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Star Wars News & Features

News and information from a Galaxy Far Far Away, and sometimes a little closer to home.
    Taika Waititi has been announced as the co-writer and director of an upcoming Star Wars feature film, this confirms rumours from earlier this year. The director, who recently won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for his work on Jojo Rabbit and directed the first season finale of Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian will be joined on the screenplay by BAFTA winner Krysty Wilson-Cairns.
    There has not been any release date announced for the movie, which will receive a theatrical release, with the announcement on the official site suggesting that this may be another film in addition to the one confirmed in 2022. There are two Star Wars films previously announced for 2024 and 2026, although the current status of these is unknown as they were not listed in Disney's recent updated release schedule. 
    Also included in the official announcement was confirmation of another Star Wars TV series under showrunner Leslye Headland, which will join the Disney+ streaming service. Although not explicitly stated we can infer that this is another live-action show which will sit alongside The Mandalorian, the Cassian Andor series, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
    Finally we have some news regarding the upcoming Disney+ series following Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's Cassian Andor.
    As we already know, Diego Luna is reprising his role as Cassian Andor with Alan Tudyk joining him as K-2SO, but a new returning cast member has been confirmed in the shape of Genevieve O'Reilly.
    O'Reilly previously portrayed Mon Mothma in Rogue One and in a scene that was famously left on the digital cutting room floor of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. 
    Stellan Skarsgård, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller are also joining the cast in unspecified co-starring roles. 
    The co-writer of Rogue One, Tony Gilroy, will be returning to pick up the reigns as showrunner from Stephen Schiff as well as writing and directing. Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), and Stephen Schiff (The Americans) will also write episodes for the series.
    This news comes via StarWars.com who have also indicated that as of yet there has been no announcement regarding a release date.
    Production on the series has been hit by the outbreak of COVID-19, but visual effects artist Neal Scanlan recently revealed that six weeks worth of pre-production had been completed prior to the lockdown.
    What a year it's been. What, it's only April? Apologies for the late reporting of this news but I've been somewhat distracted of late, what with everything going on in the world right now.
    On 3rd April Disney released a revised release schedule of their upcoming releases for the next couple of years. There has been considerable alteration to many release dates, such as the upcoming Marvel movies, but one thing that hasn't changed is the release date for the Star Wars movie scheduled for release on 16 December 2022.
    It is reassuring to see this still listed on the schedule, as Disney has recently been redoubling their efforts on their new Disney+ streaming service and there has been no further solid news about the 2022 movie or what it may entail.
    The schedule only goes as far as the end of 2022, so there is no confirmation that the Star Wars movies set for release in 2024 and 2026 are unaffected, although I think it is safe to assume that they are still planned at the moment.
    We will continue to watch this space.
    After months of speculation, the secretive Project Luminous has been unveiled as a new era of Star Wars publishing: Star Wars: The High Republic.
    The announcement on StarWars.com promised a new mix of adult and young adult novels and comics set 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menance.
    The Jedi Order is at its peak, and the Galactic Republic is in an optimistic period of expansion into the Outer Rim of the galaxy, but a new threat is rising that may disrupt that peace and prosperity.
    Star Wars: The High Republic will debut at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in August 2020 with Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, which is touted as "a massive interconnected story that’s told across various formats by various publishers".
    The High Republic has an impressive array of authors lined up, including Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule, so it's going to be a very exciting time for Star Wars readers.
    For more information, check out the official announcement on StarWars.com.
