Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 394

Deadpool Accepts Emmy for Ryan Reynolds’ WELCOME TO WREXHAM

Now that it’s 2024, expect the Deadpool 3 hype to go into hyperdrive. Even though we’re not halfway through January, Ryan Reynolds is already using every opportunity to remind us that the Merc with the Mouth returns this summer, with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in tow. Deadpool even appeared in the acceptance speech video for Ryan Reynolds’ show Welcome to Wrexham at the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday, January 7. An awards show that, for some odd reason, was held the same night as the Golden Globes. You can watch the video right here:

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds‘ FX series Welcome to Wrexham racked up five wins at the 2023 Creative Arts Emmys. Among them was outstanding unstructured reality program. The acceptance speech video starts with Rob McElhenney doing the traditional “thanking everyone they’ve ever met” part. Then, Deadpool busts in (voiced, of course, by Reynolds) and does his whole shtick. He mocks the Creative Arts Emmys, and also the Golden Globes (“where the real celebrities are.”) Wade then begs the Motion Picture Academy to throw Deadpool 3 a bone next year—at least for some VFX awards. He knows the Academy would never nominate it for anything else.

Ryan Reynolds

As Deadpool 3 is the only MCU movie hitting this year, the pressure is on to perform well. Especially after 2023 released many misfires from Marvel Studios. But with Deadpool teaming up with a costumed-at-last Wolverine, Dogpool, and possibly several members of the X-Men, we think it’s not only going to buck recent downward trends, it will likely join the billion dollar club. And in the meantime, we’re going to see Deadpool across a lot of our screens to promote it any way he can. Deadpool 3, or whatever they end up calling the third Deadpool movie, hits theaters on July 26.

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Maya Lopez’s Powers in ECHO, Explained

[image error]

Maya Lopez, also known as Echo, is one of the most skilled hand-to-hand combatants in Marvel Comics. While this is certainly spotlit in the MCU’s Echo miniseries on Disney+, Alaqua Cox’s character has a brand new set of superpowers. This makes Echo the latest Marvel Comics hero to have different powers in the MCU. In order to understand this new power set for Echo in the MCU, let’s take a look back at the abilities Maya Lopez had in Marvel Comics. 

How Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo, Got Her Powers in Marvel Comics

In the comics, Echo has photographic reflexes and the ability to copy any movement after observing it. This stems from the fact that she is Deaf, and has thus depended on observation to navigate hearing society. Because of these skills, Maya became a concert pianist and a gifted ballet dancer. 

These powers played a major role in transforming Maya into the fighter she is today. After Kingpin tricked her into believing that Daredevil murdered her father, Echo watched dozens of martial arts films as well as footage of Daredevil villains like Bullseye. Because of this preparation, Echo’s first fight with Daredevil was an enormous challenge for the Man Without Fear. 

Echo’s New Ancestral and Highly Spiritual Superpowers in the MCUChuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios

For now, it’s unclear if the MCU version of Echo has the same photographic reflexes as her comics counterpart. But that doesn’t change the fact that she is a formidable opponent. The Echo miniseries did show that Maya went through extensive handgun and martial arts training from the time she was young, and she can defeat entire rooms of enemies on her own. In her fight with Daredevil, she gave Matt Murdock a run for his money, which is no small feat. 

Maya Lopez’s new powers in the MCU are rooted in her ancestry as the descendant of Chafa, the first Choctaw who led her people out of the cave they were created in. When Maya uses these powers, a spiral appears on the back of both of her hands and glows orange. With these powers, Maya can perform feats of superhuman strength and heal herself and others. In one instance, she uses her powers to free herself from a moving train in episode 2 (“Lowak”). Maya shares this power with her female ancestors. She’s also able to pass it onto her female relatives, as she does with Chula and Bonnie in episode 5 (“Maya”). 

Additionally, Echo’s powers as a healer grant her the ability to access a person’s memories. In episode 5, she takes Wilson Fisk back to the night that he killed his abusive father. Maya gives him the chance to unload the emotional trauma of the event onto her. She gets this ability from her mother, who was known as a healer. 

