Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu reportedly has a working title. Both the upcoming Star Wars movie and upcoming Rey film have been announced by Lucasfilm. The Cosmic Circus says that The Mandalorian and Grogu's working title is Thunder Alley. Meanwhile, Rey's story is being called "New Jedi Order" in the development stage. The outlet's other reporting indicated that the longer title for Daisy Ridley's return to the franchise was Star Wars X: A New Beginning. However, when Lucasfilm was approached for comment, they denied that title was being used. (Keep in mind that nothing will be confirmed until a massive Disney presentation of some sort.)

During a recent earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger hyped The Mandalorian's big movie for 2026 or so. "Looking to our 2025 theatrical slate, we're excited to bring audiences Captain America: Brave New World, Fantastic Four, Pixar's Elio, Zootopia 2, and Avatar 3," Disney CEO Bob Iger previously told investors. "And we're already looking forward to 2026 and beyond with Frozen 3, the first Toy Story movie since 2019 [Toy Story 5], and a new Star Wars movie that brings the Mandalorian and Grogu to the big screen for the very first time."

Excitement For Mando & Grogu

People were completely shocked when it came to this movie. The Mandalorian and Grogu was basically announced out of nowhere. But, with a focus on theatrical releases being touted by the executives at the top of the company, it was only a matter of time before the bounty hunter made his way to the big screen. Entertainment Tonight spoke to Star Wars story chief Dave Filoni about the big movie. He's obviously very jacked for people to hear more about the film.

"There's so much spinning in the galaxy right now. You know me better than to commit to any one thing, no mind trick works on me," Filoni smiled. "I'm excited about what we're doing right now, but the movie, I think, is gonna be great. With Jon at the helm, it's gonna be fantastic, and he's so well-studied in Star Wars now, so he's got a great shorthand and I love collaborating with him. Just excited to share the future of what we're doing."

What's Coming With The Mandalorian & Grogu?

In January, StarWars.com posted: "The Mandalorian and Grogu are embarking on a new adventure -- to movie theaters.Directed by Jon Favreau, and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian & Grogu will go into production in 2024." They would go on to praise the work of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.

Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said, "Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen."

"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," added Favreau. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."

Which of these movie is more exciting? Let us know down in the comments!

One of the most distressing sequences in the Star Wars prequels was the scene in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in which Anakin Skywalker is tasked with slaughtering all the Jedi, including the Younglings who turned to him for salvation as they witnessed their elders being eradicated. Actor Hayden Christensen recently looked back on that moment and noted how he tried to frighten one young actor, Ross Beadman, to evoke a genuine reaction from him, which makes for a tragic and iconic sequence in the movie. Luckily, Christensen would ultimately reunite with Beadman and jokingly admitted that he made amends for intimidating the young boy.

While speaking with Empire Magazine about the intensity of the sequence, Christensen expressed, "Kids seem to forget about that scene when they meet me! There's not any fear or intimidation. They're just excited to meet Anakin. There was a lot of talk about us doing that scene, and I love that George [Lucas] did it. It was a bold move. And it's shocking."

He continued, "When we were filming that, we were having a hard time getting the reaction that we wanted from the kid. And so I shouted, or growled at him, because we needed a genuine moment of him being startled. It got the response that we needed, and it makes that scene work really well ... I saw him years later. I said, 'Sorry about how that went.'"

Christensen starred as Anakin in both Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and while initial reactions to the prequel films were divisive between older and younger audiences, the more time passed, the more the reception to the prequel trilogy shifted towards the positive. Additionally, the more time that passed, the more Christensen began to appear at public events in support of the franchise, including appearances at Star Wars Celebration.

Fans grew even more excited with the announcement of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, which brought back Christensen's costar Ewan McGregor to reprise his role as the Jedi Master, with Lucasfilm then revealing that Christensen would also be returning to the franchise. That six-episode series allowed the actor to not only embody Darth Vader, but also reprise his role as a younger Anakin.

Last year's Star Wars: Ahsoka continued the excitement among Christensen fans, as the actor got to explore the dynamic he had with his padawan as seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

While Star Wars: Ahsoka is confirmed to be getting a Season 2, it has yet to be revealed if Christensen will appear in the new episodes.

What do you think of the actor's remarks? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

George Lucas created Star Wars and is considered by many to as the be-all-end-all source of authority on the galaxy far, far away, though that isn't to say that he isn't open to collaboration, as Hayden Christensen recently reflected on how he had suggested the idea of Anakin Skywalker developing "Sith eyes" in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. According to the actor, since Darth Maul and Emperor Palpatine both had yellowed, frightening eyes, he wanted Anakin to earn a similar physical transformation when fully committing to the dark side. Despite Lucas initially balking at the idea, he would come around on it and use the effect.

Speaking with Empire Magazine about the scene in which Anakin strikes down Mace Windu being the defining moment in Anakin's transition into Darth Vader, Christensen expressed, "That scene is the tipping point in Anakin's fall to the dark side. He has Mace Windu and Darth Sidious, Jedi and Sith, both pleading his allegiance and he has to make a choice. When we were filming that scene, George spoke about how Anakin was conflicted but not yet corrupted, and that he still wanted to do the right thing."

He continued, "It's a hugely transitional scene for the character and one that sets the course for everything that follows. I remember in the weeks leading up to filming it, I was trying to figure out how to express his turn and acceptance of the anointment of Darth Vader. It needed an observable shift in character and this was actually the origin of George and I discussing giving Anakin Sith eyes. Originally, there was no mention of it and George was initially against the idea when I brought it up. I loved the visual of Sith eyes and thought it could make sense: Darth Maul had them and Sidious has them. George responded saying that Count Dooku didn't, and I thought that was the end of that. A few days later he came back to me and said he thought about it some more and now liked the idea of Sith eyes -- but not for that scene. I think that was because it would have misinformed things. Anakin's fall to the dark side isn't just about good and evil and ideological views; it's also about timing and circumstance."

Christensen went on to recall how, while Lucas was ahead of his time in both storytelling and filmmaking sensibilities, he was always open to suggestions from collaborators who helped bring the prequel trilogy to life. However, Lucas would ultimately go with his initial instincts in the final product.

"George is a visionary and always knew exactly what he wanted, but when I had an idea he would always hear me out and consider it," Christensen confessed. "When I had an instinct on set and wanted to try something different than what we were doing, he would always indulge me. I remember on several occasions explaining what I wanted to try and George would say, 'Well I know when I get to the editing room and I've got your version and my version, I'm always going to use my version, but sure, let's give it a try.' And he was right, he always did use his version!"

Christensen returned to the galaxy far, far away for both Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars: Ahsoka though it is unknown when, or if, he will return to the franchise.

What do you think of the actor's remarks? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

Hasbro has revealed that a Star Wars The Black Series Nite Owl figure inspired by the character that appeared in season 3 of The Mandalorian will launch as a Walmart Collector Con exclusive on March 14 at 7am PT / 10am ET. At the time of writing, we also expect that the Black Series R4-6D0 announced last October during Hasbro's 10/27 and MCM London Comic Con events will be among the Star Wars exclusives reserved for the upcoming Collector Con.

The Star Wars The Black Series Nite Owl and R4-6D0 figures will be available to order here at the Walmart Collector Shop after the launch time on March 14th priced at $24.99 each. Look for additional exclusives from Hasbro's Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Marvel Legends lineups to debut at the event. A preview of what will be up for grabs is set to be revealed via the Collector Shop link on March 7th.

From the official description: "STAR WARS fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS galaxy with this 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES MANDALORIAN NITE OWL figure, inspired by the character's appearance in season 3 of STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN. A group of mostly female Mandalorian warriors spearheaded by Bo-Katan Kryze, the Nite Owls joined forces with Children of the Watch to reclaim Mandalore. Fans and collectors can display this fully articulated figure featuring premium detail and multiple points of articulation in their collection. Includes figure and 2 entertainment-inspired accessories including a jetpack and blaster."

A Mandalorian & Grogu Movie Is On The Way

Disney and Lucasfilm recently announced The Mandalorian & Grogu, a new Star Wars movie bringing Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and his Mandalorian apprentice to the big screen with director Jon Favreau. The Mando movie will begin production this year and is further along than Dave Filoni's untitled New Republic movie and James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi movie announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023. A Rey Skywalker movie is also in the works, that is being touted as having "a different direction":

"So I thought about it for a little bit and once I knew what the story was and everything, I knew it was something I really wanted to do," Ridley revealed to AlloCin?. "I think it's a really fantastic exploration of the Star Wars world. It's a really cool way of taking the story on in a bit of a different direction."

"That was actually quite last minute. I was actually making my own film last year and Kathy Kennedy said she wanted to have breakfast," Ridley detailed. "And I thought we were just having breakfast, so I was literally eating my breakfast, and she said, 'Oh, we might do another one.' I was like, '...Okay.'"

A new Star Wars game may have just been leaked by none other than Jar Jar Binks, aka Ahmed Best, the actor behind the fan-favorite character. Of course, the chance the game stars the side character are very slim, but Best has confirmed he is back in the motion capture studio working on a Star Wars game with Activision. And the part of this being Activision is key, because this rules out this being anything LEGO Star Wars related as that is handled by WB Games. In other words, this is seemingly a new project.

All of this speculation is a result of a recent Instagram post from Best, which shows him in motion capture gear within a motion capture studio. The post has the following caption: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." How does this connect the project to Activision? Well, there are the following hashtags as well: #mocap #starwars #jarjarbinks #activision #jedi #sithlord and #kelleranbeq.

There has been no announced Star Wars game from Activision, so this is a leak. That said, there is one possibility that could ruin the parade for Star Wars fans. It is possible this is Call of Duty: Warzone related. In other words, it is possible this is for a Jar Jar Binks Warzone skin. This would be exciting news for Call of Duty fans, but hardcore Star Wars fans may be less interested in thie outcome. If this is the plan though, it is likely for a larger crossover.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ahmed Best (@bestahmed)

Unfortunately, right now, all we have is speculation. There is clearly something here, but what should and shouldn't be made of this, we don't know. The inclusion of Activision could be a mistake for all we know. Whatever the case, if any implicated party comments on the post and the speculation it has created, we will be sure to update the story accordingly.

For more Star Wars coverage -- including all of the latest Star Wars news, all of the latest Star Wars rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Star Wars deals -- click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. What Star Wars game would you like to see? Something brand new or a new game from an existing brand?

The producers behind Star Wars: The Bad Batch are commenting on the surprise return of Asajj Ventress. The third and final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch was officially announced at last year's Star Wars Celebration. The season will look to bring some resolution to the stories of Omega, Crosshair, and the rest of the Bad Batch, but the Season 3 trailer for The Bad Batch also revealed the former Sith Asajj Ventress will also make an appearance. What makes Asajj Ventress' return surprising is she supposedly died in the 2015 novel Star Wars: Dark Disciple while working with the Jedi to take out Count Dooku. So what will Ventress' role be in Star Wars: The Bad Batch? We checked in with the show's producers to find out.

ComicBook.com spoke to Star Wars: The Bad Batch producers Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau to talk about the final season, where the topic of Asajj Ventress came up. "Without spoiling too much, we have a storyline that requires someone," Jennifer Corbett said. "And she was the best fit for what we needed. But, again, Brad [Rau] and I don't make these decisions. It's very much a conversation, and when Ventress was put on the table we were very excited about it because we're big fans of that character, and we wanted to honor what her character was in Clone Wars, while also honoring Dark Disciple."

How Asajj Ventress' appearance in Star Wars: The Bad Batch connects to Dark Disciple novel

When asked about the possibility of Asajj Ventress' appearance in the third season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch addressing the events of Star Wars: Dark Disciple, Brad Rau responded, "Once we knew we could use this character that we love so much, we immediately were doing lots of research. We went back to unfinished arcs from The Clone Wars that were actually the inspiration for the novel, Dark Disciple, and there were designs created, including her hairdoo, which is so cool, and her lightsaber and the color of the lightsaber. So we honored that for when she shows up in our storyline. We can't go into all of the details, but we can say the answers to your questions - and we know a lot of fans are asking questions - will be answered. They may not all be answered in The Bad Batch, but rest assured, the connections are all there and they will be told. So just hang tight."

What is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 about?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off. The Bad Batch is still reeling from losing one of their members, Tech, and determined to rescue Omega from capture at Mount Tantiss.

According to a press release from Disney+, in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, "the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire."

