From ROGUE ONE to EPISODE IX: A Big News Day for STAR WARS Fans!

#JurassicWorld made $500 million domestically in just 17 days.. You know what that means: Colin Trevorrow should direct #StarWarsIX! Or not.

— Richard Par (@RichTPar) June 29, 2015

So earlier today, the Walt Disney Company announced that Rogue One has officially begun filming and that Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow will helm 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX (I called it in a tweet last June! Posted it above). The announcements came during Disney's annual D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center...which is also where J.J. Abrams unveiled the second trailer for The Force Awakens at Star Wars Celebration about four months ago. Also released today was a cast photo for Rogue One, as well as a Drew Struzan-drawn poster for Episode VII that was available only to D23 attendees. Don't know if Struzan drew another illustration that will be featured as the official theatrical poster for The Force Awakens; we'll see. And FYI, September 4 (also known as "Force Friday") is the day when most of Episode VII's merchandise will be released in retail stores. I'm pondering about buying a Kylo Ren action figure to include in my Star Wars collection (I probably shouldn't have told you that— Oh well), but what I'm really looking forward to is John Williams' original music score for The Force Awakens! That probably won't be out for sale till early December though. Or maybe around Thanksgiving... Just my assumption.


Jonathan Olley - ©Lucasfilm 2016

Another STAR WARS Update: Just Shut Up and Take My Money, EW!

So just thought I'd share these photos from The Force Awakens that will be featured (or are already featured... Have to see if this is already out on newsstands) in the Fall Movie issue of Entertainment Weekly. As if Kylo Ren didn't look badass enough... And considering how close Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) are to the First Order stormtroopers as they are about to open fire on our heroes in the pic directly below, these guys still can't aim. Just like the good ol' days with the Galactic Empire.

STAR WARS Update: The First Order Rises and ROGUE ONE Begins...

Just thought I'd share these two photos and a video that were recently posted online from the soon-to-be released The Force Awakens and the now-in-production Rogue One. The image above shows a North Korean/Nazi-style rally by the evil First Order—the successor to the Galactic Empire that fell after the Emperor's death in Return of the Jedi—as it plots its next attack on the Resistance and whatever government took control of the Galaxy before the events of Star Wars: Episode VII. This shot came from a new Force Awakens TV spot that aired in South Korea (yes, I know... Random). You can view the trailer below:



The pic below comes from a British website and shows background actors dressed as Imperial stormtroopers as they're waiting to film a scene for Rogue One. Director Gareth Edwards recently started production on the first Star Wars Anthology film...and as this photo shows, we'll get to see Original Trilogy stormtroopers back on the big screen in 2016 while stormtroopers of the new era will invade theaters 128 days from now (if you live here in the U.S.). The excitement is building!


Splash News

Independence Day: Resurgence...

Filming on next year's Independence Day sequel has been proceeding for about two months now, so just thought I'd post this screenshot from one of the most memorable scenes in the 1996 hit film to commemorate the production. I'm sure that director Roland Emmerich has more ways in mind in terms of how the aliens will wreak havoc on Earth in Independence Day: Resurgence (three words: anti-gravity attack!), but I want to see another version of the iconic shot above (well, iconic if you ignore the sadistic, destructive nature of this image) where an alien destroyer uses a single green laser beam to wipe out an entire metropolis in IDR. I definitely can't wait to see the Moon Tug and alien-hybrid jet fighter (shown below) in action! Along with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War and Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One, IDR is making 2016 look like it will give this year a run for its money. But let's see how The Force Awakens turns out first...

