Star Wars Weekly: I'm Just Ken(obi) (20/01/25 to 26/01/25)

Big news about the future of Star Wars movies...

When Mark Hamill first walked onto the set for the Mos Eisley Cantina he was disappointed.

The realities of production meant that the delightfully weird selection of aliens he’d been expecting wasn’t there. Instead, the crew had scrambled to assemble what they could to fill out the scene. It was a reality check for the young actor who’d been looking forward to shooting the sequence.

“It was really imaginatively described,” Hamill later recalled in the Empire of Dreams documentary. “And then you go in there and it looks like The Nutcracker Suite. There’s a frog guy and a mouse girl and a giant cricket at the bar. It was really disappointing.”

Additional shooting, completed months later with the help of Rick Baker, clever editing, and John Williams’ iconic score finally brought the scene together in the finished movie. Now, it’s considered one of the franchise's iconic moments, the moment when we finally realized what the “galaxy far, far away” part of the opening titles meant.

It’s a moment that still inspires awe and wonder as we realize we’re not in Kansas anymore, so to speak. Like Luke, we were taking our first steps into a larger world.

The wide assortment of alien species in Star Wars has become a quintessential part of the recipe for telling Star Wars stories. And it all comes back to this scene and the feelings it inspired.

As the years have passed, recapturing those feelings has become harder. This is in part because we’ve become so used to seeing weird and wonderful things on our screens, in the Star Wars galaxy and beyond. The Cantina was a first. Not only were there aliens, but they looked good and felt real. Thanks to the pioneering work done by many of the people who worked on the Cantina, every sci-fi movie, even low-budget ones, can achieve this.

But there’s another, bigger factor. We’re seeing the Cantina largely through Luke’s eyes. And while Luke has seen other species before (we see him interact with Tuskens and Jawas earlier in the movie), it’s clear he’s never been anywhere like this before.

All of our protagonists since Luke have been people with more experience in the galaxy. Din Djarin is a bounty hunter, tracking down marks of every species. Ahsoka Tano grew up in the Jedi Order, surrounded by every type of alien imaginable. Even Anakin and Rey grew up in places where a wide variety of aliens were part of their day-to-day lives. So a moment like Luke walking into the Cantina and having the diversity of species stand in for just how big the galaxy can be wouldn’t make sense for any of them.

Then along came Skeleton Crew.

The recently wrapped-up series managed to recapture that feeling of wonder that we felt when we first saw the Cantina. It’s not a one-to-one, of course. The kids of Skeleton Crew have seen plenty of aliens before (hell, Neel is a Myykian), but they haven’t left their home planet before. When they blast off and find themselves on the Pirate outpost Port Borgo, they have a similar response to Luke in the Cantina.

Luke’s story in A New Hope and Wim’s story in Skeleton Crew both draw on the feeling of malaise and boredom with their day-to-day life. The belief that there is something more for them “out there.” Then something happens that pushes them out into the larger galaxy and they realize just how much more there is.

It’s a moment that inspires awe…and more than a little fear.

Not every Star Wars movie or show can be Skeleton Crew, nor should they be. However, the series managed to bring back this element that has taken a back seat in recent years. As Star Wars has become a staple of pop culture, it can start to feel familiar. It’s still delightfully weird and wonderful, but we expect it to be.

By making the heroes of Skeleton Crew kids from a forgotten planet, showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford were able to tap back into the wonder so many people felt when they first saw Star Wars. We saw the galaxy through the eyes of Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel, as both incredible and terrifying. Like it was the first time we saw it before we were used to seeing Jedi, Sith, and Mandalorians regularly.

In other words, it brought back the feeling of walking into the Cantina for the first time. It was exciting and scary for the kids, and through their eyes, we got to experience that again as though it were our first time too.

It’s a rare treat and something to be savoured.

Top Story

Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie Casts Hot, Canadian Ryan (No, The Other One)

In a shocking twist, few saw coming, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news this week that Ryan Gosling is in talks to star in the upcoming Star Wars movie directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool and Wolverine, The Adam Project). If the deal happens, it is expected that the movie will be the next Star Wars movie to go into production—potentially as soon as this fall.

According to THR,

Gosling’s interest and involvement suddenly shifted the Star Wars project into hyperspace. If a deal makes, the project would continue to fly like the Millennium Falcon, becoming not only Levy’s next movie but also the next Star Wars movie to go into production, with cameras potentially rolling this fall.

