Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 79

JURASSIC WORLD Director Colin Trevorrow Will Direct and Produce Area 51 Thriller

Thanks to director Colin Trevorrow, the Jurassic World franchise continues to go strong ten years after it began. Now, he’s setting his sights on something otherworldly and full of conspiracy goodness. Trevorrow is teaming up with Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort production banner to direct and produce an Area 51 thriller at Paramount Pictures. 

According to Deadline, the project will be set in the late 1980s and follow the Las Vegas journalist who broke the story about Area 51. Things are in the very early stages, so there’s no more information at this time about any casting, title, nor release date details. We do know that Thomas and William Wheeler penned the script for this Area 51 thriller by Trevorrow and Ryan Reynolds’ production company. 

PBS

But, for those who aren’t familiar, Area 51 is a highly classified US Air Force facility a little over 80 miles southwest of Las Vegas in Nevada. For decades, the secrecy around this location has led to all sorts of conspiracy theories, namely those of the extraterrestrial and UFO variety. 

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Gillian Anderson Talked to Ryan Coogler About THE X-FILES Reboot (And Maybe Scully’s Return)

With this news and Ryan Coogler bringing back The X-Files, we are ready for the weird alien conspiracy renaissance.

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Ben Stiller Teases (Very Little About) SEVERANCE Season 3

We love a TV series that leaves us with a lot of questions. Moreover, for every answer we get, we love it when we get two more questions from it. Like a hydra of enigmas. And you know well from the headline that the show in question (see what I did there) is Apple TV+’s breakout hit, Severance. I spent a good long time thinking about all the questions we had after season two. (You can watch a whole video about it on our YouTube.) The one thing we know for sure is that a season three is happening, in the writing stage. But true to form, series producer/director Ben Stiller has offered tantalizingly little in the way of teases for what’s to come.

As part of a lengthy interview with Variety, Stiller and series lead Adam Scott answered questions about the show’s pop culture appeal and rabid fanbase. They also got the inevitable litany of questions they weren’t going to answer in the first place.

Apple TV+

How many episodes have been written for Season 3? (Long pause.) “I don’t want to talk about where we’re at in our process.” How many seasons will you make in total? (Small grin.) “No comment.” Will John Turturro be back? (Big grin.) “No comment.”

So, look, Stiller’s no dummy. He know what big grins mean in this context. He didn’t just happen to remember a particularly funny moment from Becker while answering. So John Turturro will be back. Let’s be honest, he’s an MVP.

The interviewer did ask about spinning off ideas from Severance to other shows, and it sounds like it’s at least in the cards.

Do you see Severance as a franchise with spinoff shows? Stiller speaks slowly: “There are two specific ideas — that I won’t tell you — that we’ve talked about internally as possible spinoff ideas.” Asked what stage of development the spinoff ideas are in, or whether they have been discussed with Apple, all Stiller says, with a coy smile, is: “They are nascent.”

I feel like something about Lumon’s early days would be of moderate interest. A Harmony Cobel origin story would also give us a lot to chew on. However, for my money, why not show us some of the other nefarious Lumon properties around the world. We know other cities have severed floors. Italy apparently has a hole with a rope ladder. Like what the deuce is that about?

And finally, and certainly relevant to our interests, Stiller and Scott are very open to turning Lumon into some kind of interactive experience.

Stiller says it’d “be great to have a Severance video game.” Scott agrees: “I think it lends itself to one.” And, at some point, they want to make merchandise like Lumon keyboards, as long as it feels “bespoke and specific to the show.” 

Apple TV+

Would I play a Severance video game? I would. It could be like Control but with fewer monsters. I’d be down for that.

In any case, whatever form it take, we just want more Severance, sooner rather than later. I need to know what has become of Gemma! If she gets recaptured, I might riot. Ya hear that, Ben?!

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

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Our 10 Most Anticipated Anime for Summer 2025

With many exciting second seasons for popular series returning, this summer is an anime fan’s dream. Depending on the air dates, you can easily have a show to dive into every day and then some. From supernatural comedy to romance to action, from new series to returning joys, here’s our most-anticipated anime that you need to watch during summer 2025.

TMS/Shueisha/Netflix/CrunchyrollDandadan Season 2

Dandadan Season 2 drops this summer. From the same studio that created the first season and the shocking and heartbreaking Devilman Crybaby, Science SARU brings the next season of laughs, strange-looking foes. Watch the continued hunt for Okarun’s lone ball come July 3rd on Crunchyroll when the Evil Eye Arc begins.

