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As quickly as Andor Season 2 arrived, the Star Wars Disney+ series has now officially ended only a few weeks after the Season 2 premiere, thanks to a new release schedule. The show serves as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, following Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) journey to become a critical member of the Rebellion. Andor creator Tony Gilroy earned a writing credit for his work on Rogue One, along with Chris Weitz, John Knoll, and Gary Whitta, and Gareth Edwards was tapped to direct the film.

Edwards ultimately earned the sole directorial credit for his work on the film, but it’s no secret that Gilroy was brought in later in the process to both rewrite and reshoot scenes throughout the movie, particularly in the first and third acts, which is ultimately what earned him his writing credit. However, this didn’t result in Gilroy receiving a co-directing credit.

Andor officially finished its generational run as one of the best TV shows of all time, but it accomplished much more than just telling a compelling Star Wars story. The series serves as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the 2016 film directed by Gareth Edwards, following the Rebellion’s plan to steal the Death Star plans. The series tells the story of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), one of the core members of the Rebellion’s operations. Following Andor Season 2’s conclusion, fans have been rushing to watch Rogue One now that so much context has been added to the story, and the film has jumped to the #2 spot on Disney+. It falls behind only Lilo & Stitch, the 2002 animated classic that fans are rewatching to prepare for the upcoming live-action iteration.

Tony Gilroy wrote the screenplay for Rogue One with Chris Weitz, John Knoll, and Gary Whitta, and...

Chronology seems to be of importance to Star Wars fans, as just five days after the series finale of Andor,a prequel series to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the 2016 movie is the No. 1 movie on Disney+ as of May 18. Per FlixPatrol, Rogue One is in first place on a list of the Top 10 movies on the streamer. Coming in second is Lilo & Stitchwith Thunderbolts* A Special Look, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has Glitch rounding out the top 5.

It’s no surprise that viewers are interested in watching Rogue One following Andor, as the Disney+ series, led by Diego Luna as the titular Cassian Andor, wrapped up its two-season run on May 13. In its two seasons,Andor took a deep dive into the conflict between the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire, adding more context to the Rebel Alliance.

Andor Took Place Five Years Before Rogue One

Rogue One,...

Who knew Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Oppenheimer could share more than just explosive endings? While Rogue One takes us to a galaxy far, far away with its tragic tale of Galen Erso building the Death Star, Oppenheimer pulls us into the real world with J. Robert Oppenheimer’s regretful role in creating the atomic bomb.

Both stories dive deep into the minds of brilliant creators who found themselves responsible for weapons of mass destruction, only to be haunted by their creations. Whether it’s a planet-killing laser or nuclear devastation, the theme of regret and unintended consequences runs through both like a death star-sized thread. It’s wild to think about how these seemingly different worlds share such dark, powerful connections. Ready to explore this mind-bending link? Buckle in, because the connection is more epic than you’d expect!

How Star Wars: Rogue One took inspiration from Oppenheimer?...

It is undeniable that "Star Wars" is in a vastly different place than it was 15 or even just 10 years ago. Ever since George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, the franchise has expanded rapidly, with not just a new trilogy but also standalone feature films in-between the saga episodes and, more recently, several live-action TV shows and cartoon series -- plus a final season of "The Clone Wars" and a whole lot of announced "Star Wars" projects that have yet to see the light of day.

Though some of these titles have been wildly successful, be it commercially like "The Force Awakens" or critically like "Andor," there's no denying the franchise is far from cohesive. Not just in terms of the wildly different levels of quality of the projects made in the last decade but also the differences in tone, approach, and even the genre of these "Star Wars" titles.

Andor, the Star Wars show that doesn’t feature an adorable, breakfast cereal-friendly alien toddler, returns for its second season this week. But the acclaimed series wouldn’t exist without the 2016 prequel Rogue One, which first introduced audiences to Rebel hero Cassian Andor.

Oddly enough, a key character in that movie was only made possible thanks to a 41-year-old comedy that featured both an underwater bar fight and Academy Award winner Omar Sharif picking up a pile of dog shit: Top Secret!.

Set shortly before the events of the first Star Wars movie, Rogue One opted to bring back the villainous Imperial leader Grand Moff Tarkin, played by Peter Cushing. Instead of simply hiring another actor to play the role, Lucasfilm opted to use state-of-the-art computer technology to recreate the late Cushing’s face on top of another performer’s body, arguably giving Tarkin more of a “taxidermied video game Npc” vibe,...

At long last, Light & Magic Season 2 has landed on Disney+, and it couldn’t be more timely. As Industrial Light & Magic celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, this new season picks up right where the last left off, chronicling a wild, wonderful era of visual effects innovation and paying tribute to the rogues and rebels who reshaped filmmaking forever.

