Tag: Star Wars

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Star Wars The High Republic

Brace yourselves, Star Wars The High Republic content is coming to show format. So what exactly is The High Republic?

The High Republic
Artist-
YihyoungLi

With the live-action miniseries The Acolyte set to come out this summer, it fits into the High Republic. So let’s dive into what Obi-Wan Kenobi described “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.”

During The High Republic, the Jedi were at the peak of their power. It is around the end of the High Republic when things begin to shift and Darth Bane enters as well as The Acolyte to disrupt the peace in the galaxy.

Worth noting, that it is also around this time when Darth Plagueis is introduced and could be killed by Darth Sidious. But it would be Plagueis who would be mostly in charge during this timeframe.

DENVER, CO -NOVEMBER 10: The costume of 900-year-old Jedi Master, Yoda, is on display at the Star Wars and The Power of Costume exhibit at The Denver Art Museum, November 10, 2016. The upcoming exhibit will open November 13 and run through April 2nd. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

There are some great opportunities for Disney+/ Lucasfilm to crack wide open and dive into a pretty cool area of Star Wars. It is a time to win fans back and The Acolyte could be the springboard to do just that.

Early reviews suggest the show is solid. Releasing June 5, 2024, will be the test. If done right as The Mandalorian and Bad Batch (for the most part) have been then fans will not only be happy, but interested. 

The show holds a lot of promise and hopefully delivers. With Lucas Games redoing The Knights Of The Old Republic, a popular video games the tie-ins could be very good and could lead into some good Star Wars content.

That is the hope Star Wars fans have. 

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The Acolyte Is Reportedly Releasing This Summer

A new report has surfaced and it seems Disney/ Lucasfilm is set to resume new Star Wars content as The Acolyte will reportedly release this summer. Not only does it end the Star Wars slowdown but The Acolyte gives fans the first look at The High Republic era content.

The Acolyte is said to be a mystery-thriller that will take fans to emerging powers of the dark side. Star Wars fans have long wanted to see Darth Bane in live-action and that could very well be the case as the Sith is around during The High Republic timeframe.

The show’s focus will be on a Jedi Master and Padawan investigating the coming of the dark side of the Force. The High Republic takes place 100 years before the events of Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace.

While fans are clamoring for Darth Bane it should be noted that the main villain could be another fan favorite Darth Plagueis was about 115 when he was killed by Darth Sidious.

Another fan favorite is alive during this era of Star Wars, Jedi Master Yoda. Will he make an appearance? The great Jedi very well could and it should be to the surprise of no one if he does.

Early reports from insiders (not affiliated) with Disney/ Lucasfilm suggest that The Acolyte is very solid and promising. They say it is as good as Andor which is the best Disney/Lucasfilm streaming show to date. So for insiders to say The Acolyte is as solid as Andor should not be ignored.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 30: Diego Luna attends the Emmy FYC screening for Andor at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, California on April 30, 2023. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

It was somewhat surprising when news broke The Acolyte would release this summer as many thought it would be in later 2024. Will it live up to early hype the way Andor lived up to its early hype? That remains to be seen.

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What Is Going On With The Mandalorian Season 4

Much like the on Rey: New Jedi Order movie, off New Jedi Order movie, on again New Jedi Order movie, The Mandalorian is seeing a pattern that is similar. The Mandalorian Season 4 was said to be six episodes with Jon Favreau’s Mandalorian movie being the season finale. It is now being circulated that The Mandalorian is moving to the big screen a move that could be permanent.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 01: Actor/writer/director Jon Favreau is photographed for Variety Magazine on December 1, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. PUBLISHED IMAGE. (Photo by Dan Doperalski/Variety via Contour RA by Getty Images)

The plan was seemingly solid, a six episode Season 4 with a movie to help push the story ahead. Then it was said that Jon Favreau’s Mando-verse movie would come out first pushing Season 4 back coupled with the fact Dave Filoni is also going to make a Mandalorian film. Scripts had already been written before the writers strike of 2023. A time in which Disney took to reevaluate future Star Wars projects.

Needing to get Star Wars back into theaters it seems Disney will use Favreau’s film with the widely popular Star Wars characters Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) and Grogu and hope it is enough to get back in the Star Wars fan base’s good grace’s given the lackluster films Disney/ Lucasfilm has put up with the exception of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Also known is Dave Filoni is co-writing The Mandalorian and Grogu film with Favreau. With the movie taking precedence over the next Season it feels like this could be permanent if the film find traction at the box office. If that happens Season 4 as formatted for T.V. would never happen and The Mandalorian will be exclusively released in theaters.

