Diego Luna reprises role in ‘Star Wars’ spin-off series

Loki isn’t the only one getting his own series on Disney’s upcoming Disney+ streaming service. The company has confirmed it’ll be developing a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor taking the lead. The prequel is being described as a “rousing spy thriller” set in the early years of the Rebellion. There is no release date yet for the series but production will start next year. Disney+ is expected to launch later next year as well. 

Source: Polygon 

Disney CEO admits they’ve been pushing ‘Star Wars’ ‘too much, too fast’

Have you been feeling like there’s just been too much Star Wars too soon? It might be a strange thing to complain about but if you’ve gotten used to seeing Star Wars films arrive at least a couple of years apart, the sudden yearly release might seem too much—especially if you feel like the films are subpar to what you’re used to. With Solo underperformance in the box office, Disney was reportedly considering changing its strategy when it comes to marketing and releasing Star Wars content. Now, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirms this plan with The Hollywood Reporter.

He said, “I made the timing decision, and as I look back, I think the mistake that I made — I take the blame — was a little too much, too fast. You can expect some slowdown, but that doesn't mean we're not going to make films. J.J. [Abrams] is busy making [Episode] IX. We have creative entities, including [Game of Thrones creators David] Benioff and [D.B.] Weiss, who are developing sagas of their own, which we haven't been specific about. And we are just at the point where we're going to start making decisions about what comes next after J.J.'s. But I think we're going to be a little bit more careful about volume and timing. And the buck stops here on that.”

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A Doctor makes his way to ‘Star Wars’

Santiago Felipe/Getty ImagesAnd by Doctor, we mean a former Time Lord from Doctor Who. Rumour has it (or at least several outlets have confirmed) that Matt Smith will be joining the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX. At the moment, we don’t know what role he’ll be playing but as Wired points out, he seems fit to be a First Order officer. And we can’t say we disagree. Smith will be joining other franchise newcomers like Dominic Monaghan, Keri Russell, and Richard E. Grant. And of course, we’ll get to see him with returning stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac. Episode IX is currently in production and will be coming out in December 2019.

Carrie Fisher is still part of ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’

In case you haven’t heard yet, Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures have officially announced the cast for Star Wars: Episode IX and one of the names we were waiting to show up is back. The late Carrie Fisher’s name is still attached to General Leia Organa. They will be using previously unreleased footage. J.J. Abrams said, “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher. Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”

Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. The new members of the cast include Naomi Ackie (Doctor Who), Richard E. Grant (Gosford Park, Hudson Hawk) and Keri Russell (The Americans). The other veteran Star Wars actors making a return include Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian. The film starts filming at London’s Pinewood Studios on August 1 and this final installment of the Skywalker saga is set to come out in December 2019.

Source: Comingsoon.net