Light & Magic Season 2 poster reveal featuring Yoda from Star Wars and more. Image Credit: StarWars.com | starwars.com

Announced on StarWars.com with a trailer and poster drop during Star Wars Celebration Japan, Season 2 dives into Ilm’s digital renaissance of the 1990s and early 2000s — the Jurassic Park boom, the Star Wars prequels, and a relentless push to redefine what was possible on screen. Hosted by voice actor Sam Witwer, the live panel featured a rare gathering of Ilm and Lucasfilm creatives: Ahmed Best, Janet Lewin, John Knoll, Rob Coleman,...

The second season of “Light & Magic,” about the history of VFX giant Industrial Light & Magic (helmed by “Jumanji” director and former Ilm vet Joe Johnston), kicks off with a fascinating glimpse into the making of Jar Jar Binks in the first of three episodes.

The initial fan response to the character was decidedly negative, whether for Jar Jar’s slapstick humor tone clashing with the other stories within “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” or for the Gungan’s broad characterization that some critics and audiences found reflected racist stereotypes. Jar Jar hate has softened a little over time, particularly concerning the work of performer Ahmed Best, who beat out both Robin Williams and Michael Jackson for the role of Binks and has now gotten to save Baby Yoda in the guise of Jedi Master Kelleran Beq in “The Mandalorian.” But Best was the first to step into a mocap suit,...

Disney+ has released the trailer and key art for Lucasfilm’s Light & Magic Season 2, which were both unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo.

Attendees heard from director Joe Johnston and producer Ron Howard via videotaped greetings and also enjoyed a highlight reel from the first season of Light & Magic.

A panel discussion followed, moderated by Sam Witwer, that included actor Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), Lynwen Brennan (President and General Manager Lucasfilm Business), and Doug Chiang.

Also present were Janet Lewin, John Knoll, and Rob Coleman (Ilm Creative Director and Senior Animation Supervisor).

Lucasfilm’s Light & Magic Season 2 is a three-part series produced by Imagine Documentaries that follows Lucasfilm’s visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, as it enters its most challenging and revolutionary period: the dawn of digital.

From creating the first fully realized CG character to solving the challenge of digital water, it is an era...

Disney+ pulled back the curtain on the next chapter of Light & Magic, the docuseries chronicling the history and groundbreaking work of Lucasfilm’s storied visual effects house, Industrial Light & Magic. The trailer and key art for season two were unveiled during a presentation Friday at the Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, offering the legions of fans who had traveled to Japan for the event an early glimpse at the show’s deep dive into the studio’s most transformative era — the shift to digital filmmaking. The three-part second season of the doc series went live on Disney+ as the Tokyo presentation got underway.

Attendees were treated to video greetings from director Joe Johnston and producer Ron Howard, as well as a highlight reel from the show. A panel discussion followed, moderated by actor and Star Wars alum Sam Witwer (the voice of Darth Maul in Solo: A Star Wars Story...

Photo Credit: Disney+ Calling all movie magic enthusiasts and Star Wars aficionados! At the Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, Disney+ dropped some exciting news: the trailer and key art for Light & Magic Season 2 are here! For those who haven’t yet experienced this captivating docuseries, Light & Magic takes you behind the scenes of Lucasfilm’s legendary visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic (Ilm). And Season 2 promises to be an even wilder ride. This three-part series, brought to you by Imagine Documentaries, plunges into Ilm’s most ambitious era: the dawn of digital filmmaking. Get ready to witness the groundbreaking innovations and daunting challenges faced as they pioneered everything from the first fully CG character to the complexities of digital water. Expect dramatic setbacks alongside those incredible leaps in technology! The event in Tokyo featured virtual appearances from director Joe Johnston and producer Ron Howard, plus a special highlight reel from the first season.

While Disney+ has a ton of scripted content, it also has some of the most underrated documentary content in the game. Offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse at aspects of the Mouse House that make the magic, these documentaries are always a delight to watch. The second season of Light & Magic is no exception, offering another deep dive into the art of special effects with a particular emphasis on a galaxy far, far away.

Light & Magic Season 2 Review

Season two of Light & Magic continues to explore the story of Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects house behind such influential films and franchises as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, the Jurassic Park films, the Transformers movies, and more. This season focuses on the transition to digital, exploring challenges like creating CGI characters in live action and designing CGI water.

Whereas the first season of Light & Magic was only six episodes,...

“There’s always a little bit of truth in legends,” Ahsoka once said on “Star Wars: Rebels.”