    There is no doubt that Bioware's Knight of the Old Republic was one of the greatest Star Wars video games ever released, and new rumours are circulating that the franchise may be about to be resurrected.
    What is KOTOR?
    For those who missed out the first time around, Knights of the Old Republic was a single-player role-playing game set 4000 years before the Skywalker Saga, released on Xbox and PC in 2003. Although gameplay is clunky by today's standards, the story and the interactions that result in your character moving towards the light side or dark side of the Force mean that it is still worth a playthrough.
    A sequel, Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, was released in 2004, and an MMO simply called Star Wars: The Old Republic which was set 300 years later expanded on this era of galactic history.  Ultimately, though, all three games and spin-off materials are now considered part of Legends, rather than part of the canon timeline, since the 2015 shakeup of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. 
    I won't spoil the plot of either game, because if you don't already know it you deserve to be able to play through the game without known the broader strokes of the plot.
    What do we know?
    Well, things are a bit murky to be honest. Rumours of a sequel have circulated for years, with a source close to Bioware leaking in 2017 that the developer was working on a sequel. Kotaku later confirmed the story, but clarified that the project was a prototype that was never greenlit by parent company EA who hold the licence for Star Wars games. 
    In April last year, Kathleen Kennedy told reporters that they had several projects in the works, and that the idea of Knights of the Old Republic had been brought up. A month later, it was reported that Laeta Kalogridis was working on a Knights of the Old Republic movie screenplay. 
    More recently still, the ambitious multi-media initiative Project Luminous was said to be set in a re-imagined Old Republic era called the "High Republic", while Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order features temples left behind by an ancient race of Force users that would be perfect for exploration via a Knights of the Old Republic style RPG.
    What could the new game be about?
    While we are taking these rumours with a pinch of salt, it's fun to speculate. The original plan for KOTOR3 would have apparently seen the player face up against an even greater enemy than the Sith we had seen so far in the series, but if there is going to be another Knights of the Old Republic I would think it would be more of a re-imagining rather than a straight sequel, as nothing has really been set in stone for the era since the games were decanonised. 
    As the era is so far removed from established Star Wars canon they could opt for a remake, keeping the main characters (many of whom are beloved by fans), keeping the broad strokes of the story, but reworking the encounters and plot points to suit the new canon.
    Who would make it?
    Well, the first two games were developed by Bioware, so they would be the obvious choice. But Bioware has several projects already in the works, namely for the Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Anthem franchises. Recently it was reported that EA were hiring for their Star Wars team at Respawn, so it's possible that the success of Jedi: Fallen Order has allowed them to claim this game, too.
    This wouldn't be a bad thing as Respawn did a terrific job, although it would mean that the new KOTOR would not have the same feel as it's predecessors. Of course, this new game could always be something else entirely, such is the nature of rumours.
    I've never played KOTOR, it sounds great!
    It really is! If you like RPGs and you're not afraid of older games with outdated graphics and clunky interfaces then you'll have a good time. KOTOR and KOTOR2 share some gameplay similarities with Bioware's Mass Effect series.
    I often see physical copies of both games in pre-owned sections of game stores, but you can also pick them up relatively cheaply on Steam:
    Knights of the Old Republic on Steam Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords on Steam  
    As a fan of the Old Republic era I'll be keeping an eye out for more news on this.
    A new trailer for the upcoming seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has landed, giving us a glimpse of what we can expect fro the long awaited follow-up to the groundbreaking Star Wars animated series that has been on hiatus since 2014.
    The new trailer reveals that the series has caught up to the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith but falls short of showing us Order 66.
    Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 premiers exclusively on Disney+ on 21 February. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think!
     