WINTERHAVEN, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 15: Star Wars Mandalorian cosplayer Trevor Newton as Din Djarin poses for photos at Buttercup Sand Dunes on January 15, 2022 in Winterhaven, California. Buttercup San Dunes was the location of several iconic scenes filmed for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Is it a gamble for Disney/ Lucasfilm? Yes, anytime to take a successful commodity and essentially rebrand or reformat there is risk involved. But, the group involved feel by rolling the dice they could hit paydirt.

This is a time for Disney/ Lucasfilm to show they can make good Star Wars movies and gain back some fans who will surely show up if for no other reason they are hooked on The Mandalorian.

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The Star Wars Rey’s New Jedi Order movie has been shuffled

Back at the 2023 Star Wars Celebration, Rey was said to be getting her own movie that could pave the way to more. A new Jedi Order, now it seems with the announcement of a Jon Favreau directed Mandalorian movie that is set to being filming soon the Rey movie has either gotten lost in the mixed or is being reshuffled to a later date.

Before The Mandalorian film had been made public, actress Daisy Ridley had said back in November she had not seen a script for the Rey New Jedi Order film. That seemed odd because at Celebration her movie was touted as the next film to be made. One insider with a lot of information said that the Rey movie has not even been written yet.

STAR WARS REBELS – “Steps into Shadow” – The critically-acclaimed animated series “Star Wars Rebels” returns SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 (8:30 p.m., ET) and introduces new characters Grand Admiral Thrawn and Bendu during the season three one-hour premiere event, “Steps into Shadow” on Disney XD. (Disney XD/Lucasfilm via Getty Images)
EZRA, SABINE

The informant went on to say that does not mean it’s not going to happen, just nothing has happened to this point. That could be because with another Mandalorian film this one being directed by Dave Filoni has characters like Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren and others who could be part of The New Jedi Order if that is the way Favreau and Filoni want to go.

When the Rey film was announced it was met with lukewarm response from the fan base. Disney/ Lucasfilm is attempting to get back in the good grace’s of the fans and could be taking a slightly safer path by releasing the widely popular Mandalorian film first. That remains to be seen.

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 14: Director/executive producer Dave Filoni (L) and Writer/executive producer Jon Favreau attend “The Mandalorian” panel at the Star Wars Celebration at McCormick Place Convention Center on April 14, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/WireImage for Disney)

It has been revealed The Mandalorian film will be the finale of Season 4, the rest will be released in six episodes. This is an interesting time for Star Wars,  Favreau and Filoni, as they push Star Wars in a new direction while linking it to all other areas.

Dave Filoni also stated that they will use all aspects including things that are not cannon if it helps and paints a bigger picture.

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The Mandalorian is coming to theaters

The Mandalorian and Grogu are coming to the big screen! You may recall, I posted about if Season 4 would be a movie. We now have word and it will not be Season 4, not entirely but it will tie in, let’s just dive in and piece it together. After all this could help Disney/ Lucasfilm gain trust with the Star Wars fan base.

Season 4 of the widely popular Mandalorian show is said to be six episodes, as in they will be streamed on Disney+. It is now said that finale will be The Mandalorian movie directed by Jon Favreau who is writing the film with Dave Filoni.

Meanwhile, Ashoka Season 2 has been green lighted and Dave Filoni will also be directing a Mandoverse movie that will release after Ashoka’s second season. This is fueling speculation that a Mandalorian trilogy will be born out of Favreau’s movie and Filoni’s movie.

STAR WARS REBELS – “Steps into Shadow” – The critically-acclaimed animated series “Star Wars Rebels” returns SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 (8:30 p.m., ET) and introduces new characters Grand Admiral Thrawn and Bendu during the season three one-hour premiere event, “Steps into Shadow” on Disney XD. (Disney XD/Lucasfilm via Getty Images)
GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN

Fans wonder (for good reason) if this will lead to Heir of the Empire-(Thrawn trilogy), the widely popular books from author Timothy Zahn. Some say it could be a loose version of the story Zahn wrote and it has been reported Zahn and Filoni have been working together.

For Star Wars, the fan base has been less than thrilled with the Disney lead movie projects except for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” By allowing Favreau space to do his own movie and Filoni space to do his own movie this is a positive step forward.

Two people who created The Mandalorian and began to restore faith in the fan base have the ability to further unite the fans by putting out solid movie content as they have done on the show.

While some fans will be hesitant to return to theaters this is actually good strategy by Disney/ Lucasfilm, to take something that has brought fans back to Star Wars and bring it to the theaters.

