Solo: A Star Wars Story was a box office disappointment for Lucasfilm, and that resulted in Disney going back to the drawing board in terms of what to do next with the
Star Wars franchise.
Well, while there was no mention of Rian Johnson or David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' new trilogies at the D23 Expo this weekend, we did get some huge new details about
The Rise of Skywalker and plans to bring a Galaxy Far, Far Away to the small screen thanks to the Disney+ streaming service became clear.
There were some big surprises, shocking reveals, and unexpected announcements (not to mention some new footage). Overall, it was a great weekend to be a fan of
Star Wars!
Now, we've rounded up all the biggest new details and reveals for you, some of which you may have missed on the site and others you won't have seen here before. So, to check them out, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button down below!
Rey Turns To The Dark Side?
No new trailer for
The Rise of Skywalker was released during the panel, but some footage
was shown off to those in attendance. For the most part, there weren't really any major reveals..well, at least not until the very end! Featuring Rey in a black hood and robe, the Jedi appears to have turned to the Dark Side as she ignites a Darth Maul-style double-bladed red lightsaber!
Perhaps the Skywalker who will rise in the movie is Ben Solo after The Emperor successfully manages to turn Rey to the Dark Side? Whatever the answer may be, this is a monumental reveal and one which just proves how little we really know about this finale!
More Details About Keri Russell's Zorri Bliss
Some fans believe that Zorri Bliss could be this trilogy's own Boba Fett, but regardless of whether she does indeed end up being a breakout character, some intriguing new details were revealed at D23. For starters, we learned from the actress that she's
"kind of a criminal" and
"an old friend of Poe's."
"It was so exciting," Russell continued.
"First of all, the main thing is my son actually thinks I’m cool now. I had this amazing costume and this helmet, which I actually loved to wear and didn’t take it off for about the first two days. I wore it the whole time, but I found it incredibly, strangely empowering and exciting. I can’t wait for you guys to meet Zorii."
"She’s very cool and a little bit shady." If nothing else, we can probably expect her to be a focal point of the movie's merchandise as that costume the actress is referring to looks awesome.
Bringing Back Carrie Fisher's General Leia
It's no secret that footage from
The Force Awakens is being used to bring Carrie Fisher's General Leia back from the dead for one final appearance in the
Star Wars franchise, and director J.J. Abrams elaborated on the role she will end up playing in the movie.
"The character of Leia is really, in a way, the heart of this story," the filmmaker says.
"When we were talking about this story we realized we could not possibly tell the end of these nine films without Leia." He went on to say that after looking at what they shot for that first movie,
"we realized we could use in a new way so Carrie, as Leia, gets to be in the film."
The Emperor Is Definitely Back
If that creepy laugh at the end of the first teaser trailer for
The Rise of Skywalker didn't make it clear, then this amazing new poster for the movie most definitely does: The Emperor is back!
The iconic villain even had a line in the footage shown to fans:
"The journey nears its end."
We have a lot of unanswered questions about his return and the role he'll play in the movie, but Kylo Ren and Rey were shown battling atop what appeared to be a piece of the Death Star as waves roared around them. Palpatine's return has to be tied to that location, and we'll hopefully learn more about that soon.
The Clone Wars Season 7 Gets A Premiere Date
Well, it's about damn time!
Season seven of
The Clone Wars is set to premiere on Disney+ next February and there will be twelve episodes in total. As a result, fans can finally expect to see a conclusion to the show that was cancelled when Disney purchased Lucasfilm.
"It will conclude the story that [George Lucas] and I started together," supervising director Dave Filoni explains.
"There could be stories after that that take place with a lot of those characters," he continued.
"But especially for me directing Clone Wars, being that hands on, I wrote and directed the final four episodes. It’s the end of something I feel really good about."
Ewan McGregor Is Returning As Obi-Wan Kenobi On Disney+
The Disney+ panel ended with a blockbuster announcement we all hoped was coming: Ewan McGregor is finally reprising the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi! It won't be a movie, though; instead, the fan-favourite Jedi Knight will star in his own TV series and all episodes have been written, with shooting currently scheduled to take place next year.
McGregor has spent years fielding questions about his future as Kenobi but when Kathleen Kennedy asked him on the D23 stage whether he'll be reprising the role in the still untitled series, he was finally able to reply with a definitive "Yes!"
The Rogue One Spinoff Series Starts Shooting Next Year
The
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spinoff series revolving around Diego Luna's Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk's K-2SO was announced last November, but not much more was revealed during D23 weekend. Plot details are few and far between, but Stephen Schiff (
The Americans) is serving as showrunner and filming will also take place in 2020.
Beyond that, we just know that it (obviously) takes place before the events of
Rogue One and it will be interesting seeing what the show brings to the Star Wars Universe, especially when we already know the final fates of both these characters.
The Mandalorian Gets A Teaser Trailer
The cast of
The Madalorian came out on stage alongside Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, and they delivered a handful of behind the scenes photos and the typical sound bites you might expect from a panel like this. What really grabbed everyone's attention, though, is the first trailer for the series which is set to launch on November 12th alongside the streaming service itself.
Set three years after the events of
Return of the Jedi, the show is going to delve into the aftermath of the Empire's defeat, and looks every bit as impressive as the movies we're used to watching in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Ming-Na Wen Joins The Cast Of The First Star Wars TV Show
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Ming-Na Wen was honoured at this year's D23 Expo and Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that she's part of the cast of
The Mandalorian. This unexpected casting addition has got everyone talking but, as of right now, we have no idea who the actress will be playing.
"I was so excited when [Disney chairman Bob Iger] announced it, because I’ve been waiting to talk about it," Wen said in an interview late on Friday evening.
"You don’t understand — that is a Star Wars geek girl’s dream come true." Pressed for details on who she will be playing, all she would say is:
"I certainly don’t play a farmer!"
A New Class Of Stormtrooper
It's become commonplace for the new Star Wars movies to introduce different classes of Stromtrooper, but those Sith Troopers will have some company in The Rise of Skywalker courtesy of the newly revealed Jet Trooper. They're a pretty sinister looking bunch, and what they'll be getting up to in the movie is pretty obvious from the name!
It's obviously going to be a lot of fun seeing them in action, especially when this more than likely means we can look forward to some aerial combat in the Skywalker Saga finale.