As Star Wars: The Bad Batch draws toward its end, Star Wars fans may wonder what's next for Star Wars animation. There's currently Tales of the Jedi, an anthology of connected Star Wars shorts, and Star Wars: Visions, also an anthology, showcasing global animation via shorts set outside of Star Wars canon. ComicBook.com spoke to Star Wars: The Bad Batch producers Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau about The Bad Batch's final season and asked what the future of Star Wars animation might look like. While they couldn't say anything about upcoming projects, they seem to be anticipating watching what comes next from the Lucasfilm Animation team as fans.

"Obviously, we can't really speak as to if there's something in the works or not, but I will just say that the team at Lucasfilm Animation, it's been a pleasure working with them, because they are so fantastic at what they do, and have such passion for what they do," Corbett says. "If there is stuff in the future I'm going to watch and be a fan because I love all the things that they do."

Rau adds, "Sign me up. I want to watch more.'

What is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 about?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off. The Bad Batch is still reeling from losing one of their members, Tech, and determined to rescue Omega from capture at Mount Tantiss.

According to Disney+, in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, "the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire."

Who is in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch cast?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuted its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 episode release schedule:

Season 3 Episode Schedule:

• ? 2/21: Episode 301 "Confined," Episode 302 "Paths Unknown," Episode 303 "Shadows of Tantiss" (debut)
• ? 2/28: Episode 304 "A Different Approach"
• ? 3/6: Episode 305 "The Return"
• ? 3/13: Episode 306 "Infiltration" & Episode 307 "Extraction"
• ? 3/20: Episode 308 "Bad Territory"
• ? 3/27: Episode 309 "The Harbinger"
• ? 4/3: Episode 310 "Identity Crisis" & Episode 311 "Point of No Return"
• ? 4/10: Episode 312 "Juggernaut"
• ? 4/17: Episode 313 "Into the Breach"
• ? 4/24: Episode 314 "Flash Strike"
• ? 5/1: Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (finale)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is saying goodbye with its final season on Disney+. The series spun out of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' final season and has become connective tissues between many elements of the Star Wars saga through its connection to Project Necromancer. But how does that compare to the original plan for the series? ComicBook.com had the chance to talk to Star Wars: The Bad Batch producers Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau and asked how Star Wars: The Bad Batch's final season, with its darker tone, compares to their original plan for Clone Force 99. While they didn't go into specifics, Corbett did acknowledge some deviations from the initial plan, but expressed gratitude that they were able to close out the show on their terms.

"There are definitely some similarities but also some differences," Corbett says. "It's been a number of years so, again, we always dreamed that we could do this in three seasons and the fact that we were able to have that opportunity, and we owe a lot of thanks to Lucasfilm and Disney+ for giving us that time and the fact that we knew in Season 2 that Season 3 was going to be the last one we got to end it the way that we felt was fitting. And, you know, we're very thankful."

What is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 about?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off. The Bad Batch is still reeling from losing one of their members, Tech, and determined to rescue Omega from capture at Mount Tantiss.

According to Disney+, in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, "the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire."

Who is in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch cast?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuted its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 episode release schedule:

Season 3 Episode Schedule:

• ? 2/21: Episode 301 "Confined," Episode 302 "Paths Unknown," Episode 303 "Shadows of Tantiss" (debut)
• ? 2/28: Episode 304 "A Different Approach"
• ? 3/6: Episode 305 "The Return"
• ? 3/13: Episode 306 "Infiltration" & Episode 307 "Extraction"
• ? 3/20: Episode 308 "Bad Territory"
• ? 3/27: Episode 309 "The Harbinger"
• ? 4/3: Episode 310 "Identity Crisis" & Episode 311 "Point of No Return"
• ? 4/10: Episode 312 "Juggernaut"
• ? 4/17: Episode 313 "Into the Breach"
• ? 4/24: Episode 314 "Flash Strike"
• ? 5/1: Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (finale)

Note that all of the LEGO sets listed here will launch via their respective links at 9pm PT / 12am ET February 29th / March 1st. There will likely be promotions attached to select purchases, so keep an eye out for those. That said, you can take advantage of LEGO Insiders (formerly VIP) offers by signing up for a free account right here. If you want to dive into the deep end, you can find all of the upcoming releases here in the "Coming Soon" section. After the launch, they will shift here in the "Available Now" section. Some of the new releases might also be available here on Amazon, but in most cases you'll want to stick with LEGO to take advantage of their promotions.

Animal Crossing LEGO Sets / March 2024:

• Animal Crossing Julian's Birthday Party (77046): $14.99 - See at LEGO
• Animal Crossing Bunnie's Outdoor Activities (77047): $19.99 - See at LEGO
• Animal Crossing Kapp'n's Island Boat Tour (77048): $29.99 - See at LEGO
• Animal Crossing Isabelle's House Visit (77049): $39.99 - See at LEGO
• Animal Crossing Nook's Cranny & Rosie?s House (77050): $74.99 - See at LEGO

Star Wars LEGO 25th Anniversary Sets / March 2024:

• 75379 Star Wars 25th Anniversary R2-D2: $99.99 - See at LEGO / See on Amazon
• 75375 Star Wars 25th Anniversary Millennium Falcon: $84.99 - See at LEGO
• 75376 Star Wars 25th Anniversary Tantive IV: $79.99 - See at LEGO
• 75387 Star Wars 25th Anniversary Boarding the Tantive IV: $54.99 - See at LEGO / See on Amazon
• 75377 Star Wars 25th Anniversary Invisible Hand: $49.99 - See at LEGO
• LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary Updated Edition - Includes Exclusive Star Wars Minifigure: $22.49 - See on Amazon (April 2nd)
  

Harry Potter LEGO Sets / March 2024:

• Talking Sorting Hat (76429): $99.99 - See at LEGO / Amazon
• Hagrid's Hut: An Unexpected Visit (76428): $74.99 - See at LEGO
• Prisoner of Azkaban Brickheadz (40677): $49.99 - See at LEGO
  
• Hogwarts Castle Owlery (76430): $44.99 - See at LEGO
• Hogwarts Castle Boathouse (76426): $37.99 - See at LEGO
• Forbidden Forest: Magical Creatures (76432): $29.99 - See at LEGO
• Hedwig at 4 Privet Drive (76425): $19.99 - See at LEGO
• Flying Ford Anglia (76424): $14.99 - See at LEGO

Disney LEGO Sets / March 2024:

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Cottage (43242): $219.99 - See at LEGO (Available to Insiders 3/1 - 3/3 and to the general public on 3/4)
• Stitch (43249): $64.99 - See at LEGO
• Isabela's Flowerpot (43237): $39.99 - See at LEGO
• Elsa & Bruni in the Enchanted Forest (10418): $29.99 - See at LEGO
  
• Mirabel's Photo Frame and Jewelry Box (43239): $29.99 - See at LEGO
• Mack at the Race (10417): $19.99 - See at LEGO

Ninjago LEGO Sets / March 2024:

• Dragon Stone Shrine (71819): $119.99 - See at LEGO
• Wolf Mask Shadow Dojo (71813): $119.99 - See at LEGO
• Kai's Ninja Climber Mech (71812): $69.99 - See at LEGO
• Arin's Ninja Off-Road Buggy Car (71811): $49.99 - See at LEGO
• Kai's Source Dragon Battle (71815): $37.99 - See at LEGO
• Young Dragon Riyu (71810): $15.99 - See at LEGO

Marvel LEGO Sets / March 2024:

• Team Spidey Web Spinner Headquarters (10794: $54.99 -See at LEGO
• Spidey vs. Green Goblin (10793): $19.99 - See at LEGO
• Drill Spinner Vehicle (10792): $9.99 - See at LEGO

Technic Sets / March 2024:

• Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance (42171): $219.99 - See at LEGO
• Mars Crew Exploration Rover (42180): $149.99 - See at LEGO
• VTOL Heavy Cargo Spaceship LT81 (42181): $109.99 - See at LEGO
• Kawasaki Ninja H2R Motorcycle (42170): $84.99 - See at LEGO
• Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit (42179): $74.99 - See at LEGO
• NEOM McLaren Formula E Race Car (42169): $49.99 - See at LEGO
• Surface Space Loader LT78 (41278): $34.99 - See at LEGO
• Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 Pull-Back (42165): $26.99 - See at LEGO

LEGO Icons Sets / March 2024:

• Medieval Town Square (10332): $229.99 - See at LEGO (Available to Insiders 3/1 - 3/3 and to the general public on 3/4)
• McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna (10330): $79.99 - See at LEGO / Amazon

Speed Champions Sets / March 2024:

• BMW M4 GT3 & BMW M Hybrid V8 Race Cars (76922): $44.99 - See at LEGO
• 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Car (76919): $26.99 - See at LEGO
• Audi S1 e-tron quattro Race Car (76921): $26.99 - See at LEGO
• Ford Mustang Dark Horse Sports Car (76920): $26.99 - See at LEGO

Other Notable Sets / March 2024:

• Forest Animals: Red Fox (31154): $49.99 - See at LEGO / Amazon
• Sea Animals (31158): $29.99 - See at LEGO
• Carousel Ride (40714): $24.95 - See at LEGO

The Star Wars universe is set to get a major remix later this year, with the arrival of the Star Wars: The Acolyte Disney+ series. The Acolyte, which is created by Russian Doll's Leslye Headland, will be first live-action series set during the High Republic era, and fans are definitely excited to see that canon further explored. In a recent interview with C Magazine, The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg teased how that time period leads to a different -- but reverential -- kind of Star Wars story.

"In the context of the Star Wars universe, it's a time of great peace, theoretically," Stenberg explained. "It's also a time of an institution, and it's a time in which conceptions around the Force are very strict. And I think what we're trying to explore within our show is when an institution has a singular conception of how power can be used...we try to provide a lot of different perspectives and answers to that question. The idea is to kind of honor the ethos of Star Wars and ideas around the Force and also challenge them, hopefully harmoniously."

What Is Star Wars: The Acolyte About?

In Star Wars: The Acolyte, a former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

The ensemble cast of The Acolyte will also include Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Margarita Levieva.

When Will Star Wars: The Acolyte Premiere?

Star Wars: The Acolyte does not have an exact release date, but it is expected to make its debut on Disney+ at some point this summer.

"We're taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don't know much about," Headland explained in a previous interview. "My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, 'Well, how did things get to this point?' How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?'"

"We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment," Headland added. "The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it's almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about," Headland says. "The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that's how little they're getting into skirmishes."

Star Wars: The Acolyte will debut exclusively on Disney+ this year. If you haven't checked out Disney+ yet and you want to give it a go, you can do that here.

Note: This is not a sponsored post, but if you purchase one of the awesome products featured above, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.

"In order to ensure our security and continuing stability," Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) told the Senate in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, "the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years." As liberty died with thunderous applause, Emperor Palpatine ushered in a new era. The Fall of the Jedi was over. The Reign of the Empire had begun. While the Emperor would rule the galaxy for the next two decades, his reign sparked a rebellion that eventually brought about the end of the evil Empire.

Disney and DK Publishing announced Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, a new book that will take a deep dive into the Emperor's rise to power and his fall from the throne in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. The book will span the Fall of the Jedi, Reign of the Empire, and Age of Rebellion eras of the official Star Wars timeline, and will explore the dark times from stories across mediums -- movies, games, series, books, and comics -- with chapters covering every aspect of the Emperor's regime.

Dr. Chris Kempshall, a historian who co-authored the "historical" DK book Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy, wrote the book available to buy on July 9.

"So much of how we think about Star Wars is based around what we see of the rebels. But that leaves a big empty space for the Empire," Kempshall told StarWars.com. "What was their experience of ruling the galaxy and fighting the war? What would people think about the Empire once it was gone?

Kempshall continued: "I've always found the Empire utterly fascinating both as a fan and then as a historian. Working on Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy helped me think really long and hard about what in-universe historians might say about the Empire, but it only gave me a taste. I -- much like Anakin -- wanted more! That's what this book has been for me and Beaumont Kin. The chance to fully and deeply explore the realities of the Empire and to show all of you what it looks like up close. This is my first solo Star Wars book but it's one I've wanted to write for most of my life."

Dee Bradley Baker has been the voice of any number of iconic characters over the course of his long career, but it's less common that you also get to see his face. If he were to make a cameo in the live-action Star Wars universe, though, the Star Wars: The Bad Batch star doesn't have any hangups about making eye contact with the audience. Instead, he thinks it would be funny to pay homage to a Jawa costume he had as a child. In the vein of The Mandalorian's Jon Favreau, though, he wouldn't want to be digitally sized down,but instead to be "the [Buddy the Elf] of Jawas."

