1979’s ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Preview:
‘Andor’ director Toby Haynes is aboard a new ‘Star Trek’ movie.
Seth Grahame-Smith will write the script for the new film.
It’s just one of the ‘Trek’ movies in development.
Since ‘Star Trek Beyond’ premiered in 2016, things have been awfully quiet on the big screen Trek front. While the TV side of things has gone from strength to strength with the likes of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, ‘Star Trek: Picard’, ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ and other series expanding the universe to success on streaming, it has felt like Paramount didn’t really have a solid direction for the movies.
Different ideas have been mooted, but nothing has come to fruition. So we’re understandably skeptical –– albeit enthused –– at news of another.
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What’s the latest ‘Star Trek’ movie in development?
1979’s ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
As reported by Deadline, the new movie will be set years before Captain Kirk (Chris Pine, at least assuming its set within the “Kelvin” alternate timeline established in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 ‘Star Trek’.
Toby Haynes, who did excellent work as one of the main directors on recent ‘Star Wars’ series ‘Andor’, will be overseeing this one, while Seth Grahame-Smith (no stranger to genre himself after writing the likes of ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ and producing the ‘It’ movies and many more, will be on script duty. Abrams is on board to produce.
Does this replace the mooted fourth main ‘Star Trek’ movie?
(L to R) Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho and Zoe Saldana in ‘Star Trek’ (2009). Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
As of right now, it appears the studio is still going full (warp) speed ahead on the next ‘Trek’ movie featuring Pine and the rest. Or at least is still developing it. Little is known about the movie, which at different times has had Matt Shakman –– who has since departed to focus on Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’ –– and previously, SJ Clarkson attached to direct.
It would seem that Paramount’s film arm is looking to take a page out of its TV side and have multiple projects in play.
Which brings us to…
What about Quentin Tarantino’s Trek movie?
Quentin Tarantino accepts the Oscar® for original screenplay for “Django Unchained” during the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre, in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 24, 2013.
There was, for a while, much excitement about the idea that Quentin Tarantino would direct a ‘Star Trek’ movie.
There was a concept pitched –– a spin on a gangster-filled planet inspired by a classic ‘Trek’ episode called ‘A Piece of the Action’ –– and a script written by ‘The Revenant’s Mark L. Smith. The plan was to deliver something that would be very different from the usual ‘Trek’ style (though ‘Discovery’ and co. have long since introduced swearing into the universe), with a hard R-rating.
But with Tarantino having long since said he was planning to retire after another one more movie, it seems he didn’t want that film to be a ‘Star Trek’ outing.
“Quentin and I went back and forth, he was gonna do some stuff on it, and then he started worrying about the number, his kind of unofficial number of films. I remember we were talking, and he goes, ‘If I can just wrap my head around the idea that ‘Star Trek’ could be my last movie, the last thing I ever do. Is this how I want to end it?’ And I think that was the bump he could never get across, so the script is still sitting there on his desk.”
Less “to boldly go” than “to boldly hang around”, then. Here’s hoping the Haynes film has more luck.
1979’s ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Felicity Jones in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo: Lucasfilm.
With his latest science fiction movie, ‘The Creator’ out in cinemas, Gareth Edwards probably wishes people would stop bringing up his previous work, ‘Star Wars’ effort ‘Rogue One’.
Not because of the movie itself (which, let’s not forget, earned more than a billion dollars at the box office), but because of all the talk of re-writes and re-shoots around getting it finished.
Infamously, the biggest change happened after much of the movie had been shot and creative dissonance began to happen. Tony Gilroy was brought in to work on the script and ended up reportedly directing re-shoots to help get the movie to its final form.
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Edwards on ‘Rogue One’s tricky finish
(L to R) Diego Luna and Felicity Jones in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo: Lucasfilm.
“The stuff that’s out there on the internet about what happened on that film — there is so much inaccuracy about the whole thing. Tony came in, and he did a lot of great work, for sure. No doubt about it. But we all worked together until the entire last minute of that movie.”
And while there was talk that Gilroy completely oversaw the five-week re-shoot for the movie, Edwards disputes that, citing one of its most iconic moments:
“The very last thing that we filmed in the pickup shoot was the Darth Vader corridor scene. I did all of that stuff.”
Darth Vader in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo: Lucasfilm.
Despite the ongoing chatter, the filmmaker doesn’t regret the experience, emphasizing to Variety how lucky he was to have worked on a movie set in the galaxy far, far away that once inspired him:
“I got to make a ‘Star Wars’ film. I won the lottery, in that sense. The idea of someone as privileged as me in any way implying that it was anything other than the amazing experience that it was to some extent — like, I don’t have any empathy for that person, and I don’t want to be that person either.”