Why Does the Live-Action Version of Echo Have Different Powers?Marvel Studios

Maya Lopez has been a gifted fighter for some time now in the MCU, but her new superpowers are part of a larger revelation that she’s experienced since returning back to her hometown in Oklahoma. Reconnecting with her Choctaw heritage and family has brought her ancestry to the forefront of her mind. Since she left Oklahoma when she was only six years old and has only returned now as an adult, it makes sense that she would have a physical type of reawakening. 

Additionally, as with her ancestors, Maya Lopez’s powers seem to activate when she is experiencing emotional distress. This makes her new powers a cathartic experience for her, one that she didn’t have when she was working with Wilson Fisk in New York City. The death of Maya’s mother and her relocation to New York left her numb to her emotions. However, the death of her father brought out immense rage in her, which she has since brought back to Oklahoma. The combination of all of these factors created the perfect storm for Maya to discover her true potential. 

At the end of Echo, Maya is rebuilding her connection to her family and stays in Oklahoma with them. We don’t know when we will see her again. But we are glad she’s taking time to heal and perhaps learn more about her ancestors and new powers.

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GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE Gets an Earlier Release Date

The two biggest and most popular Titans surely can’t stay dormant for long. Godzilla, the mighty lizard with atomic breath will clomp his way back to the movies soon. Along with him will be none other than Kong, the king of the hollow Earth. After 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong ended in something of a draw, a rematch of legendary proportions is very necessary. Luckily, a big screen follow-up is happening. Here’s everything we know about the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, including its recently announced new release date.

TitleLegendary Pictures/Warner Bros

The Godzilla vs. Kong sequel is called Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Plot

The official synopsis is as follows:

This latest entry follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own. The epic new film will delve further into the histories of these Titans, their origins and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

Warner Bros./LegendaryBehind the Scenes

Adam Wingard, who directed Godzilla vs. Kong, will return to direct this film. He’ll be the first director in Legendary’s Monsterverse series to helm a second film so far. He’s working from a script by Terry Rossio (Godzilla vs. Kong), Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight) and Simon Barrett (Wingard’s longtime collaborator on movies like You’re Next and The Guest). The film is being produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Brian Rogers, Thomas Tull, and Jon Jashni, with executive producers Josh Grode, Adam Wingard, Jay Ashenfelter, Jen Conroy, Kenji Okuhira, and Yoshimitsu Banno.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Cast

Returning cast members to the series include Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle. All three joined the franchise with Godzilla vs. Kong. New cast members include Dan Stevens, who starred in Wingard’s The Guest. Other new cast members include Fala Chen (Shang-Chi), Alex Ferns (The Batman), and Rachel House (Thor: Ragnarok).

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Release DateWarner Bros./Legendary Pictures

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will release on March 29, 2024. This is moved up two weeks from its planned release date.

Originally published on August 26, 2022.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

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AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER RSVLTS Shirt Collection Celebrates the Four Nations in Style

Why wear a shirt when you can wear a story? As a Grade-A nerd, I want all my fashion choices to whisper about my favorite shows, movies, and characters. And I especially enjoy it when I can combine my fandom love with a piece of clothing that’s masterfully done. With so much incredibly aesthetic media out there today, fandom fashion can be elegant and even downright artistic. And if there’s one brand that understands balancing fannishness with subtlety, it’s RSVLTS. RSVLTS’ latest collection of shirts, a 2024 collaboration with Avatar: The Last Airbender, is, dare I say it, stunning.

RSVLTS

All four shirts in RSVLTS’ line gracefully combine hallmarks of Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s world with something incredibly wearable. And the four shirts in the collection celebrate each of the four nations that inhabit Avatar: The Last Airbender by turn.

The “Crossroads of Destiny” shirt, though, which honors the Fire Nation, rises into our personal fandom fashion hall of fame. This is not only because it gives us a beautiful design (one that we would immediately hang on our wall), but also because it gorgeously tells Zuko’s entire story. Yes, this RSVLTS shirt literally chronicles an entire character arc from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Those who have seen the whole show can sense all the emotion this design evokes as Zuko travels from innocent child to a hardened, villainous Prince in exile to a torn anti-hero to his final destination as the hero we all knew he could be. I don’t mean to get emotional over a shirt here, but it’s pretty fabulous.

Of course, if you’re a big Azula fan, her journey into mayhem also reveals itself nicely on this Avatar: The Last Airbender shirt.

You can take a full look at this design below.