That line was a little Easter Egg to fans to assuage them about how the pre-Disney takeover “Star Wars” stories — told in decades-worth of novels, comics, and video games — might still live on in the official canon. It also applies a bit to the show “Star Wars: Underworld,” George Lucas’s ambitious, but ultimately scrapped live-action TV series he was developing in the years after “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” hit theaters in 2005.

Little bits of information have leaked about the show over the years. One thing was certain: Per its title, it was set in the demimonde of the galaxy far, far away, among its scoundrels, and smugglers, and bounty hunters and assorted other criminals. But now Rick McCallum, the producer best associated with the “Star Wars” prequels, who...

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes scored the top honor, outstanding visual effects in a photoreal feature, at the 2025 Visual Effects Society Awards.

Dune: Part Two led the winners list with four wins in the feature categories, while The Wild Robot was named top animated film with four wins as well. Shogun won best photoreal episode, winning three awards. The Penguin also won three awards.

The Ves Awards recognizes “outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials, video games and special venues,” according to the organization. This year, comedy duo The Sklar Brothers made their debut as the hosts of the show, while Keanu Reeves presented the Ves Award for Creative Excellence to Shogun actor-producer Hiroyuki Sanada.

Computer graphics researcher Paul Debevec presented VR/Immersive Technology pioneer Dr. Jacquelin Ford Morie with the Georges Melies Award, while Michael Dougherty presented VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki with the Visionary Award.

Another addition has been added to the Star Wars Celebration Japan guest list as Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson will be joining the event.

Rosario Dawson, who brought Ahsoka Tano to live-action, is coming to #Swcj! Photo Ops and Autographs are now available. See her and more guests by getting your tickets today! Limited Friday and Sunday tickets are available at https://t.co/qSctCWoZG4 pic.twitter.com/ZbSSlydpGJ

— StarWars Celebration (@SW_Celebration) January 29, 2025

Announced on Celebration's Twitter account and shared via Star Wars News Net (Swnn), she has been added to the guest photo op and autograph list for fans to meet the actor. She is the first person from Ahsoka to be added to the roster, but more than likely, not the last one. As Swnn points out, the show is set to start filming this year. Perhaps there is a planned break for the cast to attend. This...

Star Wars Celebration Japan is right around the corner in April, and the guest list is getting bigger by adding a fan favorite actor to the roster. Ahmed Best joins the group when Celebration kicks off April 18-20. Along with Best's announcement on StarWars.com, visual effects supervisor John Knoll will also be in Japan to share his tales and work from almost 40 years working at Industrial Light & Magic.

Ahmed Best is best known for his role as Jar Jar Binks in Episode I: The Phantom Menace and the rest of the prequel trilogy, but in more recent media, he's crafted a wonderful role as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. Kelleran first arrived in the delightful all ages game show Jedi Temple Challenge, which I always hope will come back one day. He then jumped to the canon in The Mandalorian's third season when it was revealed he was the...

The Star Wars franchise is known for its unique visual elements with the 1977 original proving to be a groundbreaking piece of cinema. The franchise has lasted over five decades with several films continuing the original’s legacy. However, 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is arguably one of the greatest entries in the epic space opera franchise.

Rogue One is considered one of the best Star Wars movies (Credit: Lucasfilm).

The film tells the story of a Rebel spy group stealing the plans for the Death Star, essentially serving as a prequel to the events of the 1977 film. However, fans will be surprised to learn that the film was almost engineered backward by using footage from other movies based on an idea from an effects supervisor. Here is everything you need to know about the surprising way Rogue One was conceived.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was made...

The Visual Effects Society has chimed in on the awards season conversation.

On Tuesday, the visual effects industry’s global honorary society announced nominees for the 23rd Annual Ves Awards — with top Best Visual Effects Oscar contenders Better Man, Dune: Part Two, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes among the films recognized.

Dune: Part Two led the way among photoreal features with seven nominations, including Best Feature. The Wild Robot led all animated films with five nominations; Shōgun and The Penguin earned four bids each on the TV side.

Wicked and Gladiator II, which are currently predicted to land among the Best Visual Effects Oscar nominees later this month, were both absent from the Best Feature lineup. Instead, the Ves Awards went with Mufasa: The Lion King and Twisters. Last year, just two of the five Best Visual Effects Oscar nominees were similarly nominated in the Ves Awards...

Updated with ceremony hosts: Dune: Part Two scored a leading seven nominations to lead the 2025 Ves Awards, which the Visual Effects Society revealed today. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel will battle for the marquee Photoreal Feature category against Better Man, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Mufasa: The Lion King and Twisters.

The Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature race is among Blitz, Civil War, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One, Nosferatu and Young Woman and the Sea. Battling for VFX in an Animated Feature are The Wild Robot — which leads all toon movies with five noms — Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Transformers One and Ultraman: Rising.