D23 EXPO 2022 – The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by VISA – brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event, which takes place September 9, 10, and 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, series, games, theme parks, collectibles, and celebrities. (The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images)
Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau

Fans need to be reminded Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are the right two to be able to pull this off. Let’s hope the Force is with them.

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The Mandalorian Season 4, a movie?

It will be a movie. It will not be a movie. The day-to-day rumor mill concerning Disney +’s The Mandalorian Season 4 is enough to make you sit back and take a swig of blue milk. As it stands right now the movie rumor seems a bit more far fetched but not completely. Let’s dive in.

 

STAR WARS REBELS – Executive Producer Dave Filoni, Steve Blum, Taylor Gray, Tiya Sircar, Freddie Prinze Jr, and Vanessa Marshall from “Star Wars Rebels” attend Star Wars Celebration in Orlando on Saturday, April 15, 2017. (Todd Anderson/Disney XD via Getty Images)
DAVE FILONI

During Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm President, Kathleen Kennedy said there was going to be a Mandalorian crossover movie directed by Dave Filoni, the man who heads up both The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.

Why a movie makes sense: Season 3 of The Mandalorian was met with some fan backlash. Even though the season was pretty much all filler material.  A Mandalorian Season 4 movie would bring fans out as Star Wars fans forgive easily until the next failure.

Why a movie does not make sense: First and foremost there has been zero statement from Lucasfilm Season 4 would be a movie. Even though one is coming. Disney and Lucasfilm are in damage control. To mess with a winning formula might not be the wisest at this time. As The Mandalorian Season 3 was the most streamed show.

WINTERHAVEN, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 21: Star Wars cosplayer Shawn Richter as Din Djarin poses for photos at Buttercup Sand Dunes on February 21, 2021 in Winterhaven, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Conclusion: While a Mando-Verse movie will be made, I do not believe Season 4 will be that movie. The smarter thought is if Filoni connects The Mandalorian, Ashoka, The Book of Boba Fett and perhaps a splash of The Bad Batch to further push the story forward.

This only an opinion, but with nobody in power saying Season 4 will be a movie perhaps silence is golden.

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Why Penn Pershing should have his own contingency plan in Star Wars

If you are a fan of The Mandalorian or just a Star Wars fan then you know how important a character like Penn Pershing is to the over all story. Pershing is a, or make that the Clone Engineer who wants to study Grogu. Working for Moff Gideon, Pershing injected Grogu’s blood into volunteers who then died as a result.
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 13: Omid Abtahi arrives for the Premiere Of Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” held at El Capitan Theatre on November 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Dr. Penn Pershing is a scientist first and foremost. He simply wanted to study Grogu, but Moff Gideon wanted much more. Remember, this is leading up to how Emperor Palpatine was able to come back by using a clone body while the entity of Palpatine enter the clone.

With all things Star Wars Pershing’s motives are fine, he wanted to clone people due to his mother passing away. The Dr. would be recruited by the Galactic Empire or the remnant of the Empire.

A man wearing a costume of the StarWars protagonist Din Djarin poses in front of a giant replica of the Razor Crest, a gunship from the StarWars spinoff series “The Mandalorian” used by the hit TV show’s mysterious bounty hunter to roam the galaxy’s outer reaches, in a park of the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk on March 14, 2021. (Photo by Evgeniy SOFRONEYEV / AFP) (Photo by EVGENIY SOFRONEYEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Pershing seems conflicted with what Moff Gideon’s motives are as he simple wants to clone people so they can live on. But the Empire inflicts strong holds over subjects when they want/need something. Gideon is trying to bring Palpatine back so that the Galactic Empire can rise again.

What if Pershing was not fully onboard with what was being asked of his work, created a counter plan that would end Gideon’s plans before they could gain traction? What if Pershing created The Bad Batch as means to destroy Gideon’s work?

Think back to Season 2 of The Bad Batch, when Dr. Emerie Karr who had the same uniform patch as Pershing helped Crosshair and his medical needs. While The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch are set at different points, they connect.

D23 EXPO 2022 – The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by VISA – brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event, which takes place September 9, 10, and 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, series, games, theme parks, collectibles, and celebrities. (The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images)
Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy (President, Lucasfilm)

Pershing would give Gideon what was being asked of him, then The Bad Batch would take out Gideon before his plan could be executed. This would make Pershing a strong character in the Star Wars universe.

The sequel trilogy showed that Palpatine was indeed cloned so yes it did happen, but to have a counted contingency plan that would hinder Palpatine’s contingency plan would be great story telling.

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Star Wars: The Art of The Last Jedi

CONCEPT ART LENDS TO THE VISUAL DEPICTION OF IDEAS THAT GIVE HOPE TO A GREAT FILM.