The news is surprising for a variety of reasons. For one, Star Wars doesn’t usually cast A-list stars in lead roles. The typical Star Wars casting formula involves up-and-comers in the lead roles, with established character actors in supporting roles. We’ve seen this play out with every trilogy in the Skywalker saga as the likes of Mark Hamill, Hayden Christensen, and Daisy Ridley took the lead, while Alec Guinness, Samuel L. Jackson, and Andy Serkis played supporting roles. Even the TV shows and stand-alone movies mostly followed similar patterns.

This is not to say that breaking from tradition is inherently a bad thing. Gosling is a very talented actor and has shown great range as a performer across comedies and dramas throughout his career. Also bringing someone of his calibre on board might ensure that this Star Wars movie actually gets made, which has proven more difficult than expected since 2019.

The other big reason this news came as a surprise is that Levy’s movie didn’t appear on many people’s radar as the next Star Wars movie.

Back in 2023, Lucasfilm announced with great fanfare at Star Wars Celebration that the next three Star Wars movies would be a “New Jedi Order” film starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinnoy, a “Dawn of the Jedi” movie directed by James Mangold, and the concluding chapter to the so-called “Mandoverse” directed by Dave Filoni. Since then it was announced that the actual next Star Wars movie would be The Mandalorian & Grogu, coming May 2026 and directed by Jon Favreau.

Now, it seems very likely that Levy’s movie (which has never been officially announced by Lucasfilm, though the director has spoken openly about it) will also leapfrog Filoni, Mangold, and Obaid-Chinnoy’s movies to be second in line after Favreau’s movie.

With all that in mind, the question everyone is asking, of course, is how likely is this to happen? For what it’s worth, I believe that, while nothing is ever certain, this is very likely.

Outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Deadline (known in the film industry as “the trades”) have extremely good track records. They don’t publish something like this without very reliable sources telling them it’s true. In other words, this isn’t some guy on Reddit with “a buddy” who’s in the know or some YouTuber looking to make a name for themselves as an “insider.” These are people who have made a career and built a reputation by being in the know and reporting accurately.

I understand people’s reticence to trust anything about a new Star Wars movie after so many false starts in the last half-decade (Patty Jenkins, Taika Waititi, David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, etc.), but a story like this usually has something behind it. As such, I think it’s a safe bet that a Star Wars movie directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling will be the next Star Wars movie after The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Now if only there were an exciting event coming up in just over two months where they could make the official announcement in front of thousands of excited Star Wars fans.

It would be a real Celebration…

Headlines

George Nolfi Takes Over Writing Duties on Rey Movie

The Hollywood Reporter had a big week when it came to Star Wars!

Just three days after dropping the news about Gosling and Levy, THR followed it up by reporting that The Bourne Ultimatum writer George Nolfi had taken over writing the upcoming movie about Rey’s New Jedi Order. The project will be directed by Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinnoy and will bring back Daisy Ridley as Rey.

Nolfi will be the fourth writer to work on the film, which at one point was expected to be the first new Star Wars movie in production since The Rise of Skywalker. The project was initiated by Damon Lindelof and Justine Brit-Gibson, who wanted to set the project several decades after Episode IX and cast someone like Helen Mirren as Rey. They were replaced by Steven Knight, who at Lucasfilm’s request brought the film’s place on the Star Wars timeline to a point where Ridley could return. He left the project in the Fall.

Nolfi is an established screenwriter in Hollywood. In addition to The Bourne Ultimatum, his credits include Ocean’s 12 and The Adjustment Bureau (which he also directed). He also did uncredited work on The Bourne Supremacy, with star Matt Damon claiming he rewrote the film’s ending in two weeks. Both Bourne movies he worked on were produced by The Kennedy/Marshall Company, founded and run by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and her husband Frank Marshall.

Lucasfilm’s commitment to this project is interesting. Where other projects have fallen through (or been “put on the back burner”) after differences with key creatives, this one keeps moving forward with different writers.

In part, this is surely due to Ridley’s involvement. Cancelling the movie after she signed on would be embarrassing for the actress, as well as the production company, especially since Ridley has been hyping up the movie at every opportunity. If Lucasfilm wants her to continue playing Rey every few years, then avoiding any sort of public embarrassment with her has to be high on their list of priorities.

It also appears they feel they have a lot riding on this character. An insider told THR in November, “She is the most valuable cinematic asset, in some ways maybe the only one, Star Wars has right now.” Clearly, the decision-makers working on Star Wars see Rey as a big part of their road back to big-screen success. The film was originally slated to be the first of the new Star Wars movies (though it seems to have been bypassed by The Mandalorian & Grogu and the Shawn Levy/Ryan Gosling project).