Shōgun and The Penguin nabbed received four nominations each to lead in the episodic TV field. See the list of nominees in all 25 categories below.

Related: Visual Effects Society Sets VR Pioneer Jacquelyn Ford Morie For Career Honor At Ves...

The Visual Effects Society (Ves) is the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the extended global community of visual effects practitioners, including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators, and studio executives. The 5,000-member Ves body has now selected nominees for its 2025 awards honors in features, animation, television, commercials, games, and new media, as well as the VFX supervisors, VFX producers, and hands-on artists who bring their work to life.

“Dune: Part Two” leads the photoreal feature film field with seven nominations, although nominations include character work on “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” as well as “Better Man” and nominations for the virtuosic digital camerawork in Episode 4 of “House of the Dragon” Season 2, “The Red Dragon and the Gold.”

“The Wild Robot” is the top animated contender with five nominations. “Shōgun” and “The Penguin” each received four nominations in the episodic field, with “The Penguin” also nominated for...

The Visual Effects Society (Ves) announced its nominees for the 2025 Ves Awards, a celebration which annually “recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in features animation, television, commercials, games and new media.”

Dune: Part Two led the film nominations with seven nods, while Shogun and The Penguin tie in the episodic field with four each. The Wild Robot led the animation field with five.

“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create remarkable imagery,” says Kim Davidson, Ves Chair. “We are seeing best in class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of innovation. The Ves Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of our nominees.”

The nominees in 25 categories were selected by Ves members at 49 in-person and virtual panels around the world.

Star Wars fans shouldn't say goodbye to Rogue One character Jyn Erso just yet. Actor Felicity Jones recently hinted that her time in the Disney-owned sci-fi franchise is far from over.

Speaking with Screen Rant to promote her upcoming movie The Brutalist, Jones refused to believe that she'd never return to the Star Wars galaxy as Jyn Erso. "Never. We'll never say goodbye to her. She will live on, she'll live on," said Jones when asked whether audiences had seen the last of Jyn. "I mean, never say never. She's a pretty badass character. Maybe she could come back as a hologram or something, which is completely possible in the Star Wars universe."

Related Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Creators Reveal 'Interesting' Inspirations and the Benefits of Having a Young Cast

Exclusive: The creators of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew discuss the show's cast and its more surprising influences.

Despite signing a...

A new Star Wars show is in town and it seems to be better received than The Acolyte. The Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is set in a new planet albeit reportedly in the same time frame as The Mandalorian. It stars Jude Law in the lead role along with a batch of young actors who go on an adventure across the galaxy.

The show has multiple easter eggs that are bound to be fun for the fans but one especially has already made it historic. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew became the first show in the franchise to include the curse word ‘Kriff’ on screen. The swear word has only been used in the books and its first recorded use was twenty-seven years ago.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Debuts the Curse Word ‘Kriff’ A still from Star Wars: Skeleton Crew | Credits: Lucasfilm

Before George Lucas handed over the reins...

Quick Links Rogue One Should Serve As the New Blueprint Anthology Films Opens the Door to Different Star Wars Eras Stories Can Still Continue on Television, Like Andor

Once Star Wars arrived in theaters in 1977, the franchise became a success in galactic proportions and continues to grow and fit into the modern Hollywood landscape. Star Wars began as a simple trilogy and eventually grew to be so much more in other mediums like video games, television, and books. However, Star Wars will and always should be a film franchise first, and most of that output has been produced in the trilogy format, but under Disney, Lucasfilm began to experiment with anthology films, starting with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. After the Skywalker Saga trilogy wrapped up with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfllm president Kathleen Kennedy said the franchise would move away from trilogies.

At last year's Star Wars Celebration,...

Quick Links A Brief Timeline in the Cushing-Rogue One Legal Dispute Rogue One and the 'Right of Publicity' Soon, the Dead Will Be Busier Than Living Actors

When we look back at the landscape of Disney's Star Wars catalog in a generation, we might view Rogue One: A Star Wars Story very differently than we currently do. That's to say, not as a reinvention of established lore or stylistic departure, but as a legal curiosity. When it debuted eight years ago, Gareth Edwards' Rogue One resembled the rest of the franchise very little, focusing on a side plot of the very first movie, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, and a pivotal character played by Peter Cushing. Though Cushing had been dead for 20 years when filming commenced, Disney overcame that small setback. Through some high-tech wizardry, his gaunt face and rich voice were seen and heard once more.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers may be considered the worst of Peter Jackson's initial trilogy, but it still earned a significant number of Oscar nominations. Much of The Two Towers' legacy is underwhelming only by comparison, but few would ever say that it is not a magnificent movie. The Lord of the Rings timeline is essentially a single, very long adventure, as this is how J. R. R. Tolkien wrote the source material. The result is that the individual movies do not differ much in tone.

