The Mandalorian & Grogu starts shooting in Los Angeles later this year and, thanks to The Cosmic Circus (via SFFGazette.com), we have a rumoured working title for the next Star Wars movie.
These are used when productions shoot on location to dissuade fans or paparazzi from showing up. Daredevil: Born Again, for example, used "Out the Kitchen" as a working title to throw us off the scent and ensure most weren't aware that a major MCU project was filming in New York.
According to the site, The Mandalorian's leap to the big screen will use the moniker "Thunder Alley."
As it turns out, this is relevant to the wider Star Wars franchise. Here's what Wookiepedia has to say about a location which first appeared in the pages of Before The Storm, an Expanded Universe novel which was the first instalment of The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy:
Thunder Alley was a region of space along the New Republic borders that several fleets rotated to patrol. In 16 ABY just before the Black Fleet Crisis, the Second Fleet had been patrolling Thunder Alley the longest of the fleets without home service and shipyard services. Admiral Gial Ackbar convinced Chief of State Leia Organa Solo to pull the Second Fleet out and replace it with the First Fleet, which had been serving as Coruscant’s defense force during the same time.
It's not easy to figure out what that could mean for The Mandalorian & Grogu. Still, if we read between the lines, we'd guess elements of this story will be adapted, possibly leading to a clash between Din Djarin and Grand Admiral Thrawn as the Empire rises from the ashes before eventually becoming the First Order.
In other news, the site claims to have confirmed that Star Wars Episode X: A New Beginning is the title of the Daisy Ridley-led Rey movie ("New Jedi Order" is the current working title).
Other insiders have disputed this, but if it's accurate, it means the Skywalker Saga is about to add another chapter which, potentially, kicks off the next Star Wars trilogy. It's important to note that nothing is confirmed but this would be a bold move on Lucasfilm's part.
"It's strange because I didn't think it would be so soon, and then I feel like it was 11 years ago that I was cast, and I'm like, 'But aren’t I 60?' Time is going too fast! But it's wonderful," Ridley recently said of her Star Wars return. "I feel like all of the roles I've been able to do feel so different and so wonderful, but they all feel great. Each thing I've done is like, 'That was just wonderful.'"
As always, stay tuned for updates as we have them.