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

"That's a fun idea. I think if I were offered a Star Wars cameo, if Dave Filoni or Jon Favreau or someone gave me a call, 'Come on down to Culver City, let's put you in a costume,' I think it might be non-human, and I might want it to be the tall Jawa," Baker told ComicBook.com. "Like, the Elf of Jawas. That would be me, because that was my first Star Wars gig, was being a Jawa. The year after the year after Episode IV came out, I had a Jawa costume my parents made for me. So I wouldn't mind being a Jawa. I don't need to be seen, my face doesn't need to be seen."

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuted its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire episode release schedule:

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is back for its third and final season on Disney+ and Michelle Ang, who voices Omega in the series, is looking back on the fond memories she'll take from her Star Wars role. Speaking to ComicBook.com at the Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 press junket, Ang discussed the surprising premiere episode and the final season's darker tone. Responding to our question about her favorite Star Wars: The Bad Batch memory, Ang doesn't name a particular episode, line, or scene, but instead puts forth a recurring theme.

"That's such a hard question," Ang says. "I'm not very good at remembering lines like that, but anytime Omega basically reminds everyone that the clones are our brothers, like this sort of this epic camaraderie that extends past people that she hasn't even met yet, this feeling of absolute connectedness to people and this desire to protect and look after them... That sort of intention just feels so important and epic and so much of who Omega is.

How will Star Wars: The Bad Batch end for Omega?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 is the final season of the Star Wars animated series, but is it the end for Omega in the Star Wars universe? Without spoiling any details about the series finale, Ang called the show's ending "bittersweet" and made it clear that she wants more Omega stories.

"I mean listen, it was really bittersweet," Ang says of Star Wars: The Bad Batch ending. She goes on to say she's "grateful for every step of this journey - nothing has ever been taken for granted, at least from my experience."

"I hoped there was a long, long, storyline potential for this to continue for a long time, but I also feel like our creators have done a beautiful service to these characters that they've brought into this series, and this is a nice place to end it," Ang says. "Without giving away too many spoilers, I think that people who have followed along will feel like it's a satisfying end. But yeah, I could've continued, I could've done more."

What is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 about?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off. The Bad Batch is still reeling from losing one of their members, Tech, and determined to rescue Omega from capture at Mount Tantiss.

According to Disney+, in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, "the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire."

Who is in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch cast?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuted its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 episode release schedule:

Season 3 Episode Schedule:

• ? 2/21: Episode 301 "Confined," Episode 302 "Paths Unknown," Episode 303 "Shadows of Tantiss" (debut)
• ? 2/28: Episode 304 "A Different Approach"
• ? 3/6: Episode 305 "The Return"
• ? 3/13: Episode 306 "Infiltration" & Episode 307 "Extraction"
• ? 3/20: Episode 308 "Bad Territory"
• ? 3/27: Episode 309 "The Harbinger"
• ? 4/3: Episode 310 "Identity Crisis" & Episode 311 "Point of No Return"
• ? 4/10: Episode 312 "Juggernaut"
• ? 4/17: Episode 313 "Into the Breach"
• ? 4/24: Episode 314 "Flash Strike"
• ? 5/1: Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (finale)

Over the years, Star Wars props and memorabilia have sold for a pretty penny. Last year, an original X-Wing sold for a record-setting $2.6 million, and other famous pieces from the franchise have also been auctioned off in recent years. Last week, Deadline reported that the latest Star Wars item to sell was an original draft script that once belonged to Harrison Ford (Han Solo). While this item didn't break any records, it still went for a decent amount of money.

According to the report, Ford left the script behind at a London rental, and it was sold for over $13,000. The script was a fourth draft of the original Star Wars screenplay. The pages were reportedly incomplete, but they did include some iconic scenes such as Chewbacca's introduction. The script was dated March 15, 1976, which was a little over a year before the film hit theaters. It also featured the title, The Adventures of Luke Starkiller.

The script was sold to an Austrian collector during a livestream auction last weekend. "It's got his DNA on it. It might even have [Ford's] sweat on it," Sarah Torode, co-owner of Excalibur Auctions, said during the auction.

Apparently, the owners of the home once rented by Ford found the script and claimed they didn't know who Ford or his Star Wars co-stars were despite the fact that the cast frequented the home in the summer of 1976.

What's Next For Harrison Ford?

Ford's Star Wars days are behind him, but he will soon be seen in another Disney-owned franchise: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor is taking over as Thaddeus Ross, who was originally played by William Hurt. Ford recently filmed Captain America: Brave New World, and while many suspect he will be turning into Red Hulk during the film, Ford claims he doesn't know anything about it.

"What is the Red Hulk?" Ford asked ComicBook.com during a chat in support of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny last year. After a brief explainer, Ford turned it around on his co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, blaming her for not telling him about the character's history.

When asked if fans can expect to see Red Hulk's first live-action appearance in Brave New World, Ford added that "it may or it may not" be included. However, recent evidence suggests Ford was just playing coy, and that Red Hulk will, in fact, be in the film.

Captain America: Brave New World is currently scheduled to hit theaters on February 14th, 2025. In the meantime, you can watch Ford in various Star Wars and Indiana Jones films on Disney+.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuted this week on Disney+ with the first three episodes of the Star Wars animated series' final season, which were darker in tone. Up until now, Star Wars: The Bad Batch - which some consider to be the last Star Wars project with George Lucas' influence - has been about Clone Force 99 keeping themselves and the young clone Omega outside of the Empire's reach. That changed in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2's finale, when the Empire captured Omega and took her to Mount Tantiss, where Chief Scientist Royce Hemlock leads experiments related to M-count and Project Necromancer.

That turn of events has resulted in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 having a somewhat more serious tone. The season opener is a muted episode that looks at Omega's repressed existence within the halls of Mount Tantiss, a far cry from the high adventure that characterized most episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch prior. ComicBook.com spoke to Michelle Ang, who voices Omega, ahead of the Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 premiere. In addition to expressing a bittersweet sentiment about Omega's story ending, she discussed Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3's unorthodox season premiere episode.

"Whenever I get a script, it becomes my sort of manuscript, my touchstone," Ang explains. "It doesn't work well for me to look too far forward or too reflective. I have to know where I have come from emotionally. But really, the scripts are so well done and so thoughtful that that becomes what I lean on for performance. But I was relieved that we were starting that way because Season 2 ended so intensely. I think it would have been horrible to just have launched into some sort of like business as usual mission in Season 3. And I will say I had a lot of fun because I feel like season three is a lot darker. It's more dangerous. There's a quality to it that feels more thriller but still exciting. There's a lot more tension because, I guess in honesty, the stakes are higher."

Ang continued talking about the darker tone of Star Wars: The Bad Batch's final season. Like many good modern adventure cartoons, she thinks Star Wars: The Bad Batch may have aged up with its target audience.

"There's medical testing on living beings happening," she says. "It's dark. It's dark. But, you know, maybe that's also clever for the creators because for some of the younger - The Bad Batch is accessible for all kinds of people. I think that's the cool thing about it. But for some of the people who chose to bring in younger viewers or younger family members to watch it from Season 1, perhaps, three years in, they are now ready to have this sort of content. Maybe that's why, too. But it did have a different flavor. I'm so glad that you picked up on it because I definitely picked up on it as a performer, and it took us to different places."

What is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 about?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off. The Bad Batch is still reeling from losing one of their members, Tech, and determined to rescue Omega from capture at Mount Tantiss.

According to Disney+, in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, "the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire."

Who is in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch cast?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuted its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 episode release schedule:

Season 3 Episode Schedule:

• ? 2/21: Episode 301 "Confined," Episode 302 "Paths Unknown," Episode 303 "Shadows of Tantiss" (debut)
• ? 2/28: Episode 304 "A Different Approach"
• ? 3/6: Episode 305 "The Return"
• ? 3/13: Episode 306 "Infiltration" & Episode 307 "Extraction"
• ? 3/20: Episode 308 "Bad Territory"
• ? 3/27: Episode 309 "The Harbinger"
• ? 4/3: Episode 310 "Identity Crisis" & Episode 311 "Point of No Return"
• ? 4/10: Episode 312 "Juggernaut"
• ? 4/17: Episode 313 "Into the Breach"
• ? 4/24: Episode 314 "Flash Strike"
• ? 5/1: Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (finale)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is now in its final season, and the last chapter of Clone Force 99's story has some ominous shadows hanging over it. The Bad Batch was created as enhanced versions of the Clone soldiers created from Jango Fett - including "Omega," a female naturally-grown clone of Jango whose genetics have always been teased as pivotal to the larger Star Wars Saga.

(SPOILERS) Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3's premiere episodes saw Omega still in the clutches of Royce Hemlock, Imperial scientist in charge of the Advanced Science Division. Royce was systematically combing through clone DNA on behalf of Emperor Palpatine and "Project Necromancer," which Star Wars fans know is the origin of Darth Sidious' process of continuing his life through cloning (see: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).

In Episode 3, "Shadows of Tantiss", Omega's creator, Kamino geneticist Nala Se, warns her that Royce is has a sample of her DNA that will reveal Omega to be the key to "M-Count" transfer - i.e., the process Darth Sidious requires to transfer his Midi-chlorians and their Force potential into a cloned body. Nala Se helped Omega and Clone Force 99's estranged member Crosshair escape from Royce's facility on Mount Tantiss, seeking to reunite with the rest of the Bad Batch. However, Royce discovers the breakthrough he needs is inside of Omega, and so he lets her escape temporarily, knowing the resources of the Empire will eventually allow him to locate and re-capture her.

Will Omega Die In The Bad Batch Final Season?

Like so many Star Wars stories that are jumping back into the Imperial Era, there's a certain amount of predetermined outcome when it comes to The Bad Batch. Clone Force 99 doesn't seem to be around by the time of The Mandalorian following the Empire's fall; and we know that Palpatine does manage to create several different clone (or "Strandcast") bodies that continue his legacy decades after the Battle of Endor, into the era of the First Order and Sith Eternal cult once again threatening the universe.

Given the implications of the larger canon, it's hard to imagine there's a happy ending for Omega. ComicBook.com spoke to Omega voice actress Michelle Ang, who teased that fans should prepare for a "bittersweet" ending to Omega's arc:

"I mean listen, it was really bittersweet," Ang said in regards to first learning (then performing) the Bad Batch ending. She added that she's "Grateful for every step of this journey - nothing has ever been taken for granted, at least from my experience."

In terms of what happens to Omega, Ang would only share that "I hoped there was a long, long, storyline potential for this to continue for a long time, but I also feel like our creators have done a beautiful service to these characters that they've brought into this series, and this is a nice place to end it."

Ang didn't shy away from a more direct question about what kind of emotion she felt when first seeing Omega's ending, stating, "Without giving away too many spoilers, I think that people who have followed along will feel like it's a satisfying end. But yeah I could've continued, I could've done more."

Finally, she teased fans with the idea that The Bad Batch's ending will have to address the central theme of the series: namely, do these characters created as tools of war and violence have the potential to map their own souls and create different lives for themselves?

"I think... there is a trajectory that was set up in the dynamic of these soldiers being thrust into becoming big brothers... caretakers of this young child, and then forcing them to imagine their own autonomous future outside of being owned by anyone else," Ang explained. "I guess if that's the preliminary setup, then yeah where we end up in Season 3 is kind of full-circle in answering that question for themselves."

The key question is whether the soldiers of Clone Force 99 ultimately discover more about themselves that can serve as the foundation of a peaceful life - or if they come to discover and accept that they have one true purpose in life, and follow that purpose all the way to the end. Going out as a family and setting back the Empire and Palpatine's research and exploration of clones for decades (if not forever) would still be a major "win" for Omega and brothers - and certainly a "bittersweet" ending for fans to experience.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 is streaming on Disney+.

Star Wars: The Acolyte is an upcoming mystery/thriller series that is set at the end of the High Republic, roughly a full century before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The new show is set to star Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Jodie Turner-Smith (Murder Mystery 2), Dafne Keen (Logan), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), and more. Recently, it was reported that the show has been targeted for a summer release, which was seemingly confirmed by Collider today.

According to the report, The Acolyte is slated to debut on Disney+ on June 5th. At the time of this writing, the date has not been confirmed by Disney or Lucasfilm.

Leslye Headland Teases The Acolyte:

The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland has spoken about the series and teased what Star Wars fans can expect.

"We're taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don't know much about," Headland explained in a previous interview. "My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, 'Well, how did things get to this point?' How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?'"

"We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment," Headland added. "The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it's almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about," Headland says. "The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that's how little they're getting into skirmishes."