    Taika Waititi may soon be helming his own Star Wars project, if the latest rumours are to be believed. According to Hollywood Reporter, the Thor: Ragnarok director is in early talks with Lucasfilm regarding a future Star Wars movie.
    Waititi has already made an impression on Star Wars with his portrayal of bounty hunting assassin droid IG-11 in the Disney+ Star Wars television series The Mandalorian, as well as directing the final episode of the first season, overseen by executive producer and fellow Marvel alumnus Jon Favreau.
    It is unknown what project Waititi may be being sought for, but with Star Wars movies scheduled for 2022, 2024, and 2026, and no directors confirmed after the exist of Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, Disney and Lucasfilm are sure to be on the hunt for talent to keep these projects on track (or not too severely delayed, at least).
    It is also a possibility that this could be related to the Kevin Feige Star Wars movie that was confirmed to be in early stages of development last year, or if this would be an entirely new project. Feige's successes with the Marvel Cinematic Universe singled him out as a suitable candidate for the interconnected canon of Star Wars, and it seems only natural that other directors he has worked with would also come on board.
    Although clearly popular with the decision makers at Disney and Lucasfilm, Waititi is in high demand; with a live action adaptation of the anime Akira, and Thor: Love and Thunder already lined up, it's unclear when a large project in the Star Wars universe could fit in to his schedule.
    Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is up for three Oscars at this year's Academy Awards.
    The event, which is the highlight of the movie world is the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, and will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 9 February 2020.
    Which awards is The Rise of Skywalker nominated for?
    Best Original Score
    John Williams
    Other nominees: Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir), Little Women (Alexandre Desplat), Marriage Story (Randy Newman), 1917 (Thomas Newman).
    Best Sound Editing
    Matthew Wood and David Acord
    Other nominees: Ford v Ferrari, Joker, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
    Best Visual Effects
    Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach , and Dominic Tuohy
    Other nominees: Avengers: Endgame, The Irishman, The Lion King, 1917.
    What are the chances of The Rise of Skywalker winning an Oscar?
    Well, put it this way: To say Star Wars has a chequered history with the Oscars would be an understatement. Rise of Skywalker received a middling reception from critics, but the audience reaction has been generally positive. This clearly doesn't always translate into awards, however.
    Classic Trilogy, 1977-1983
    In 1977, the original Star Wars movie was a sensation, and swept the 50th Academy Awards with seven wins. The Empire Strikes Back, despite being widely regarded as the best of the Star Wars saga and one of the greatest sequels of all time, only managed one competitive win for Best Sound along with a special award for Visual Effects. 1983's Return of the Jedi again picked up a special award for visual effects, but failed to garner any of the competitive awards it was nominated for.
    Prequel Trilogy, 1999-2005
    Although the prequel trilogy was nominated for several awards, none of them were ever won. The Phantom Menace was up against stiff competition from The Matrix, which scooped up every award Star Wars was nominated for that year. Attack of the Clones was only nominated for Best Visual Effects, an award which went to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; and Revenge of the Sith also only managed one nomination, this time for Best Makeup.
    Sequel Trilogy and Spin-offs, 2015-present
    The Force Awakens, Disney's first foray into the Star Wars Saga was nominated five times but sadly didn't take anything home, while a year later the first spin-off movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, also went home empty handed after two nominations. Another year later, and The Last Jedi also failed to pick up any awards, despite being nominated for four Oscars. Solo: A Star Wars Story was only nominated for, and failed to secure, the award for Best Visual Effects, which brings us back to where we are in 2020.
    There is also an interesting sidenote for this era of Star Wars: Alexandre Desplat scored Rogue One in 2016, which was big news at the time as it was the first feature length live-action Star Wars movie not scored by John Williams. Desplat wasn't nominated for at the Academy Awards for Rogue One, but the following year he won the Oscar for Best Score (for The Shape of Water) when he was up against Williams's score for The Last Jedi. This year, Desplat and Williams are facing off once more; very likely for the last time, as Williams head back into a well-earned retirement.
    Could the final episode of the Skywalker Saga break the cycle?
    While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker currently enjoys it's run on the big screen, and The Mandalorian steals the fandom's hearts over on Disney+ attention turns to the future of Star Wars; specifically those new Star Wars movies scheduled for 2022, 2024, and 2026.
    Project Luminous is an ambitious multimedia project announced at Star Wars Celebration Chicago in April 2019, and much like the "Journey to Star Wars..." projects it will span both books and comics, and if the latest rumours are to be believed it will factor into future movies and video games too.
    Little is known about Project Luminous at the moment, save that it is due some time in 2020 and has some big names attached to it: Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Charles Soule, Daniel José Older, and Justina Ireland are all confirmed to be involved.