Sakamoto Days Part 2

Sakamoto Days is the story of a retired hitman enjoying a mundane, married-with-a-daughter life who must fight to protect those he loves when his past catches up to him. He proves that “out of shape” is not synonymous with “easy mark.” Balancing laughs with surprising action, the first season split into two parts, with Sakamoto Days Part 2 airing on Netflix beginning on July 14th.

Gachiakuta

Another anticipated new anime series based on a hit manga series, Gachiakuta follows Rudo, a young man living in the slums as the rich enjoy life above and toss their garbage down. Exiled below with the trash for a murder he did not commit, Rudo has to battle monsters, and other people to find out the truth and seek revenge. It makes me think of the garbage folks from The Walking Dead. This is another anime series coming to Crunchyroll starting in July that we cannot wait to watch this summer.

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2

Sure, the show is so ecchi that YaBoyRoshi, a YouTuber, had a montage of all the times he and his wife, Sheera, said “yeah” throughout the first season. However, do not let that deter you. The first season was full of laughs, love, cosplay, and a beautiful message to pursue what brings you joy. Now, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 is around the corner. So, expect more amazing costumes and sweet moments as Gojo and Marin circle each other starting in July on Crunchyroll.

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2

Kaiju No. 8‘s first season had the stakes, the laughs, and an underdog you could not help but cheer for. Now, with Kafka’s secret out, he needs to prove his strength as a Kaiju and man to help defeat the other Kaiju. Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 looks like greater stakes and deadlier enemies, and it begins in July on Crunchyroll. 

The Summer Hikaru Died

Based on a strange, supernatural manga that gives Junji Ito energy, The Summer Hikaru Died follows Yoshiki, a teen in a rural town. When his friend Hikaru returns after missing in the forests, Yoshiki realizes that he is not Hikaru. An entity took his appearance. This supernatural mystery with horror elements is set to air on Netflix this summer. 

Tougen Anki

Heralded as a spiritual successor of Deadman Wonderland because of its similar appearance and themes, Tougen Anki is a promising new series. Based on the manga, it follows Shiki Ichinose, a man who learns he has Oni (demon) blood. With Momotaro’s descendants still battling Oni, Ichinose joins a school that trains Oni to fight them. This supernatural school shonen begins on July 11 on Crunchyroll. 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity

Produced by CloverWorks whose anime run the gamut from Windbreaker to the other summer joy My Dress Up Darling Season 2, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity teases a twist on the tale of Romeo and Juliet. Here, two students from rival schools, one for delinquent boys and the other a prestigious school for noble girls, form an unlikely friendship that blooms into something more. Whether they can weather the challenges from peers we can find out in July on Crunchyroll. 

Secrets of the Silent Witch

This story is about a shy witch, Monica, who is the only one who can cast use magecraft without chants. The Secrets of the Silent Witch shows the challenges she faces as she fights to come out of her shell. With some action, but also a slice-of-life, comedic element, this series looks like magical fun. Check it out this July on Crunchyroll.

Lord of the Mysteries

Think magical isekai meets steampunk, Lord of the Mysteries is about Klein Moretti, reborn in a Victorian era brimming with magic and the supernatural with powers of his own. Based on a popular manhua from China, if its popularity grows the anime—releasing in the summer—might see an international release. Its animation style reminds me of To Be Hero X, so let’s hope for an opportunity to dive in. 

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THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Reveals Official Runtime (Shorter Than Expected, Still Really Long)

When Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, lo those many years ago, that immediately meant all the X-Men characters could appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also meant Fox’s other (and let’s face it, far less successful) Marvel property, the Fantastic Four, was joining the fray. However, aside from a Reed Richards cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Fantastic Four have been MIA. But, hope is on the horizon! The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be part of the MCU’s Phase Six.

But just how long will the movie be? AMC’s official page reports that The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ runtime is two hours and 10 minutes, that means its 130 minutes long. A few months ago, the theater chain Odeon claimed it would last for 140 minutes, but it seems that we have lost ten minutes somewhere in the edit. Although The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be slightly shorter than expected, it will still be pretty long. Two hours is always enough in our book. We probably won’t miss those few minutes shaved off.

Here’s everything we know about the MCU’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps movie.

TitleMarvel Studios

All the initial branding from Marvel indicated the movie’s title would be Fantastic Four. Now, we know that the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie will be called The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Plot

The film takes place in a retro-futuristic 1960s NYC, which we see in this trailer.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Fantastic Four: First Steps:

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

Marvel ComicsBehind the Scenes

In August 2022, Marvel named Matt Shakman—who had directed WandaVision for Disney+—as the film’s director. Feige confirmed this at the D23 Expo in September of that same year.