"The truth is that I, as a major mega fan, came to them with this idea. And I said, 'I think the best place to put this is in an era you guys have not quite explored yet,'" Headland revealed to Vanity Fair. "They were very enthusiastic. It wasn't that they didn't want to explore that [existing] world, but I think that they already were because The Mandalorian and a lot of the other television projects were really relying on legacy characters."

Star Wars: The Acolyte will debut exclusively on Disney+ later this year. Stay tuned for more updates about the show and other upcoming Star Wars projects.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch returns for its third and final season today, and the debut episodes mention "M-Count" and "Project Necromancer." These are not new concepts, but they're not usually front and center of the Star Wars narrative. Thus even longtime Star Wars fans may not be familiar with them. But now, Star Wars: The Bad Batch may have provided the key that unlocks how it connects with Star Wars: The Mandalorian, and how those shows lead into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, forming the backbone of one overarching narrative focused on Emperor Palpatine's death and resurrection that involves Omega and Grogu.

So let's talk about M-Count and Project Necromancer. Then, we'll consider how Project Necromancer ties various Star Wars stories together.

What is M-Count in Star Wars?

M-count touches on a controversial idea introduced 25 years ago, in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: midi-chlorians, microscopic lifeforms that dwell within all living organisms. Midi-chlorians are a conduit for the Force, a necessary link that allows certain "Force-sensitive" beings to commune with and manipulate the Force.

M-count is a measurement of the number of midi-chlorians an individual carries within them. High M-count correlates to being powerful in the Force. Anakin Skywalker, "the Chosen One," had the highest M-count ever recorded at 20,000 when Qui-Gon Jinn tested his blood on Tatooine in The Phantom Menace.

M-count comes up in the first few episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch's final season. It seems the work being done by Doctor Hemlock at Mount Tantiss involves figuring out to create clones that have the same M-count as the original person they're clones of, and that's key to Project Necromancer.

What is Project Necromancer in Star Wars?

Project Necromancer is still largely shrouded in mystery. It was first mentioned in The Mandalorian, when Captain Gilad Pellaeon brought it up during a meeting of the Shadow Council, noting that Commandant Brendol Hux was continuing his work on the project. Thrawn's return to the galaxy, according to Pellaeon, will provide Hux with enough time to complete Project Necromancer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3's third episode sees Emperor Palpatine taking a personal interest in Project Necromancer, which he says is crucial to the longevity of the Empire. Maintaining M-count across clones is vital to the project, and Palpatine tells Hemlock the Empire's resources are entirely at this disposal in pursuing that goal.

How does Project Necromancer tie Star Wars together?

While no one has stated frankly what Project Necromancer is, it isn't hard to conceive a solid theory, especially given the name. The obvious answer is that Project Necromancer's goal is to provide Emperor Palpatine with clones he can transfer his consciousness into after death, thus making him functionally immortal. When Palpatine talks about Project Necromancer being vital to the longevity of the Empire, he's talking about his lifespan.

What does the timeline of Project Necromancer look like? It seems to start after the fall of Kamino, with Hemlock setting up his operation in Mount Tantiss (a key location from the original Thrawn trilogy). There, he forces Nala Se to help him study the clone troopers they've captured in search of a way to prevent M-count degradation in the cloning process. Nala Se keeps hidden that she already has seen this in a clone. Omega's sample shows no sign of M-count degradation. Once Hemlock learns of this, Omega graduates from being an expendable hostage used to force Nala Se's cooperation to an indispensable resource for Hemlock's work. Omega's escape from Mount Tantiss at the end of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, Episode 3 likely sets up a pursuit that will continue for the remainder of the season.

While we don't know what becomes of Omega or Hemlock yet, we know something about Project Necromancer's future. Project Necromancer isn't complete when Darth Vader kills the Emperor in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, or else there'd be no reason for Commandant Hux to continue working on it at the time of The Mandalorian.

Then there's Doctor Pershing's work on Grogu. The Imperial Remnant's desire to capture Grogu, a Force-sensitive Jedi youngling with a high M-count, is likely tied to the continued pursuit of M-count degradation-free cloning. There's even some territorial sparring over the Child during that Shadow Council meeting where Hux's work is mentioned. It seems Moff Gideon went rogue when he took Grogu for himself and used the Child as the basis for his work on the Dark Troopers and enhanced clones of himself.

With Gideon and his work finished, it seems the Imperial Remnant returns to its original plan: bring back Thrawn so he can keep the New Republic busy long enough to complete Project Necromancer and bring the Emperor back. The plan eventually success, with Palpatine's return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Whether that's the result of Project Necromancer as headed by Hux, or work being done by the Sith Eternal on Exegol, or a combination of both is unknown.

In a way, this plot echoes two stories from Star Wars Legends. In the original Thrawn trilogy, Thrawn deployed plans to keep the New Republic on the backfoot while he pursued technology hidden in Mount Tantiss, using that tech to create a new clone army. In the Star Wars: Dark Empire comics, the Emperor returned from the grave in a clone body. Combine those two throughlines, and you've got the same basic trajectory of the post-Return of the Jedi canon meta-narrative.

Star Wars: The Bad Season 3's first three episodes are streaming now on Disney+. Future episodes debut weekly on Wednesdays on Disney+.

Arguably the two most popular Star Wars video games of all-time are coming back on modern platforms. Announced initially during Nintendo's latest Direct this morning, it was revealed that both Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will soon be coming back in the form of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. And while this package was unveiled in association with the Nintendo Switch, this Battlefront re-release will also be heading to PlayStation and Xbox.

As a way of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series, Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection will be launching next month on March 14 across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. These new versions of each game have received slight graphical improvements but otherwise remain very true to their original forms. As a result, even those who haven't played Battlefront in quite some time should be able to jump into this Classic Collection and be intimately familiar with it.

You can get a look at the initial trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection right here:

Perhaps the best part of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is that it will feature new content not seen in the original games. When it comes to Star Wars: Battlefront, a new map based on Jabba's Palace will be available to play. Meanwhile, with Star Wars: Battlefront 2, four new maps that span Bespin, Rhen Var, and Yavin 4 will be present. Beyond this, Battlefront 2 will also introduce two new playable Heroes in the form of Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress.

For those looking to play Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection with friends from yesteryear, online multiplayer will also be present across all versions of the game. Multiplayer matches will be able to support up to 64 players and will include all of the original game modes from both Battlefront titles. All in all, this seems to be exactly what Star Wars fans have been holding out hope for over the past few years and Aspyr seems to have now finally delivered on those wishes.

What do you think of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection based on what has been shown so far? And will you be picking this up for yourself when it releases next month? Let me know either down in the comments or reach out to me on social media at @MooreMan12.

Star Wars continues its deep-dive into the hears Luke Skywalker spent training as a Jedi between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Luke has been on a quest to learn more about the mysteries of the Kyber crystals as he seeks to forge his new lightsaber, after losing the duel with Darth Vader. Luke's quest has taken him inside the dark heart of a Sith Kyber crystal, where he's learned firsthand just how the Jedi's ancient enemy sacrifices their souls for the power of the dark side.

During a visit to a Sith Kyber crystal, Luke discovered an entire realm inside, where the "echo" of a mysterious Sith Lord resided. A big threat to the galaxy (the AI entity the scourge) distracted Luke from his mission, but the preview for Marvel Comics' Star Wars #43 reveals that his return to the crystal realm is a trap! And the soul of that mysterious Sith is looking to do more with Luke than a simple chat.

As stated, Star Wars has been putting considerable focus on filling in the story gaps about how Luke Skywalker went from being the inexperience Force user who faced Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back, and the master Jedi who was wise enough to redeem his father by not fighting in Return of the Jedi. It's proven to be a much wider lane of creative opportunity than expected: Luke has not only gained new perspective and experience facing the Sith - he's also touched other realms of the Force, communed with Jedi from eras long past (The High Republic) and mastered his own life and mind since learning that Vader is Anakin, and losing his first fuel against the Sith Lord.

All in all, Luke's Jedi quest has helped to further establish him as the Jedi legend he ultimately becomes - it also does a subtle job of adding complexity to Luke's views and perspective on being a Jedi, which help make his future turn in the Sequel Trilogy feel more in line with the character.

Check out the synopsis and preview page(s) for Star Wars #43, below:

A SITH IN THE MIND'S EYE! LUKE SKYWALKER is trapped deep behind enemy lines, hunted by a rogue SITH who sees the nascent JEDI KNIGHT as his chance at new ascendancy. How will Luke survive...and who will he be if he does?

Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Steven Cummings
Cover by: Stephen Segovia
Page Count: 28 Pages
Release Date: February 21, 2024

Star Wars: The Bad Batch returns this week for its third and final season on Disney+, but it's the end of a much bigger era for Star Wars. ComicBook.com had the chance to speak with Dee Bradley Baker, who voices each member of the Bad Batch except for Omega. Before the Bad Batch debuted, Baker voiced all the clones in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. ComicBook.com asked Baker if he feels like Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 serves as a fitting conclusion to the clones' story as it began back in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He feels it does, and also notes that, in a way, Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 is the last bit of Star Wars to have George Lucas' DNA, since he had the idea to introduce Clone Force 99 in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

"Well, I think you're right that, in a sense, this really is an end of an era," Baker says. "Because the clones in the Bad Batch was the final element of The Clone Wars that George Lucas had his fingerprints on. This was his idea, to initially start and give them a little arc and give it a try. And everybody said, "Yeah, we like it," including George, and then they went back in to do that. So they finished The Clone Wars and, and this is kind of the final escape pod that made it out of that series, is The Bad Batch, and they're bringing it in for a landing in spectacular Star Wars fashion that I really know that the fans are going to love. It's such great Star Wars, I think, and I can't wait for people to see it.

When did George Lucas come up with the Bad Batch for Star Wars?

George Lucas conceived of the Bad Batch while working with Dave Filoni on the original run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, Star Wars: The Clone Wars had its run cut short after Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney and the franchise's focus shifted to the sequel trilogy. As part of The Clone Wars Legacy project, Lucasfilm released the unfinished story reels for the episodes that would have introduced the Bad Batch online.

The episode only existed in that form for years until Disney announced that it would release a final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+ in 2020. The premiere episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 is titled "The Bad Batch" and kicked off the four-episode arc that introduced Clone Force 99 and saw Echo joining the squad, priming them for their eventual spinoff.

What is Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 about?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off. The Bad Batch is still reeling from losing one of their members, Tech, and determined to rescue Omega from capture at Mount Tantiss.

According to a press release from Disney+, in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, "the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions, and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire."

Who is in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch cast?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuts its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire episode release schedule:

Season 3 Episode Schedule:

• ? 2/21: Episode 301 "Confined," Episode 302 "Paths Unknown," Episode 303 "Shadows of Tantiss" (debut)
• ? 2/28: Episode 304 "A Different Approach"
• ? 3/6: Episode 305 "The Return"
• ? 3/13: Episode 306 "Infiltration" & Episode 307 "Extraction"
• ? 3/20: Episode 308 "Bad Territory"
• ? 3/27: Episode 309 "The Harbinger"
• ? 4/3: Episode 310 "Identity Crisis" & Episode 311 "Point of No Return"
• ? 4/10: Episode 312 "Juggernaut"
• ? 4/17: Episode 313 "Into the Breach"
• ? 4/24: Episode 314 "Flash Strike"
• ? 5/1: Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (finale)

Star Wars: Shatterpoint is adding characters from several popular TV shows in the coming months. Today, Atomic Mass Games officially announced a trio of new Squad Packs, bringing in several popular characters from The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch. The "Certified Guild" Squad Pack comes with The Mandalorian as a Primary Unit, Greef Karga (played by the late Carl Weathers) as a Secondary Unit, and IG-11 as a Supporting Unit. The "You Have Something I Want" Squad Pack adds Moff Gideon as a Primary Unit, with a Death Trooper Escort as a Secondary Unit and a pair of Dark Troopers as a Supporting Unit. Finally, the "Clone Force 99" Squad Pack adds the Bad Batch to the game, with Clone Sergeant Hunter as a Primary Unit (and playable in both Clone Wars Era and Galactic Civil War Era squads), Wrecker and Omega as a Secondary Unit (once again, playable in both eras of the game), Echo and Tech as Supporting Units (playable in both eras) and Crosshair as a Clone Wars era Secondary Unit.