Two things, however, are telling about Edwards’ time on ‘Star Wars’, both of them after the fact.
‘Andor’ will premiere on Disney+ September 21st.
Gilroy was brought back in to work on last year’s ‘Andor’, a story set in the years before Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor met the ‘Rogue’ squadron. Gilroy was involved from the start and is currently (at least, he’ll be able to once the actors’ strike is over since nothing can be shot right now) overseeing it to competition. Praise for ‘Andor’ has been near universal.
And as for Edwards, he took seven years between movies (though he denies any wounds to lick and instead says he just wanted to make sure he nailed the next film) and with ‘The Creator’ sought a process where he had complete control.
The result launched in cinemas this past weekend and so far isn’t exactly setting the box office on fire the way ‘Rogue One’ did. An original science fiction film was always going to struggle, though so far ‘The Creator’ has earned a little over $14 million domestically (and $32 million worldwide). Still, with a thrifty $80 million production budget, it also doesn’t have to earn on the level of a ‘Star Wars’ to find profit.
Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm.
While the small-screen ‘Star Wars’ universe is enjoying a positive resurgence thanks to ‘Ahsoka’ (which recently released its fifth episode), it appears that there are changes afoot for one of the future shows in development.
While we learned back in July that Donald Glover –– who, of course, played the younger Lando Calrissian in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ –– and brother/creative partner Stephen were taking over the writing of the ‘Lando’ series.
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The show (as it was at the time) was to chronicle the further adventures of the gambler and rogue years before he starts running Cloud City (and is played in the movies by Billy Dee Williams).
Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm.
While we hadn’t heard much about the Glover siblings’ plan for Lando (obviously they were not able to kick off writing scripts because of the ongoing writers’ strike), it does appear that things have now changed.
“It’s not even a show… The idea right now is to do a movie. Right now, because of the strike, it’s kind of like telephone, all of the information.”
That’s all he could say –– Lucasfilm and Disney really don’t like much information on future projects getting out there before they can officially announce.
But despite no official word yet from either company, trade publications such as Variety and Deadline did get them to confirm the new development.
Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm.
Donald Glover has previously said he would want to reprise the ‘Solo’ role, admitting to GQ (via Deadline) in April that he enjoyed playing him and is looking to continue so:
“I would love to play Lando again. It’s a fun time, being him. It just has to be the right way to do it. Time is precious. The past couple of years, this pandemic shit, it really had people experience time… People realize their time is valuable. You only get so much. I’m not interested in doing anything that’s going to be a waste of my time or just a paycheck. I’d much rather spend time with people that I enjoy. It just has to be the right thing, and I think it could be. Lando is definitely somebody I like to hang out with,”
So, that’s one less series headed our way from the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy and one more movie.
But it’s not like we’ll all be starved for Jedis, Sith and Grogu. With ‘Ahsoka’ still to run for a few more weeks, we’ll then see ‘Skeleton Crew’ from director Jon Watts, starring Jude Law and ‘The Acolyte’ (from ‘Russian Doll’ co-creator Leslye Headland.
Plus, there are new seasons of ‘Andor’, ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘The Bad Batch’ at various stages of development along with new animated TV Movie ‘A Droid Story’.
(L to R) Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the voice of L3-37 and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm.
(L to R) Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, and Kieran Culkin in season 4 of HBO’s ‘Succession.’ Photograph by Claudette Barius/HBO.
The 2023 Emmy Award nominees were announced this morning during a virtual event hosted by actor Yvette Nicole Brown and TV Academy chair Frank Scherma.
The biggest changes this year were positive forward movement for Asian and Latino representation, with the likes of ‘Beef’, ‘Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega and ‘The Last of Us’ Pedro Pascal breaking through in various categories.
(L to R) Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) on Hulu’s ‘Only Murders In The Building’. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu.
For the Emmy Academy’s complete list, click here. The awards ceremony is scheduled for September 18th, the ongoing writers’ strike and a potential actors’ strike may well result in a delay.
With Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni overseeing the ‘Mandalorian’ expanded small screen universe, the company has naturally used the success of that first show to build out others, some created by the main duo, some by different creative teams.
There were new details and looks at a variety of shows, so here’s what was talked about…
In production before any of the other series spotlighted today, the series following the further adventures of the Togruta from the planet Shili, a Padawan turned Jedi known as Ahsoka Tano had the most to show off, including a trailer that is now online.