While The Two Towers isn't favorably compared to the installments that preceded and followed it, the sequel also faced significant competition from other movies at the 75th Academy Awards. This was a year when one of the best movie musicals to win Best Picture arose, as well as another Martin Scorsese crime drama. Therefore, a handful of movies competed...

Disney is being sued for using CGI to resurrect Peter Cushing for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The actor, who played imperial commander Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope, died in 1994.

Per The Times, Tyburn Film Productions filed a lawsuit against Lunak Heavy Industries (UK) Ltd, a Disney-owned company that worked on Rogue One, over their use of Cushing's likeness in the 2016 Star Wars spin-off. The company claims it made an agreement with Cushing before his death, preventing the use of his likeness with special effects without their approval.

Related 10 Weak Films With Great Endings That Justify the Watch

Even the most disappointing and downright bad movies can be saved and redeemed by a great ending.

The legal proceedings against Lunak Heavy Industries and Lucasfilm, the studio behind the original Star Wars movies, began in 2019. According to the filing, Cushing, who passed away from cancer at...

Disney is being sued for using CGI to resurrect Peter Cushing for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The actor, who played imperial commander Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope, died in 1994.

Per The Times, Tyburn Film Productions filed a lawsuit against Lunak Heavy Industries (UK) Ltd, a Disney-owned company that worked on Rogue One, over their use of Cushing's likeness in the 2016 Star Wars spin-off. The company claims it made an agreement with Cushing before his death, preventing the use of his likeness with special effects without their approval.

Related 10 Weak Films With Great Endings That Justify the Watch

Even the most disappointing and downright bad movies can be saved and redeemed by a great ending.

The legal proceedings against Lunak Heavy Industries and Lucasfilm, the studio behind the original Star Wars movies, began in 2019. According to the filing, Cushing, who passed away from cancer at...

Modern science fiction/fantasy films owe a lot to Star Wars, especially the CGI fest that were the Prequels. Without those films, it would have been impossible to have characters like the Na’vi in James Cameron’s Avatar or Thanos in the MCU.

Ahmed Best played Jar Jar Binks || Lucasfilm

Characters like Jar Jar Binks and Yoda are what made these other characters possible, showcasing how a CGI character can interact with the physical world. One of the best fights to show how this can be incorporated to make a great scene was the one between Yoda and Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones

As brilliant as the fight was, the credit for a lot of it goes to Ahmed Best, the actor responsible for playing one of the most reviled characters in the fandom. A character who is still used as an insult among fans, Best was...

One of the most heart-pumping and enthralling action set pieces in The Phantom Menace is the pod racing scene, which sees Anakin Skywalker demonstrate the full scope of his raw talent. The sequence remains one of the better-received aspects of the film, which is why fans might be surprised to learn just how challenging it was to execute.

The pod racing scene in The Phantom Menace is one of the film’s best moments.

John Knoll, the renowned visual effects supervisor who worked on the film, spoke about crafting the pod racing scene in The Phantom Menace. Knoll highlighted how Ilm lacked the necessary technology and tools to execute the scene and had to come up with compelling solutions for the same. Here is what Knoll said about the creation of The Phantom Menace‘s pod racing scene.

John Knoll Talks Challenges of The Phantom Menace‘s Podracing Scene

John...

Regardless of whether it's an action flick or a horror movie, sacrifices will always elevate the dramatic charge of a story. There's no better way to illustrate a character's redemption than with their willingness to give their life to save others. However, sacrifices aren't always related to brave causes: quite often, they are more about a character coming to terms with their own mortality rather than a touching decision to save other people's lives.

In A Quiet Place, Lee Abbott yells at the top of his lungs to prevent creatures that hunt by sound from preying on his family. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, T-800, a cyborg, gives his life so humanity can continue to fight for the right causes. These are all unforgettable sacrifices in movies, but there are plenty of underrated choices that stand out as the most impactful moments of these stories.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story...

Gareth Edwards' 2016 film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" was the first non-episodic feature from the "Star Wars" canon after Disney notoriously purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. At the time, Disney announced a very ambitious plan for "Star Wars" which involved releasing a new film every Christmas. The odd-numbered years would boast numbered chapters in the central "Star Wars" canon, and the even-numbered years would feature spin-off movies that take place at other points in the vast "Star Wars" timeline. That plan lasted only five years. 