The Certified Guild Squad Pack is coming to STAR WARS: Shatterpoint. Grab your brushes and get ready to paint your favorite characters from The Mandalorian. Pre-order today: https://t.co/n4ksXJzOds pic.twitter.com/5yXVJZslid

-- Atomic Mass Games (@atomicmassgames) February 19, 2024

We have something you want! Moff Gideon and his terrifying death troopers join STAR WARS: Shatterpoint in the You Have Something I Want Squad Pack. Pre-Orders are available now: https://t.co/KOaNTkPblW pic.twitter.com/PKHBdmVYET

-- Atomic Mass Games (@atomicmassgames) February 19, 2024

Clone Force 99 is ready to blast their way onto your table! The Bad Batch joins STAR WARS: Shatterpoint with super effective abilities to support each other as well as benefits for other Galactic Republic squads. Available for pre-order now: https://t.co/jqHZDbmSSp pic.twitter.com/2eZe6V7xYj

-- Atomic Mass Games (@atomicmassgames) February 19, 2024

In Star Wars: Shatterpoint, players battle over objective points on the tabletop, using a variety of abilities and actions unique to each unit. Players build their Strike Teams for Star Wars: Shatterpoint by building two Squads made up of a Primary Unit, a Secondary Unit, and a Supporting Unit. Each Squad pack for Star Wars: Shatterpoint comes with a pre-built squad, although the rules specify that you can mix and match units from different squad packs together, provided the figures meet certain points requirements and all come from the same era. One key difference between Star Wars: Shatterpoint and the Star Wars: Legion tabletop miniatures game is that Shatterpoint has brought in characters from the TV shows in almost at the outset, with characters from Kenobi among the first to be added to the game.

The two Mandalorian-related Squad Packs will be released in May, while the Bad Batch-themed Squad Pack will be released in June.

The ComicBook Nation Crew reviews Marvel's Madame Web and Bob Marley: One Love. There's a breakdown of the MCU Fantastic Four cast reveal and reactions to new trailers for X-Men '97, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Dune 2, and Invincible Season 2 Part 2.

PLUS: Impressions on the new Star Wars: Unlimited card game!

Madame Web Review

ComicBook.com argues that there's some charm to be found in Madame Web's tale of female bonding:

While Madame Web might not contain the heart-pumping tension, massive franchise connections, or painfully authentic verisimilitude of many of its modern contemporaries, it makes a convincing argument that an entertaining enough story can still be found outside of those traits. The charisma of its lead heroines and the specificity of its premise prevent it from being too boring, too goofy, or too irredeemable to ignore. For better or for worse, Madame Web further illustrates that Sony's Spider-Man Universe has potential when not trying to be a modern cinematic universe at all, and instead being a springboard for the most niche genre stories imaginable.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Bob Marley: One Love Review

ComicBook Nation host Kofi Outlaw writes that One Love is a more reverent tribute to Bob Marley than it is a biopic:

One Love is also an undeniably favorable - even reverent - look at Bob Marley, skipping over many of the rougher edges of his life (not to mention the multiple women in it) except for some visual Easter eggs, dialogue references, and (just) one scene of conflict between Bob and Rita that hints at much more. The smoothed edges are not surprising, given that Rita Marley, her and Bob's son Ziggy, and daughter Cedella are all producers on the film - with the family's Tuff Gong Pictures being one of the studios behind it. Compassionate edits are expected, yes, but it results in a biopic that feels more whimsical than real. The 2012 Kevin Macdonald documentary film Marley still stands as the most comprehensive and interesting look at the man behind the myth - but no doubt, Bob Marley: One Love is a beautiful (if indulgent) celebration of that myth. And the love is definitely felt.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Subscribe to ComicBook Nation!

There are several additional ways you can subscribe and/or listen to ComicBook Nation, which are listed below. BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE as we drop all sorts of BONUS MATERIAL on YouTube and/or audio platforms, in addition to our main shows!

1. SUBSCRIBE to our Official YouTube Page
2. Listen via the media player embedded below.
   
3. Check us out on Spotify or Stitcher
4. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio

Each episode has a deep dive into the current biggest discussion topics and debates within geek culture: movies, tv, comics, and video games are regular features, with genres like sci-fi, anime, and wrestling also featured regularly. The ONLY show covering ALL THINGS Geek Culture!

After every show we'll keep the discussion on Twitter:

• @ComicBookNation
• @KofiOutlaw
• @MattAguilarCB
• @JanellWheeler

Have thoughts to share? Want us to cover something on the show? Let us know in the comments!

According to a new report from a very reliable source, a first-person Star Wars Mandalorian game is in development at Respawn Entertainment, the EA-owned studio responsible for Apex Legends, Titanfall, and the Star Wars Jedi series. It is unclear what this means for the future of the Star Wars Jedi series following Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, but according to the rumor the game is in the early stages of development. This means there is no mention of a release date beyond the note that the game is "at least" two years away. Perhaps due to this, platforms are also not mentioned.

As for the report, it comes the way of Insider Gaming, and more specifically, Tom Henderson, one of the industry's best sources, and a source who has relayed accurate information pertaining to EA games in the past. In other words, the information comes from a source who would have an inside scoop on this project. Unfortunately, this inside scoop doesn't contain a wealth of details on the game. Nor does it mention anything about Xbox exclusivity, something previous rumors about this project have mentioned.

What is noted is the game will focus on "mobility" and "style," which suggests it will be more faithful to an arcadey experience rather than faithful to realism. The Mandalorian's jetpack is mentioned, which apparently "allows the player to perform horizontal dashing, vertical jumping, boost sliding, and more. To this end, this aspect of the game is likened to Apex Legends. And like Apex Legends, it will apparently be "very fast-paced" and rewards players who adapt to this playstyle. One way it will do this is by regenerating health based on successive kills.

Given that it is a bounty hunter game, players can also expect to have a wide range of weapons at their disposal. This arsenal supposedly includes a wrist rocket, grapple hook, and a visor that players will use to tag enemies and bounties.

With all of this mobility, you may expect the game to be an open-world game, but it is said Respawn Entertainment has instead opted for more linear levels that will take players to many different planets.

The report also makes note that the game was once led by creative director Mohammad Alavi, who has since left the studio. Obviously, it is never great to lose your creative director in the middle of a project, especially this early, so this is worth consideration. And of course, remember everything here is a rumor, and thus should be taken with a grain of salt. Further, even if everything here is accurate, it doesn't mean it will remains accurate over time. Everything is always subject to change.

Hasbro's latest Star Wars: The Vintage Collection release is a 4-pack inspired by Season 7 of The Clone Wars, and it's no coincidence that it's debuting here on ComicBook.com just days away from the Disney+ The Bad Batch Season 3 premiere on February 21st. The set includes 3.75-inch scale figures of Ahsoka Tano (Siege of Mandalore), R7-A7, CH-33P (Cheep) and RG-G1 (G-G) along with Ahoska Tano lightsaber accessories.

Specifically, the set is inspired by one of the most pivotal moments in Star Wars history. After the Order 66 Jedi purge was enacted, Ahsoka Tano teamed up with the droids in this set and succeeded in removing Clone Captain Rex's inhibitor chip, thereby freeing him from Palpatine's command. You'll be able to pick up the Escape From Order 66 TVC set starting today, February 15th at 10am PT / 1pm ET right here on Amazon, where it will be an exclusive pre-order priced at $64.99. It will arrive on your doorstep this Summer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 Cast and Release Date

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 stars Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as the voice of every Bad Batch member and Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) as Omega. The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It's Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (Ahsoka, The Mandalorian), with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as senior producer. Rau is also the supervising director, with Corbett as the head writer.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 debuts its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 21st, on Disney+. Here's the entire episode release schedule:

Season 3 Episode Schedule:

• ? 2/21: Episode 301 "Confined," Episode 302 "Paths Unknown," Episode 303 "Shadows of Tantiss" (debut)
• ? 2/28: Episode 304 "A Different Approach"
• ? 3/6: Episode 305 "The Return"
• ? 3/13: Episode 306 "Infiltration" & Episode 307 "Extraction"
• ? 3/20: Episode 308 "Bad Territory"
• ? 3/27: Episode 309 "The Harbinger"
• ? 4/3: Episode 310 "Identity Crisis" & Episode 311 "Point of No Return"
• ? 4/10: Episode 312 "Juggernaut"
• ? 4/17: Episode 313 "Into the Breach"
• ? 4/24: Episode 314 "Flash Strike"
• ? 5/1: Episode 315 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" (finale)

Star Wars icon Ian McDiarmid is weighing in on the subject that has been confounding fans for going on half a decade now: Palpatine f***s?!

Ever since the now-infamous Sequel Trilogy finale Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Star Wars franchise has been retroactively trying to explain away the mess of how Palpatine returned - and how Sequel Trilogy heroine Rey was his descendant.

The story of Rey's origin and lineage is baffling for several reasons:

• The idea of Sheev Palpatine having kids that he didn't try to kill off seemed pretty out of character
• The actual explanation of how Darth Sidious "reproduced" was infinitely weirder and more confusing, with "strandcasts" (genetically engineered clone templates completed with DNA from other donors) is still such a wild "Star Warsy" idea that most mainstream fans aren't aware of it - or care to be.

Now Star Wars mainstream content like The Mandalorian, or various comic book projects have all been working hard to retroactively explain away the details of how Palpatine created and "piloted" strand-casts like Supreme Leader Snoke, and how Dathan ( the one successful surviving human strand-cast of Sidious who cast out because he lacked Force powers) fathered Rey.

However, amid all that retconning, Star Wars fans have been pulled into a larger discussion about if Palpatine even had a sex life. Now Ian McDiarmid is offering his opinion on that matter - in case you needed to know:

"Please don't pursue that line too vigorously," McDiarmid Empire Magazine "But yes, he does [have sex]. It's a horrible idea to think of Palpatine having sex in any shape or form. But then, of course, perhaps he didn't."

Star Wars has always found some choice ways to make the issue of reproduction pretty weird. Right from the start the Original Trilogy had a brother and sister inadvertently form romantic feelings for one another, and had the hero face the Freudian nightmare of having his father being an archvillain with better saber handling skills. Then George Lucas upped the ante with the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, framing Anakin Skywalker's entire birth as a sci-fi version of the Immaculate Conception. Midi-chlorians became the underlying basis for Force powers in the franchise - as well as some curious ideas about how the microscopic lifeforms shape life itself.

"Maybe it's all to do with Midi-chlorians - and don't ask me what those are," McDiarmid said, offering new possibilities for Palpatine's lineage. "Never trust your granddaughter. That's the T-shirt Palpatine got made. Shortly after his death," the actor joked.

It's wild to say, but Midi-chlorians are the best way to explain how Palpatine continued his life and his line. Revenge of the Sith has the now-famous scene of Palpatine hinting to Anakin that mastering forces of life and death through Midi-chlorians was his obsession. Having him accomplish what his Sith Master Darth Plagueis did not would be an actual arc.

Star Wars movies and TV shows are streaming on Disney+.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker capped off a journey that began in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope, and as is the nature of Star Wars fans, audiences were quick to make their frustrations with the film heard, with the return of Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine being a plot point that didn't sit well with some. Actor Ian McDiarmid recently addressed his villain's comeback, noting that he felt it fell perfectly in line with what audiences knew about Chancellor Palpatine and also Emperor Palpatine, expressing how many plans he believed the figure would concoct to accomplish his goals.

"A lot of people said it was ridiculous," McDiarmid shared with Empire Magazine. "Of course, he was dead at the end of Return of the Jedi! And frankly, I think George [Lucas] thought he'd killed me too. But J.J. [Abrams] thought it would be a good idea -- I wasn't going to argue with him."

He continued, "I felt that Palpatine always had a plan B -- probably a plan C, D, E, and F as well ... And he was an expert in cloning, so..."

In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke was poised to become the next great threat of the galaxy far, far away, and while it became clear he had tremendous influence over Kylo Ren, Star Wars: The Last Jedi showed Kylo overcoming that influence to kill Snoke. The opening scene of The Rise of Skywalker, though, showed that Palpatine had somehow projected his spiritual form across the galaxy in his final moments, so while his physical body was destroyed, his knowledge of clones allowed him to persist.

The reveal of Palpatine's power in the sequel trilogy confirmed that he was the overall threat of the prequel, original, and sequel trilogies. McDiarmid reflected on how proud he was to have cemented such a cinematic legacy.

"The thing that I'm most pleased about, and you know, this only came to a head when they asked me to come back for The Rise of Skywalker, is that every single evil act in all of the Star Wars franchise is either directly or indirectly down to that character," the actor confessed. "That is total evil, and that's strangely satisfying as an arc. I do feel fortunate to have been able to do it -- and other villains of cinema now have to compete with that."

The Rise of Skywalker also confirmed that Daisy Ridley's Rey was the progeny of Palpatine, and with a new film on the horizon set to focus on Rey, it's unknown if this lineage will factor into that adventure.