Led by Filoni behind the scenes, the series follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy –– specifically Grand Admiral Thrawn, a villain created by Timothy Zahn for his novel series. He’s already in screen canon thanks to appearances on Filoni’s animated series ‘Star Wars Rebels’ and will now be live-action, though his casting as yet to be announced.
Also making the leap from ‘Rebels’ (since Ashoka also appeared on that show) are Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and cranky droid Chopper, with the promise of others. It’s worth noting that another Rebels regular, Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios showed up in one scene of last week’s ‘The Mandalorian’.
“It was natural he would make the transition to live action,” Kathleen Kennedy said of Filoni on stage. “He has done a spectacular job.” Favreau concurred: “He cares deeply. He poured his heart and soul into it. Dave is unique in that he doesn’t ever squash your inspiration or idea but finds a way to fit it in, to keep it in the tradition that George Lucas started.” Dawson, for her part, said she had “so many pinch me moments” making the show. “Because if this does well, maybe we’ll get a second season. It’s up to y’all!” she told the 4,500-strong crowd.
The trailer is stacked with action, primarily Ahsoka showing off her trademark double lightsaber skills, plus plenty of starships dogfighting.
The pair have come up with a series set around the same time as ‘The Mandalorian’, which follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home — and meeting unlikely allies and enemies — will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
Jude Law stars alongside younger actors Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter and Robert Timothy Smith and Ryan Kiera Armstrong. There’s no word yet on when the show will land on Disney+.
‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ will be premiering on Disney+ in 2023.
‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’
‘The Acolyte’ promises to take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
Series creator Leslye Headland wowed the crowd with a sneak peek at the upcoming show. Headland arrived on stage, escorted by Kelnacca, and previewed footage from the mystery-thriller series alongside several of the stars.
With production underway now, the series won’t hit Disney+ until next year, but that still is likely to be ahead of the new run of another big series set in the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy…
Lucasfilm’s ‘The Acolyte.’
‘Star Wars: Andor’
There was also word from Team ‘Andor,’ with showrunner Tony Gilroy joined by stars Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Genevieve O’Reilly, Andy Serkis, Muhannad Bahair and Joplin Sibtain to talk about the successful first season and preview footage from the second and final run of 12 episodes, which have yet to schedule a release date on Disney+.
Oh, and for fans of the show that started it all, there was naturally a ‘Mandalorian’ treat, as the next episode of the series was shown on the big screen for fans.
There is a lot to look forward to on the TV front, and, unlike the big movie announcements, we can be reasonably assured they will all hit screens. Stay tuned for more from the event as it unfolds.
The cast of ‘Andor’ at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Lest ‘Star Wars’ fans suffer from withdrawal in the wake of Disney+’s critically acclaimed first season of ‘Andor,’ the streamer recently premiered the second season of ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch.’ Continuing the adventures of the clone troopers introduced in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ as they travel the galaxy after the fall of the Republic.
Moviefone recently joined a group of journalists in chatting with the show’s executive producers Brad Rau and Jennifer Corbett, as well as the voices of Bad Batch himself, Dee Bradley Baker, and new fan-favorite character Omega, Michelle Ang. Here’s what they had to say about the 16-episode second season, each episode of which arrives Wednesdays on Disney+.
(L-R) Carrie Beck, Brad Rau, Michelle Ang, Dee Bradley Baker, Jennifer Corbett, Matt Michnovetz and Dave Filoni attend the panel for “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 29, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
On featuring younger characters like Omega in ‘The Bad Batch’:
Brad Rau: We’ve seen these super soldiers in ‘The Clone Wars.’ We’ve seen them tackle all kinds of obstacles, and they’re the best at what they do. So, what are we going to give these guys that they haven’t dealt with before? A kid that they’re going to have to take care of. Now they’ve got to be dads. When we’re telling the story in this show, we try to balance that a lot. They’re not just this crack military team, but they’re a family. That’s a really big key. That’s very intentional for the narrative flow. Then, to have Michelle as Omega, it’s so great. Our amazing cast, it brings them all to life. We’re just so lucky.
Dee Bradley Baker: It’s really beautiful to have that personal story as a counterweight to the giant political mythology that’s playing out. You have both polarities of human concern playing out at the same time.
Michelle Ang: It’s a joy playing the naivete of Omega, because of the whys. When she asks why, there isn’t an agenda. Like, it’s genuinely a pause for these seasoned military characters to take a moment to take on that question. Like, “Why do we do this? Why do we choose this stance? Why do we take this mission? Why do we take this side?” Yeah, it’s a real joy to play that innocence but also be the one to question.
