‘Star Wars: Episode 9’ reportedly getting Jack Thorne to rewrite Colin Trevorrow’s script

It’s not unusual for a film this early in its pre-production to get some additional help. For the 2019 release of Star Wars: Episode 9, the film’s script is getting a rewrite. The first draft of the film was co-written by the film’s director Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. Lucasfilm seems to have been happy with the progress made so far ahead of the May 2019 release. But with Trevorrow hoping to start filming in January 2018, it gives them around five months to get all the pre-prod stuff done. Apparently, one of the things they want to do is give the script a once-over. Screenwriter Jack Thorne is supposedly coming on board to work on the script. He’s worked on things like Skins, National Treasure, and BBC’s His Dark Materials adaptation, among others.

It isn’t known how much Thorne has to do on the screenplay but with production schedule seemingly still the same, it might just mean that Thorne is coming on as a script doctor and reading over what’s been done and making edits where needed.

Source: Screen Rant

New ‘Star Wars’ animated shorts are now streaming on YouTube

Can’t get enough of the Star Wars universe? Here’s one more thing to sink your teeth into. The best part? It’s streaming for free on YouTube. The new Star Wars animated series is called Forces of Destiny and it shows some heartfelt moments of heroism in the universe, while also showing backstories of some of your favorite characters. It’s a 16-episode series made by Marvel alum Jennifer Muro with Lucasfilm Animation. Eight episodes have already been released and the other eight are coming in October.

Forces of Destiny is episodic and jumps around Episode 1 to 7 and we get to see the likes of Rey (Daisy Ridley), BB-8, Princess Leia/General Organa (Carrie Fisher), and even Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). Each episode lasts around three minutes and focuses on the female characters in the Star Wars world. Each episode also beings with a voiceover from Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o).

Source: Ars Technica

Lenovo makes AR headset for ‘Star Wars’ games

It’s not something you’d expect to be announced at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California but here it is. Lenovo and Disney have partnered to release its own augmented reality headset, which would need a smartphone for it to work. Not much is known yet about the headset but the first game coming is called Star Wars: Jedi Challenges and it looks like it’ll bring your lightsaber-wielding dreams to life as you have a motion controller for it. Other games coming include Holochess, which is considered a catch-all term for the holographic games in the Star Wars universe. No announcement yet on the release dates of the headset and the games but according to its website, it’s “coming soon to Best Buy and Lenovo.com.”

Source: Polygon

Here’s your behind-the-scenes look at ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

If you weren’t that excited for Star Wars: The Last Jedi a.k.a. Episode VIII, this video might change your mind. It’s a behind-the-scenes look and teaser of sorts for the upcoming Star Wars installment. We don’t get much in terms of what the story might be but as Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, says: “It’s second in the trilogy, [but] it feels like its own thing.” And John Boyega a.k.a. Finn adds in a separate interview that Rian Johnson, director of this film, has made “Star Wars fresh and new.”

And while the audiences will be the judges of that, the new movie will give us more insight into the new and old characters as this BTS promises. We also catch glimpses of Carrie Fisher and it reminds us and saddens us a bit to remember that this’ll be her last time showing up in the epic series. Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theatres on December 15, 2017.