Every Star Wars fan has eagerly waited for any news surrounding Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian season three. Now, Disney is giving hope to fans with their latest update.
Star Wars Celebration is finally returning to Anaheim, California, something that countless fans have missed over the past few years due to COVID-19.
In a turn of events, Lucasfilm revealed that The Mandalorian season three, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the somewhat forgotten Andor series are all receiving special panels at the upcoming event.
Star Wars Celebration returns in May, launching with a must-see showcase that will kick the weekend’s festivities into hyperdrive. On Thursday, May 26, Lucasfilm’s current crop of live-action filmmakers will be joined by special guests to discuss the many Star Wars adventures coming soon, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and The Mandalorian.
The website tempts fans to “Join Lucasfilm’s Filmmakers and Special Guests for a Look at What’s Coming Soon to a Galaxy Near You…”
While it’s not official, The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau, executive producer Dave Filoni, and the majority of the cast from this new Star Wars story will undoubtedly be attending the event, as well as Diego Luna for Andor and possible Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor for the Kenobi panel.
Many suggest that season three could hit Disney+ in December of 2022, but the highly anticipated Star Wars series could be pushed back into early 2023.
All shall be revealed at the Star Wars Celebration this May!
Actress Gina Carano — who formerly played New Republic Marshal Cara Dune on Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s hit Star Wars series, The Mandalorian — has faced more than her share of online drama due to her controversial Tweets throughout the airing of The Mandalorian Season 2.
Before Carano was fired by Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company in Febraury 2021, hashtags like #FireGinaCarano, #WeLoveCaraDune, and #IStandWithGinaCarano alternately trended on social media.
Carano has been vocal about her distaste for Disney and Lucasfilm, publicly stating that she was “bullied” by the powers-that-be and sharing that her new project, Western movie Terror on the Prairie with Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire, will “take down the Death Star”.
Despite the controversy surrounding the actress — and Lucasfilm’s insistence that they have no plans to bring her back to the Star Wars franchise — there have been rumors that the actress will return for The Mandalorian Season 4, thanks to support from Favreau, Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand), Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), and Carl Weathers (Greef Karga).
Now, in a strange turn of events, Disney is actually back in cahoots with Carano and her family thanks to the company’s deal with Casear’s Entertainment.
Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that “ESPN is seeking to license its brand to major sports-betting companies for at least $3 billion over several years.” Caesar’s Entertainment, Inc. and online sports betting giant DraftKings were both involved in the conversation.
Previously, in 2019, Disney-owned ESPN signed a long-term marketing deal with Caesar’s:
ESPN has announced a wide-ranging deal with Caesars Entertainment that includes the addition of a new ESPN-branded studio at the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where sports-betting-themed content will be created, along with segments for Daily Wager, ESPN’s recently launched sports-betting-related show.
The studio (launching in 2020) will serve as a Vegas home for odds-related content across ESPN platforms. Caesars will also serve as ESPN’s official odds data supplier across TV and digital, receiving associated attribution across ESPN platforms.
This is where the Carano family comes in. Gina, a former women’s MMA and Muay Thai fighter, and her father, Glenn, an ex-NFL backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, both have deep ties to sports. But, what many don’t realize is that the Carano family is actually deeply invested (literally) in the casino industry.
Howard Stutz, executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports, tells THR that the Carano family is “deeply rooted” in North Nevada. Gina’s grandfather, Don Carano, founded Eldorado Resorts in the 1970s as well as the McDonald Carano law firm in Nevada, and the Ferrari Carano Vineyard & Winery in Healdsburg, California…
…“[Don’s] sons took over Eldorado Resorts, and they grew it into an amazing gaming company,” Stutz continues of the empire that expanded greatly in July 2020 (three years after Don Carano’s death) when Caesars Entertainment announced that it had completed a merger between Caesars Entertainment Corporation and Eldorado, creating the largest casino and entertainment company in the United States with 55 properties worldwide including eight on the Las Vegas Strip.