I also wonder if there’s something of a legacy play here for Kathleen Kennedy. Her stewardship of Lucasfilm has had its ups (the success of the sequel trilogy, The Mandalorian, and Rogue One) and downs (no Star Wars movies since 2019). And while I would argue that the good has vastly outweighed the bad, she may be looking to silence the haters before retiring.

Kennedy, 71, has shown no indication of thinking of retirement and is still under contract with Disney until the end of this year’s Q2 (which runs from April 1st to June 30th). But not everyone is Lou Lamoriello, the general manager of the New York Islanders, who is running the day-to-day operations of a National Hockey League team at age 82.

If she does want to retire, or even just step away from Lucasfilm, then having among her final projects be successful Star Wars movies with characters created under her watch (Din Djarin, Grogu, and Rey) as the leads would go a long way to solidifying her legacy. It would demonstrate once and for all that she did much more with the franchise than just coast on nostalgia.

Marvel Relaunches Flagship Star Wars Comic Book Series With Stories Set Post-Return of the Jedi

Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm announced this week that the flagship ongoing Star Wars comic book series will be relaunched later this year with writer Alex Segura at the helm. The series follows Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo on their adventures between the movies and, with the relaunch, will move in the post-original trilogy timeline.

The official description for the new Star Wars #1 is below,

AN EPIC NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS FOR LUKE, LEIA AND HAN IN THE WAKE OF RETURN OF THE JEDI!

- New York Times best-selling author ALEX SEGURA launches the bold next era of STAR WARS.

- LUKE SKYWALKER must defend the NEW REPUBLIC from a bloodthirsty gang of mercenaries!

- HAN SOLO investigates a deadly underworld mystery — and saves a surprising ally!

- LEIA ORGANA must grapple with a new alliance opposed to the goals of the New Republic!

This is the third iteration of the Star Wars flagship series. It originally launched in 2015 with stories set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and ran for 75 issues until the end of 2019. In 2020, the series underwent its first relaunch and told stories set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi for 50 issues.

Since then, Segura has been writing the twelve-issue series The Battle of Jakku. The series serves as a bridge between the second and third iterations of the Star Wars comic and finally reveals the role of the “Big 3” in the titular battle.

Segura, along with fellow Star Wars comics authors Charles Soule (Legacy of Vader) and Marc Guggenheim (Jedi Knights), spoke with Star Wars Explained about the relaunch of the flagship and The Battle of Jakku. He teases the first arc of the series and talks about how writing the two series differs. Check it out below,

This is the Star Wars comics announcement I have been waiting for. I have largely dropped off from reading Star Wars comics (except for the High Republic series’). I read almost every issue from 2015 to 2019 but stopped around the start of 2020. There wasn’t a big reason why I quit, I just kinda fell off. And nothing, again outside The High Republic, really grabbed my attention and made me want to get back into them (though the Crimson Dawn stuff came close).

The era between the Original and Sequel trilogies remains largely unexplored. Even with multiple TV series (and a pair of upcoming movies) set in the era, it feels like the surface has barely been scratched of the three-decade era. When it comes to publishing there have been a handful of novels set between Episodes VI and VII, mostly (but not entirely) set closer to VI. The comics, meanwhile, mostly avoided the era, sticking close to movies when they did jump in.

So it’s nice to see the comics finally moving into this space. And it’s really nice to see that Lucasfilm is finally opening up to telling more stories with Luke, Han, and Leia in this era. Maybe this is my opportunity to jump back in.

Star Wars (2025) #1 hits shelves on May 7th, 2025.

Hasbro Reveals New Vintage Collection & Black Series Action Figures

During the latest Hasbro Pulse Livestream, members of the Hasbro Star Wars team revealed seven new additions coming to the 3.75” scale Vintage Collection and the 6” scale Black Series.

The new Vintage Collection figures are:

• Mandalorian Supercommando (Ahsoka)

• Baylan Skoll (Ahsoka)

• Shin Hati (Ahsoka)

• 501st Legion Clone Trooper (Obi-Wan Kenobi)

• Battle Droid Four Pack (The Phantom Menace)

The new Black Series Figures are:

• Anakin Skywalker (Ahsoka)

• Captain Rex (Ahsoka)

You can see all the new figures below,

The newly revealed figures are available now for pre-order from Hasbro Pulse and will hit stores in Spring 2025.

The Acolyte Was The Second Most Streamed Show on Disney+ in 2024

A new report from Luminate, a company that tracks entertainment industry data, revealed that, despite its cancellation, The Acolyte was the second most streamed series on Disney+ in 2024. Viewers watched approximately 2.7 Billion minutes of the show, just behind the 3 Billion minutes watched of the top-viewed series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

This, naturally, raises questions about its cancellation. Luminate addresses these, noting in their report on streaming in 2024, “While mixed fan reactions were likely a factor, viewership for the show had waned, with significant decreases after the first two episodes and into the finale.”

