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Sam Witwer is a beloved actor in the Star Wars franchise. He's voiced characters in multiple television series and films as well as video games and audiobooks. Known best for the role of Darth Maul and Galen Marek, Aka Starkiller, he definitely has a penchant for voicing darker roles. There's a reason he's the voice of the Dark Side in the children's game show Jedi Temple Challenge. This is why this latest cameo in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is quite humorous.

Sam Witwer voices the Teek in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

In the new series, the child protagonists Wim, Fern, Neel, and Kb arrive in Port Borgo in episode 2, "Way, Way Out Past The Barrier." They must take a ferry from their ship to the port to get to the pirate-infested area. The ferryman is a particular species called the Teek, a little critter that first made their appearance in...

"Star Wars" fans who have yearned for fresh takes on the franchise will no doubt be happy with the "Goonies"-style approach of "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew," a show that seems set to provide young fans a new entry point to the property. It looks to dig deep into the child-like wonder of the sci-fi franchise's early days, presenting a galaxy far, far away as a truly strange and even terrifying place once again. To achieve this, the story unfolds from the perspective of a team of kids -- Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Kb (Kyriana Kratter), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) -- who discover a buried space ship that promptly enters hyperspace and sends them to a distant part of the galaxy.

One of the great things about setting an Amblin-style show in the "Star Wars" universe is that E.T. doesn't need to be a strange...

As much as I love Star Wars, it was not much of a part of my childhood. I saw the original trilogy one long Saturday when I was thirteen and was hooked as soon as Darth Vader arrived on the screen. But I had the luck to first meet the Ewoks in the 1985 film Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. However, I had never seen Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure until recently. With the film turning 40 this year, let's look back on it with an adult fan's appreciation for childlike wonder.

Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure is a delight for new fans 40 years later

The message I remember from The Battle of Endor is that bravery is important, but you don't have to be brave on your own. I gleaned the same meaning from Caravan of Courage and love it. The story is by George Lucas, so it feels...

As an avowed defender of the Ewok films, regular /Film readers shouldn't be surprised to see yours truly's byline on this article. The two TV movies about the teddy bear-like inhabitants of the forest moon of Endor made by Lucasfilm in the 1980s -- 1984's "Caravan of Courage: The Ewok Adventure" and 1985's "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor" -- may no longer be canon to the "Star Wars" franchise under the watchful eyes of Mickey Mouse and friends, yet their pulpy sci-fi/fantasy adventure ethos has continued to manifest itself in the property, most recently with "The Mandalorian" season 3. Now, it appears at least one element of the Ewok films is about to become canonical thanks to "Skeleton Crew," the upcoming "Goonies"-esque "Star Wars" series that, similar to "Caravan of Courage" and "The Battle for Endor," follows a group of youngsters in over their heads on a most unexpected adventure.

In recent years, more extraneous parts of Star Wars lore have been welcomed back into the saga’s main continuity. Shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka have been a treasure-trove of references to lesser-explored areas of the galaxy’s mythos, whether it’s the live-action debuts of Krrsantan and Grand Admiral Thrawn, a glimpse of the Mythosaur, or the arrival of the Dark Troopers. But one part of Star Wars history that isn’t considered canon anymore – and so far hasn't been welcomed back in – is the pair of Ewok movies, Caravan Of Courage and The Battle For Endor. The two made-for-tv films were released in the mid-‘80s, and now have a home on Disney+, even if they’re not part of the official story these days. But if you have a soft spot for Wicket's adventures, buckle up: one species from The Battle For Endor is about to make a comeback.

The new Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte has been under heavy fire from fans ever since it was first announced. From the unorthodox way it was announced to who would be heading up the project to even the time period the series was set in.

After the first two episodes premiered, fans did not like the show, while many critics praised it. However, the release of the third episode, which premiered earlier this week, caused many to tune out of the show, with some calling it the worst episode of any Star Wars television show.

Initially, we reported that the Rt audience score had dropped to 20%. But in less than 24 hours of that reporting, the score has since dropped again, setting a record for the show. As of the writing of this report, the series is now at an 18% audience score, meaning that the negative score has dipped below...

Actor John Boyega starred in three of the extant 16 "Star Wars" movies*, playing the rogue-Stormtrooper-turned-good guy Finn in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015), "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (2017), and "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (2019). Boyega liked playing Finn, but has gone on record (notably in a 2020 GQ interview) about his disappointment with how the series treated his character; Finn was set up to be a leading man, and was sidelined for what appeared to be racism-based reasons. Boyega was also off-put by Disney's habit of micromanaging "Star Wars," feeling that every one of the franchise's actors ran the risk of being roped into "Star Wars" projects exclusively. "You ain't going to Disney+ me," he once laughingly said to Variety. 