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'... Goku's Many Faces

In honor of watching the latest big-screen installment of the popular anime series Dragon Ball Z at AMC Theatres earlier today (the movie was enjoyable if you liked the cheesiness and protracted fight scenes that defined the TV show, which I did), just thought I'd share this collage that I found online showing the many incarnations of Goku throughout the last 30-plus years. From him as a little kid in Bulma and Son Goku back in 1984 to him being a blue-haired 'Super Saiyan God' (Level 2) in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', Goku continues to evolve as he becomes ever-so powerful while taking on different adversaries throughout the universe. Whether it's against Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu, Beerus or Frieza again, Goku's transcendence as Japan's own version of Superman grows stronger and stronger whenever he takes on a new foe. But enough about sharing a bio about this badass character... Which version of Goku below do you think looks the coolest? I wonder if FUNimation will ever use my idea of turning Kakarrot (Goku's birth name) into an Ultra Saiyan? You have my permission! Heh.

Ant-Man...

I saw the latest Marvel flick earlier today, and was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it was. Well okay— I wasn't surprised. Despite its wacky title, Ant-Man is yet another example of Marvel Studios striking gold with even the most obscure comic book characters (watch last year's Guardians of the Galaxy to be even more convinced of this). Paul Rudd seemed right at home as Scott Lang and his size-changing alter-ego, while all of the other cast members ranging from Michael Douglas (Dr. Hank Pym), Evangeline Lilly (Hope van Dyne) and Michael Peña (Luis) to Corey Stoll (as Darren Cross and the villainous Yellowjacket) looked very comfortable in their roles as Lang's allies and enemies. The Yellowjacket suit worn by Stoll was pretty cool... (Spoilers Ahead) Had Hydra gotten a hold of this weaponry and mass-produced it as planned, this army would've been just as dangerous (even moreso) than Loki's alien underlings and Ultron's robots from the last two Avengers movies. Speaking of The Avengers, I'm wondering if Rudd will steal the scenes he's in when he shows up in Avengers: Infinity War and next year's Captain America: Civil War? Probably not. Lang bantering with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark will definitely be something to watch on the big screen though.

Oh, and Ant-Man made me realized just how cute and cuddly ants can be (if you were their size, that is). But I still have a can of Raid® tucked away underneath my kitchen's sink...just in case. That is all.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Check Out the Comic-Con Trailer!

"The red capes are coming! The red capes are coming!" So are the nefarious words of Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) in a scene from the newest preview to next year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The trailer, which made its debut at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, shows additional footage of the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) confronting the Dark Knight (Ben Affleck)...as well as giving us the first cinematic glimpse of the beautiful Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. I posted select screenshots from the preview below—and of course, watch the actual trailer at the very bottom of this entry. The million dollar question is: Does Superman bleed? He will.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens... The New Trailer is Here!

Just thought I'd post these screenshots from the newest teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens...which was unveiled by director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim this morning. I'd say more, but I have to go to sleep. I attended the Celebration today, and I'm heading back there tomorrow! Enjoy the trailer at the very bottom of this entry.

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Life After THE FORCE AWAKENS: Getting Ready for ROGUE ONE and STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII!

Rogue One Is The First Star Wars Stand-Alone Film, Rian Johnson To Write and Direct Star Wars: Episode VIII (News Release)

“Always in motion is the future,” Yoda said. The future of the Star Wars cinematic galaxy, however, is taking shape.

This morning at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, across the street from Lucasfilm, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger hosted a shareholder meeting where he announced news regarding the first Star Wars stand-alone movie as well as Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz). The first actress cast is Felicity Jones, who garnered an Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim for her performance in The Theory of Everything. The idea for the story of Rogue One came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. He will executive produce along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) are on board to produce and John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will co-produce. The film starts shooting this summer in London and is due for release on December 16, 2016.

In addition, Iger confirmed that Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII. The film, which continues the saga after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is set for release on May 26, 2017 — forty years and a day after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977. Johnson is widely considered one of cinema’s most gifted young filmmakers, having directed the modern sci-fi classic, Looper, as well as Brick and The Brothers Bloom. He was also behind the camera for three episodes of the critically-acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad, including “Ozymandias,” which series creator Vince Gilligan named as the best installment of the show. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman, producer of Looper, Don Jon, Brick, and The Brothers Bloom, are on board to produce, and J.J. Abrams will serve as executive producer.

Source: StarWars.com

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