Click To View Gallery RSVLTS

To contextualize this fashionable journey, you can also listen to me dive deep into why Zuko’s arc is one of the greatest antihero stories around on Nerdist‘s Laser Focus podcast.

The other shirts in this RSVLTS x Avatar: The Last Airbender collection look pretty excellent as well. In addition to the Zuko’s firey shirt, the collection includes the following:

Eternal Dance—an ode to the Water Nation spirits, La and Tui. These two fish represent the Moon and Ocean spirits and together keep balance in the world. Get this RSVLTS shirt to represent your love for Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Water Tribe.Move Rock—If Earthbending is more your thing and Toph is your favorite character, this shirt is perfect for you. You can almost barely tell that this is an Avatar: The Last Airbender RSVLTS shirt at all, but if you look closely, Toph and Aang are cheering you on.Southern Air Temple—This gorgeous shirt feels like it’s made from watercolor. On it you’ll find all things air, including Aang, Appa, and Momo. What’s not to love? Click To View Gallery

The RSVLTS Avatar: The Last Airbender collection is now on sale. And we have a feeling some of these shirts will go quickly. So don’t delay and bend your way to your favorite. After all, you’ll want something to wear when the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series releases on Netflix this February.

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3 BODY PROBLEM Trailer Teases an Epic Sci-Fi Mystery

When it was announced that Game of Thrones’ TV creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would develop shows for Netflix, many wondered just how big they would go. Well, thanks to the new trailer for the upcoming series 3 Body Problem, now we know. This is clearly sci-fi on an epic scale that’s worthy of a follow-up effort to one of the most popular shows in history. 3 Body Problem is based on the novel by Cixin Liu, which is the first in a trilogy of books. The duo teamed up with True Blood’s Alexander Woo to create this series. You can check out the first trailer for 3 Body Problem, as well as read the official synopsis right after the following clip.

The story begins in 1960s China when a young woman makes a fateful decision that reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature as we know them inexplicably unravel, a tight-knit group of brilliant scientists must join forces with an unflinching detective to stop humanity’s greatest threat.

Netflix

Here’s what series co-executive producer Alexander Woo had to say about 3 Body Problem to Tudum:

What we are hoping to do is to convey the experience — if not necessarily the exact details — of the novel onto the screen. What stayed, we hope, is the sense of wonderment and the sense of scope, of scale, where the problems are no longer just the problems of an individual or even a nation, but of an entire species.

Netflix

The show features an incredible cast, including Benedict Wong, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Jovan Adepo, Liam Cunningham, Marlo Kelly, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani, and Jonathan Pryce. Although the story centers on a deeply immersive VR world, this latest trailer suggests something much larger, and far more mysterious, is in play. So just why exactly have all the prominent scientists gone missing? We’ll have to wait until March 21, 2024, when 3 Body Problem drops on Netflix.

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OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH Canceled at Max

Phew! We can honestly say we did not expect this news. The pirate dramedy/romance Our Flag Means Death has been canceled at Max. While the show’s second season was certainly a mixed bag for some, it seemed like this very queer, very beloved by its fandom show deserved at least one season to wrap things up. Sure, Our Flag Means Death‘s season two finale could be seen as a series finale if you squint. But it felt like there was a lot more to unearth on the high seas. We suppose Izzy Hands fans still mourning his death can take solace in the fact that he made it into every episode? No, we guess that really doesn’t help. RIP Our Flag Means Death; we’re sorry to see you canceled. You flew the queer flag proud for two seasons and we commend you for that.

Max

A spokesperson for Max recently revealed that Our Flag Means Death had been canceled after season two. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Max shared, “While Max will not be moving forward with a third season of Our Flag Means Death, we are so proud of the joyous, hilarious, and heartfelt stories that creator David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Garrett Basch, Dan Halsted, Adam Stein, Antoine Douaihy, and the entire superb cast and crew brought to life. We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show.”

David Jenkins, meanwhile, took to Instagram to share a note of his own about Our Flag Means Death‘s cancellation. Among other words, he noted “I’m very sad I won’t set foot on the Revenge again with my friends, some of whom have become close to family. But I couldn’t be more grateful for being allowed to captain the damn thing in the first place. Our Flag Means Us. Loving one another, pulling off some pretty weird and beautiful shit, and talking it through… as a crew.”