There hasn't been a "Star Wars" movie since 2019, as Disney+ kind of killed their Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs. The theatrical market was oversaturated, audiences didn't respond terribly well...

"Star Wars" has always been a fairy tale at its core. The phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" conjures visions of mythic adventures and imaginative settings as much as "Once upon a time" does. Yet, no entries in the franchise have held truer to this ethos than, arguably, the infamous live-action Ewok movies (and if you're surprised to hear me say that, then you clearly haven't looked at my author page before).

Now relegated to the non-canon sectors of the "Star Wars" universe, 1984's "Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure" (originally released as "The Ewok Adventure") was a made-for-tv movie following the cuddly murder teddy bears of the forest moon of Endor as they set out to reunite two young humans with their parents. Despite its limited budget, "An Ewok Adventure" is often just as visually accomplished as other theatrical '80s fantasy features thanks...

Best known for his contributions to the iconic Gremlins and Star Wars franchises, actor Mark Dodson has passed away this week at the age of 64, Deadline reports today.

Mark Dodson memorably voiced the character Salacious Crumb in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and he also did uncredited zombie voice work for George Romero’s Day of the Dead.

Dodson’s unique voice acting skills were put to excellent use in both Joe Dante’s Gremlins and sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, with the actor voicing multiple Gremlins characters.

It was Dodson’s voice work as Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi that led to him voicing the Gremlins, which were seen as being similar to the Salacious Crumb character.

Speaking of his work in the Gremlins franchise in a 2023 chat with the YouTube channel Diabolic Shrimp (watch the full video below), Mark Dodson explained his contributions:

“I love horror,...

The timing of Mel Brooks' 1987 spoof "Spaceballs" was, when one thinks about it, rather peculiar. 1987 was a fallow time for the "Star Wars" saga. The last film in the series, "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor," had come out a full two years prior, and it was not terribly well-received or even widely seen. "Star Wars" had begun making the rounds on VHS, but there was, at the time, no solid plan to make any additional films, nor was "Star Wars" the massive commercial presence it would come to be. As pointed out in "Spaceballs," however, "Return of the Jedi" merch was still lingering in stores; one of the running gags throughout Brooks' film is that the characters themselves own "Spaceballs" tie-in products.

Indeed, in the film's funniest meta-gag, the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and Colonel Sandurz (George Wyner) rent a VHS copy of "Spaceballs" and fast-forward to the scene they're in.

Actor Warwick Davis, wearing a mask and a full-body teddy bear costume, appeared as Wicket the Ewok in Richard Marquand's 1983 sci-fi flick "Return of the Jedi." Davis was only 12 years old at the time, but it began a long and lucrative association with "Star Wars" for the actor, leading Davis to appear in multiple installations of the franchise since. 

In addition to playing Wicket in "Jedi" and the follow-up TV movies "Caravan of Courage" and "The Battle for Endor," Davis played three roles in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," including Weazal, Wald, and Yoda (as a stand-in). He also played Wollivan in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Weeteef Cyu-Bee in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," Wodibin in "The Last Jedi," Weazel again in "Solo" (as well as several droids), and Wizzich Mozzer in "The Rise of Skywalker." There seems to be a joke that Davis...

This article contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian." 

Even before the credits rolled on "The Mandalorian" season 3's fourth episode, "Chapter 20: The Foundling," I had a strong inkling of who'd worked on it. Much like he did when he called the shots on season 2's "The Siege," co-star Carl Weathers stepped behind the camera this week to deliver some muscular (if noticeably Volume-y) action in a tightly-wound package. Similarly, the whole heroes-on-a-rescue-mission storyline felt very much like a Jon Favreau special. And, of course, who else but Favreau's writing partner in crime here, Dave Filoni, would combine themes about the duality of nature with an Order 66 flashback in the same episode?

The longer I dwelled on it, though, the more I realized "The Foundling" brought something else to my mind: the Ewok movies. Yes, those Ewok movies.

For those not familiar (i.e. for all you younglings out there):...

Life is full of surprises, curveballs, and moments of serendipity. Fate may play a part in the lives of the Jedi in the "Star Wars" galaxy, but in the real world, it may have intervened in the life of an actor who played a key role in the Rebellion. Actor Warwick Davis, now famous for playing the affable Ewok Wicket in 1983's "Return of the Jedi," has become a quintessential part of George Lucas' sci-fi fantasy empire. As a beacon for the franchise, Davis is arguably the most beloved performer outside of the holy trinity of Luke, Leia, and Han. Always a staple at the fan convention Star Wars Celebration, it's nearly impossible to picture an alternate reality in which Davis was never a part of the vast canon of "Star Wars." 