On helping younger viewers keep track of where ‘The Bad Batch’ falls on the ‘Star Wars’ timeline:
Jennifer Corbett: That’s where the character of Omega really serves us well. Because even if you’ve never seen ‘Clone Wars,’ neither has the character of Omega. So telling stories through her lens allows us to show an audience, “Okay, here’s the Cliff Notes version of what you need to know in terms of what has happened in the ‘Star Wars’ timeline.”
MA: Which is the same myself. I’m new into the ‘Star Wars’ world. I didn’t grow up with it. So, I feel like I am Omega in the sense that I’m learning about the wider universe, the wider legacy in real time.
DBB: Part of what’s exciting and fun for me is that everything from our show to ‘The Mandalorian,’ to the movies, to ‘Andor,’ they all fit together. When you watch them all, as an old ‘Star Wars’ fan myself, this all fits together in the same storyline. That’s part of the fun with it.
BR: If we’re doing our job right, you don’t have to know anything about ‘Star Wars’ and you’ll enjoy the episode. But if you do watch all the shows, like we do, then you’ll get something out of it too.
On upcoming episodes breaking from the show’s format like last week’s third episode focusing on the villainous Crosshair:
JC: Crosshair is a member of the Bad Batch. So even when we do focus on him, he’s on a very different path than the rest of Clone Force 99 is on right now. So we do have a lot of episodes in Season 2 that take a turn. We don’t want to give too much away, but we do continue with Crosshair’s journey as well as the rest of Omega and her space dads.
BR: Right. Space dads. The fans seem to be liking this latest episode, which is really incredible. If you like this episode, there are a couple more that I think you’re going to like as well.
JC: We have a political thriller, a two-parter, which is very exciting and a bit intense.
DBB: It’s like a Hitchcock thriller. It’s something else… Every episode is like a different kind of movie. You can see an episode [and] “Oh, this is like an ‘Alien‘ episode,” or “This is like an ‘Indiana Jones,’” or “This is a spaghetti western,” or “This is a Hitchcock political thriller.” Everyone is its own kind of reference to the evolution of entertainment and movies. It’s just part of the wonderful artistry of this show that if you’re a fan of entertainment, it’s quite fun to enjoy. I really love it.
JC: And there’s a ‘Goonies’ in there. I’ve been trying to get Brad to do a ‘Goonies’ episode for so long, and finally!
BR: That’s following the legacy of what was done in ‘The Clone Wars,’ where we would do exactly that.
JC: We are in the dark times in the ‘Star Wars’ era. So, while that is going on, we have to be aware that we need to tell other stories, because it’s a wide galaxy. So there are many adventures that our team can go on. Throughout season 2 there are some that are a bit grittier, but we do want to still have fun, because that’s where the team also shines. The next episode, from that bleak episode 3 to episode 4, is very fun. Hopefully fans will enjoy that change of pace.
DBB: There’s a lot of latitude in terms of everything from fun to dire and dramatic that was always contained in ‘Star Wars.’ It’s very accommodating to that sort of freedom of style and tone.
It’s fair to say that the news has gone quieter than news reports on Alderaan for the big screen ‘Star Wars’ side of things.
While the TV arm keeps flourishing with ‘The Mandalorian’, its various spin-offs and other shows such as ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, ‘Andor’ and upcoming animated series ‘Tales of the Jedi’, the movie side of Lucasfilm’s sprawling franchise hasn’t seen a release since 2019’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.
And despite financial success, it was a divisive title that didn’t garner a lot of love from critics.
Now, at least, according to Deadline, one of the projects in development at Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ assembly line is taking a tentative step forward, as the movie has hired ‘Ms. Marvel’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy as director.
Obaid-Chinoy, who handled two episodes of the peppy, enjoyable Marvel outing, is being brought in now to work with writer/producer Damon Lindelof, so that she’s part of the creative team from an early stage.
It’s no doubt to help avoid some of the director problems that Lucasfilm has faced in the past, including on ‘Solo’ and Colin Trevorrow stepping away from what became ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ under J.J. Abrams.
And Lindelof, of course, has plenty of writing experience, having worked on ‘Lost’, created shows such as ‘The Leftovers’ and ‘Watchmen’ and provided scripts for movies including ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ and ‘Alien’ prequel ‘Prometheus’.
Michael Fassbender as David in ‘Prometheus.’