The plan likely fell apart through a lack of creativity. "Rogue One" was a direct prequel to the original 1977 "Star Wars," telling the story of how the Rebels secured the blueprints to the Death Star. This wasn't a broad expansion of the "Star Wars" myth as promised, but an inward turn. "Rogue One" was an announcement that "Star Wars" had no interest in straying from its tightly-constrained,...

A new "Jurassic World" movie on the way, and it's happening in a hurry. In the span of just a month, we learned that original "Jurassic Park" writer David Koepp has returned to the franchise to pen this mysterious new entry, Universal Pictures is planning to release the film next summer, and they are looking to begin filming in just a few months. Given that we only learned about the movie's existence several weeks ago, it's all pretty surprising. So, who will be shepherding this project through production? None other than Gareth Edwards.

We recently learned that the filmmaker behind franchise films such as 2014's "Godzilla" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" will occupy the director's chair. It marks the third time that Edwards will helm an installment in a long-running franchise, which is never an easy task. Yet, both times that he stepped up to the plate, Edwards...

One of the biggest complaints that critics of the "Star Wars" prequels have is the idea that George Lucas was simply enabled by so-called "Yes Men." As they would tell it, George Lucas was so powerful and infallible that no one around him thought they could tell him "no" for anything. More than that, these yes men would just do whatever Lucas asked without thought to whether or not it was a good idea. For a long time, it seemed like this was the established wisdom; forget the fact that many people actually love the prequels as they are and aren't concerned about what did or didn't happen behind the scenes during their development.

Was this really an issue? Did it even happen? Well, we here at /Film have taken it upon ourselves to get to the bottom of this pervasive attitude.

Read more: The Best Star Wars Books Ever Written

Yes Men?...

Movies like Psycho and Scream revolutionized the horror genre, introducing suspense concepts and deconstructing tropes. 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars redefined sci-fi with groundbreaking special effects, serious storytelling, and iconic themes. The Godfather and The Avengers inspired a wave of similar movies, while Toy Story made 3D animation the standard for animated films.

The most lauded movies of all time are those that were not just successful in their own right but completely redefined the genre to which they belong. Movies such as Star Wars and The Matrix are consistently referenced throughout pop culture but also influenced larger trends in Hollywood. Movies like The Godfather and The Avengers inspired a series of similar movies with their success.

A genre-defining movie may be so just because it demonstrates the potential success of the genre. In multiple cases, the success of one movie helped an entire genre become more respected in cinema circles.

Guillermo del Toro, the acclaimed director of The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Hellboy, has revealed that he was once in talks to direct a Star Wars movie written by David Goyer, the screenwriter of The Dark Knight trilogy, Man of Steel, and Blade1. The project, however, never came to fruition, and del Toro has since moved on to other ventures.

Now there are reports that this collaboration might happen in the near future.

Del Toro’s Star Wars movie was not part of the main saga, but rather a standalone spin-off film that would focus on one of the most iconic and notorious characters in the galaxy: Jabba the Hutt. Del Toro had envisioned a Godfather-like saga that would explore Jabba’s rise to power as a crime lord and his complex relationships with his family, rivals, and allies2.

Del Toro first mentioned his idea for a Jabba...

In “I’m a Virgo,” Jharrel Jerome plays a 13-foot-tall teenager in Oakland named Cootie raised by his aunt and uncle (Carmen Ejogo and Mike Epps) in secret. Over the course of the show’s first season, Cootie comes out of hiding, makes friends, and contends with media obsession over his height. Like Riley’s first feature “Sorry to Bother You,” the series develops its own internal logic as it transforms into a scathing indictment of capitalism from some very unexpected directions.

None of that would hold up without its central conceit, which proved challenging, given that Jerome is actually five feet and eight inches. Riley made the show with Amazon on a relatively modest $53 million budget (around the same time that its first season of “Lord of the Rings” cost a reported $1 billion). However, the minimal effects budget wasn’t the only reason he turned to puppets and forced perspective...

The deeply complex lore of "Star Wars" continues to expand with the live-action television series "The Mandalorian," and the upcoming shows "Star Wars: Ahsoka," "Skeleton Crew," and "Star Wars: Acolyte," which will take place in the final dark days of the High Republic Era. The animated world of "Star Wars" is also continuing to fill in gaps and expand the universe with "The Bad Batch," "Visions," and "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures" that's set to premiere on Star Wars Day, May the 4th. Novels exploring the High Republic are set to tie in with "Star Wars: Acolyte" and three new "Star Wars" video games have been announced, including "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor," the sequel to "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" that will continue the adventures of Cal Kestis. 

When Disney took over Lucasfilm, "Star Wars" canon split into Star Wars Legends (the new name for the Expanded Universe) and the Disney output became the new,...