Although it seems meant to be now, Davis could easily have missed his chance to co-star in "Return of the Jedi,...

Few activities are more contentious than talking about Star Wars on the internet. Defenders and detractors seem equally driven to relitigate the merits of every entry, from blockbusters like The Last Jedi to deep cuts like The Battle for Endor. But the most surprising Star Wars critic might be Jonathan Kasdan, co-writer of the divisive Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Teaming with his legendary screenwriter father Lawrence — writer of several Star Wars entries, including Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens — Kasdan seemed like the perfect choice to take on the origin story of Han Solo. And yet, the movie generated constant criticism, beginning with the very idea of casting anyone else as Harrison Ford’s iconic character. Between an arduous production that saw original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller replaced by Ron Howard and the movie’s underlit visuals, Solo remains one of the franchise’s least popular entries,...

The "Star Wars" movies are timeless classics, aren't they? Okay, maybe not the prequels. And not all of the sequel trilogy. And come to think of it, not everyone agrees about "Return of the Jedi." Which versions of the films are we talking about, anyway, given Lucasfilm's propensity for making changes even at the home video stage? The point is, not everything in the "Star Wars" franchise stands the test of time.

From the original trilogy (Ot) to the prequels (Pt) and sequels (St), "Star Wars" has included moments that seem very much of their time, to be kind. We love them, and in our minds, we may have even retconned or excused some of the more egregious examples. For every Ewok song, there's a badass Sith Lord in waiting, and the core characters remain iconic. Yet, there are reasons aplenty why entire movies exist to bash "Star Wars" creator George Lucas,...

The release of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" was cause for much ballyhoo in Hollywood. Following the release of "Return of the Jedi" in 1983, "Star Wars" entered something of a low-profile period, releasing only an often-unremarked-upon TV movie in 1984 ("Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure") and a second TV film ("Ewoks: The Battle for Endor") and two animated shows ("Ewoks" and "Droids") in 1985. For over a decade, "Star Wars" was only to be found on VHS, watched repeatedly by young Gen-Xers who only fell more and more deeply in love with the extant chapters. That decade allowed the myth...

The post Every Single Star Wars Fan Owes Jake Lloyd An Apology appeared first on /Film.

Filmmaker Joe Johnston got his start in the late 1970s by working on the miniatures and optical effects for "Star Wars." He would go on to co-create the design for Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back" before winning an Oscar for the visual effects in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Johnston even served as the production designer on "Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure" and its sequel, "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor," in case you've ever wondered why those films look way better than you would expect for a pair of made-for-tv movies from the 1980s.

After climbing his way a little further...

The post How the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids VFX Crew Pulled Off Human-Sized Insects appeared first on /Film.

The Marvel machine continues apace on Disney+ this month.

Disney+’s list of new releases of April 2021 is highlighted by the highlight of March’s list as well: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Three episode of this highly anticipated series will premiere in April, including the series(?) finale on April 23.

But of course, it’s not all Marvel all the time on Disney+…sometimes its Star Wars time as well! There aren’t any new original Star Wars series coming to the streaming world until The Bad Batch premieres on May 4. It’s spiritual successor arrives in April, however. Star Wars: Clone Wars Volumes 1 and 2 both premiere on April 2. These are the animated classics from Genndy Tartakovsky that jumpstarted a new era of Star Wars storytelling. Now they can be seen in their entirety once agin.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers continues on in April, and will soon be...

“The Star Wars Holiday Special” is finally coming to Disney Plus … kind of.

In the biggest bulk release of “Star Wars” content since the streamer’s launch, several “Star Wars” TV spinoffs from the 1970s, 1980s and 2000s will debut on Disney Plus on April 2. Among them will be the animated short “The Story of the Faithful Wookiee” — featuring the debut of bounty hunter Boba Fett — that played in the middle of the live-action “Holiday Special” when it first aired on CBS on 1978.

Joining “Faithful Wookiee” will be two TV movies featuring the cuddly Ewoks, 1984’s “Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” and 1985’s “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor”; the animated “Ewoks” TV series that aired from 1985 to 1986; and the animated “Star Wars: Clone Wars” TV micro-series from Genndy Tartakovsky that aired on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005.

These spinoffs have lived in the hearts of hardcore “Star Wars” fans largely...