Later in September, Marvel said Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were writing the script for The Fantastic Four. By March 2023, Terminator franchise and Avatar: The Way of Water screenwriter Josh Friedman was at work rewriting the script. In October 2023, Cameron Squires’ name was added as co-writer.

The fantastic quartet—Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach—also got ready to go on their “first mission.” Pascal shared the candid photo of the cast on his IG page.

As Deadline reports, during the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Marvel boss Kevin Feige made a virtual appearance to talk about the MCU and bringing this collective to the big screen.

“Finally, [we’re] bringing Marvel’s First Family into the MCU,” said Feige. “And then all those characters go right into the next Avengers movies, so I’m very excited for the future of the Fantastic Four.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Cast

The MCU’s Fantastic Four team has officially set its cast. Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. Vanessa Kirby will play Sue Storm, a.k.a. the Invisible Woman. Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play The Thing. Finally, Joseph Quinn will play Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch.

Netflix/Marvel Comics

Julia Garner (Ozark, Inventing Anna) will play the Shalla-Bal version of Silver Surfer. In the comics, Shalla-Bal appeared as Norrin Radd’s partner, but at one point, she received the same powers as the Silver Surfer and they were both Galactus’ heralds.

Paul Walter Hauser has also joined the cast, as have John Malkovich and Natasha Lyonne. We don’t know who these actors are playing. We do know Ralph Ineson will be playing Galactus. And Matthew Wood will voice the adorable H.E.R.B.I.E.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Release Date

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will release on July 25, 2025.

Originally published on December 22, 2023.

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David Lynch Estate Auction Features Items From TWIN PEAKS, DUNE, and More

It’s been several months now since we lost one of America’s greatest filmmakers, David Lynch, at the age of 78. The world of film will never be the same without him. And soon, many of Lynch’s personal items will go up for auction, which we’ve learned about via Gizmodo. For serious fans of Lynch’s filmography like us, there are many items in this collection that we’d love to own. These gems are from his nearly 50-year career, with pieces from Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks, Dune, and his first feature film, Eraserhead. You can check out some of the items from Julien’s David Lynch auction, which goes live on June 18, below:

Julien’s Auctions’ The David Lynch Collection Click To View Gallery Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions Julien’s Auctions

Some of the items in the David Lynch estate auction include the menus from Winkie’s, the Denny’s stand-in with a terrifying being that lives behind it in Mulholland Drive. There’s Lynch’s personal 35mm print of Eraserhead, the film that put him on the map. And there’s quite a bit from the world of Twin Peaks. Lynch’s original script from the series, when it was called Northwest Passage, as well as Fire Walk With Me, are among the auction items as well. The framed photo of the atomic bomb test that was in Gordon Cole’s office in Twin Peaks: The Return? It was also part of Lynch’s personal collection. Which is fitting, since he played Gordon Cole in the series.

Julien’s Auctions

One of the coolest items is Lynch’s personal version of the red curtains and zigzag patterns, Twin Peaks’ most iconic image. But the Holy Grail in this auction is Lynch’s actual director’s chair with his name on it. Whoever gets these, we honestly hope they donate them to a museum.

There are 444 lots in this auction, and some of them are just common household items, like coffee makers. But if you’re a diehard David Lynch fan, you’d probably want a Lynch-owned coffee maker more than almost any other item in this auction. To check out all the items yourself, head on over to the official Julien’s Auctions site.

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George R. R. Martin Sends BRUTALLY Angry Words To Fans ‘Pissed Off’ About WINDS OF WINTER

Phew. Remind us to never cross George R. R. Martin. We’d rather take on White Walkers and dragons than be the objects of his wrath. Because when he delivers a scolding, he DELIVERS it. Recently, Martin preemptively (but probably accurately) aimed his anger at fans who are always angry when he shares anything he’s doing that’s not about Game of Thrones, and more specifically, about Winds of Winter. Martin was sharing news of his work on A Dozen Tough Jobs, an animated adaptation of his late friend Howard Waldrop’s book, which reimagines the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Instead of celebrating A Dozen Tough Jobs, though, Martin veered RIGHT into rebuking any of his “fans” that didn’t want to take joy in the news. (There’s a little irony here, but we suppose having so many people berating your every move does get exhausting.)