Stay tuned for updates on the future of the Star Wars franchise.

What do you think of the actor's remarks? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

After two decades away from the Star Wars franchise, Hayden Christensen has returned to play Darth Vader in a variety of Star Wars projects. The actor's time appearing in Ahsoka was a "bucket list" item he didn't know he had. In fact, according to Christensen himself, he wants to explore Anakin's time in The Clone Wars further if he gets the chance.

"The scenes that I got to do as Anakin on Ahsoka was a bucket-list item I didn't even know I had," Christensen said in a new cover story in Empire. "When I was getting ready to do Obi-Wan Kenobi, I started my Clone Wars deep-dive, and I loved it. I remember thinking, 'Man, it would be so cool to see some of that in live action.'" Though he only watched the animated show in recent years, he was long aware of what happened to Anakin during that time. "That was described to me by George Lucas when we were doing Episode III, the things that were going on in-between Episode II and III. So when Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau told me they wanted to explore some of that, I was so game. And I loved how it came out."

Work on Ahsoka Season Two has already started, though it's not immediately clear if Christensen will return once again to play Darth Vader--or Anakin Skywalker during a series of Clone Wars flashbacks. That said, the actor said he'd love to return at some point in the bear future.

"I would love to get to do more, I would love to get to continue with Star Wars. We'll see," Christensen shared with The Dagobah Dispatch podcast last December. "I don't know what the future holds, if such an opportunity presents itself, I'll be there with a big smile on my face. If it doesn't, I feel really grateful for getting to come back and do the work that I did, both in Obi-Wan and Ahsoka."

Fan-favorite Star Wars hero Ahsoka Tano returns in the brand new series on Disney+. Rosario Dawson stars in Star Wars: Ahsoka, which premiered on August 22nd on the streamer. The series picks up after the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, in which we saw the former Jedi searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and helping Luke Skywalker train Grogu. Ahsoka will be joined on her new mission alongside longtime allies Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as they attempt to track down Thrawn, who was last seen disappearing to the far reaches of space after a confrontation with Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). Star Wars: Ahsoka is the latest live-action series from Lucasfilm's creative duo of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

Samuel L. Jackson is getting antsy about making his return to the Star Wars Universe.

Jackson joined the Star Wars franchise in the 1999 film Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and made appearances throughout the Prequel Trilogy as Jedi Master and High Council Member, Master Mace Windu. Windu was known to be one of (if not THE) strongest Jedi Masters when it came to raw Force power and lightsaber skills. He nearly proved it in his pivotal duel with Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious on Coruscant, if not for Anakin Skywalker suddenly changing sides and helping Sidious by cutting off Windu's lightsaber hand, allowing Sidious to blast the Jedi Master out of a high-rise window.

Is Mace Windu Dead or Alive?

"HE'S NOT DEAD!!!" Samuel L. Jackson insisted to Empire Magazine when asked what his take is the character's current status in Star Wars canon.

Nearly twenty years after Mace Windu's apparent death in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, debate has never ended about whether he's truly dead. Windu's corpse was never shown; there was no funeral scene confirming his remains were found; while Star Wars has put out plenty of new canon confirming the whereabouts of so many PT-era characters that were left scattered or missing after Order 66, Windu is not one of them.

More to the point: Force-sensitive warriors like Darth Maul and Darth Vader have survived incredibly catastrophic if not fatal injuries, and returned; even someone as untrained as Sabine Wren was impaled on a lightsaber and survived. Luke Skywalker survived multiple rounds of Force Lightinging blasts from an older and more experienced and powerful Palpatine - so standards of its own canon, Star Wars has already established that a Master as powerful as Mace Windu could survive a Force Lightning bolt, severed hand, and long fall - especially if he had the presence of mind to break the fall with this Force abilities.

How To Bring Mace Windu Back

There have been a lot of fan-pitch ideas about how Mace Windu can return in Star Wars. The most popular ones seem to be:

1. An entire limited series detailing more of Mace Windu's life and backstory, as the "present-day" Windu fights to survive after his duel with Palpatine, and escape Order 66.
2. Mace Windu returning as a massive surprise twist in a different Star Wars project, opening the door to a later project (TV series, movie, comic, novel, podcast) that would fill in the blanks of how Mace Windu survived and what he did before re-emerging.

For his part, Samuel L. Jackson has one clear preference for what shoudl be included in a Mace Windu spinoff project: "EVERYTHING YES!!"

The Star Wars Prequels are now streaming on Disney+.

There's a lot of speculation about which actors from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story we could see pop up in Andor Season 2 - but there's a least one face from the cast we can now confirm we won't see.

Rouge One star Ben Mendelsohn was doing an interview with the Italian publication Bad Taste, in which he was asked directly whether there was more to do with his Star Wars villain character, Director Orson Krennic. Krennic made his debut in Rogue One as the man who led the development of the Death Star, by coercing scientist Galen Erso and others into developing its world-annihilating super weapon. Even though Krennic was killed during the Battle of Scarif and the Rebellion's heist of the Death Star plans, the character has since had a much wider arc established in canon - going back to his days as a standout student in the Republic's Future Program; the murky line between friendship and manipulation he established with fellow student Galen Erso; the ironic beginning of developing the Death Star for the Republic, his troubled first attempt on Geonosis, and his more determined effort after joining the Imperial ranks.

In between all those moments in Krennic's personal history are ample opportunities to show how the conniving engineer crossed paths with and/or influenced any number of other Star Wars characters and stories. Star Wars: The Bad Batch gave an animated version of Krennic another chance to shine in the franchise, in an organic and fun way. So it's possible - and Ben Mendelsohn can easily envision more:

"I think Krennic has a tremendous amount of things left to give to the audience," Mendelsohn explained. "What we need to understand about a character like Krennic is that, if he had had the chance, he would have tried to take over the entire game and it seems to me that this aspect has not yet been explored sufficiently."

Better yet, Ben Mendelsohn is ready and willing to take up those opportunities onscreen - but he admits that Lucasfilm isn't blowing up his phone about it right now:

"As for being contacted by Lucasfilm for a new project, I can tell you that no, I have not been approached for something like this. And yes, it would be great to see him again somewhere, but for now everything stops here. But as far as I'm concerned, I would be very willing to explore it further and significantly in that world. I never expected to play a character like that, but then again I never expected to become an actor either. For me they are all wonderful things."

Star Wars: Andor Season 2 will cover Cassian Andor's investigation into the Death Star, leading up to days before the events of Rogue One take place. Not having an appearance from Krennic would be a curios choice.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is now streaming on Disney+.

The newest Star Wars series may be coming a lot sooner than expected. According to one new report, The Acolyte should be hitting Disney+ this summer. First reported by Collider, a firm release date has yet to be revealed, though the site does say fans should be able to visit a galaxy far, far away sometime "Summer 2024."

The Acolyte is expected to be one of two Star Wars shows hitting Disney+ this year, the other being the Jude Law-starring Skeleton Crew. Exact release dates for either show have yet to be confirmed by Lucasfilm.

What is Star Wars: The Acolyte about?

The Acolyte is set some 50 years prior to the events of The Phantom Menace, in a period of the Star Wars called the High Republic. During this time, the Jedi reign supreme and the Sith are long-thought extinct.

"We're taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don't know much about," The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland explained in a previous interview. "My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, 'Well, how did things get to this point?' How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?'"

"We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment," Headland added. "The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it's almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about," Headland says. "The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that's how little they're getting into skirmishes."

The show's ensemble includes Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Margarita Levieva.

Star Wars: The Acolyte will debut exclusively on Disney+ at a later date. If you haven't checked out Disney+ yet and you want to give it a go, you can do that here.

Note: This is not a sponsored post, but if you purchase one of the awesome products featured above, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.

Star Wars: Andor Season 2 has wrapped filming - and series star Diego Luna is saying goodbye in a touching tribute he shared on social media:

Today is the last day of filming Andor. I could not be more thankful to the entire crew for this amazing experience and the years of hard work.

More than 700 people have worked on this production, and it is impossible to say goodbye and thank you to everyone individually, which is why I write here. THANK YOU for the love and the wonderful experience.

It cannot be stressed enough just how important all those people involved in Andor's production were to the show. One of the biggest consensus about the series is that it stands above a lot of other Star Wars productions because of the way showrunner Tony Gilroy and his team made, set pieces and environments truly 'come alive' by using real locations for shoots (instead of soundstages) and real groups of background extras and support players (instead of CGI). As Luna says, that is a team effort that has presumably only gotten more challenging in Season 2.

This is also a role that has had the biggest impact on Luna's career outside of Narcos: Mexico. After first introducing Star Wars fans to Cassian Andor in Rouge One, the character (and Luna) made enough of an impact to warrant a solo series expansion. Even when Luna came back for the Andor TV series, there was a lot of skepticism (if not backlash) about whether the character was worthy of a full series. Well, Luna, Gilroy and co. proved pretty much everyone wrong, delivering one of Star Wars' most powerful explorations of capitalism, fascism, rebellion, and the circular nature of fate. Andor has now joined Rogue One in the top of many Star Wars fans' rankings of the best of the franchise.

What Is Star Wars: Andor About?

Beginning five years before the events of Rogue One and A New Hope, Star Wars: Andor follows an ensemble cast of characters during the time that a Rebel Alliance is forming in opposition to the Galactic Empire. One of these characters is Cassian Andor, a thief who becomes a revolutionary and eventually joins the Rebellion. The series stars Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsg?rd, Fiona Shaw, Genevieve O'Reilly, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, and Elizabeth Dulau.

Andor Season 2 is currently NOT on Disney's release slate for 2024.

First launched at Star Wars Celebration 2023 as a Hasbro Pulse and shopDisney exclusive, the Star Wars The Black Series Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi Force Spirits 3-pack is now available to pre-order here at Entertainment Earth at the standard $77.99. That's only $1 away from free US shipping, so you might want to treat yourself to a small Star Wars bonus item to get over the threshold.

The set was launched as part of The Return of the Jedi 40th anniversary festivities, and includes 6-inch scale figures of Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi with Force Ghost deco. It also includes retro packaging.

Speaking of Star Wars anniversaries, LEGO is celebrating their 25 year partnership with Lucasfilm with a collection of new sets and events that will run through 2024. The first of these releases lauched earlier this month and details can be found below.

• 75379 LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary R2-D2 - $99.99 / 1050 pieces / Exclusive Darth Malak Minifig - See at LEGO / See on Amazon
• 75375 LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary Millennium Falcon - $84.99 / 921 pieces - See at LEGO
• 75376 LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary Tantive IV - $79.99 / 654 pieces - See at LEGO
• 75387 LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary Boarding the Tantive IV - $54.99 / 502 pieces / Exclusive Arc Trooper Fives Minifig - See at LEGO / See on Amazon
• 75377 LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary Invisible Hand - $49.99 / 557 pieces - See at LEGO
• Note that the updated LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary will also include an exclusive minifigure tied to this event, and pre-orders are live here on Amazon now.
  

Disney's theatrical Star Wars slate is about to jump to hyperspace. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced three new Star Wars movies from directors Dave Filoni (Ahsoka), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel), and James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). But to quote Yoda: "There is another." Lucasfilm revealed a fourth film, The Mandalorian & Grogu, slated to be the first Star Wars movie since Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. The Mandalorian series creator Jon Favreau is directing the theatrical release that the studio says will "lead Lucasfilm's ongoing feature-development slate."

And now we have The Mandalorian movie release date: May 22, 2026. Disney's release calendar reserved that Memorial Day weekend date and earmarked another two dates for upcoming untitled Star Wars movies: December 18, 2026 (likely Obaid-Chinoy's Rey Skywalker movie) and December 17, 2027 (potentially Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi or Filoni's New Republic movie).

"Looking to our 2025 theatrical slate, we're excited to bring audiences Captain America: Brave New World, Fantastic Four, Pixar's Elio, Zootopia 2, and Avatar 3," Disney CEO Bob Iger said Wednesday during a quarterly earnings call. "And we're already looking forward to 2026 and beyond with Frozen 3, the first Toy Story movie since 2019 [Toy Story 5], and a new Star Wars movie that brings the Mandalorian and Grogu to the big screen for the very first time."

The Mandalorian & Grogu will begin production this summer in Los Angeles. Favreau serves as executive producer with Filoni and Kennedy, who has described the "new story" as "a perfect fit for the big screen."

