Order Star Wars: The Force Awakens via Amazon UK or Amazon US
We’ve got a bit of EXCLUSIVE news in the latest edition of The Week in Star Wars, and some updates on the casting for Young Han Solo, Rey’s parents and more…
We’ll kick things off this week by talking about Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It was reported last year that The Sith Lord would feature in the movie and then there were some reports that said Hayden Christensen – who played Anakin Skywalker in the Prequel Trilogy – would be reprising his role. We can now confirm this is not the case, and Vader will in fact be played by Spencer Wilding, a British stunt actor who has worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who and Batman Begins. We actually heard this story in the summer of last year, but waited to report it until we had confirmation. Well, now we do. Wilding has been running lines on set, but it’s likely his voice will be replaced by James Earl Jones – but we don’t have confirmation on that…
…Speaking of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and LEGO released an image of the cast in the classic brick style…
…Before we move away from LEGO, we’ve now got some promotional images for LEGO’s upcoming Star Wars sets due to hit shelves this summer in the Eclipse Fighter, StarScavenger, Encounter on Jakku, Resistance X-Wing Fighter, Vader’s TIE Advanced vs. A-Wing Starfighter and the Clone Turbo Tank. Check them out here…
…Back to casting news, and it seems as though Jack Reynor (Sing Street) and Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) are no longer in the running for the role of Young Han Solo, as Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!) is apparently the frontrunner for the role. That’s not to say it will be him, but it sounds like Phil Lord and Chris Miller are close on making a decision…
…Speaking of spin-off movies, and our own Samuel Brace has written a pitch for a solo movie entitled A Man Named Kenobi: A Star Wars Story…
…One of the big questions coming out of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the parentage of Rey – and J.J. Abrams has flip-flopped on his answers yet again. “Rey’s parents are not in Episode VII,” Abrams said somewhat uncomfortably during a Q&A at the Tribeca Film Festival. “So I can’t possibly, in this moment,tell you who they are. But I will say, all I would say is, it is something that Rey thinks about, too.” Then in an interview with EW, he clarified his point. “Rey’s parents are not in Episode VII,” said Abrams, somewhat uncomfortably. “So I can’t possibly, in this moment,tell you who they are. But I will say, all I would say is, it is something that Rey thinks about, too.” So, let’s presume he doesn’t know. That or Luke Skywalker is her father and he forgot he was in the film at the end…
…The original Star Wars trilogy is heading back to the big screen this summer, with the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain organising a special roadshow triple-bill of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi across more than 20 cities in the States. “It’s always been a dream to show the original Star Wars trilogy again – somehow, someway,” states Alamo Drafthouse’s VP of Special Events, Henri Mazza. “Seeing the Original Trilogy on the big screen for the first time is a real life-altering event and just a supreme amount of fun. When the films became available to book for screenings like these, we jumped at the chance to do something big.” Sadly, fans hoping to see the unaltered, original cuts will be disappointed to hear that the films will be screened in their 1997 Special Edition formats…
…EA and DICE have announced that Lando Calrissian and the bounty hunter Dengar are heading to Star Wars Battlefront, with the two characters set to be added to the game as part of June’s Bespin expansion. “We’re taking players in and around Cloud City, with four new maps for all of our most popular modes,” reads the announcement on the official site. “You’ll see AT-ATs in Cloud City, take to the skies in Fighter Squadron, and even spend time in a carbonite chamber. Of course, we’re also adding more blasters and Star Cards, a new game mode, and two new iconic characters we’re really excited about – Lando Calrissian and the cold-blooded bounty hunter, Dengar…”
…And finally, here’s your comic book preview for the week in Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Anakin #4: Obi-wan and Anakin are trapped on opposite sides of a war…and if they’re not careful, they’re going to get caught in the crossfire! Plus…why does Anakin want to leave the order?
That’s all for this week – may The Force be with you. And don’t forget to order Star Wars: The Force Awakens via Amazon UK or Amazon US…
Luke Owen is the Deputy Editor of Flickering Myth and the co-host of The Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @ThisisLukeOwen.
. url=”.” . width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]
Originally published April 17, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