Lindelof has been figuring this one out for a few months, but he hasn’t been working alone: what Deadline’s story doesn’t mention, but that The Hollywood Reporter’s Bothan spies whispered to it is that Lindelof is in fact co-writing the movie with rising star scribe Justin Britt-Gibson.
His resume includes time as an executive story editor on Guillermo del Toro’s vampire drama, ‘The Strain’ and wrote episodes of Starz’s ‘Counterpart’, the series about parallel dimensions that starred J.K. Simmons and was cruelly cancelled after two excellent seasons. Gibson has also worked on ‘Banshee’ and ‘Into the Badlands’.
Further, there is news that the movie’s basic story was hammered out, TV-style by a writers room convened over a two-week session in July.
Present to figure out the ideas behind the script were Patrick Somerville, (a veteran of Lindelof’s much-admired drama ‘Leftovers’ who went on to create ‘Station Eleven’, Rayna McClendon, a consulting producer from ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ who has also contributed to Lucasfilm’s upcoming ‘Willow’ sequel series; and ‘Briarpatch’ TV series creator Andy Greenwald. There’s also mention that Dave Filoni – the creative mastermind behind much of Lucasfilm’s animated ‘Star Wars’ series and who now works alongside Jon Favreau to shepherd the ‘Mandalorian’ set of shows – was also involved.
No concrete details have emerged about the script that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson are writing, though there is talk that it’ll be set after the events of ‘Rise of Skywalker’ and could potentially feature characters from the sequel trilogy that also includes ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’. It’s very much a wait and see on that front, however – chances are Lindelof might be more interested in a story entirely unconnected to the recent movies (“somehow, Palpatine returned again… again.” Yeah… not loving the idea ourselves.)
The Reporter’s sources also mention that unlike recent developments aimed at figuring out trilogies in one go, this will be a stand-alone with potential for more if it succeeds.
And Lucasfilm could use a win, what with endless stories of big names including ‘The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson, Marvel boss Kevin Feige and writer/director Taika Waititi talking up their plans, with little actual momentum to be found.
The most recent disappoint was Patty Jenkins’ ‘Rogue Squadron’, which had looked like it was headed for take-off, but has since been grounded, its release date off the books and no word on when it might be headed for production, let alone release.
Given that the Lindelof film is still in the scripting stage, we wouldn’t expect to see it much before 2025, but there will no doubt be 265 ‘Star Wars’ TV shows to fill the gap in the meantime.
(L to R) John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac star in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’
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The new series is set five years before the events of ‘Rogue One,’ and features Diego Luna reprising his role as Cassian Andor. The series will explore Andor’s backstory and his role in the birth of the Rebellion.
The result is a dark and bleak ‘Star Wars’ series that has some wonderful character driven moments but may unfold too slow for audience members not familiar with ‘Rogue One.’
The ‘Star Wars’ franchise has always been polarizing. I remember as a kid in the 80s thinking that ‘Return of the Jedi’ was the “bad one.” Then of course came the prequels of the late 90s and early 2000’s when ‘Phantom Menace’ became everyone’s favorite ‘Star Wars’ movie to hate.
Since Disney took over Lucasfilm, movies like ‘The Last Jedi’ and ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ have practically torn the fanbase apart. But most ‘Star Wars’ fans can agree on one thing, they all love ‘Rogue One,’ which is probably why they decided to make it into a Disney+ series.
To be honest, I’m an unusual ‘Star Wars’ fan because I loved ‘Last Jedi,’ and I even didn’t mind ‘Solo,’ but I just don’t love ‘Rogue One.’ Maybe it’s because I always knew that film would be a one-off based on its placement within the ‘Star Wars’ timeline, and I never allowed myself to really get invested in those characters.
Unfortunately, ‘Andor’ is much the same for me, the backstory of a character I’m not that interested in. The first two episodes unfold rather slowly and present a lot of backstory for Diego Luna’s character.
In fact, there are actually two different timelines in this series. The present day, which is five years before ‘Rogue One,’ and an ongoing flashback to Cassian’s childhood. I found the two different timelines to be confusing at times, and again, learning the intricate backstory of a character I’m not that interested in to begin with became tedious at times.
However, something happens between episode 2 and episode 3 that begins to shift the series from a Cassian Andor show to a series about the early days of the Rebellion. The show works best when it is exploring the bureaucracy of the Empire, the politics of the galaxy, and Andor’s relationship to new (to us) characters like Adria Arjona’s Bix Caleen, Fiona Shaw’s Maarva, and eventually, Stellan Skarsgard’s Luthen Rael.