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On Nov. 12, 2019, pop culture was forever changed when Disney+ launched The Mandalorian. Although the Star Wars saga had already established a presence on TV thanks to cartoons like The Clone Wars and Rebels, there had never been a well, good, live-action attempt to bring a galaxy far, far away to the small screen.. The Mandalorian changed all this.

The series is packed with motion picture-level production values, A-List talent on screen and behind the scenes, and, in general, pure entertainment. Before its premiere, The Mandalorian was shrouded in secrecy for reasons that have now become obvious—it was protecting its biggest, er, asset, The Child. A member of the same species as a certain wrinkled green Jedi master, the character is a breakout sensation that transcends the show and Star Wars itself due to its inherent cuteness. And so, Baby Yoda mania and a million “chickie nug nugs” memes were born.

Disney+’s flagship streaming series wowed this morning, with a surprise best drama Primetime Emmy nomination this morning out of a stellar 15, technically repping the first Emmy nominations for a Star Wars live-action IP since the 1985 ABC movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor which was then nominated for three Emmys –Outstanding Children’s Programming, Sound Mixing for a miniseries or a special, outstanding special VFX; the latter.

The Mandalorian scored noms for Best Drama, Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, Production Design for Narrative Program (half-hour), Cinematography for Single Camera (half hour), Fantasy/sci-fi costumes, 3 single-camera Picture editing for a drama series, Prosthetic make-up, music composition, a guest actor in a drama series nod for Giancarlo Esposito, 2 sound-editing in a comedy/drama half hour series, outstanding special vfx, and stunt coordination for a drama series, limited series or movie.

Overall, Disney+ as a network counts 19 nominations this morning, 15 coming from Mandalorian.

Yes,...

In eight short years, Bob Iger’s acquisition of Lucasfilm for a hefty $4.05 billion price tag has already paid enormous dividends, from Disney’s five Star Wars films that earned an average of $1.18 billion each (even accounting for Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s underwhelming performance) to the opening of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge sections of Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to next year’s debut of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser wholly-immersive resort experience.

The company’s streaming service Disney+ has also opened up a whole new world of storytelling possibilities in that galaxy far, far away. The Mandolorian became one of the most popular streaming series in the history of the medium, rocking the Internet with the unspoiled introduction of The Child, and the series is set to be followed by shows focusing on Rogue One‘s captain Cassian Andor and exiled Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Star Wars may be the most popular film franchise on the planet, but there are elements in it that have proved hugely divisive amongst fans. The first that comes to mind is The Phantom Menace and Jar Jar Binks, whose arrival in the franchise was met with anger and horrified disgust. Since then, we’ve seen complaints about all sorts of things, most of which drew to an angry conclusion with the ludicrously Ott reaction to Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. But let’s go back to one of the original Star Wars controversies, because it’s making a comeback in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

I’m talking Ewoks. Introduced in Return of the Jedi, they were an object of hatred amongst sections of the fan community for years. Most considered them annoyingly cute muppets whose victory over the Empire was exceedingly unlikely. Part of this annoyance...

Actress Debbie Lee Carrington, a little person who appeared in the original Total Recall as part of the Martian rebels and in Star Wars as an ewok, among other TV and film appearances, has died. She was 58 and died in her sleep from undetermined causes, according to her sister, Cathy Ellis.

Carrington was born on December 14, 1959 in San Jose, California. Standing just 3 feet, 10 inches tall upon maturity, Carrington was a cheerleader in high school and played Sancho Panza in a production of Man of La Mancha her junior year, igniting her passion for acting.

While attending the University of California-Davis, she saw an ad in the Little People of America magazine about the search for extras for Chevy Chase’s Under the Rainbow, a film which was loosely based on the little people who auditioned for roles as Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz.

Carrington scored a role, and...

We know him best as a star of TLC's Little People, Big World, but Matt Roloff has worn a lot of hats in his 56 years so far. And with his many jobs, he has also racked up a sizable nest egg. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he could cash out now for a cool $4.5 million! How'd he get that rich? His career started in the 1980s, when he worked as a computer programmer in Silicon Valley. (He also had a brief acting career during that decade, appearing in the film Under the Rainbow and the Star Wars TV movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.) After a friend convinced Matt to take a job with a computer company in Oregon, he and then-wife Amy bought a 34-acre farm in the community of Helvetia, just outside of Portland. A post shared by Matt Roloff (@mattroloff) on Nov 17, 2015 at 1:48pm Pst...

