‘Andor’: Diego Luna Teases “Familiar Faces” To Appear As The ‘Star Wars’ Series Wraps Filming

Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett aren’t the only upcoming Star Wars series wrapping their productions, as Andor star Diego Luna has revealed to Deadline in an interview that they have finished filming on 12-episode Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel.

Luna also teased familiar characters from the Star Wars universe showing up in Andor.

“You’ll definitely see familiar faces.”

“I can tell you about this project like no other because I can’t spoil the ending if you’ve seen [Stars Wars: Rogue One] already. No matter what I say, I can’t ruin the ending.”

“While I can’t say much, what I can tell you is that the experience was literally a transformation for me. It’s something that I really wanted to do and that I thought I was not going to be able to do. I’m more than happy.”

Forest Whitaker will reprise the role of Saw Gerrera, which was confirmed earlier in the year via Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard (Thor, Dune, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). Whitaker also reprises the role in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Originally, Alan Tudyk was announced to reprise his role as the smart-mouthed droid K-2SO, but had recently revealed to Collider that he was unlikely going to be involved with Season 1 due to changes made by Tony Gilory when he joined the project and rewriting episodes. He also inadvertently teased Andor would be getting multiple seasons.

TUDYK: “They’re shooting it right now, I’m not in it. But, if it stays on the air, stories keep getting told, I’ll end up in there.I’m going to be in the show. It’s just that the story that Tony [Gilroy] is telling doesn’t involve K-2SO until later on… I can’t be too specific, but I can definitely say that I’m not going to be in the first season.”

It wouldn’t be shocking if we end up seeing other existing characters like Darth Vader or folks from the animation side. I had assumed that Thrawn might be a contender to appear but we’ll have to wait to see if that is happening before the Ahsoka show.

The rest of the Andor cast includes Adria Arjona (Morbius), Denise Gough, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Robert Emms (Chernobyl), Fiona Shaw, and Kyle Soller. 

Toby Haynes (Sherlock, Doctor Who, Utopia, Black Mirror) will be directing with a writing team that includes Tony Gilroy (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), and Stephen Schiff (The Americans).

Andor’s 12-episode run will debut on Disney+ sometime in 2022.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Oscar-Winning Composer Ludwig Göransson To Score ‘The Book Of Boba Fett’ Alongside ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

After winning on Oscar for Black Panther and an Emmy for The Mandalorian, Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson is cementing a working relationship with Disney. He’s set to score Pixar’s upcoming Toronto-set animated film Turning Red and there is even more.

It was announced earlier in the month by Göransson to Variety, that he would be reuniting with director Ryan Coogler for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and he’s even doing a second Star Wars show on top of that.

Film Music Reporter has revealed that the composer is also working on The Book of Boba Fett, the spinoff series of The Mandalorian focusing on the clone bounty hunter. The series wrapped months back with Lucasfilm previously announcing it will debut on Disney+ this December.

In the show, we’ll see further adventures of Boba Fett (played by Temuera Morrison) and his newly acquired partner Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), the stinger teased he’ll attempt to either get revenge or take over the underworld returning to his gangster life.

We wouldn’t be shocked if Ludwig Göransson is also going to work on the third season of The Mandalorian or the Rosario Dawson spinoff Ahsoka, it’s only a matter of time before that is made official.

While it’s likely, a second season for The Book of Boba Fett hasn’t been hinted to or announced by Disney/Lucasfilm.

The Black Panther sequel will be released on July 8, 2022, with a returning cast that consists of Danai Gurira as Okoye, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Angela Bassett as Romonda, and Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross.

New additions to the cast for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are expected to include Dominique Thorne (Judas & The Black Messiah) making her MCU debut as Riri Williams (getting her own Disney+ series Ironheart) alongside Emmy-winner Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You, Black Mirror) and Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico).

SOURCE: FILM MUSIC REPORTER

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Sung Kang Says He Wields A Lightsaber Adding Fuel To Fifth Brother/Inquisitors Rumors 

Lucasfilm’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series directed by Deborah Chow (“The Mandalorian”) brings back Scottish actor Ewan McGregor as the beloved Jedi alongside Hayden Christensen in the Darth Vader role reuniting the prequel co-stars. Others among the cast include Indira Varma, Kumail Nanjiani, Sung Kang, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Benny Safdie, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton as Uncle Owen, Moses Ingram, Bonnie Piesse as Aunt Beru, Maya Erskine, and Simone Kessell.