The series was created and written by ‘Rogue One’ screenwriter Tony Gilroy, and it has a very similar tone as the movie, which sets it apart from the Jon Favreau/Dave Filoni led Disney+ ‘Star Wars’ series. In fact, the series was shot entirely on location, rather than the digital volume room used for ‘The Mandalorian’ or the ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series, immediately giving it a different tone and scope.
Diego Luna is an excellent actor, and clearly has affection for this role. What is nice about the 12-episode series is it does give us time to really get to know Cassian Andor as a character, something ‘Rogue One’ couldn’t do because of his limited screen time. While I’m not sure I need to know as much about his childhood, one can only guess this will pay off fully by the series’ end.
Luna certainly has command of the role, showing us a completely different character than we saw in ‘Rogue One.’ This Cassian Andor is a rogue and a bit of a scoundrel, which we discover through his interactions with other characters. This is not the heroic Andor who sacrificed himself to save the galaxy at the end of ‘Rogue One.’ What is intriguing about the series will be watching Luna’s performance as Andor eventually becomes an important part of the Rebellion.
But for me, at least in the opening episodes, Cassian’s story is not as interesting as some of the other characters that inhabit his world. Adria Arjona is a breath of fresh air as Bix Caleen, a strong woman who clearly has a romantic past with Andor and is doing her best to help him and also keep him out of her life.
Kyle Soller is delightful and at times hilarious as Syril, an Imperial officer obsessed with rising in the Imperial ranks. Soller’s performance is fun, and you really feel the character’s insecurities and how he over compensates for them. Syril’s incompetence is very believable, but also adds to the ‘Star Wars’ mythos that the Empire is really run by a bunch of idiots.
A lot of ‘Star Wars’ fans were excited by the announcement that Genevieve O’Reilly would be reprising her role as Mon Montha, now only a senator trying to navigate the politics of the Empire. While she is not in a lot of the first few episodes, I think her character’s arc might be one of the most interesting by the series’ end. Watching this character who we’ve only seen in the past as a leader of the Rebellion, now as a member of the Empire trying to break away and do the right thing, is very intriguing.
Speaking of intriguing, that is a good way to describe Luthen Rael, the character played Stellan Skarsgard. While he only appears in the tail-end of the first four episodes, it’s very clear that his character will have a large role in bringing Cassian into the Rebellion. As Rael, Skarsgard is both mysterious and commanding, and also has some surprisingly fun scenes with O’Reilly.
In the end, ‘Andor’ shows some promise towards the end of its opening four episodes and may turn out to be a great series. But it has a slow start, and those not invested in the characters from ‘Rogue One’ or the idea of the birth of the Rebellion in general, may lose interest after watching the slow and dark premiere episode.
The first four episodes of ‘Andor’ receives 3 out of 5 stars.
‘Andor’ cast at Star Wars Celebration 2022.
To watch Made in Hollywood‘s interviews with the cast of ‘Andor,’ please click on the video player below.
Set five years before the events of ‘Rogue One,’ the series stars Diego Luna reprising his role as Cassian Andor and will follow his journey and role in the birth of the Rebellion.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Diego Luna about his work on ‘Andor,’ reprising his role, discovering his character’s backstory, and his history with Adria Arjona’s Bix Caleen.
Diego Luna plays Cassian Andor in Lucasfilm’s ‘Andor,’ exclusively on Disney+.
You can read the interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Luna, Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, and Genevieve O’Reilly.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about having the opportunity to reprise your role from ‘Rogue One?’ What were some of the aspects of the character you were excited to explore this time around?
Diego Luna: My reaction was just full excitement. I was really happy to be able to go back into the shoes of Cassian and go back to this family, to this team, and to this energy. I really enjoyed working on ‘Rogue One.’ I really had a great time, and I was really pleased with the film. I just wanted to have a chance to keep playing.
I thought of this as a great opportunity to go very deep into who Cassian was. What needs to happen for a man to be willing to sacrifice everything? It’s an answer I needed. I don’t think ‘Rogue One’ gives you those answers. It’s a fantastic film about an event. But you don’t get to know where they come from and why they are ready to do that. What has to happen in the life of someone to have that commitment and that clarity? This is what the story will be about.
MF: Where will audiences find Cassian Andor in his life when the series begins?
DL: Audiences will find Cassian in a moment where he is really far away from the guy you met in ‘Rogue One.’ He is in a very destructive environment. He’s very lonely. He’s very cynical about life. He doesn’t have great expectations of himself. He’s in a very selfish mode, just surviving and carrying a lot of pain. A lot! It’ll be tough to imagine that that guy is capable of doing what we saw him doing in ‘Rogue One.’