    New rumours suggest that Project Luminous is set around 400 years before the Skywalker Saga, and would involved a group of Jedi with different strengths in the Force venturing off into unknown space where they encounter ancient evils and dark side energies. The different strengths are said to be similar to how a team of superheros has differing powers, so perhaps these Jedi all have unique rare gifts that complement each other when they work together. 
    The idea of unique or rare powers have has surfaced at least a few times recently. As this is all speculation at this point, I won't drop any spoiler bombs, but The Rise of Skywalker, Respawn's action adventure game Jedi: Fallen Order, and Disney+ TV show The Mandalorian all feature "rare" manifestations of the Force. Coincidence? Perhaps, but it is interesting to note that Jedi: Fallen Order also happens to feature a race of unknown Force users that struggled with the dark side before they left their ancient temples and headed off into the great unknown.

    Meanwhile, another rumour insists that sources have informed them that the Star Wars 2022 movie will be set in an era called the "High Republic" era, where the Old Republic and the Jedi Order are at their peak right in the middle of the 1000-year peace at around... 400 years before the Skywalker Saga. A younger Yoda will be apparently be involved, although he is not quite the wise old Jedi Grand Master we see in the Skywalker Saga.
    It had already been rumoured that the Star Wars 2022 film was to be set in the Old Republic era, and the film was originally confirmed to be helmed by Game of Thrones duo David Benioff and DB Weiss before they pulled out of the project.
    While we can only speculate right now, some kind of announcement regarding Project Luminous and Star Wars 2022 is expected to come at some point this year.
    The 2020 Disney Investor's Day call has showered us with gifts galore; some projects we already knew, some that had been hinted at, and others that have come out of nowhere. My mind has been blown by so much new information, but I've gathered up the pieces as best as I could and slotted them into this article to make sure it's up to date.
    So whether you are looking forward to seeing a new Star Wars spin-off movie at the cinema, a new live-action Star Wars show, or the latest Star Wars animated adventure on Disney+, we've got your back!
    Last updated: December 2020.
    Disney+ Star Wars shows coming soon
    At time of writing there is just one episode of the second season of The Mandalorian left to air, but there are plenty of upcoming shows to get excited for, as Disney and Lucasfilm ramp up their Disney+ offerings.
    Star Wars: The Bad Batch - Coming 2021
    The Bad Batch is an animated series following the Bad Batch of clones introduced in season 7 of The Clone Wars as they take on the role of mercenaries in the aftermath of the the Clone Wars. The series was announced in July 2020 and will see many returning producers and crew members from various other Star Wars television projects, including Dave Filoni, Athena Portillo, Brad Rau, Jennifer Corbett, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rime. The trailer was revealed during the investors call in December 2020.
    The Book of Boba Fett - December 2021

    The existence of a Boba Fett spinoff from hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian was heavily rumoured throughout the show's run, but confirmation of such a series was notably absent from the Disney Investor's Day announcements. At the end of the second season finale of The Mandalorian we were teased by a title card for The Book of Boba Fett and given a date of December 2021. It was confirmed to be a new series a few days later.
    The Mandalorian season 3 - 25 December 2021

    Since launching along with Disney+ The Mandalorian has been a huge success, and a third season was given the green light almost immediately. According to Phil Szostak, the Lucasfilm art department were producing concepts before the first season had even aired. The release date of 25 December 2021 was confirmed during the investor's call in December 2020.
    Star Wars: Andor - Coming 2022
    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first of the Star Wars spin-off, or "anthology" movies, and it proved to be a hit with fans in 2016. The film told the story of a band of rebels who stole the plans for the first Death Star. The series was announced in November 2018 will serve as a prequel to Rogue One and is said to be a "spy thriller" following the exploits of the titular shady rebel and his sidekick K-2SO before that fateful mission. Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk will return as their respective characters from Rogue One. The official title and sizzle reel was revealed during the Disney investor's call in December 2020.
    Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Coming 2022