While speaking with Screen Rant to promote the upcoming home video release of “F9: The Fast Saga,” franchise actor Sung Kang has suggested (See video below) that he’s interacted with Darth Vader on the set of “Kenobi” and admits to his character wielding a lightsaber. 

“To be on set and see Darth Vader and see the Star Wars universe in front of me, just as a fan to be part of that history is pretty amazing. I kept pinching myself saying ‘How did I get here?’ My character has a lightsaber and to go ‘It’s not a toy, it’s a real thing,'” Kang teased his Star Wars role to Screen Rant. 

These comments would support a previous report from the reliable Cinelinx that Sung Kang would be playing a live-action incarnation of The Fifth Brother, a villain introduced in the animated series “Star Wars: Rebels.” 

Actress Moses Ingram had teased on Instagram that she would also be using a lightsaber on the show using the caption: “I play with lightsabers.” 

Giving fans live-action versions of the Jedi-hunting Inquisitors would certainly add an exciting action element to the streaming series. 

The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

We’ll likely get a better idea of when “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will begin airing from the upcoming Disney+ Day event in November. 

SOURCE: SCREEN RANT

‘Star Wars’ Actress Rosario Dawson Is The Latest Addition To Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’

Disney’s new Haunted Mansion movie is filling up roles with actors such as LaKeith Stanfield (Uncut Gems, Judas & The Black Messiah, Knives Out), Tiffany Haddish (The Card Counter), and Owen Wilson (The French Dispatch, Loki) joining the haunted-house pic.

Another name has been added to the call-sheet, according to Deadline.

Actress Rosario Dawson after recently wrapping on Clerks 3 has reportedly nabbed herself a role in the family-friendly horror film from director Justin Simien (Dear White People). Her credits include Sin City, The Mandalorian, Clerks II, Daredevil, Luke Cage, The Rundown, and the HBO Max comic book series DMZ.

Haunted Mansion is a film based on Disney’s beloved spooky theme park attraction similar to previous films Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl, Jungle Cruise, and the unfortunate flop Tomorrowland.

She’s not new to the world of horror appearing in Zombieland: Double Tap and Quentin Tarantino’s unique slasher flick Death Proof.

It’s starting to sound like Dawson won’t be shooting her spinoff Star Wars show Ahsoka anytime soon given that Haunted Mansion begins filming next month in Atlanta, the cast is said to be an ensemble which could mean she’d have to be on set for a majority of the shoot alongside her co-stars. A potential start sometime in 2022 for Ahsoka is looking more realistic.

Speaking of Star Wars, Lucasfilm announced in late 2020 that Justin Simien would be behind a new Disney+ series focusing on Lando Calrissian, but we don’t have a clear picture when that Star Wars project is going begin shooting given that Simien will be busy with Haunted Mansion for the next year or so, and Donald Glover has his own projects coming out the wazoo.

THE HAUNTED MANSION – Workaholic real estate agent Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is accused by his wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason), of neglecting his son (Marc John Jefferies) and daughter (Aree Davis), so he takes the family on a vacation. Along the way, the family stops off at a sinister mansion that Jim has been asked to sell, only to discover it’s haunted by Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker) ; his stern butler, Ramsley (Terence Stamp) ; and two other servants who need some help breaking a curse.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

‘Hypnotic’: Robert Rodriguez Calls Next Film Starring Ben Affleck “A Hitchcock Thriller On Steroids” & Started Writing It In 2002

After tackling effects heavy projects like James Cameron’s Alita: Battle Angel and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars series The Mandalorian/The Book of Boba Fett, director Robert Rodriguez is set to direct Ben Affleck (The Accountant, The Town) and Alice Braga (Predators, Queen of The South, City of God) in a new crime thriller called Hypnotic.

A detective (Affleck) becomes entangled in a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program while investigating a string of high-end crimes.

Speaking with Collider, Robert Rodriguez has revealed that filming on Hypnotic begins in six weeks (in Austin, Texas) and has been working on the project for nearly 20 years, starting the script back in 2002. Also, comparing to the thriller to an amped-up version of a Hitchcock film, which is certainly a way to get naysayers on board to the idea of Rodriguez making something less cartoony.