MF: Will we learn how that becomes possible through the course of the series?
DL: Definitely. First, I wanted to go as far as possible from the guy you met. But obviously, there has to be a way to connect with him that makes sense. That’s what the storyline will be. It’s like, “What has to happen in the life of this man that seems to be so lost in order to articulate something like what they do in ‘Rogue One?’” It’s about the people he meets, the events that happen, and the truth he finds.
MF: Finally, can you talk about Cassian’s history with Bix and working with actress Adria Arjona on that relationship?
DL: Bix is someone that has been part of Cassian’s life for a long time. They met each other years ago before we find him. It’s a very important relationship. They’re friends that know each other better than anyone else. It’s that kind of relation.
They know each other for good and bad. She’ll be important through the process of Cassian’s journey. Adria, she’s amazing. We met, and she’s lived in Mexico for a few years. It’s nice to have someone that feels so close to home. She’s just very sweet and works hard. I’m pleased to be working with her.
D23 Expo 2022 achieved peak genre fan love today with the Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios presentation in the jam-packed Anaheim Convention Center.
You can watch Moviefone’s exclusive backstage interviews with talent by clicking on the video player above.
Disney chairman Alan Bergman took the stage of the center’s Arena to welcome fans and introduce tons of upcoming offerings from the House of Mouse’s most successful studios.
Lucasfilm got things started with a first look at what the ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ are up to. Lucasfilm president Kathy Kennedy presented a new look at ‘Andor.’ Debuting in just 11 days on Disney+, it begins five years prior to the events of ‘Rogue One.’
Courtesy of Lucasfilm.
Stars Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma) and Diego Luna (Cassian Andor) described it as the tale of “a revolutionary [learning] there’s a purpose. That there’s something to fight for.”
The two were joined by co-star Adria Arjona, whose character Bix Caleen has feelings for Andor. “She cares deeply for him,” said the actress, “sometimes to her own detriment. It’s complicated.”
The film’s final trailer was tenser and grittier than most ‘Star Wars’ we’ve seen before, with nary a cute sidekick in sight. The first three episodes debut on September, 21st.
Next up was a detour from ‘Star Wars’ with another Disney+ spinoff series – the return of ‘Willow.’ The 1987 film’s stars Warwick Davis and Joanne Whalley appeared – “At last we have some scenes together,” laughed Davis – alongside new co-star Christian Slater and presented a new trailer. It featured the returning Brownies, knights, sword fights, and a far greater number of female warriors than the original movie.
Courtesy of Lucasfilm.
There was lots more ‘Star Wars’ presented to fans when writer-producer-Force guru Dave Filoni appeared in his trademark cowboy hat and announced the first two episodes of the 16-episode second season of the animated ‘Bad Batch’ will drop on January 4th.
Filoni also offered a peek at a six-episode series of animated shorts called ‘Tales of the Jedi,’ half of which will star fan-fave Jedi Ahsoka Andu, with the other three featuring Count Dooku. All episodes drop on October 26th, and the trailer promises appearances by Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Yoda, Bail Organa, and Darth Maul.
Filoni’s co-producer on ‘The Mandalorian,’ Jon Favreau, arrived from the midst of shooting the ‘Ahsoka’ live-action series starring Rosario Dawson. And ‘Spider-Man‘ director Jon Watts and actor Jude Law showed up to rep ‘Skeleton Crew.’ A live-action show about a group of kids who get lost in the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy, it’s a new story set, like Ahsoka, in the New Republic era.
Then it was turn for the cast of the third season of ‘The Mandalorian’ to take the spotlight: including Katee Sackhoff, Amy Sedaris, Giancarlo Esposito, and everyone’s favorite Mando, Pedro Pascal. The season’s first teaser revealed a platoon of sky-diving, jetpack firing Mandos, Mando and Grogu in a chase through space, lots more of Swallow’s mysterious Armorer, Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze taking command, and a regal-looking Carl Weathers.
Fans thrilled to the sight of a horsebound Ford racing though a subway, chases along the tops of trains, motorcycles chasing planes, the welcome John Rhys-Davies back as Sallah, and a very Toht-like Mads Mikkersen as the baddie.
A visibly choked up Ford returned the audience’s gratitude. ”No, thank you, said the veteran actor, “for making these films such an incredible experience. I’m very proud to say that this one is fantastic. And [Phoebe Waller-Bridge] is one of the reasons. Indiana Jones films are about mystery and adventure but they’re also about heart. I’m really happy that we have a really human story to tell as well as a movie that will kick your ass.”