    This limited series was either the best kept secret or the worst kept secret in Star Wars, depending on your point of view. For years rumours circulated that Ewan McGregor would reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it wasn't until October 2019 that anything was officially confirmed. McGregor has said that we can expect to see how the former Jedi Master copes with the destruction of the Jedi Order and the betrayal of his closest friend, and in December 2020 it was revealed that the series takes place in 9 BBY and that Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Darth Vader for the series. 
    Star Wars: The Acolyte

    On Star Wars Day 2020 it was confirmed that Leslye Headland will be showrunning a new Star Wars series, and in December 2020 the show's title and general premise was revealed. The Acolyte will take place in roughly 100 BBY and will focus on an emerging dark side threat in the final years of the High Republic era. No release date has been confirmed yet.
    Star Wars: Ahsoka

    Announced on 10 December 2020, shortly after Rosario Dawson's debut as fan favourite former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, the new series will again star Dawson and be written by Dave Filoni, who will also executive produce the show with Jon Favreau. Ahsoka will be a limited series set in 9 ABY that culminates in a crossover with The Mandalorian and upcoming series Rangers of the New Republic. 
    Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic

    Announced on 10 December 2020 along with Ahsoka, the series will be executive produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. It is set in 9 ABY and will crossover with Ahsoka and The Mandalorian. 
    Star Wars: Visions

    Announced in December 2020, Star Wars: Visions will be an anthology series that will "celebrate Star Wars through the lens of the world's best anime creators".
    Star Wars: A Droid Story

    A Droid Story is an animated TV movie featuring R2-D2 and C-3PO. It was announced in December 2020.
    Star Wars: Lando

    Lando has been touted as "an event series" and the story will be developed by Justin Simien. It was announced in December 2020 but nothing else has been revealed.
    Confirmed Star Wars movie releases
    In April 2019 Disney confirmed the release dates for three new Star Wars movies, although no further details were given at the time. In April 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting production schedules all three movies were pushed back by one year.
    Rogue Squadron - 22 Dec 2023
    In December 2020 it was revealed that the next Star Wars movie would be based on Rogue Squadron and would be directed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins. The film was originally due to be helmed by Game of Thrones producers David Benioff & DB Weiss before they withdrew from the project citing other contractual obligations, but it is unknown if Rogue Squadron was always the plan for their movie. Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated that he wanted this movie to be more accessible to general audiences. 
    Untitled Star Wars movie from Taika Waititi
    On Star Wars Day 2020, it was revealed that Taika Waititi will co-write and direct a Star Wars feature film and will co-write the film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It is still unclear whether this is one of the already announced movies below, or in addition to them.
    Untitled Star Wars movie - 19 Dec 2025
    Nothing is known about this project yet, so stay tuned and we'll update this article as we discover more information. Disney's updated release schedule in April 2020 did not include this film, but it has also not been confirmed as cancelled. It was originally scheduled for a 20 Dec 2024 release but was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
    Untitled Star Wars movie - 17 Dec 2027
    Again, no details have been released for this project yet. Disney's updated release schedule in April 2020 did not include this film, but it has also not been confirmed as cancelled. It was originally scheduled for a 19 Dec 2026 release but was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
    Other unknown projects
    In 2017 it was announced that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson would be heading up his own Star Wars trilogy. While this plan does seem to have been shelved following concerns over Star Wars fatigue at the box office and the mixed reception to Johnson's own contribution to the Skywalker Saga, it has never explicitly been cancelled. Until Disney and Lucasfilm stop being so tight-lipped about what happened to the trilogy we'll include it here for the sake of completion.
    In September 2019 it was widely reported that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige was on board for a Star Wars project, but no further details have been announced so it is unclear where this fits in with what we already know.

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