If you aren’t into “Star Wars” conspiracy theories, turn back now. If you are, watch below for a 14-minute video about the two movies that some dude on YouTube insists “they’ (read: Lucasfilm) don’t want you to see. Those would be “The Ewok Adventure” and “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor,” two made-for-television films released in 1984 and 1985, respectively, whose reputations are about as prestigious as that of “The Star Wars Holiday Special.”

Read More: Memes Are Helping People Learn to Love the ‘Star Wars’ Prequels

“The Ewok Adventure” was even nominated for two Emmys and released in international theaters as “Caravan of Courage,” making its forgotten-to-time status especially strange. That surely has to do with how little the kid-friendly endeavor has been promoted in the three decades since it was first broadcast, but even as a joke among “Star Wars” obsessives it rarely seems to be mentioned.

Read More:...

It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for Star Wars fans, as it was abruptly announced that the popular directing duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie) are no longer at the helm of the as-yet untitled Han Solo movie – which is supposedly set to be the second Star Wars Anthology film. While the studio is apparently still insistent that the release date of May 2018 has not changed, the logistics of the situation is certainly cause for concern.

As it stands, the production seems to have been filming for between four and five months, and is reportedly less than a month away from finishing principal photography. Time for reshoots has been scheduled for later in the summer – as is the case for most big budget movies – but the directors have just been “let go.” It’s the timing of this drastic change that rings the loudest alarm bells for those that have been patiently waiting for a look at the early years of the beloved rogue, simply because Lord and Miller have clearly already done the larger share of the work. If, as they said in their statement, their “vision and process weren’t aligned with [their] partners” on the film, what effect has that incompatibility had on the months of footage already in the can?

If the creative conflict is indeed evident in the footage it is, perhaps, a positive move to have the filmmakers exit, stage left. With a few weeks of principal photography left, the entire reshoot schedule, and all of the post-production phase to work on, the replacement director – whoever it’s eventually revealed to be – still has a fighting chance of delivering a decent movie. But who might that replacement be?

We’ve already heard reports that Ron Howard is on the shortlist, but The Hollywood Reporter is now suggesting that two more names have cropped up – both of whom have a prior association with Lucasfilm and the Star Wars brand. Firstly, there’s Lawrence Kasdan, who’s rumoured to be the person with whom Lord and Miller found most of their creative differences on the Han Solo movie set.

Kasdan has four Academy Award nominations to his name, thanks to his work as both writer, producer and director of an impressive list of movies. Most significantly, with regard to Star Wars, however, Kasdan co-wrote the scripts for The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens – which means he’s been instrumental in crafting the character of Han Solo for decades. He also co-wrote the script for the Han Solo spinoff with his son, Jon. Kasdan is the obvious choice to take the reins, then – but the legality of such a move is in question, given that the Director’s Guild of America apparently has rules prohibiting a person already working on a film from stepping into the director’s seat.

Secondly, there’s Joe Johnston, who’s also an accomplished director in his own right. Apart from having helmed such effects-heavy fare as Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumanji and Jurassic Park III, he also delivered Captain America: The First Avenger – arguably one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s also well-versed in the minutiae of Star Wars, having worked on A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi, The Ewok Adevnture, Ewoks: The Battle For Endor, and Star Wars: Droids as – variously – visual effects operative, actor, production designer and writer.

If the goal is to bring in an experienced hand to steer the beleaguered Han Solo film over the finish line, while ensuring the movie remains true to the iconic character made famous by Harrison Ford, then Lucasfilm would do well to lock in Joe Johnston. At this point in the proceedings, however, the next developments are as unpredictable as the departure of Lord and Miller in the first place.

With “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” marking the first official spinoff from the ‘Star Wars‘ saga (guess we’re all pretending “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” never happened), it presents an opportunity to break away from some of the trademarks of the franchise. And while no one should expect that this film will completely reinvent the wheel, it’ll be the first time you’ll be dropped into a galaxy far, far away without an opening crawl to set the stage.

Continue reading ‘Rogue One’ Confirmed To Be First ‘Star Wars’ Film Without Opening Crawl at The Playlist.

The Minions are cute and funny and loved by kids, but they also kill a lot of people, send some questionable messages about conformity, and totally would've helped Hitler if given the chance. Right?

The latest Honest Trailers video shares a more jaded view of the little yellow henchmen (of course), and adds a "Death Count" to the movie that hits at least 105.

"From Universal Pictures' marketing department comes one of the most expensive far-reaching promotional campaigns of all time -- and also a movie, 'Minions.' You loved the first two 'Despicable Me's, now, in the tradition of 'Joey,' 'The Cleveland Show,' and 'The Battle for Endor,' comes a spinoff that takes a character that's fun in small doses and makes you wish they had stayed in the background."