 

Kylo Kira Force Mash 01
The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Clyne

I need to put this out there, The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy has the best cinematography of all the Star Wars films and trilogies. The Last Jedi’s cinematography is nearly breathtaking. But it is also that way in The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker.

Going through The Art of The Last Jedi again and either it was intentional or coincidence that the art inside the book offered a look at some future cinematography. This is hands down my favorite Art of Star Wars book.

The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Throne Views Version 03
Artist: Kevin Jenkins

Another aspect of The Art of The Last Jedi is some of the art that was not used in the film, did show up in The Rise of Skywalker theatrical release. We will explore that when I look at Star Wars: The Art of The Rise of Skywalker soon.

The Art of The Last Jedi, offers many works that are heavy in red tones as was a theme in the finished film. Using an even balance of lighter and darker tone art, this Art of Star Wars book is nearly as flawless as the cinematography in the film.

There is actually a lot of art that made the final cut unlike other Art of Star Wars books. As noted, some art that did not make the final cut ended up in The Rise of Skywalker, the art in this book is that good they did not toss it away completely.

The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Phasma Staff Version 02
Artist: Matthew Savage

Character art seems to show various stages of both the artists work and then after talking to the director a shift in thought, which is really cool to look at. I can not stress enough, no matter what you think of the sequel trilogy The Art of The Last Jedi for the sheer sake of just art is an absolute must have.

Up next, The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

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The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

CONCEPT ART LENDS TO THE VISUAL DEPICTION OF IDEAS THAT GIVE HOPE TO A GREAT FILM.
Star Wars: The Art of The Force Awakens
Vader Castle
Artist: Brett Northcut

The Force Awakens brought Star Wars back to the big screen as it kicked off the sequel trilogy. It also marked the first Art of Star Wars books with The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which also was my first Star Wars art of book. While diving into the film itself is not on the docket, what is, is the art.

The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is heavy on earth tones. Lots of brown’s, gray’s, beige really set the tone, while there are other colors such as red and orange it is the earth tones that override this art book. That is in no way a bad thing as much as an observation.

The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Castle Alien C050
Artist: Ivan Manzella

The Force Awakens Art of book is actually very vehicle heavy with less character art, which again is fine. There are characters but ships tend to stand out.

Looking at this book for the first time in a while was refreshing as was watching the film. I like to really dig into the artwork and then watch the film or streaming show to see how the art translated. In the case of The Force Awakens the film was much more beige than I remembered and more so than the art in the book.

Yet it is the early concepts that really evolved from the drawing table to finished product. The book offers vehicle’s and characters that started off looking one way and ended up totally different which is the allure of The Art of Star Wars books if you are into both films/ shows and art.

The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Old Trooper Barfly
Artist: Gyln Dillon

The newness of, at the time a brand new Star Wars trilogy was met head on by the Lucasfilm art department who as illustrated in the book saw artist visions change into something else at end product.

No matter how you feel about The Force Awakens or the sequel trilogy for that matter, The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is worth checking out.

 

Next up, The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

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The Art of The Mandalorian (Season 2)

CONCEPT ART LENDS TO THE VISUAL DEPICTION OF IDEAS THAT GIVE HOPE TO A GREAT FILM.

 

As far as the Art of Star Wars books go, The Art of The Mandalorian (Season 1) was much darker in tone than the previous Star Wars Art Books. I was very much looking forward to The Art of The Mandalorian (Season 2) to see if that dark tone would continue or if it would lighten up a bit. The answer was yes and yes.

There were more desert screen time so that naturally lightened the tone up a bit, also more daytime screen time helped out as well. Do not let that fool you, if you enjoy darker toned art there is plenty in the book.

Once again the Lucasfilm art team did a fantastic job and as per usual some of the art that did not make the final cut left me scratching my head as to why it was left out. I am not in on those decisions, I am just a Star Wars and art fan.

What stands out in The Art of The Mandalorian (Season 2) is the art is more telling of the story and not just an idea put down. There are action art work as well as the more customary standing still (character) art work.

This book makes you really see how the show and episodes were crafted from the art, more so that the previous books discussed here. If there is one thing I would change is I would have made the book more pages, but that is the movie and art fan in me.

The art in all of The Art of Star Wars books is at times breath taking and at times thought provoking. This is part of the joy looking through them and reading the snippets on the art. Every time (which is often) I look through one of the books I notice something new or that I missed before.

The Art of The Mandalorian (Season 2) is a must have art book, more so than Season 1. Do yourself a favor and get a copy.

 

Up next The Art of The Force Awakens.