Skywalker

via Lucasfilm Rian Johnson may have split the fandom in two with The Last Jedi, but J.J. Abrams was the one who brought the nine-film Star Wars saga to a close with little more than a whimper via The Rise of Skywalker. Going out of his way to retcon as much as possible and substitute it with far too much in the way of nostalgia, nods, winks, callbacks, and cameos to the glory days of the franchise, a 52 percent Rotten Tomatoes score sounds about right. And yet, in offering new details to Entertainment Weekly…

Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images Yesterday’s episode of The Mandalorian ended with the bombshell revelation that Moff Gideon may have been assisted in his escape from the New Republic by Mandalorians, with a telltale shard of Beskar at the scene apparently pointing in only one direction. Fans are already abuzz debating whether this is a red herring, if someone might be framing them, or if Bo-Katan is about to have an awkward reunion with the remaining Nite Owls. Others can see Grand Admiral Thrawn’s devious…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeMark Hamill has offered his Star Wars persona to provide familiarity and strength to Ukrainians amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The 71-year-old actor famously starred as the franchise’s lead Jedi, Luke Skywalker, in the original film trilogy and has cameos in the more recent sequels.Now, Hamill is bringing his character’s iconic voice to Air Alert, a downloadable app linked to…

Although Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo defeated the Galactic Empire at the end of Return of the Jedi—with an assist from a teddy bear or three—the new era of Star Wars has made no secret of the fact that the galaxy’s problems weren’t all solved with the death of Palpatine. Various remnants of the Empire survived, the First Order arose, the Emperor came back, and that’s just in the sequel trilogy; if you check out the books, you’ll know the government of the New Republic was mired by political infighting almost…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeThe first Star Wars film since The Rise of Skywalker has a brand new writer attached.Damon Lindelof, the writer behind Lost, The Leftovers and Watchmen, was originally hired to co-write the forthcoming release alongside Justin Britt-Gibson. However, it was reported that the pair left the project in February.Instead, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will now write the film. Variety…

Image via Lucasfilm Right now, the future of Star Wars is worryingly hazy. Lucasfilm has a bunch of Disney Plus shows in various stages of development, with Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte, and Andor season two either shooting or in pre/post production, but news on Star Wars‘ rightful home on the silver screen is hard to come by. We recently learned that Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron is now not moving forward, along with Kevin Feige’s project (which apparently never left the planning stages). That leaves…

Image via Lucasfilm More than three years after The Rise of Skywalker concluded the main Star Wars saga, Lucasfilm doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge that the sequel timeline even exists, though some of its actors, including Keri Russell, remain optimistic about a return in the future. At the moment, the Mouse House is giving the galaxy far, far away a break from the big screens, focusing instead on smaller projects like The Mandalorian or other animated ventures like The Bad Batch to keep the Star Wars name…

Anybody that’s even vaguely familiar with the long, illustrious, and distinguished career of Mark Hamill both on and offscreen will be fully aware that the Star Wars icon is a funny, self-deprecating, and all-round witty guy. Regularly found espousing nuggets of wisdom on Twitter, the actor and voiceover legend has become an online folk hero by sharing his thoughts and musings on anything and everything that tickles his fancy. Naturally, that includes his lengthy stint as Luke Skywalker more often than not, but Hamill…

A brand new year is upon us, and a bunch of exciting new sci-fi movies and TV shows are already coming our way. First up, Star Wars fans have already got a fresh season of a returning animated series to tuck into, one which could tie into the wider saga, as Hugh Jackman previews his other upcoming superhero project that you probably had no idea existed until now. Last but not least, Mark Hamill spills the secrets of the true beginnings of Luke Skywalker. Let’s dig in… Forget Deadpool 3, Hugh Jackman’s got a wacky new…

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a deservedly terrible reputation. Other entries in the franchise have their defenders, with Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi continually dividing opinion and generating debate, but there’s practically a consensus that The Rise of Skywalker – with its tin-eared dialogue, nonsensical plot, and the boneheaded decision to “somehow” resurrect Emperor Palpatine – is beyond redemption. For many fans, the rancid cherry on top of this poorly baked cake is the finale, in which Rey buries Luke and…