Martin seethed in his angry blog post:

I know, I know.  Some of you will just be pissed off by this, as you are by everything I announce here that is not about Westeros or THE WINDS OF WINTER. You have given up on me, or on the book.  I will never finish WINDS, If I do, I will never finish A DREAM OF SPRING. If I do, it won’t be any good.  I ought to get some other writer to pinch hit for me…    

I am going to die soon anyway, because I am so old. I lost all interest in A Song of Ice and Fire decades ago.  I don’t give a shit about writing any longer, I just sit around and spend my money.   I edit the Wild Cards books too, but you hate Wild Cards. You may hate everything else I have ever written, the Hugo-winners and Hugo-losers, “A Song for Lya” and DYING OF THE LIGHT, “Sandkings” and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST,  “This Tower of Ashes” and “The Stone City,” OLD MARS and OLD VENUS and ROGUES and WARRIORS and DANGEROUS WOMEN and all the other anthologies I edited with my friend Gardner Dozois,   You don’t care about any of those, I know.   You don’t care about anything but WINDS OF WINTER. You’ve told me so often enough.

CBS

But at the end of his post, Martin’s angry sentiments softened, and he added, “Thing is, I do care about them. And I care about Westeros and WINDS as well. The Starks and Lannisters and Targaryens, Tyrion and Asha, Dany and Daenerys, the dragons and the direwolves, I care about them all. More than you can ever imagine.”

Martin’s brutal rant aimed at fairweather fans seems right from the heart… Angry, but impassioned. And it’s clear he DOES care a great deal about the world of Game of Thrones and The Winds of Winter. We imagine the pressure at this point is immense. Still, we can’t help but wish that instead of spearing hundreds of angry words for those who don’t support him, Martin had just spent his blog post celebrating this new film that’s clearly near and dear to his heart.

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George R.R. Martin Shares Post About His Problems with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, HBO Responds

Or maybe he knew that A Dozen Tough Jobs would get more airtime if he also appended one of his signature takedowns to it. If so, well played. Here we are writing about it. Hopefully, George R. R. Martin can find time for all his projects, including The Winds of Winter, very soon, and in the meantime, not have to deal with too much ire as he does other things.

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LEGO Ideas’ LORD OF THE RINGS Book Nook Showcases the Iconic Balrog vs. Gandalf Battle

For those of us who have hefty book collections, we know a book nook is often needed to keep our precious tomes from falling over. But why have any old book nook, when you can have one straight from the Mines of Moria, emerging from the ashes of Khazad-dûm? Well, now you can, thanks to LEGO Icons’ Lord of the Rings Balrog book nook. It looks just like the ancient fiery creature that plagued the Fellowship of the Ring, and fought Gandalf the Grey in an iconic battle. You can check out the first images of this new LEGO Icons book nook below:

LEGO Ideas The Lord of the Rings Balrog Book Nook Click To View Gallery LEGO/Warner Bros. Warner Bros./LEGO LEGO/Warner Bros. Warner Bros./LEGO LEGO/Warner Bros. Warner Bros./LEGO LEGO/Warner Bros. Warner Bros./LEGO LEGO/Warner Bros. LEGO/Warner Bros.

Priced at $129.99, this 1,201-piece The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook measures over 8.5 in. (22 cm) high, 17.5 in. (44 cm) wide and 6.5 in. (17 cm) deep. It comes with a plaque with the iconic words spoken by Gandalf, ‘You Shall Not Pass’, with Gandalf himself standing in a fearless stance against the Balrog. The ancient being has its gigantic wings unfurled against a gigantic wall of flames, just as in Peter Jackson’s iconic film. Both characters are detachable, and the Gandalf minifigure has his magical staff and sword. The Balrog figure comes with his signature fiery whip, and features limbs and wings you can pose for display.

LEGO/Warner Bros.

This is the perfect item to stand on your shelf along with all your various Tolkien books. Just slide it between your hardcover deluxe copies of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It can hold space between those books and The Hobbit. Or even maybe The Silmarillion, if you are that level of Tolkien fan. We know you’re out there! You could also just display it alongside your Tower of Mordor LEGO set. Lord of the Rings fans can pre-order this item today, and it will ship from June 1, 2025.

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EA Cancels In-Development BLACK PANTHER Game

These past few months were rough for highly anticipated superhero games, starting with the cancellation of Monlith Games’ Wonder Woman game. And now, another superhero icon is getting their announced video game put on the shelf. Via IGN, we’ve learned that Electronic Arts is canceling their planned Black Panther game. It’s also shutting down developer Cliffhanger Games. EA announced the Black Panther game not too long ago, back in 2023. The developers designed it as a single-player, action-adventure, open-world game. Marvel and EA’s agreement for Black Panther was part of a three-game deal that included Iron Man and a mystery third title.