“This is it!” he joked of his return to his most iconic role, “I will not fall down for you again! But thank you so much. Thank you James Mangold for picking up the pieces and making a spectacular film.”
Courtesy of Lucasfilm.
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Not to be outdone by Indy, it was then Marvel Studios turn on stage, with chief Kevin Feige introducing a live musical presentation of “Rogers: The Musical,’ with composer Mark Shaman conducting as a full Broadway cast cavorted on stage.
The most anticipated Marvel release followed – with a new look at November’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.’ The scene consisted of Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda defending Wakanda’s Vibranium reserve before an international committee, as the Dora Milaje thwart a mercenary attack on a Wakandan research center.
“Chadwick [Boseman] was with us every step of the way,” saidBassett of her late co-star. “He showed us the way.”
“I’m excited for my bro to look down on us and smile,” added Wright.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
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Coogler is also responsible for ‘Ironheart,’ the upcoming Disney+ series featuring Riri Willaims, Tony Stark’s genius-inventor successor in the MCU. A first look saw star Dominique Thorne confronting antagonist The Hood, played by ‘Hamilton’ star Anthony Ramos, a practitioner of the dark arts. Expect a unique battle of tech versus magic when the show drops next year.
A first look depicted Scott Lang flying high after the success of his autobiography, the return of his frenemy Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), and his daughter Cassie (now played by Kathryn Newton) opening up a whole world of trouble when she sends a signal to the Quantum realm, drawing the attention of the fearsome Kang, the cybernetic MODOK, new co-star Bill Murray, who plays an an old friend Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet van Dyne.
“Have I killed you before?” asks Kang upon first meeting Ant-Man.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
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Fans won’t have so long to wait for Marvel’s first Halloween “Special Presentation” – ‘Werewolf by Night.’ Stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly hit the stage alongside director Michael Giacchino, best known as the composer of many beloved Pixar film scores.
Shot in retro-style black and white, debut footage was reminiscent of classic Universal Monster movies – and revealed a quick shot of Marvel Comics’ Man-Thing in his MCU debut.
‘Secret Invasion’ next wowed fans, with star Don Cheadle offering a first look at the upcoming Disney+ series. Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, Olivia Coleman, and ‘Captain Marvel’ Skrull Ben Medohlson appeared in footage that took the espionage side of the MCU to a new level.
“Sorry, I’m so confused right now,” said Quan, who debuted in 1984’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.’ “Is this NOT the ‘Indiana Jones’ panel?”
The footage featured the return of actors Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wunmi Mosaku, along with the intriguing return of Kang as a sculpture Loki uncovers.
Marvel had more in store for Disney+ subscribers with ‘Echo,’ spinning off the deaf villain of ‘Hawkeye’ into her own series. Stars Alaqua Cox, Graham Greene, and Vincent D’Onofrio debuted footage that saw the return of D’Onofrio’s Kingpin (with a bandaged eye after the events of ‘Hawkeye’).
“To bring Fisk and Maya back together again was a thrill,” said the actor. “We had some crazy scenes.”
Though nothing was revealed of another Kingpin-starring project – ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ – star Charlie Cox presented a look at his blind hero’s appearance in TV’s ‘She-Hulk.’ The scene showed Daredevil flirting with Jennifer Walters during a stakeout, as he described his ability to hear heartbeats.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
More Marvel movies arrived with ‘Captain America: New World Order’ stars Anthony Mackie, Shira Haas (as Israeli superhero Sabra), Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, and Tim Blake Nelson – back in the MCU after 14 years as The Leader.
“It’s amazing,” said Mackie of bringing his Cap to the big screen. “I’m nervous. It’s exciting. It’s everything I expected it to be.”
“I had such an amazing time with these beautiful women – inside and out. It was so nice to have a team. I have a team!”
Footage from the July release opened with Monica Rambeau in a space on a mission for Fury, before being suddenly body swapped with Ms. Marvel.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
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Last but not least… The panel concluded with a treat from 20th Century Studios, with director James Cameron dialing in from New Zealand, where he’s finishing the first of several ‘Avatar’ sequels, ‘The Way of Water,’
“Right now it’s pretty hectic around here. We’re finishing up a five-year production cycle. This has been a bit of an odyssey. Shooting and capturing for movie 2, movie 3, and the first part of movie 4. We’re finishing up movie 2.”
Several scenes of 3D were presented of the films’ new Na’vi warriors, with underwater footage drawing gasps from the audience.
“The whole movie deals with the protection of family and protection of familial love,” said Sam Worthington.
