour-long episode, which finds the crew of the Ghost joining the Rebel Alliance, but when Ezra’s home world of Lothal sees a new Imperial threat, he heads back to to take on Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Check out the second trailer below!

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.

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…

[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…