This means that, thanks to The Walt Disney Company’s ongoing deal with Caesar’s Entertainment, Gina Carano and her family never really left the Disney fold. What this could mean for the Deadpool actress’s future in the Star Wars universe is anyone’s guess, but the possibilities are certainly intriguing.
The Walt Disney Company is facing a bit of a disaster with its newest endeavor, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
For months at this point, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser has come under fire for myriad reasons, from the lackluster appearance of the “luxury” Corellian starliner’s staterooms to the $6,000+ cost for a two-night trip.
Some fans have even called the entire situation surrounding the costly Resort hotel “just a mess.”
At one point, Disney even went so far as to remove a particular marketing video following intense backlash. But now, the company has given Disney Parks fans a new first look inside the Starcruiser and it appears that they are attempting to fix everything that went wrong the first time around with higher quality video and iconic background music taken straight from the Star Wars movies.
In this new video [below], Lucasfilm Franchise Content & Strategy executive Matt Martin and Walt Disney Imagineer Travis Finstein share details about the experience. The duo noted:
“When passengers come to the Starcruiser today, they will encounter a Halcyon that has been recently restored to its former glory, the way it really looked in the earliest days of its voyages across the galaxy — the way its meant to be seen.”
Although some fans believe the Starcruiser experience is already becoming less immersive before it has even launched, Disney has recently been making an effort to connect the Halcyon luxury starliner to the rest of the Star Wars story with additions like Star Wars: The High Republic novel “Mission to Disaster” by Justina Ireland and the upcoming “The Princess and Scoundrel,” which will feature Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa’s wedding onboard the Corellian ship.
Although Disney continues to assert that they are “pleased with demand” for the Star Wars-themed hotel, cancelations have been pouring in, so this clear effort to fix some of the earlier marketing mistakes for the experience speaks volumes.
Han Solo and Chewbacca are one of the most popular duos in cinema history. Starring in multiple movies across the Star Wars franchise, the characters will next appear in a brand new series from Marvel Comics, simply called “Han Solo & Chewbacca”.
Harrison Ford first brought Han Solo into the pop culture lexicon in George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977) alongside Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa), and his on-screen sidekick, Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). Han Solo and Chewbacca soon rose to fan-favorite status with their following appearances as part of the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983), making up Lucas’ original trilogy.
The Indiana Jones actor was back as Han Solo with Mayhew sharing the role of the loveable Wookiee with Joonas Suotamo and Ian Whyte for Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015) — the first movie in Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. As well as returning cast members Hamill and Fisher, Ford and Mayhew were also joined by newcomers Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Ben Solo AKA Kylo Ren), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), and John Boyega (Finn).
With cameo appearances in the remainder of the sequel trilogy, it would be Alden Ehrenreich who delivered Han Solo’s origin story for the galaxy far, far away. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) had an underwhelming performance at the box office despite the movie’s stellar cast — which included Emilia Clarke (Qi’ra), Paul Bettany (Dryden Vos), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian), and Woody Harrelson (Tobias Beckett) — and its setup of future events involving Maul (Ray Park) and his crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn.
Despite rumors that a new Han Solo project featuring 79-year-old Harrison Ford is in the works for the Star Wars universe, nothing involving the famous duo has been confirmed. Until now.
StarWars.com has revealed that a new series featuring the Millennium Falcon pilots will release next year:
Han Solo & Chewbacca, a new series from Marvel, will launch in March 2022, StarWars.com can exclusively reveal. Written by Marc Guggenheim and pencilled by David Messina, the monthly comic follows Han and Chewie a few years before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, as the duo teams up with Greedo — in better times, apparently — on a heist for Jabba the Hutt.
Speaking to the writer, Marc Guggenheim, it is confirmed how this new Star Wars project will tackle the cinematic space smuggler and how he has always bordered the line between cynic and hopeless romantic:
You might think that that inner conflict didn’t present itself until the end of Episode IV, when Han returns to help Luke destroy the Death Star, but it’s already on full display at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which, of course, predates Episode IV. So one of the things I’ve been playing with is the tension between the “hopeless romantic” Han reveals himself to be at the end of Solo and the hard-bitten cynic we meet in Episode IV. To be very reductive about it, I’ve searched for opportunities to force Han to choose between his lesser and greater angels.