EA/Marvel Studios

Cliffhanger Games only just formed in 2023. And many of the same developers that worked on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor were also developing the Black Panther game. EA Entertainment president Laura Miele sent an internal email to staff, where she cited the reason for the game’s cancelation. She said that the closure of Cliffhanger would “Sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.” We’re sure those words are of little comfort to everyone employed there, and who spent the last two years developing Black Panther. But in the gaming industry, this happens far too often.

The Black Panther game would have taken place in Wakanda (naturally), but that’s all we know about it. We’re still not sure what the story was going to be. And we still don’t even know which Black Panther the game would have centered on. It probably was T’Challa, but it could have been his sister Shuri, or even their father, King T’Chaka. Given the popularity of this particular Marvel IP, sooner or later, someone will release a proper Black Panther game. It’s just a shame that all the hard work that went into making this one will never see the light of day.

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Buggy the Clown: A Tragic Timeline | One Piece

Could Buggy the Clown secretly be one of One Piece’s most important characters? Despite his humble beginnings, Buggy has become a lasting and crucial player going into the series endgame. But how did we get here? From Orange Town to Impel Down, Warlord to Emperor, Nerdist’s Alison Mattingly is taking a look back at the tragic timeline of Buggy the Clown to find out.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro
02:18 – Birth of a Clown
03:53 – The God Valley Incident
07:29 – Elbaf Spoilers
07:55 – God Valley Continued
08:45 – The Roger Years
09:21 – The Chop-Chop Fruit
11:52 – The Battle of Ed War
14:16 – The First Road Poneglyph
15:11 – Whitebeard & Oden
17:39 – Jaya & Skypiea
20:17 – The Road to the Final Island
22:42 – The Final Island
24:57 – Elbaf Spoilers
25:20 – Final Island Continued
26:28 – Elbaf Spoilers
27:02 – Final Island Coninued
27:19 – The Execution of Gol D. Roger
30:03 – The Formation of the Buggy Pirates
30:58 – Orange Town
35:18 – Little Buggy’s Big Adventure
37:56 – Loguetown
40:40 – Fire Fist Ace
41:15 – The Capture of Buggy the Clown
41:35 – Impel Down
49:22 – The Paramount War
54:34 – The New Warlord
55:25 – The Timeskip
56:47 – The Fall of Doflamingo
57:33 – The End of the Warlords
58:00 – The Birth of Cross Guilds
58:53 – The New Emperor
59:40 – Buggy’s Dream
1:01:54 – Buggy: God of the Pirates

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The CIA Created a Fake STAR WARS Fan Site As Cover for a Spy Network in the 2000s

Spies and spy networks are no strangers to the Star Wars galaxy. Andor was all about that, and we’ve had references to “rebel spies” as far back as the original trilogy. But did you know that Star Wars was used as a cover for actual real-world spies by the CIA? We learned via 404 Media that security researcher Ciro Santilli discovered that, back in the mid-to-late-2000s, the CIA created a fake Star Wars fan site. A Star Wars site they secretly used to communicate with informants in other countries. The name of this particular site was StarWarsWeb.net. If you click on that link now, it takes you directly to the official CIA website. So we’d say his research was accurate.

Wayback Machine

Of course, the site is long gone, but screenshots exist of it. And it is very much a time capsule of that era of the internet. The agents who designed it sure did their Star Wars homework. The screenshot shows a little boy in Jedi robes, with links to several Star Wars websites. Interestingly, many of those sites still exist today. There are some images of animated Clone Wars-era Yoda, which means the CIA was using this fake Star Wars site at least until 2010, not long after the show debuted on Cartoon Network.

Lucasfilm

Here’s where things get dark, however. Aside from this one Star Wars site, there were other pop culture and gaming websites used by the CIA in this manner. Eventually, Iranian authorities discovered these sites, and we now know of their link to the killing of several CIA sources in China, circa 2010-2012. Which is about the time that StarWarsWeb.net went away. Luckily, thanks to sites like the Wayback Machine, we have evidence of its existence. In Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma sadly says “Many Bothans died to bring us this information,” in a reference to her spy network. In reality, it seems many actual spies died using Star Wars as a cover. It’s a truly tragic example of “Art imitates life, life imitates art.”

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