Max will surely be hearing from the series’ dedicated fans in the days to come. We’re sure that on the heels of Our Flag Means Death getting canceled, a thousand campaigns to save the show will arise. We’ll point folks to this one, from @RenewAsACrew on Twitter, if anyone is interested in landing a hand.

[b] Petition–We need tens of thousands of signatures to get their attention! Short and sweet messages. Get your friends in other fandoms to join. A signature takes one minute and can make a difference. https://t.co/Vb5QpBEaOg

— Renew as a Crew – #SaveOFMD (@RenewAsACrew) January 9, 2024

And who knows, maybe these efforts will even be successful, and we’ll see Our Flag Means Death uncanceled and back on the high seas.

Max

But to all those saddened by this news, we say, losing a show is always hard. And for shows that have a dedicated fanbase, like Our Flag Means Death, cancelation can feel downright harrowing. But, we see you, and your grief is real. The community built around Our Flag Means Death, though, is yours. Hold onto it.

If nothing else, hopefully, Our Flag Means Death has helped to further pave the way for more queer shows to exist proudly on major platforms. Fellow crewmates, we’ll meet you on AO3.

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Mark Hamill Finally Met His STAR WARS Mom Natalie Portman

Mark Hamill is a national treasure and voice-acting legend, and yet for millions around the globe, he’ll always be Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Natalie Portman is an Oscar-winning actress with a metric ton of iconic roles to her name. Yet to a whole generation, she’ll always be Padmé Amidala of Naboo. So, since Portman played Hamill’s mother in the Star Wars saga, there was a collective squee of joy from fans at seeing the two iconic actors meet for the first time at the recent Golden Globes. Mark Hamill shared the photo via social media, and you can check out the first meeting of “mother and son” below:

Now I have finally met my "mother", thanks to the @goldenglobes. pic.twitter.com/lkRZQgmLmp

— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) January 8, 2024

Lucasfilm

This is not the first time an elder Star Wars child has met their younger on-screen parent. The late Carrie Fisher met Natalie Portman when Portman asked her to present an award to her several years ago. Their photo together is predictably adorable. At a Star Wars Celebration event a few years back, Mark Hamill got to meet his space dad, Hayden Christensen. Yet, Hamill always publicly lamented that meeting his space mom was something that never happened for various reasons. But at last, the stars aligned.

Star Wars 'Vanity Fair' Cover (2005) pic.twitter.com/anphH2rKhZ

— 토부 (@Icanfindmyway2u) May 13, 2019

It’s unclear if Carrie Fisher ever met Hayden or not, but she did meet Jimmy Smits, who played her adoptive father Bail Organa. Some of you may think both casts already met, because isn’t there a photo of them all together? True, the entire principal casts of both the Star Wars original and prequel trilogies appeared together in a photo shoot for Vanity Fair back in 2005, when Revenge of the Sith came out. Despite appearances though, most of the actors posed for the cover photo at totally different times. So that doesn’t count, even if it is a killer photo. It’s a shame we never had one with the stars of all three trilogies. That would have been something to see.

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GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE’s Release Date Has Moved Up

After all these years, we still know who to call when there’s something strange in the neighborhood. Ghostbusters: Afterlife showed that’s true whether you live in New York or Oklahoma, as a new generation of specter seekers proved bustin’ feels good at any age. But which members of the group, both old and new, will show up in the franchise’s next installment? Where will this sequel take us next?

Well, it turns out we’ll get to find out just a little earlier than planned. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s release date has been moved up by Sony. Initially, the movie was slated to arrive on March 29, 2024, but it will now land a week earlier, on March 22. Any why not?

Columbia Pictures

Here’s everything we know about Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire…so far.

Title

The title for the next Ghostbusters film is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will be a direct sequel to the 2021 movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It will also be the franchise’s fifth film overall and the fourth installment in the primary series.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s PlotColumbia Pictures

Recently, we got a lot of information about Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Sony Pictures revealed the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel’s name, trailer, and synopsis. Take a look.

The synopsis for the movie further shares:

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

Hang on tight, everyone, it’s about to be a frosty ride.