“It’s like a Hitchcock thriller on steroids. That’s all I can say. As soon as you see the first trailer, you’ll go ‘I got it. I’m there.’ It’s that kind of a movie. A lot of twists, a lot of turns. Very exciting. It’s a not everything you see is real-type movie and it’s got a great cast. It’ll be very energetic. It’s one of my favorite stories. I started writing it back in 2002. So it’s one of the ones I’ve had the longest that I’ve been wanting to do. I’m very excited that we finally might be making it.”

It’ll be interesting to see him tackle something a little more grounded and mature, while an action movie, Desperado is oddly enough one of his less silly/grounded pictures. He sort of went overboard with kiddie flicks, CGI experiments, and wacky exploitation projects over the last couple of decades. So, seeing Rodriguez make something more for adult viewers and not teenage boys or kids will be fun to see come together.

He’s already wrapped on The Book of Boba Fett, his Star Wars spinoff series that will debut on Disney+ in December. We’re hearing there is a good shot that Rodriguez is returning to direct an episode of The Mandalorian for Season 3 as well.

Hypnotic is expected to see the filmmaker reunite with veteran stunt coordinator Jeff Dashnaw, who has a wave of action film credits under his belt like Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Sin City, Planet Terror, Death Proof, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Predators, A Good Day To Die Hard, Machete Kills, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, The Magnificent Seven, and The Equalizer 2.

At one point, Rodriguez was hired by 20th Century Studios (prior to the merger) to remake John Carpenter’s Escape From New York, but remains to be seen if that will ever happen. Interestingly enough, The Book of Boba Fett features work from Escape From New York cinematographer Dean Cundey, who worked with Carpenter on a wave of his films such as Big Trouble In Little China, The Thing, The Fog, and Halloween.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

‘Star Wars’ & ‘Game Of Thrones’ Actress Natalia Tena Joining ‘John Wick 4’?

John Wick 4 has been filming outside of Berlin, Germany with Keanu Reeves back as the big bad assassin John Wick and director Chad Stahelski assembling quite the cast for the latest action pic. Another actor might have been added to the main lineup.

Take the following with a grain of salt, but British actress Natalia Tena (Black Mirror, Wolfe) has been listed on IMDB (could be bogus) as being part of the cast. However, Tena is such a left-field name to falsely attach to the project and sort of makes sense given her recent projects including a new crime series Wolfe.

Tena has various franchise roles including being part of the Star Wars universe playing Xi’an in the first season of The Mandalorian, Osha in multiple seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones, and Nymphadora Tonks in four Harry Potter installments.

She wouldn’t be the only Game of Thrones alumni involved with the Wick franchise as Aflie Allen was the little brat that pulled Wick back into the life of hired killers and Ian McShane also had a brief role in the fantasy series.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum ended with John Wick surviving the fall from the roof of The Continental hotel after Ian McShane’s Winston shot him. Winston’s motivations weren’t entirely clear as he didn’t seem shocked that Mr. Wick got away and could be giving The High Table a false sense of security. Wick eventually lands at the feet of Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, who had his organization taken away from him by The High Table and convinces John to go to war with him against the mysterious group of criminal syndicate puppet masters. 

The rest of the cast consists of Ian McShane as Winston, Lance Reddick as Charon and Laurence Fishburne back as the Bowery King, Donnie Yen (Mulan, Ip Man, Blade II, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun, Westworld, Sunshine, The Last Samurai) as Watanabe, Clancy Brown (Highlander, The Punisher, Billions), Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2, Doctor Strange), Marko Zaror (Machete Kills, Alita: Battle Angel), Bill Skarsgard (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2), Shamier Anderson, and Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. 

John Wick 4 is set for release on May 27, 2022.

SOURCE: IMDB

Donnie Yen Would Consider Reprising ‘Star Wars’ Role If Asked & Having The “Best Experience” Making ‘John Wick 4’

Donnie Yen has been getting a bit of love from Hollywood recently with roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Mulan, and is currently shooting John Wick 4 in Berlin.

While speaking with Looper to promote his new action pic, Raging Fire, the Hong Kong actor was asked if he’d be willing to reprising his Star Wars role of Chirrut Îmwe.

“Well, I would definitely consider it. I had a great time shooting ‘Rogue One,’ and I guess people like my character. It really depends, you don’t know what they’re thinking. I leave it up to Disney to sort it out. We’ll see. I believe in destiny. “

With shows like Star Wars: Andor, a prequel to Rogue One, there are certainly possibilities of Lucasfilm eventually bringing back Chirrut.