Awww. Poor Minions. The trailer also wonders why "Minions" is considered an...

The popular “Minions” movie, which has grossed $1.2 billion worldwide since its summer debut, is being ridiculed in the latest Honest Trailer from the team at Screen Junkies. “From Universal Pictures… marketing department, comes one of the most expensive, far-reaching promotional campaigns of all time,” says a voiceover in the trailer. “And also a movie.” The trailer makes fun of the spin-off of “Despicable Me,” renaming “Minions” to “Despicable Greed.” See Video: 'Fantastic Four' Is Doomed From the Start in New Honest Trailer “Now, in the tradition of ‘Joey,’ ‘The Cleveland Show,’ and ‘The Battle for Endor’ comes a spin-off that takes a character.

Gareth Edwards's Star Wars anthology film Rogue One is about to go in front of cameras, making it the first spinoff outing in the new look franchise.

So, as Disney and Lucasfilm prepare to conjure up another adventure in a galaxy far, far away, we present everything you need to know about the upcoming Star Wars film.

Rogue One will open in cinemas on December 16, 2016.

The cast has finally been revealed

The lid was lifted on Rogue One at Disney D23 Expo with the first picture of the entire cast surfacing. Left to right in the image above you'll see: Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.

Oscar-nominated The Theory of Everything star Jones will lead the cast of the film, playing a rebel fighter who's part of the team tasked with retrieving the Death Star plans. Elsewhere, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Alan Tudyk and...

Gareth Edwards's Star Wars anthology film Rogue One is about to go in front of cameras, making it the first spinoff outing in the new look franchise.

So, as Disney and Lucasfilm prepare to conjure up another adventure in a galaxy far, far away, we present everything you need to know about the upcoming Star Wars film.

Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One will open in cinemas on December 16, 2016.

The man behind the camera is Hollywood hot property

Gareth Edwards made his name with the ultra-low budget Monsters in 2010 before directing last year's Godzilla, and now he's been tasked with launching the first Star Wars spinoff flick.

It's been a sharp career trajectory, but one that Edwards seems to be taking in his stride. He's previously cited George Lucas as one of his favourite filmmakers and his comments on the official press release announcing his hiring showed his geek cred.

The Weekend Read: Our Saturday essay on the great topics in entertainment and culture today. It is 1983 and there is a consensus sweeping the land that the Ewoks are the worst thing to ever happen to Star Wars. Those idiotic teddy bears were the final sign that George Lucas had completely lost his edge. It was obvious that rather than wanting to tell a great story, he had created these characters to pander to children and sell toys. I was 17 days old when “Return of the Jedi” was released in theaters and like most children of the 80’s, I missed the memo on hating these Endor natives. I have vague memories of a curly blonde-haired girl with a sparkly headband and a gruff bearded hermit surviving in the forest with a living teddy bear. A quick Google search reveals I would’ve been two and a half when “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” aired,...

How you feel about Ewoks is probably determined by your age. If you were a teenager or an adult in 1983 when “Return of the Jedi” came out, you probably loathe them as the kid-ification of “Star Wars.” If you were one of those kids? You probably thought they were adorable and spent time re-enacting ”Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” in your backyard. For the latter, even as adults the Endor natives are protected from derision by a cocoon of 80s nostalgia. But the Ewoks were originally supposed to be Wookiees. Way back in Ye Olden Days™ of 1977, George Lucas sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about Star Wars runaway success. I recommend reading the whole the whole article, because it is littered with fun trivia about things that never came to be. However, for now, this is the relevant bit. When asked about the anthropological background of species like Jawas and Wookiees,...

We know by now that there will be many characters from the earlier Star Wars films reappearing in the highly anticipated Episode 7. Someone else may be accompanying Luke, Han and the other returning originals. Are the Ewoks coming back for another round?

It’s time for another Star Wars rumor. (Can there ever be too many?) This one is part fact/part rumor. The factual part is about actor Warwick Davis returning, and the rumor concerns the Ewoks.

Warwick Davis is a veteran of the Star Wars universe. He played the Ewok known as Wicket in Star Wars-Episode 6: Return of the Jedi(1983),as well as in the Ewok TV films, The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). He also had several roles in Star Wars-Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999). Now that an amusing video featuring Davis has been released, breaking the news that Davis is...

If you weren’t already over the moon about the casting line-up for Star Wars: Episode VII, then you might be excited to hear that Warwick Davis is set to return to a galaxy far, far away. The franchise stalwart has officially signed on to J.J. Abrams’ anticipated first instalment of the new trilogy.