It should also be noted that viewership for the series also lagged behind other Star Wars series, including 2023’s Ahsoka. The lower starting point in viewership that then declined significantly as the series went on, combined with the reported high production budget is likely the largest factor in the series not getting a second season. Disney’s shift away from streaming and back to cinemas also likely played a large role in the decision.

I still think it’s a shame that The Acolyte won’t be returning. Despite its flaws (which do not include casting, it’s worth noting), the series showed great potential and had an interesting point of view. The teases for a second season (Plagueis, Yoda) suggest that had it been given more time then it might have grown into the show people wanted it to be (like The Clone Wars did). And it’s disappointing being the second biggest show on Disney+ wasn’t enough for it to be renewed.

Also of note from the report, Skeleton Crew “hasn’t fared much better” when it comes to viewership, making chances of a second season feel slim.

From The Archives

The Clone Wars Season Seven Trailer

For Star Wars fans, on January 22nd, 2020 it felt like the biggest thing happening in the world was the upcoming release of the seventh and final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It was on this date that Lucasfilm dropped the trailer for the upcoming season, which would premiere less than a month later on February 21st.

The series had been off the air since 2014 when an abbreviated sixth season was released on Netflix, following the announcement of the series cancellation in early 2013. At that time, Disney’s recent purchase of Lucasfilm had shifted Star Wars’ focus to the upcoming sequel trilogy that was being developed. As a result, all the other Star Wars projects in development were cancelled. This included the 3D re-releases of the saga, the video game Star Wars 1313, and the animated comedy Star Wars: Detours.

In the years that followed, fans campaigned for The Clone Wars’ return. So when it came time for Lucasfilm to develop projects for Disney’s streaming service, one of the first announcements was the seventh season of The Clone Wars—which would give the series a proper ending. The return was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 at the end of a panel celebrating the series’ tenth anniversary.

The January 2020 trailer, if you haven’t seen it in a while, absolutely holds up and is definitely worth a rewatch. It teases all three arcs from the final season, with an extra emphasis on the concluding “Siege of Mandalore” storyline thanks to the voiceover from Sam Witwer as Darth Maul.

Hard to believe this was five years ago…

In Other News

Felicity Jones, James Mangold, and John Powell Nominated for Oscars!

Some past (and future) Star Wars creatives picked up Academy Award nominations this week!

Rogue One star Felicity Jones was nominated for the Best Support Actress award for her role in The Brutalist. Meanwhile Solo: A Star Wars Story composer John Powell was nominated, alongside Stephen Schwartz, for Best Original Score for their work on Wicked. And James Mangold, director of the upcoming “Dawn of the Jedi” movie, was nominated for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay (with Jay Cocks), and Best Picture for his Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown.

The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 2nd.

Podcast Corner

It’s a rare week where I have no new Podcast episodes to promote!

The Star Wars Underworld took a break last week, but we’ll be back this week to break down all the huge Star Wars news from the past fourteen days. Expect lots of talk about Shawn Levy, Ryan Gosling, George Nolfi, and more!

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or YouTube to make sure you don’t miss out!

And if you’re looking for some talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs, be sure to check out Game Over: Toronto. My cohosts Zach and Lauren handled the games this week, but I will be back on Wednesday to talk about the Leafs matchup with the Minnesota Wild. Tune in after the game to hear me break it all down.

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and/or Spotify!

Coming Soon

Always in motion is the future, but here’s a look ahead at what we can expect in Star Wars over the next seven days:

• Two trade paperback collections of Star Wars Comics will be released on January 28th, with The High Republic Adventures: Saber For Hire by Cavan Scott, and Jango Fett: Trail of Lost Hope by Ethan Sacks both hitting shelves.

• It’s a huge week for Star Wars comics! Six issues will all be released on January 29th. The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 by Cavan Scott, The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear #4 by George Mann, The High Republic Adventures (2023) #14 by Daniel Jose Older, Ewoks (2024) #4 by Steve Orlando, A New Legacy #1 by Charles Soule, Jason Aaron & Kieron Gillen, and The High Republic Adventures (2023) Annual by Alyssa Wong, Cavan Scott, Charles and Rosemary Soule, Justina Ireland, and Zoraida Córdova.

We say at it the end of every “Star Wars Weekly” but after a week like this, it bears repeating: Always in motion is the future…