He also explained how producer Basil Iwanyk courted him for the John Wick franchise and says shooting the fourth film has been his “best experience” working on it, as one of the few American productions he’s been involved with

I’m having a wonderful time here. Keanu Reeves is a wonderful soul, gentleman, best guy I’ve ever worked with, just a great guy, same as Chad. This so far has been the best experience in the very few American movies I have ever been. And you will not be disappointed with the film, you will be wowed by the film.

“They were really passionate about wanting me to be in the film, and we had multiple discussions of my role, and where I’d like to take this role. And we totally, we synced, and we were on the same page. That’s what happened, and there I am.”

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum ended with John Wick surviving the fall from the roof of The Continental hotel after Ian McShane’s Winston shot him. Winston’s motivations weren’t entirely clear as he didn’t seem shocked that Mr. Wick got away and could be giving The High Table a false sense of security. Wick eventually lands at the feet of Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, who had his organization taken away from him by The High Table and convinces John to go to war with him against the mysterious group of criminal syndicate puppet masters. 

The cast also includes Ian McShane as Winston, Lance Reddick as Charon and Laurence Fishburne back as the Bowery King, Hiroyuki Sanada as Watanabe, Clancy Brown (Highlander), British martial artist Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2, Doctor Strange), Marko Zaror (Machete Kills, Alita: Battle Angel), Atomic Blonde’s Bill Skarsgard, Stowaway’s Shamier Anderson, and the film’s female lead played by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. 

John Wick 4 is set for release on May 27, 2022.

SOURCE: LOOPER

‘Star Wars: Visions’ English Voice Cast To Include Simu Liu, David Harbour, Lucy Liu, Alison Brie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Chung, Henry Golding & James Hong

We’re excited to see Lucasfilm jump into the realm of real anime with Star Wars: Visions debuting September 22 on Disney+ with 9 short films coming from Japanese animation studios.

A Lucasfilm/Disney press release (via The Playlist) has revealed the English and Japanese voice cast for the episodes of Star Wars: Visions.

ENGLISH VOICE CAST

The Duel: Brian Tee (Ronin), Lucy Liu (Bandit Leader), Jaden Waldman (Village Chief)

Tatooine Rhapsody: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jay), Bobby Moynihan (Geezer), Temuera Morrison (BobaFett), Shelby Young (K-344), Marc Thompson (Lan)

The Twins: Neil Patrick Harris (Karre), Alison Brie (Am), Jonathan Lipow (B-20N)

The Village Bride: Karen Fukuhara (F), Nichole Sakura (Haru), Christopher Sean (Asu), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Valco), Andrew Kishino (Izuma), Stephanie Sheh (Saku)

The Ninth Jedi: Kimiko Glenn (Kara), Andrew Kishino (Juro), Simu Liu (Zhima), Masi Oka (Ethan), Greg Chun (Roden), Neil Kaplan (Narrator), Michael Sinterniklaas (Hen Jin)

T0-B1: Jaden Waldman (T0-B1), Kyle Chandler (Mitaka)

The Elder: David Harbour (Tajin), Jordan Fisher (Dan), James Hong (The Elder)

Lop & Ocho: Anna Cathcart (Lop), Hiromi Dames (Ocho), Paul Nakauchi (Yasaburo), Kyle McCarley (Imperial Officer)

Akakiri: Henry Golding (Tsubaki), Jamie Chung (Misa), George Takei (Senshuu), Keone Young (Kamahachi), Lorraine Toussaint (Masago)

JAPANESE VOICE CAST

The Duel: Masaki Terasoma (Ronin), Akeno Watanabe (Bandit Leader), Yūko Sanpei (VillageChief)

Tatooine Rhapsody: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Jay), Kōusuke Gotō (Geezer), Akio Kaneda (Boba Fett), MasayoFujita (K-344), Anri Katsu (Lan)

The Twins: Junya Enoki (Karre), Ryoko Shiraishi (Am), Tokuyoshi Kawashima (B-20N)

The Village Bride: Asami Seto (F), Megumi Han (Haru), Yūma Uchida (Asu), Takaya Kamikawa(Vaan), Yoshimitsu Shimoyama (Izuma), Mariya Ise (Saku)

