Star Wars news

A WAR LEFT UNFINISHED ... UNTIL NOW!

BY JAYSON PETERS

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is coming back. At the 10th anniversary panel at Comic- Con on Thursday, a revival was announced to standing ovations and thunderous applause.

#CLONEWARSSAVED

The hashtag we’ve been waiting to see and use since 2013 ... Lucasfilm announced in a press release shortly thereafter that the new series would comprise 12 episodes that will live on Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming service. Launched in 2008 on Cartoon Network and canceled in 2013 after Disney bought Lucasfilm and started its own Far, Far Away animation empire with the nowrecently concluded Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars did get a shortened 2014 fifth season, “The Lost Missions,” which ran on Netflix and brought many storylines to a close. (You can currently watch the entire Clone Wars series, and the 2008 animated feature that started it, on Netflix.) It looks like the new Clone Wars content will deal with the long-teased Siege of Mandalore with former Padawan Ahsoka Tano returning to help the Jedi as the galactic conflict drew to a close leading up to Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith. Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein and Dee Bradley Baker (Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex, respectively) all seem to be involved. That’s possibly Mandalorian heiress Bo-Katan Kryze in the hologram behind

Ahsoka in the teaser trailer, so that means we may hear Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) again as well. And with the Siege of Mandalore in the picture, it’s hard to imagine Sam WItwer not returning as Darth Maul — especially after lending his voice to the character in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Dave Filoni, who helmed the show as supervising director during its original run, resumes his role on The Clone Wars continuation. “I honestly didn’t think we would ever

have the opportunity to return to The Clone Wars,” Filoni said. “Thanks to the relentless fan support and the team behind Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, we will now get to tell more of those stories. We feel a tremendous responsibility to make something that lives up to the legacy that George Lucas created with the original series and I think our team, many of whom worked on the show from the beginning, has risen to the challenge.”

The prequels strike back ...

Star Wars’ much-maligned prequel era is at last getting some love from the Galaxy Far, Far Away’s publishing line, even as the fallout from The Last Jedi schism continues to roil fandom. Thrawn: Alliances, which came out July 24, helps kick-start this prequel renaissance by taking place across two different eras: during the Clone Wars, before Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, and before Episode IV — A New Hope and during the run of the Star Wars Rebels animated TV series. In the earlier era, the Timothy Zahn novel sees impulsive Republic General Anakin Skywalker encountering the alien Thrawn while searching the

Unknown Regions for his charge and secret wife, the Senator Padme Amidala. Years later, Thrawn — by now an Imperial Grand Admiral with complicated agendas of his own — teams up with Darth Vader to investigate events connected to that long-ago team-up. Last month at San Diego Comic-Con, a few new books in the prequel era were announced, including Master and Apprentice, a tale by best-selling author Claudia Gray of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as Queen’s Shadow, a Padme book by Ahsoka author EK Johnston: We can expect Queen’s Shadow and Master and Apprentice in early 2019. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of Episode I — The Phantom Menace. — Jayson Peters

Solo: A Star Wars Story video release set

Solo: A Star Wars Story comes to digital video Sept. 14, with a physical Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD disc and on-demand video release Sept. 25. Extensive bonus content takes fans behind the scenes to experience compelling discussions with the starstudded cast and screenwriters Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan (writer of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), a revealing feature on Chewie and his enduring friendship with Han, a close-up look at the original version of the Millennium Falcon and Han’s first time piloting the infamous ship, the creation of the film’s otherworldly settings and pulsepounding action sequences, and eight never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes.

• Proxima’s Den

• Corellian Foot Chase

• Han Solo: Imperial Cadet

• The Battle of Mimban: Extended

• Han Versus Chewie: Extended

• Snowball Fight!

• Meet Dryden: Extended

• Coaxium Double-Cross

Bonus material may vary by format and retailer:

• “Solo: The Director & Cast Roundtable” — Sit down with director Ron Howard and the stars for an intimate and entertaining discussion of the film’s making.

• “Team Chewie” — See what it takes to bring your favorite Wookiee to life in this lighthearted look behind the scenes.

• “Kasdan on Kasdan” — Iconic Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan

and son Jonathan share what it was like to write the movie’s script together.

• “Remaking the Millennium Falcon” — Track the transformation of the most famous ship in the galaxy, from Lando’s swank and impeccable pride and joy to Han’s strippeddown hot-rod freighter with “special modifications.”

• “Escape from Corellia” — Get behind the wheel for the making of this highoctane chase through the streets of Corellia.

• “The Train Heist:” Explore the challenges and thrills of creating this action-packed sequence, including its remote location and spectacular effects.

• “Becoming a Droid: L3-37” — Meet the newest droid—and the talented actor who helps bring her to life.

• Scoundrels, Droids, Creatures and Cards: Welcome to Fort Ypso

• Take an in-depth tour of the roughand-tumble bar where strangers mix and gamblers risk all in the legendary card game, Sabaac.

• “Into the Maelstrom: The Kessel Run” — Join Han and Chewie at the controls of the Millennium Falcon to see how this legendary moment in Star Wars history unfolds.

• “The Millenium Falcon: From Page to Park” — An exclusive look at the history of the most famous ship in the galaxy, its origin and development, and how it will translate in one of the most anticipated expansions in Disneyland’s history.

— Jayson Peters

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