Behind-the-Scenes

pic.twitter.com/nLhVydBwxP

— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) June 8, 2023

Jason Reitman will not return to the director’s chair for Frozen Empire. His co-writer on the first film, Gil Kenan, will instead take over. Reitman and Kenan once again penned the script for the movie together.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s CastColumbia Pictures

Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, and Finn Wolfhard will all once again star in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Celeste O’Connor will return to the film for more spooky fun. Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, and Logan Kim have also joined the franchise.

Original Ghostbusters stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts will, too, reprise their roles as the franchise returns to New York City.

Rumors indicate we’ll see at least a few surprising reprisals in among the rest.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s Release DateColumbia Pictures

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will release on March 22, 2024.

Originally published on November 9, 2023.

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Four New STAR WARS Movies Announced, Including Daisy Ridley’s Return as Rey

After many false starts and canceled projects, Star Wars is finally ready to return to theaters. Lucasfilm announced three new upcoming standalone movies during the opening of Star Wars Celebration 2023. These new Star Wars movies include a story about the founding of the Jedi, a movie that will serve as the finale to this era of interconnected Disney+ shows, and the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey. Additionally, in January 2024, LucasFilm also announced a fourth new movie was heading to theaters, The Mandalorian & Grogu, a big-screen adventure starring our favorite Disney+ duo.

Lucasfilm

And with that, the galaxy far, far away is finally going back to the big screen. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel, Saving Face) have all been tapped to direct these new Star Wars movies. Meanwhile, Jon Favreau will take on the Mando movie.

While Lucasfilm shared few official details about the films, the little they tell us says a lot. Here’s what we know about these new Star Wars movies so far.

James Mangold’s New Star Wars Movie Tells the Story of the Force

James Mangold’s “will go back to the dawn of the Jedi,” a time set tens of thousands of years earlier than anything we’ve ever seen on screen before. That might mean we’ll meet the figure known as Prime Jedi. That’s the person who founded the Order on Ahch-To sometime around 25,000 years before the events of A New Hope. Fans already know Ahch-To well. They first saw it in The Last Jedi when it served as Luke Skywalker’s hideaway. A release additionally shares, “James Mangold will take audiences deep into the past, telling the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.”

Lucasfilm

Mangold further noted to Empire that his new Star Wars movie “takes place 25,000 years before Episode IV, and it’s about the discovery of the Force.” He further shares, “I told Kathy [Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm] I wanted to make a kind of Bible movie, a kind of Ten Commandments of Star Wars – kind of a Cecil B DeMille film about the arrival of the Force, and that’s what I’ve been pecking away at between press events. That’s the idea.”

James Mangold’s New Star Wars Movie Connects with Rey’s Next Appearance

Kennedy also recently shared that this movie will help inform the new Star Wars movie featuring the return of Rey. She noted to Total Film, “I think it’s a really nice compliment to what we’re doing with moving into the future with Rey, and then understanding a bit more of where this all came from,” she explains. “Because it will be at the heart of creating the new Jedi Order, so to get a real sense of where that might have began with the dawn of the Jedi could be pretty cool.” 

According to a new official Star Wars eras list revealed by LucasFilm, this movie will most likely take place in the “Dawn of the Jedi” era, but could even take place earlier than that.

Dave Filoni’s Film Will Bring Together Many Current Disney+ Series

The next new Star Wars movie will come from franchise veteran Dave Filoni. His film “will focus on the New Republic and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series.” That’s huge news for both the television and movie side of Lucasfilm. When we get a release date for Filoni’s film, we’ll know just how many more seasons of The Mandalorian we might see. Clearly, there’s already an end in sight to Din Djarin and Grogu’s story. Although, we suppose they could continue on beyond a culminating movie. A release further shares, “Dave Filoni will orchestrate the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic.”

Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars Movie

The third and final new Star Wars movie announced will focus on the future. Obaid-Chinoy’s movie will take place after The Rise of Skywalker. It will mark the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey. Set 15 years after the ultimate defeat of the Sith, she will be trying to build a new Jedi Order. Hopefully, that goes a lot better than her mentor Luke Skywalker’s attempts. According to the new list of Star Wars eras, it seems like this movie will take place in the “New Jedi Order” era.

Kathleen Kennedy shared more about the movie with Variety. She noted:

Well, we’re 15 years out from ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ so we’re post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray. There’s a lot of discussion around, ‘Who are the Jedi? What are they doing? What’s the state of the galaxy?’ She’s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that’s where we’re going.”