Guggenheim continues to tease what’s to come from the series:
In the first issue, Jabba the Hutt gives them what should be an easy job: Steal something and bring it back to him. But the job turns out to be anything but easy as everything that can go wrong promptly does.
He also comments on how he plans to leave each issue with a cliffhanger and that the last page of issue one “will have people talking”. If there’s one thing that Star Wars is good at is getting people talking. We have seen time and time again, Lucasfilm’s leading franchise draw polarizing opinions such as with the release of Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) from director Rian Johnson.
This will be the first-ever Han Solo and Chewbacca series and promises to expand on the “animosity” between Solo and Greedo, as well as introduce new characters such as a Marshal — a “corporate equivalent of a bounty hunter”. Star Wars has continued to explore the wider galaxy surrounding its movies and TV shows with comic series’ like “War of the Bounty Hunters” and “Darth Vader”.
In terms of live-action, next to debut in the Star Wars saga is The Book of Boba Fett from showrunner Robert Rodriguez and starring Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett) and Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand).
If there is one thing Disney is always trying to do, it is creating new, one-of-a-kind experiences for its Guests at its theme parks around the world. Beginning in March 2022, Guests will be able to board the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser for a 2-day completely immersive experience. The Galactic Starcruiser — named Halcyon — will feature amazing things like Lightsaber Training, a planet excursion to Batuu — located in Hollywood Studios — and unique dining options.
While Guests will not be able to stay onboard the Galactic Starcruiser before March, Disney is hosting a sweepstakes where the winners will be able to stay on the Starcruiser before it opens! That’s right, the whole Starcruiser just for the winner and up to four Guests. Here are more details on the sweepstakes from Disney Parks Blog:
As part of the ongoing “Star Wars Bring Home The Bounty” campaign, Lucasfilm Consumer Products is partnering with Walt Disney World Resort and Lucasfilm Publishing to give one lucky winner the ultimate adventure: a chance to win a 2-night experience on the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser before it opens in March 2022, and an exclusive meet and greet with the authors of “Star Wars: The High Republic.”
By entering the Star Wars Bring Home the Bounty: Galactic Starcruiser Sweepstakes, one lucky grand prize winner will receive round-trip airfare for up to four individuals to Orlando, Florida for a 4-day/3-night vacation to Walt Disney World Resort, including a 2-night experience on a test voyage of the Galactic Starcruiser in February 2022. The winner of the grand prize will also get to experience a separate meet-and-greet opportunity with all five authors of “The High Republic” books and comics.
While the Galactic Starcruiser sweepstakes will only have one grand prize winner, there will also be two first prize winners who will win an ultimate Star Wars prize pack. Here’s what the two first prize winners will receive:
Two first prize winners will receive a LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series AT-AT construction set, a Star Wars Galactic Snackin’ GROGU animatronic toy from Hasbro, a Star Wars R2-D2 TAMAGOTCHI, a Star Wars | Corkcicle – Death Star Ice Bucket, Star Wars | DIFF Eyewear – Darth Vader 2.0 sunglasses, Star Wars Jedi Decorative Pillows from Sobel Westex Home, a Star WarsDroids Guide to a Galaxy Far, Far Away by USPS, a “Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm” bundle, a “Star Wars: The High Republic: The Republic Fair” T-shirt and the full collection of “Star Wars: The High Republic” books and comics.
The Galactic Starcruiser sweepstakes is open now through December 14, so make sure to enter as soon as possible, as the entry window is not very big. The winners will be announced during a special Star Wars: The High Republic livestream that will take place on January 4, 2022.
The Galactic Starcruiser sweepstakes is open to all US residents from all 50 states who are 18 or older. Those entering the sweepstakes may enter the contest once per day. The grand prize winner must take their Galactic Starcruiser vacation between February 16 and February 23, 2022.