The Ninth Jedi: Chinatsu Akasaki(Kara), Tetsuo Kanao (Juro), Shin-ichiro Miki (Zhima), Hiromu Mineta (Ethan), Kazuya Nakai (Roden), Akio Ōtsuka, (Narrator), Daisuke Hirakawa (Hen Jin)

T0-B1: Masako Nozawa (T0-B1), Tsutomu Isobe (Mitaka)

The Elder: Takaya Hashi (Tajin), Kenichi Ogata (The Elder), Yuichi Nakamura (Dan)

Lop & Ocho: Seiran Kobayashi (Lop), Risa Shimizu (Ocho), Tadahisa Fujimura (Yasaburo), Taisuke Nakano (Imperial Officer)

Akakiri: Yū Miyazaki (Tsubaki), Lynn (Misa), Chō (Senshuu), Wataru Takagi (Kamahachi),Yukari Nozawa (Masago)

A new trailer also dropped yesterday showcasing some of the fantastic animation from the Japanese studios. The Playlist also has a breakdown of which studio is working on what episodes.

The studios creating the nine shorts include Kamikaze Douga – “The Duel”; Geno Studio (Twin Engine) – “Lop and Ochō”; Studio Colorido (Twin Engine) – “Tatooine Rhapsody”; TRIGGER – “The Twins” and “The Elder”; Kinema Citrus – “The Village Bride”; Science Saru – “Akakiri” and “T0-B1”; and Production I.G. – “The Ninth Jedi.” 

I’m extremely hyped for episodes like The Elder and Lop & Ocha.

SOURCE: DISNEY VIA THE PLAYLIST

‘The Mandalorian’: Carl Weathers Confirms He’ll Direct Again For Season 3 & Returns As Greef Karga

The Mandalorian is the next live-action Star Wars project to go in front of cameras and actor/director Carl Weathers has revealed that he’ll not only reprise his role as Greef Karga for Season 3, but he’s also back as one of the directors too.

Weathers made the announcement at Steel City Con (via Fandom Spotlite).

“And so now, we’re gonna start a new season of The Mandalorian, within the next month. Yeah. And I get to be in front of camera again, and I get to direct again.”

This makes Weathers the first official confirmed director for Season 3 outside of the assumed usual suspects like Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Rick Famuyiwa. We’ll have to wait and see if Robert Rodriguez will be involved after tackling episodes in Season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett, he’s been busy prepping a new action film starring Ben Affleck.

Pedro Pascal (Mando) and Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan) are expected to return as well. Pascal’s return to the set is a little unclear as he’s currently busy shooting HBO’s The Last of Us in Calgary.

However, due to the recent sexual assault allegations against actor Horatio Sanz it’s doubtful he’ll be returning.

Lucasfilm fired Gina Carano over various disturbing social media posts making it unlikely we’ll see Cara Dune in Season 3 either, unless they decided to recast the role new a new actress.

After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.

It’s assumed we won’t be seeing the next season of The Mandalorian debut until late 2022.

You can watch the full video of Carl Weathers at Steel City Con below.

SOURCE: FANDOM SPOTLITE

‘The Mandalorian’: Cinematographer David Klein Confirmed For Season 3

With The Book of Boba Fett wrapped months back, it looks like The Mandalorian is on deck in California. We have some small production tidbits to share.

After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.

The Ronin has been able to confirm that cinematographer David Klein is back for Season 3 after working on Season 2 and multiple episodes of The Book of Boba Fett. It’s unclear how many episodes he’ll be working on this time around.

Production designers Doug Chiang and Andrew Jones are back as well, they recently worked on The Book of Boba Fett and should help keep the look of the universe cohesive between the two shows.

There is an assumption that director Bryce Dallas Howard might be back as well, but we can’t confirm this. She recently joined the lineup of directors on The Book of Boba Fett and returning for Season 3 isn’t that huge of a leap to make.

Pedro Pascal is said to be busy shooting HBO’s The Last of Us in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and it’s unclear when he’ll be on the set of The Mandalorian.

Returning cast members have yet to be announced but Carl Weathers and Katee Sackhoff are expected to be named.

We suspect that Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka series won’t being shooting until the fall at the earliest.

The Book of Boba Fett will be the next big live-action Star Wars project to debut on Disney+ in December and Star Wars: Visions begins airing on September 22. Next year is expected to see things like Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Season 3 of The Mandalorian start airing.