Starring Pedro Pascal as helmeted bounty hunter Din Djarin, The Mandalorian marked the first live-action Star Wars TV series when it launched alongside Disney+ in November 2019. A third season aired in 2023 that concluded with Din and Grogu -- his Mandalorian apprentice and adopted son -- settling on the once-lawless Outer Rim planet of Nevarro. It's there that Din becomes a hired gun for the fledgling New Republic, making a pact with Adelphi Ranger Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) to hunt down Imperial remnants still loyal to the fallen Empire.

"I'm excited about what we're doing right now, but the movie, I think, is gonna be great," Filoni, a writer-director and producer on The Mandalorian, recently told ET. "With Jon at the helm, it's gonna be fantastic, and he's so well-studied in Star Wars now, so he's got a great shorthand and I love collaborating with him. Just excited to share the future of what we're doing."

The first three seasons of The Mandalorian are streaming now on Disney+.

Gina Carano has filed a lawsuit against Disney for what she claims is wrongful termination. The suit, which is now being funded by Elon Musk, has now received a response from Disney CEO Bob Iger, however subtle it may have been. When asked if he had thoughts on Carano's new lawsuit filing in a recent interview with CNBC, Iger simply responded "none" before moving the conversation along.

Carano was fired from her Star Wars role of Cara Dune at the height of the pandemic for anti-trans and anti-Semitic social media posts.

"As a sign of X Corp's commitment to free speech, we're proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano's lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination," X's head of business operations Joe Benarroch shared in a statement announcing the platform's funding of the lawsuit.

In that same statement, Carano said she believe X--the social platform formerly known as Twitter--was one of the last places for free speech in the world.

"Some of us have been unjustly singled out, harassed, persecuted, and had our livelihoods stripped away because we dared to encourage conversation, asked questions, and refused to go along with the mob," Carano shared in a statement. She added, "I am honored that my case has been chosen to be supported by the company that has been one of the last glimmers of hope for free speech in the world."

Lucasfilm and Disney ultimately fired Carano after a #FireGinaCarano hashtag started trending after her comments.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," the statement from Lucasfilm reads. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

The Star Wars: Lando series was announced in December of 2020 and stagnated for years, though last year saw excitement heating up when reports revealed that not only would Donald Glover be returning for the project, but he would develop the project with his brother Stephen Glover, and that the project would now be a movie instead of a series. After the years of delays, Glover could have understandably parted ways from the galaxy far, far away, though he recently detailed how he loves the characters and his family's excitement for the franchise encouraged him to return. Star Wars: Lando doesn't currently have a release date.

"[Mr. and Mrs. Smith costar] Maya [Erskine] and I talk about nos a lot, it's the only power you have in this industry. But I said yes because I like the characters and my kids love Star Wars," Glover shared with The Hollywood Reporter about his Lando return. "And at this point, I just know when something's going to be good, because you're really fighting the industry when you [put your imprint on a franchise of that magnitude]. And it's not like ... I was going to say, and it's not like I hate the industry, but now I'm like, 'Do I hate the industry?'"

Glover debuted as Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and with the character not having a significant presence in the galaxy far, far away until the time of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, there's a lot of narrative gaps that the project could explore. Whether it will take place before the events of Solo or closer to the time of the original trilogy is currently unknown.

With Billy Dee Williams creating the character's swagger back in the late '70s, Glover had big shoes to fill, with the actor also sharing the advice the Star Wars vet offered him about the role.

"He was like, 'I don't know. Be charming.' And he wasn't looking at me. That was my favorite part. I think a waitress or something went by," Glover recalled of Williams' advice. This echoed the input original Mr. and Mrs. Smith actor Brad Pitt offered, with Glover expressing, "He kind of did. He's like, 'Oh yeah, I'm sure you'll do a great job.' And they're both right, in a sense: Just do what works for you."

Stay tuned for updates on Star Wars: Lando.

Are you looking forward to Glover's return as Lando? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

One of the biggest surprises in the world of Star Wars that fans earned this year was the announcement of the movie The Mandalorian & Grogu, which will be directed by Jon Favreau. With a majority of fans expecting the announcement of a Season 4 of The Mandalorian, we've been wondering what the small-screen future of Din Djarin would be, with filmmaker Dave Filoni recently being asked about the status of the series and offering up a predictably vague answer about such a prospect. He did, though, note that he was seemingly as excited to see what Jon Favreau does as a director for a Star Wars feature film as fans are.

"There's so much spinning in the galaxy right now. You know me better than to commit to any one thing, no mind trick works on me," Filoni shared with Entertainment Tonight when asked about Season 4 of The Mandalorian. "I'm excited about what we're doing right now, but the movie, I think, is gonna be great. With Jon at the helm, it's gonna be fantastic, and he's so well-studied in Star Wars now, so he's got a great shorthand and I love collaborating with him. Just excited to share the future of what we're doing."

Season 3 of The Mandalorian debuted last year and ended with Din Djarin and Grogu appearing to have put their life of bounty hunting behind them, though the popularity of the show made it feel as though it wasn't ending quite yet. As fans were waiting for the official announcement of Season 4, fans instead learned about The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Lucasfilm, Disney, and associated filmmakers have kept quiet about how the movie will impact The Mandalorian, with some audiences wondering if we would be getting a movie in lieu of a Season 4. However, reports claim that fans can currently anticipate both a movie and a Season 4. Additionally, Filoni himself is slated to direct a movie that will serve as a crossover set during The New Republic and would bring together elements of The Mandalorian, Star Wars: Ahsoka, and Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett.

"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," Favreau shared in a statement when The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."

Stay tuned for updates on The Mandalorian Season 4 and The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Are you hoping we get a Season 4 of The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

This is the Way: The Mandalorian movie has a filming start date. Following Disney and Lucasfilm's official announcement that The Mandalorian & Grogu feature directed by series creator Jon Favreau would begin production this year, a new listing on the Film & Television Industry Alliance's production tracking service reveals that the Mando movie -- the first Star Wars movie since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker -- will start shooting June 17 in Los Angeles. The first three seasons of the hit Disney+ series all filmed primarily in the L.A. area, including on soundstages at Manhattan Beach Studios with ILM's StageCraft technology and the Volume.

Plot details remain under wraps, but The Mandalorian season 3 ended with helmeted bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his Mandalorian apprentice Grogu -- colloquially referred to as "Baby Yoda" -- settling on the planet Nevarro in the Outer Rim of the galaxy. Laying low at a cabin on the outskirts of High Magistrate Greef Karga's (Carl Weathers) territory, Din offered to work with Adelphi Ranger Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) as an independent contractor and help the fledgling New Republic hunt down Imperial remnants in the shadows of the Empire.

Favreau also serves as executive producer on The Mandalorian & Grogu with Lucasfilm Chief Content Officer Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. The release date is TBA, but Disney has reserved two theatrical dates for its Star Wars feature-development slate that includes the upcoming untitled Rey Skywalker movie: May 22, 2026, and December 18, 2026.

"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," Favreau said when announcing the Mandalorian movie in January. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."

Despite Mando and Grogu's jump to the big screen, The Mandalorian season 4 is reportedly in the works at Disney+. Favreau first hinted at the potential of a Mandalorian feature film in 2020, telling Variety: "The line is blurring now. Things that you would have only seen in the movie theater, you're seeing on streaming, and I think it could go the other way as well."

Following Din's crossover into The Book of Boba Fett and intersections with other series set during the post-Return of the Jedi era, Favreau said he was in "no rush" to bring The Mandalorian to theaters, but added: "We're definitely open to it, and excited to see where the story leads us and have that flexibility -- because there's no rulebook now."

Gina Carano, star of such films as Terror on the Prairie and My Son Hunter, officially filed a complaint in California federal court for wrongful termination and discrimination when Disney didn't bring back the Cara Dune character in The Mandalorian in response to opinions she expressed on various social media platforms. Having voiced these remarks on Twitter, Elon Musk, who has since purchased the social media platform and attempted to rebrand it as "X," is making good on his promise to offer financial support to anyone who has been discriminated against by backing her legal efforts, per The Hollywood Reporter.

"As a sign of X Corp's commitment to free speech, we're proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano's lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination," X's head of business operations Joe Benarroch shared in a statement.

The lawsuit claims Disney and Lucasfilm "made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire, and that those who dared to question or failed to fully comply would not be tolerated." The lawsuit also claims Disney and Lucasfilm "treated Carano differently than her similarly situated male co-workers, who likewise expressed their personal political views on social media but, upon information and belief, were not counseled or disciplined, let alone terminated."

Carano initially drew heat online in regards to comments many believed to be mocking of government mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic and of transgender identities, as well as implying there was fraud in the 2020 presidential election. This backlash culminated when she shared a post about Jews being targeted by Nazis in Germany due to their beliefs during the Holocaust, which many interpreted to be likening this harassment to pushback that Republicans faced.

"Some of us have been unjustly singled out, harassed, persecuted, and had our livelihoods stripped away because we dared to encourage conversation, asked questions, and refused to go along with the mob," Carano shared in a statement. She added, "I am honored that my case has been chosen to be supported by the company that has been one of the last glimmers of hope for free speech in the world."

At the time of her exit from Lucasfilm, the studio had announced the TV series Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic that was assumed to have featured Cara Dune. Given the ever-shifting slate of Star Wars projects, various reports have claimed that Carano wasn't fired, but that Disney and Lucasfilm opted not to renew her contract and Cara Dune has been written out of The Mandalorian.

In the lawsuit, Carano seeks to be rehired by Disney and Lucasfilm as well as be awarded $75,000, plus punitive damages.

A popular Star Wars game is practically being given away for free on PS4 and PS5, thanks to a new PlayStation Store sale. The game in question is also available on PC and Xbox consoles, but unfortunately for those on these systems, the game is currently fully priced. In other words, rather than pay $1.99 for the game like you can on the PlayStation Store, you have to fork over $40. That said, this PlayStation Store deal is only available until February 8.

The game in question hails from 2020, a year that saw the likes of The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Genshin Impact, Half-Life: Alyx, Hades, Fall Guys, Persona 5 Royal, Crusader Kings III, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, DOOM Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cyberpunk 2077, Valorant, Call of Duty: Warzone, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla all release. Not quite in this company, but a game that also came out in 2020, is Star Wars: Squadrons from developer Motive and publisher EA. And unlike these other games, it is currently $1.99 on PlayStation Store, an insane price for the game.

"Master the art of starfighter combat in the authentic piloting experience Star Wars: Squadrons," reads an official blurb about the game. "Buckle up and feel the adrenaline of first-person, multiplayer space dogfights alongside your squadron. Pilots who enlist will step into the cockpits of starfighters from both the New Republic and Imperial fleets and fight in strategic 5v5 space battles. Modify your starfighter, and adjust the composition of your squadron to suit varying playstyles and crush the opposition. Pilots will triumph as a team and complete tactical objectives across known and never-before-seen battlefields, including the gas giant of Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan. Take control of starfighters such as the X-wing and TIE fighter. Customize loadouts and cosmetics. Divert power between weapons, shields, and engines while immersing yourself in the cockpit. In addition, players will have the option to play the entirety of the game in virtual reality (VR)!"

If you decide to check out Star Wars: Squadrons -- which supports VR -- as a result of this PlayStation Store deal, you will be greeted with a game that is anywhere from 9 to 15 hours long, depending on how much of the content you want to experience and your skill level. Of course, the game also has multiplayer in addition to this campaign.

After delighting audiences on Disney+, the journey of Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano is headed to the comics. On Friday, Lucasfilm and Marvel Comics announced the first details surrounding the Star Wars: Ahsoka tie-in comic, which will begin to be published in July of 2024. The Star Wars: Ahsoka comic adaptation will be written by Rodney Barnes with pencils from Steven Cummings and Georges Jeanty.

"It is truly an honor to be adapting Ahsoka," Barnes said in a statement to StarWars.com. "The character is the essence of classic Star Wars: layered, complex and fun! I hope the fans enjoy this adaptation as much as the series it's adapted from."

This week, #Ahsoka Season 1 will be getting a @Marvel Comics adaptation. Get your first look at the covers! pic.twitter.com/97gOBV8Hy6

-- Star Wars (@starwars) February 2, 2024

Star Wars: Ahsoka #1 (of 8)

• Written by Rodney Barnes
• Art by Steven Cummings
• Cover by David Nakayama
• After the fall of THE EMPIRE, Jedi Master AHSOKA TANO stalks the galaxy for GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN! A valuable prisoner escapes New Republic custody; a search for answers reunites two old friends. The villainous MORGAN ELSBETH returns along with two new mysterious Force-users, BAYLAN SKOLL and his apprentice, SHIN HATI.

Is Star Wars: Ahsoka Renewed For Season 2?