Up until its climax, Brian De Palma's 1996 film "Mission: Impossible," based on the hit TV series, was a largely quiet, steely affair. While the main character, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) was a man of action, much of "Impossible" was devoted more to heists and stealth than fistfights and explosions. At the film's conclusion, however, Ethan Hunt found himself needing to infiltrate a train that was currently scheduled to zip its way through the Chunnel. The usual set of action movie circumstances forced Ethan to bodily cling to the exterior of the train as it plunged underground. And, just to ensure that the mayhem remains at a high level, a high-speed helicopter flew into the Chunnel behind him. This made for a scene where Ethan Hunt is nearly decapitated by an approaching helicopter blade, as well as a fiery explosion when Ethan mashes explosive chewing gum directly onto the helicopter's windshield.

Click here to read the full article.

Computer graphics and virtual production innovator Paul E. Debevec — director of research, creative algorithms and technology at Netflix and an adjunct research professor at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies — received a standing ovation as he accepted the Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award during the Television Academy’s upbeat 74th Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards.

During the dinner and ceremony at the Maybourne in Beverly Hills on Wednesday evening, 105-year-old camera maker Arri received the Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Award and seven innovations were recognized with Engineering Emmys.

“We’re not only the oldest company here, [but] I think we’re the oldest guys,” quipped Matthias Erb, chairman of Arri’s executive board, who accepted the award on behalf of the camera company. He added, “We want to support the filmmakers, we want to support the industry. This award is motivation for us to continue [to innovate].” Additional honorees,...

In the harsh light of day, Captain Barbossa's crew in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" looks like any other bunch of sailors. Under the moonlight, though, the cursed pirates become otherworldly beings, shifting into skeletal buccaneers. What's fascinating about watching these bony lads is that they're still recognizable as individuals. You can see the structure of their faces, dreadlocks hanging down from decaying skulls, and distinct beards covering their ossified jaws. That look came courtesy of the film's award-winning special effects team, visual effects supervisor John Knoll and VFX art director Aaron McBride, who wanted the...

The post How Pirates of the Caribbean's Meaty Special Effects Brought Its Skeleton Crew to Life appeared first on /Film.

Acclaimed writer/director David Lowery joins Josh and Joe to discuss the films that inspired The Green Knight.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Green Knight (2021)

Peter Pan & Wendy (2022)

Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

The Old Man And The Gun (2018)

A Ghost Story (2017)

Pete’s Dragon (1977)

Pete’s Dragon (2016) – Glenn Erickson’s review

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Ghost Story (1974)

Sword of the Valiant (1984)

Gawain and the Green Knight (1973)

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)

Masters of the Universe (1987) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Andrei Rublev (1966) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards blurb

War And Peace (1966) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Heaven’s Gate (1980)

The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review

The Devils (1971)

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The Conjuring (2013)

Jubilee (1978)

Benedetta (2021)

Dune (1984)

Dune (2021)

Hard To Be A God (2013)

Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013)

Moby Dick (1956) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary,...

Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian” returned for Season 2 on Disney+, boasting new and improved virtual production innovations, while introducing creatures such as the menacing Krayt Dragon and ice spiders. The tech highlight, though, was the launch of StageCraft 2.0, the virtual production game changer from Industrial Light & Magic. Offering a new in-house render engine called Helios, the immersive LED wall digital backlot at Manhattan Beach Studios in L.A. generated cooler-looking digital environments in real-time, and continued the illusion of being on location with interactive lighting and perspective-accurate camera tracking.

“Helios gave us higher resolution and more image fidelity,” said Ilm VFX supervisor Richard Bluff. “The assets that were going into the environments could not only be rendered in real-time on the wall, but could also be easily rendered in any one of our render engines that we use in post-production. This allowed a lot of flexibility on the back end.

Dave Filoni, one of the key creatives behind Star Wars for the last decade and a half, has been handed a major promotion at Lucasfilm. Filoni is now an Executive Creative Director at the company, which seemingly means he will have a larger role in shaping the future of the franchise. This is something many fans have been hoping would happen for some time as Filoni has proved time and time again that he knows this universe perhaps better than anyone, save for George Lucas.

While much of the specifics, in terms of what this promotion means, remain unclear, Lucasfilm's official website has updated Dave Filoni's profile with the title of Executive Creative Director, to go along with his Executive Producer title. John Knoll and Doug Chiang also hold that title within the studio's ranks. Kathleen Kennedy remains on board as President of the company. It is worth noting that,...