Davis will be recognisable to the Star Wars fan community as he appeared in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle For Endor as much-loved ewok, Wicket. That’s not to say he’ll be reprising that role for the new movie. Lest we forget, he also cropped up in the prequel trilogy. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, he took on two brief roles; one as Anakin’s childhood friend Wald, and the other as arms dealer Weazel.

The actor made his announcement...

With Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and that guy who plays Chewbacca all returning for "Star Wars: Episode 7," yet another franchise veteran has joined the film's cast. Warwick Davis, perhaps best known for playing Wicket in "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi," "The Ewok Adventure" and "Ewoks: The Battle For Endor" has announced he's joined the gang for 'Episode 7.' Of course, his role isn't being disclosed and one shouldn't immediately assume he's reprising his turn as Wicket. He did make a brief appearance in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" as Wald, the childhood friend of Anakin Skywalker who helped build his podracer. So hey, maybe we'll see that character back in the movie for some reason. But given the way the nostalgia winds are blowing so far, we would not be entirely shocked if Wicket for whatever reason reappears. Why? Well,...

True story: I did not see Star Wars until I was 27 years old. Also a true story: until I was 27 years old, I thought I had seen Star Wars as a child. I did totally see Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, though. Anyway, Star Wars day is swiftly approaching, so put a rush order on these geeky items to celebrate in style.

Stormtrooper Suit Up Racerback Tank

Maybe you want to show your Star Wars love in a hip, ironic way. Maybe you want it to be ambiguously political, too. Like, the real drones are the people who wear suits to work and buy and trade our futures, or something. I don’t know, maybe that Stormtrooper just wants to look fly. (There is a men’s version of the shirt here.) [Etsy]

Jedi Sleeved Blanket

If you celebrate Star Wars day alone, watching all six of the movies (plus the...

Well, friends, as you can tell from the title, this episode’s a mouthful. We hit the 350-Like threshold on Facebook a few weeks ago, and you know what that means: time for another b-b-b-b-b-b-b-bonus episode! This time, per Gabe’s suggestion, your intrepid co-hosts tackle not one, not two, but three movies, all from the now-Disney-owned Lucasfilm: Willow, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. Yes, really, these are movies that we sat down and watched willingly. (Ok, some less willingly than others.) And, as you might expect from a bonus show, this one’s full of goofy tangents as well as a few impersonations. Listen carefully, and you’ll hear Josh impersonate Wilford Brimley, and Gabe may even impersonate…Taylor Lautner? Yup. Now go forth on your own caravan of courage and check out the new show!

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The post Mousterpiece Cinema, Lucasfilm Bonus Episode Two: ‘Willow,...

The ‘Ravenswood’ winter premiere offered up answers about the mysterious curse — and, of course, a million more questions.

Following his three-day stint in Rosewood, Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) returned “home” on the Jan. 7 winter premiere of Ravenswood, only to discover that life in the titular town is even more twisted than when he left.

Sleepwalk This Way

Upon realizing her nightmares were actually allowing her a glimpse into the past — I’m sorry, do your nightmares not do that? – Remy (Britne Oldford) went on a semi-conscious jaunt through the town, followed closely by Caleb and Luke (Brett Dier), who I think found themselves in combat with a scarecrow. Like, an actual scarecrow.

'Ravenswood' Stars Talk 'Pll' Crushes

Anyweird, Remy’s nightmare revealed the creation of the original pact, offering her a new clue that leads her to believe the Collins family has more — if not all – to...

When Disney announced that their future, non-trilogy Star Wars movies would be origin stories, two things struck me as funny. One, we already got an origin story of one of the universe’s most iconic characters (he was supposed to be the chosen one!), and pretty much everyone hated it. Maybe the problem was that it took three movies instead of one? Two, Disney wants Han Solo to be their Iron Man. They haven’t concretely confirmed that they’ll be focusing one of their stand-alone movies on Solo, but he seems like an obvious choice alongside Yoda and/or Leia, and regardless of which character they feature, the studio will have pulled a kind of Reverse Marvel by taking a sprawling, established film universe and re-introducing its players as monolithic superheroes. I get that that’s normally called a spin-off, but after the enormity of Marvel’s Avengers success and with Disney owning both properties, it...