Speaking to Empire, Kennedy added, “The First Order has fallen, the Jedi are in chaos – there’s even a question of how many exist anymore – and Rey’s building the New Jedi Order, based on the text that she was given and that Luke imparted on her.” She also offers, “Rey has made a promise to Luke, and that’s really the core of where we’re going and what this story will be. And I think it offers just tremendous opportunity to introduce new characters and start with something fresh, because we culminated with what George [Lucas] was creating, and now we take all of that and move it to the next chapter.” 

Lucasfilm

On the topic of a possible Luke Skywalker presence in the new Star Wars movie, Kennedy said: “I don’t know if we’ll spend a lot of time in flashbacks or [on] Force ghosts or things like that, but certainly, the spirit of what he represents to her is going to be significant.”

Recently, Daisy Ridley herself gave her first comments on her new Star Wars movie. While her sentiments remain vague, she noted to Collider, “I’m very excited. The story is really cool. I’m waiting to read a script because, obviously, I don’t have any other updates. It’s not what I expected, but I’m very excited.” And additionally told the The Hollywood Reporter, ” I’m genuinely really excited about the next one [Star Wars movie]. I haven’t read anything, but I know the story. It’s really worth telling, worth exploring, and I think people will be excited.”

Meanwhile, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy noted to CNN, “I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special… We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.”

A Release Date for Rey’s New Star Wars Movie

There is now a reported filming date in play for Rey’s upcoming Star Wars fim. According to Productionlist.com, which tracks production updates for the Film & Television Industry Alliance, the Rey movie will start shooting on April 7, 2024 in London. Hopefully, that means we will get casting news soon.

Jon Favreau Takes Our Favorite Duo to the Big Screen in The Mandalorian & Grogu Walt Disney Studios

In addition to joining Dave Filoni’s big group Star Wars movie, the Mandalorian and Grogu will also star in a new Star Wars movie of their own (aptly titled, The Mandalorian & Grogu). Few details are known about it for now, but it will go into production in 2024.

We couldn’t agree more. But something tells us it won’t be smooth sailing for Rey. The dark side of the Force has a way of always creating shadows over the galaxy far, far away, especially in theaters.

As previously noted, this movie is expected to start shooting in April 2024.

Originally published on April 7, 2023.

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THE LAST OF US Season 2 Casts Kaitlyn Dever as Abby

We have our first major piece of The Last of Us season two casting news. And it also might be the biggest casting news we’ll see for the HBO show’s second season. Yes, The Last of Us has finally found its Abby actress. We’ve known the character, who the show teased in a dramatic hammer-centric poster at the end of season one, was coming for a long time. But now we finally have a live-action face to go with the name. Kaitlyn Dever has been cast as Abby in The Last of Us season two. The Last of Us fans, here we go.

Netflix/Naughty Dog

For the spoiler-phobes among us, we’ll begin by generally saying that Abby is a pretty major character. She’s one of two playable characters in The Last of Us Part II, alongside Ellie. So that should paint a picture of her importance. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us‘ creators, share of this casting, “Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material… Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.”

No TLoU on HBO tonight. But Season 2 is already on its way! Endure & survive! pic.twitter.com/87bKKCDBeO

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) March 19, 2023

According to HBO, the description for Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby reads as follows. Abby is a “skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those who loved.” That sounds about right to us. If The Last of Us Part II is any indication, then Kaitlyn Dever will have a lot to do as Abby in season two. However, as previously teased, season two of The Last of Us will not necessarily cover all of The Last of Us Part II. The show will instead tell the second game’s story over more than one season.

We feel interested to see how Kaitlyn Dever takes on the character of Abby now that she has been cast. And, of course, we can’t wait to see how her role might change in The Last of Us series versus the games. We have our fingers crossed that perhaps it could change in one teeny tiny way.

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Of course, long-time The Last of Us fans will know that “those Abby loved” include the surgeon at the hospital that Joel killed saving Ellie. In her quest for revenge, Abby actually kills Joel with a golf club in The Last of Us games. Of course, in the tease of Abby after season one of the series, there’s no club in sight yet. With Pedro Pascal’s turn as Joel becoming so beloved and his bond with Bella Ramsay’s Ellie so strong, could Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby take a different course of action in HBO’s The Last of Us series? Only time, and likely many more episodes, will tell.

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