A new Rogue One DeepFake video makes substantial improvements to the original special effects. Leia Organa and Grand Moff Tarkin look even better than they did when Lucasfilm and Disney originally released the movie in 2016. Peter Cushing portrayed Grand Moff Tarkin in A New Hope and passed away in 1994. Carrie Fisher portrayed Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and then again in the sequel trilogy. Fisher passed away a few weeks after Rogue One opened in theaters.

For the most part, Rogue One has been embraced by Star Wars fans since its release. The special effects were state of the art at the time, but even 4 years later, it looks a bit dated. The DeepFake technology has flourished in the last few years, and Shamook, the DeepFake artist behind the new Tron: Legacy video, has greatly improved the look of Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia Organa in the movie.

Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm have teamed up for a new CGI short set in a galaxy far, far away titled Hunted, which ties into the upcoming game Star Wars: Squadrons. The short comes from visual effects legend John Knoll, who has been a part of the franchise since the beginning. Even though this is just a short intended to promote a video game, it may help fill the void for fans who are hungry for new content. It is action-packed and full of space combat, while also bringing a unique perspective.

EA's Neel Upadhye directed the short, which tells the story of Imperial pilot Varko Grey in the wake of another failed mission after the destruction of the second Death Star. John Knoll and Industrial Light & Magic collaborated with Motive Studios and EA to produce the short, which, much like the campaign for Star Wars: Squadrons, is canon. Knoll...

George Lucas made a number of mistakes with the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, but the CGI remained impeccable throughout. Or at least, that’s what we thought.

The Republic era, which came after the Original Trilogy, was basically Lucas trying to push Star Wars to its breaking point. Even the man himself once admitted that he “may have gone too far in a few places” after watching a finished cut of The Phantom Menace. But for all the things that we could list as the films’ shortcomings, there are also several redeeming qualities about the story of Anakin Skywalker from his childhood to his fall to the dark side at the end of Revenge of the Sith. If nothing else, Lucas once again revolutionized the industry through his ambition for computer-generated effects and created many unforgettable and iconic sequences in cinema.

Apparently, though, the CGI in these movies, albeit at times excessive,...

We’ve got two new pieces of poster art and a photo to share with you today for Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian. The first poster features The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), former Imperial Stormtrooper Cara Dune (Gina Carano), the droid Ig-11 (Taika Waititi), and an Ugnaught riding on a Dewback. Judging by the twin suns, this is meant to be set on the planet of Tatooine. The second poster just includes a badass shot to The Mandalorian.

Below the posters, you’ll find a photo from inside of the cockpit of The Mandalorian’s ship, which is called the Razor Crest. I also included some information on that ship.

Below you find the image of The Razor Crest:

Star Wars fans will be happy to learn that the Razor Crest was built as a practical model, and is not CGI, just like the ships in the original trilogy. According to StarWars.

Pictured (left to right): Kiri Hart, Richard Edlund, John Dykstra, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren and John Knoll.

On Thursday evening The Academy’s Science and Technology Council presented “Galactic Innovations: Star Wars and Rogue One” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Oscar-winning, Oscar-nominated and Scientific and Technical Award-honored panelists included Ben Burtt ,John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Harrison Ellenshaw, Bill George, John Knoll, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren, Bruce Nicholson and Rachel Rose. The evening was hosted by “Rogue One” co-producer Kiri Hart.

These VFX pioneers shared the journey of creating the impossible with their breakthrough visual effects. They also shared rare images that compared the technology and visual results from both films.

Pictured (left to right): Rachel Rose, Bill George, John Knoll, Bruce Nicholson, Harrison Ellenshaw, Richard Edlund, Stormtroopers, John Bailey, Marcia Lucas, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Ben Burtt and Kiri Hart.

Check out some of the...

The “Star Wars” franchise has always been about balancing the past with the future, bolstered by the cutting edge tech at Industrial Light & Magic under the leadership of George Lucas and beyond. To celebrate 40 years of “Star Wars” VFX wizardry, and in anticipation of J.J. Abrams’ climactic Episode 9, “The Rise of Skywalker” (December 20), and the launch of Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian” series on Disney+ (November 12), franchise luminaries gathered Thursday night at the Academy to discuss the analog to digital transformation.

The presenters assembled for “Galactic Innovations: ‘Stars Wars’ and ‘Rogue One'” included VFX supervisors John Dykstra, visual effects director/cameraperson Richard Edlund, Ilm chief creative officer John Knoll, former Ilm creative director Dennis Muren, sound designer/mixer Ben Burtt, matte artist Harrison Ellenshaw, editor Marcia Lucas, compositor Bruce Nicholson, and R&d supervisor Rachel Rose.

“Galactic Innovations” kicked off with the “Star Wars” breakthroughs at Ilm’s initial warehouse facility in Van Nuys.