Last weekend I posted a Short Starts column in celebration of the early work of Jordan Vogt-Roberts, a filmmaker who has done a lot of comedy sketches and short films in the past (including the popular award-winning Successful Alcoholics) and now has his debut feature, The Kings of Summer, opening in theaters. One of the pieces that I shared is a video consisting of well-known coming-of-age movie clips with the title “Toy’s House Rip-o-Matic Tone Reel” (The Kings of Summer was formerly titled Toy’s House), and I explained that I was pretty curious about its purpose in the development of the new film. Vogt-Roberts emailed me in response, and later we had a chat on the phone about that, his other works and a lot more. It was a long phone call. We discussed improv, which is something he’s clearly passionate about (see the youth organization Detroit Creativity Project, which...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... well, Ok, 30 years ago (on May 25, 1983) in our own galaxy, came the theatrical release of "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi." The installment triumphantly wrapped up the "Star Wars" saga for all time. Or so we thought. Little did we know that the movie's cuddly-but-ferocious Ewoks would soon spawn a cottage industry of spinoffs, or that we'd be getting a trilogy of "Star Wars" prequels in another 16 years, and "Jedi" sequels another 15 years after that ("Episode VII" is due in 2014). Nor did we know, at the time, how close "Jedi" came to being an art-house film (judging by the directors whom "Star Wars" guru George Lucas initially asked to take the helm), or how close we came to losing Han Solo (Harrison Ford), or many of the other secrets of "jedi," which you can read below. 1. David Lynch...

Unlike their past venture into the realm of live-action TV, I believe it is time for Star Wars to make the leap onto the small screen. Some of you may recall the Holiday Special, others may recall Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in 1985. Both are surrounded with an aura of shock and horror. However, Lucasfilm is planning on putting a new small-screen series animated series into production at a later date, which will explore “a whole new Star Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming.” And with the cancellation of Clone Wars and detours, it has got me thinking. What else can they do using the live-action medium?

The biggest talking point within this realm is Star Wars: Underworld. This is the working title of the semi-mythical planned live-action television series, which has been in development at Lucasfilm since 2005. This was...

Warwick Davis has been a part of our lives as movie fans for three decades, starring as Wicket the Ewok in "Return of the Jedi" and later as the title character in "Willow" before starring in the "Leprechaun" movies and in every "Harry Potter" film in the franchise. Quite the career!

The following mini-biography marks a few significant dates in Davis' life, complete with fun facts that you may not have known about the esteemed English thespian.

February 3, 1970: Born to narcissist parents Warren and Harwick Davis in Epsom, Surrey, UK.

April 25, 1977: Sees "Star Wars" for the first time with his older brother, Meriweather. During the show, he allegedly points to the screen and whispers something to Meriweather that would seem to have amazingly prophesied his future: "One day, Meriweather, I'm going to play a murderous leprechaun in a film franchise that will launch the career of a promising young actress named Jennifer Aniston.

I was a little disappointed when I heard that J.J. Abrams was directing Star Wars Episode VII. And while some of my disappoint came from the sake of Star Trek 3, I was more disappointed that Disney didn't take the path of Joe Johnston. First off, Johnston has worked on all three of the original Star Wars films, as the art director and effects producer. Not only that, but he worked on The Ewok Adventure, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and Star Wars: Droids. He knows Star Wars backwards and forwards. And even more importantly, he knows the creatures of Star Wars backwards and forwards. This brings me to another point: He knows his way around visuals. He made Captain America: The First Avenger, which was was set in the 40s, still look good visually. He also made Jumanji and Honey I Shrunk The Kids, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III,...

Forget the fact that Return of the Jedi was an enormous letdown to some Star Wars fans back in '83, due to its reliance on cute teddy bears to save the day. The real controversy -- which no one seems to talk about -- is that these teddy bears aren't all that cute. In fact, they're pretty damn frightening. More after the jump. George Lucas's Ewoks were introduced in Jedi. But they took center stage in two 1980s spin-off TV movies -- Caravan of Courage and The Battle for Endor. In images from these films, we see the Ewoks for what they truly are: maniacs. I mean look at the lobby card above. Wicket has, in the words of Sam Loomis, the eyes of a psychopath. And I wouldn't let my child within a hundred feet...

James Cameron has always, honestly, made me go "wow". Watching from behind a cushion as Arnie popped his ruined eyeball into sink, grinning from ear to ear every time I watched Ripley fight the Alien queen sometime around 3am on channel 4 for the 3,000th time or seeing T1000's metallic bullet wounds heal over and that little smile curl his lips. Yet, oddly and as much as I love those films, there's always been something in the way James Cameron put his ideas on the screen recently that makes the movie itself somehow seem like it comes in with a second place trophy, just losing out to the technology that helped make it. Cameron's Avatar introduces us to paraplegic marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, once again fighting his Aussie accent every step of the way) as he scores a trip to replace his brilliant scientist brother (may he rest in...