Disney and Lucasfilm dropped a whole lot of bombs concerning the continually expanding Star Wars universe during the semi-annual D23 event held at Anaheim, California. We get everything from a new promotional poster for The Force Awakens, announcement of the cast for Rogue One and the director for Episode IX, and new Star Wars-themed lands at Disney’s parks. Here’s the quick roundup of what we can expect from the galaxy far, far away.
A new painted poster created by Drew Struzan, who’s worked on posters for other Star Wars flims and Indiana Jones films, shows us new details about the upcoming film. This poster isn’t the main poster for the film though but a promotional one used at D23 Expo. But as I said, it shows us something new about the movie. We assumed Finn (played by John Boyega) is a stormtrooper. He even confirmed it himself during the 2015 Star Wars Celebration held at Anaheim before. But why is he holding a lightsaber in this poster? The lightsaber as we know is a weapon usually weilded by Jedis. So, we’re not sure what to make of him at the moment. Also on the poster you see Kylo Ren, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), and Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford).
Disney also gave us the first look at the cast of the Star Wars spinoff Rogue One. Some of the big names tied to the project include Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Diego Luna (Milk and Elysium), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline), Donnie Yen (Ip Man and Blade II), Jiang Wen (Let the Bullets Fly and Devils on the Doorstep), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland and The Butler), Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt and Casino Royale), and Alan Tudyk (Firefly and Trumbo). Rogue One will be directed by Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards. The story will follow rebel fighters who team up to steal the Death Star’s plans. There’s quite a long wait for this as the movie comes out in December 2016.
We know that Looper director Rian Johnson will be helming Episode VIII. What we didn’t know was who will be taking lead for Episode IX. Now, we know that Disney and Lucasfilm hired Jurassic World Colin Trevorrow to direct the ninth installment. We have quite a wait ahead for us with this movie as it comes out four years from now in 2019.
If you find yourself in the Disney parks at Anaheim and Orlando many years down the line, you might be finally able to experience being in the Star Wars universe with the Star Wars-themed lands being introduced into those two amusement parks.
The 14-acer lands, according to Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, will bring parkgoers to a “whole new planet.” Iger said, “The land will be real, authentic, and every encounter will bring new life to the Star Wars experience.” Yes, you will be able to talk to humanoids, aliens, and droids while in Star Wars land.
According to Iger, two of the main attractions include being able to “take control of the Millennium Falcon on a customized secret mission” and “an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you right in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.” No timeline has been given yet for the new attractions but this is definitely something to look forward to.