Earlier this year, with the announcement that a new movie surrounding The Mandalorian and Grogu is officially in the works, Lucasfilm also confirmed that a second season of Star Wars: Ahsoka has been greenlit. A release date for the project has yet to be set, although series creator Dave Filoni has already teased work on it.

"I'm absolutely putting it out into the universe. We're joking about it, but I'm manifesting it because I feel like I helped Dave [Filoni] manifest this role," Dawson previously shared with Empire Magazine about a second season. "So I'm ready. I'm excited. I'm willing. I got my ice-packs ready to go for Season 2 and beyond! I would not be mad at that."

What Is Dave Filoni's Star Wars Movie About?

While details on Filoni's Star Wars movie are still relatively slim -- including the movie's release date -- we do know that it will be set during the New Republic era, and will have an epic event quality to it.

"Jon [Favreau] and I have our own little theater that we've been playing in, but Star Wars is a big galaxy. I think there's a lot of possibilities, but we do things our own way," Filoni told ComicBook.com earlier this year. "I think of, you know, A New Hope is an important moment in the timeline. The Death Star blows up. That changes everything ... A cinematic moment for this time period has to be a moment that's changing things and we understand it as the audience and then it can ripple down if we have other shows going on underneath that. So if there was a show taking place in the New Hope time period that you were watching as a kid, you would understand that things have changed in the show because the Death Star blew up. But they didn't necessarily need to be there. So there's a ton of possibilities for how to tell these stories in a unique way for Star Wars as well."

What do you think of the Marvel Comics adaptation of Star Wars: Ahsoka? Will you be picking up the series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

As mentioned above, Star Wars: Ahsoka #1 will arrive in July.

Steam Deck users will soon be able to play a classic Star Wars game when it releases later this month. There are some banger games coming out this month. There's Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake, Helldivers II, plus some games that came out today, such as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Persona 3 Reloaded. If you are more of a retro games fan though, then you will have your eyes on Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster.

This news comes as a bit of surprise considering the original is on Steam, and it is only listed as "Playable" rather than "Verified" when it comes to Steam Deck. That said, the remaster, weeks before its February 28 release, has been "Verified" by Valve. This means the game will be fully functional and works with the Steam Deck's controls and display in a satisfactory way. How do we know this? Because Valve has tested it.

As for the game itself, Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter from LucasArts that was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and Macintosh, and then for PS1 in 1996. Set in the expanded universe, before the events of the original Star Wars film (partially, at least), it debuted to a 60 on Metacritic, which isn't a good score but its a 90s Star Wars games so plenty played it and plenty fondly remember it. This remaster of it takes the original and bumps it to 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. There are some other upgrades and improvements, but all of the content is the same.

"In the first Star Wars first-person shooter video game, players assume the role of Kyle Katarn, a defector of the Galactic Empire turned mercenary for hire," reads an official blurb about the game. "Katarn joins the Rebel Alliance's covert operations division tasked with infiltrating the Galactic Empire, where he discovers the secret Dark Trooper Project. The development of this powerful new series of Imperial battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers stands to strengthen the Empire's grip on the galaxy unless Katarn and the Rebel Alliance intervene."

For more Steam Deck coverage -- including all of the latest Steam Deck news, all of the latest Steam Deck rumors, and all of the latest Steam Deck deals -- click here.

Carl Weathers, well known for his work in the Rocky franchise, The Mandalorian, and more, has passed away at the age of 76. Weathers' family shared the tragic news in a statement, saying Weathers died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st. Weathers has been a fan favorite throughout the course of his ever-expansive 50-year career, where he's appeared in over 75 films and television projects. Our thoughts are with Weathers' family and friends at this extremely difficult time, and you can read the full statement from the family below (via Deadline).

"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers," his family said in a statement. "He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. ... Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend."

Weathers is known for several roles, but one of his most iconic is the role of Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. Weathers was Rocky's first opponent in the long-running series, and then would return in Rocky II for a rematch and in Rocky III to help Rocky in his next fight. The character would then return in Rocky IV for one last appearance, but the legacy created would carry on to this day.

That's because in recent years Apollo Creed's son would get his own trilogy of films in Creed, starring Michael B Jordan. Rocky would then play a role in those films much like Apollo did in later Rocky movies, with Rocky eventually mentoring Jordan's Adonis Creed.

Weathers is also known for roles in Predator, Happy Gilmore, and a host of appearances in popular shows like Chicago P.D., Law & Order, Arrested Development, Psych, ER, and more. Most recently though he's been part of the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian as fan favorite Greef Karga. Karga has had quite the journey over the course of the show's three seasons but has continued to have a significant role in Mando's journey.

Our thoughts are with Weathers' family and friends.

Even though two decades nearly passed between Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor picked the pieces up right where he previously left the character. Over the span of six episodes, McGregor's reprisal of the Jedi Master was lauded by critics and fans alike with many clamoring for a second season. Unfortunately for those still holding out hope for a sophomore outing, McGregor now says there's been zero chatter between he and folks at Lucasfilm about a second season for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"I would love to do the second season, but there's no talk of it yet. There is a lot going on at Disney," McGregor said in a panel at G?teborg Film Festival (via Variety).

Despite having fallen in love with playing the character, McGregor told the trade it wasn't always that way. In fact, McGregor said it was initially a hard sell to get him to board Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

"It wasn't a done deal for me. I didn't think it was at all who I was. I believed, at that point, I was a Danny Boyle actor. The Beach was more important and I meant it, it wasn't flippant. I did ask a lot of people for advice," the actor said in his chat.

"I am happy that I am this character for a lot of people, but when these films came out, they were so disliked," he added. "That was hard. The first one was panned and we still had to make another two! It was weird to be in a film that was hammered."

Interestingly enough, Obi-Wan helmer Deborah Chow revealed last year she and McGregor discussed many ways a follow-up could go.

"You always think you're going to end a series like this in some magnificent way, but instead you end up in a parking lot with second unit and hardly anybody there," Chow said in a spotlight with THR at the time. "It's always so anti-climactic, but as Ewan and I finished our very last shot on second unit and I was literally taking off my headphones, he was already pitching me ideas for season two. There's another 10 years with plenty of stories, and I don't think it's off the board. It is a 'never say never' situation, but we really did conceive this to be a limited series."

The first season of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming in its entirety on Disney+.

It seems that Ubisoft may be releasing its upcoming action-adventure game Star Wars Outlaws sooner than many fans were previously led to believe. At the start of this month, Disney posted a new blog stating that Star Wars Outlaws was set to launch in "late 2024." This mention was eventually scrubbed from the blog in question, but it still led most people to believe that this window was a legitimate one considering the source that it came from. Now, a new report has emerged and it has suggested that the arrival of Star Wars Outlaws could only be a few months away.

Based on information from Insider Gaming, Ubisoft is said to be targeting a launch for Star Wars Outlaws in the first half of 2024. If true, this means that Outlaws would arrive no later than the end of June 2024. Star Wars Outlaws would seemingly be part of a one-two punch that Ubisoft has planned for this year as the publisher's Japan-based Assasin's Creed game, Codename Red, is also said to be arriving in the back half of 2024.

For the time being, Ubisoft itself hasn't shared a well-defined window for Star Wars Outlaws other than broadly stating that it will release this year. If a launch does happen in the coming months, though, it would mean that Ubisoft needs to begin sharing more details on the project quite soon. Outside of its initial reveal and gameplay showing in June of 2023, Ubisoft hasn't said a peep about Outlaws as it has instead focused on getting titles like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown out the door. With a new PlayStation State of Play event happening this afternoon, though, perhaps we'll see more of the next Star Wars game at that time.

Regardless of when Star Wars Outlaws does end up releasing, it's known that the game will be exclusive to current-gen platforms. This means that it will only be coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC and should retail for $69.99.

A lot of things are happening in the Star Wars universe right now, and that includes the launch of several new apparel collections at shopDisney. Over the last week they've unveiled Star Wars Saga, Star Wars Grogu, and Ahsoka Tano by Ashley Eckstein collections, which include a wide range of clothing and accessories for both adults and kids.

We'll start with the collection that was designed by Ahsoka Tano herself, Ashley Eckstein. As many fans know, Ashley Eckstein is the founder of the fashion brand Her Universe in addition to her acting roles, which includes voicing Ahsoka Tano in her animated appearances. For this collection, she found inspiration in a Star Wars: Rebels script that features the famous "I am no Jedi" exchange between Darth Vader and Ahsoka Tano. The lineup includes a t-shirt, woven shirt, and canvas tote that you can pick up here at shopDisney now. Note that shipping is free on orders $75+ using the code SHIPMAGIC at checkout.

Some of our favorite new additionsfrom the Saga and Grogue collections include a wave of woven t-shirts with awesome designs (particularly Darth Vader and Stormtroopers as Samurai), this R2-D2 light-up Loungefly crossbody bag, this adorable Grogu backpack for kids, this Grogu bucket hat, and this R2-D2 headband. There are also new spirit jerseys, sleep sets, t-shirts, and more. You can browse through all of shopDisney's new Star Wars mech right here,. Again, keep in mind that shipping is free on orders $75+ using the code SHIPMAGIC at checkout.

What's Next For Star Wars?

Earlier this month, fans of the Star Wars: Ahsoka series were excited to learn that a second season is in development with Dave Filoni at the helm. Disney and Lucasfilm also announced The Mandalorian & Grogu, a new Star Wars movie bringing Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and his Mandalorian apprentice to the big screen with director Jon Favreau. The Mando movie will begin production this year and is further along than Dave Filoni's untitled New Republic movie and James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi movie announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023. A Rey Skywalker movie is also in the works, that is being touted as having "a different direction":

"So I thought about it for a little bit and once I knew what the story was and everything, I knew it was something I really wanted to do," Ridley revealed to AlloCin?. "I think it's a really fantastic exploration of the Star Wars world. It's a really cool way of taking the story on in a bit of a different direction."

"That was actually quite last minute. I was actually making my own film last year and Kathy Kennedy said she wanted to have breakfast," Ridley detailed. "And I thought we were just having breakfast, so I was literally eating my breakfast, and she said, 'Oh, we might do another one.' I was like, '...Okay.'"

Star Wars sequel trilogy star Daisy Ridley has opened up about the divided response to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Ridley played Rey, the lead character of the sequel trilogy, and will return to that role in an upcoming Star Wars movie. However, The Rise of Skywalker was the culmination of Rey's original story and left a Star Wars fandom already divided by the unconventional nature of Star Wars: The Last Jedi further divided by how The Rise of Skywalker seemed to walk back much of its predecessor's revelation. Chief among them was the revelation that Rey wasn't "no one," as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) had told in Star Wars: The Last Jedi but the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who returned as the central villain of the Skywalker Saga.

"It's still upsetting," Ridley said of the mixed response to The Rise of Skywalker during an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "You don't want people to feel like you've not served the thing they're a fan of. But [The Last Jedi] was so divisive...it felt like the first one everyone was responsive in the same way. The second, super divisive. The last one, super divisive. It didn't change how I felt about it."

However, time heals all wounds, as seems to be the case with Ridley, fans, and Star Wars. Not long ago, Ridley signaled that she was done with Star Wars for the foreseeable, yet now she's back in the lead role of the franchise's cinematic future. She talked about how attitudes have changed during the podcast interview.

"What was strange was before I had breakfast with Kathy last year, I had five people come to me and go, 'Are they going to do any more with you?'" Ridley revealed. "And it was really strange. In this six to eight months before that, the way with which I was being greeted by people's response to [Rise of Skywalker] was quite different than it had been before. Time had passed. That was what was really strange."

What will Daisy Ridley's return as Rey in the new Star Wars movie be about?

Taking place about over a decade after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the upcoming Star Wars movie featuring Ridley as Rey will be the first entry into Star Wars canon's "New Jedi Order Era." With the Sith seemingly defeated for good, the new film will see Rey Skywalker rebuilding the Jedi Order.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is directing the new Star Wars movie from a screenplay by Steven Knight. While the exact date of production is unknown, it is expected to begin filming soon as it was slated to be the next Star Wars movie before the announcement of The Mandalorian & Grogu movie in January.

What Star Wars movies are in development?

The New Jedi Order Era Star Wars movie is one of four Star Wars films currently in active development. The Mandalorian & Grogu from Jon Favreau will bring the characters from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian to the big screen. James Mangold is developing a film set in the Dawn of the Jedi era of Star Wars, the earliest on the Star Wars canon timeline. Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni is developing another Star Wars film that will tie into the events of the New Republic era streaming series, including The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the rest of the Star Wars movies are streaming on Disney+.