Star Wars Episode IX Title And Teaser Revealed

After a nice long gap, we are getting a new Star Wars film, the final part in the saga and the last one for quite a while. Episode IX, which is due to be released on December 20th, 2019, now has a name. JJ Abrams has returned to direct after Colin Trevorrow was given the boot for that classic reason: creative differences. The name of the new Star Wars film is The Rise of Skywalker

The third part in the latest trilogy is said to be a fitting end to the Saga with Mark Hamill returning (from the dead? ZOMBIE LUKE!) as well as Billy Dee Williams reprising his role as Lando Calrissian and Carrie Fisher making an appearance using archive footage. Walt Disney CEO, Bob Iger has said that after Episode IX, Star Wars will take a break. He says, “We have not announced any specific plans for movies thereafter. There are movies in development, but we have not announced them.” During the Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago, Stephen Colbert presented the Episode IX panel which included JJ Abrams, Anthony Daniels, Kathleen Kennedy, Billy Dee Williams R2D2, Oscar Issac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Naomi Ackie, Joonas, Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran and BB8. During the discussion, they spoke of their previous experience in and outside of Star Wars as well as the current film, whilst new images of the characters appeared on the screen behind them. Some we know well, some we will get to know. We also received the first teaser trailer which shows how the previous Jedis have passed on all that they know to the current generation. We see Rey, Finn, Poe, C3PO, BB8 as they all do battle with Kylo and the dark side. Lando comes back to fly his Millennium Falcon, as we are told no one is ever really gone. Besides Luke, who else will return?

John Boyega, Oscar Issac, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o and Domhnall Gleeson all return for the final go in the Skywalker Saga. The Rise of Skywalker has been written by Abrams and Chris Terrio, with Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly getting co-writing credits. After this film, we know that there is The Mandalorian TV series by Jon Favreau, with episodes being directed by Deborah Chow, Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard and Taika Waititi but that’s about it for now. A break makes sense after Star Wars fatigue did seem to settle in after the release of Solo just a few months after The Last Jedi. We’ll see how long this break is but I’m extremely excited for the final chapter on this 42 year old Saga.

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Ron Howard Confirmed As Director Of Han Solo Project

After the recent shock departure of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from the Star Wars spin off Han Solo project, there were rumours which quickly sprouted of Ron Howard taking over. Well, it seems in a rare twist a rumour turned out to be true! The director of Rush and Apollo 13 has been announced as the replacement director, taking over for the next few weeks of shooting as well as the films planned reshoots, scheduled for later this year.

Ron, who has been previously rumoured for Phantom Menace, will be working for the next 3 weeks, ensuring it’s steered in the right direction. It’s unclear what credit Lord and Miller will receive if any who allegedly had several disagreements with producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Lucasfilm moved quickly to find a replacement due to the fact that they are not changing the scheduled release date. Shooting is due to resume on July 10th, giving the crew time to take stock of the situation. Kennedy said, “At Lucasfilm we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began 40 years ago. With that in mind we’re thrilled to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the untitled Han Solo film. We have a wonderful script, an incredible cast and crew and the absolute commitment to make a great movie.”

It was announced that Lord and Miller left the project due to creative differences. Hearsay from the set says that the directing duo were not happy with the control Kennedy had over the creativity of the project. It’s been rumoured that they didn’t have as much control as they would have liked and also butted heads with writer and Star Wars veteran Jon Kasdan.

With the movie taking a break until next month, they’ll have to work fast to have it finished on time. Let’s hope this doesn’t have an affect on production.

Starring Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, the movie is to be set around the early days of the Millennium Falcon pilot as a smuggler. It also stars Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Michael K. Williams and Emilia Clarke. The project is still slated for release on May 25th, 2018.

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Lord and Miller Fired From Han Solo Project

It’s been announced that Phil Lord and Chris Miller have left the Han Solo project after clashing several times with producer Kathleen Kennedy. The pair left on Tuesday after they were not being given the freedom to run their own production of the Star Wars spin off movie.

In a released statement, Lord and Miller have said, “Unfortunatemy, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this clichè is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew.”

Lord and Miller also butted heads with writer and producer Larry Kasdan, who has been part of Star Wars ever since Empire Strikes Back. It’s claimed that he was never a fan of the pair’s directing style.

Kennedy said, “Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who assembled an incredible cast and crew but it’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film and we’ve decided to part ways.”

With a few weeks still left to shoot, plus reshoots planned for later on, the Han Solo movie needs a new director. Ron Howard has been rumoured but nothing is being confirmed as of yet.

Starring Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, the movie is to be set around the early days of the Millennium Falcon pilot as a smuggler. It also stars Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Michael K. Williams and Emilia Clarke. The project is still slated for release on May 25th, 2018.

Keep. It. Reel.