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The sequel to the Netflix hit leaves viewers hanging with a tease for an unconfirmed sequel, highlighting a problem with the state of Hollywood

Spoilers ahead

They must think they’re making The Empire Strikes Back – or at least Avengers: Infinity War. That’s the simplest explanation of how a movie like The Old Guard 2, a sequel to a generally well-liked Netflix action movie released in 2020, can be released five years after its predecessor without including the courtesy of an actual ending.

Now, technically speaking, especially by the cliffhanging standards established by Star Wars and Marvel, The Old Guard 2 does have an ending. Andy (Charlize Theron), a centuries-old warrior who has lost and subsequently regained her healing powers of near-immortality, fights her enemy Discord (Uma Thurman) to a draw – which allows Discord to escape with the other members of Andy’s immortal team, so she may steal their healing powers.

The lines at Disney World may be long, but the Mouse House isn’t standing around to let Ron DeSantis savor his win yesterday in the company’s First Amendment lawsuit against the failed presidential candidate.

Less than 24 hours after a federal judge agreed with the Florida Governor and deep-sixed Disney’s nearly year long legal action, the Bob Iger-run entertainment giant and Sunshine State mega-employer gave official notice they plan to challenge Wednesday’s dismissal.

“Notice is given that Plaintiff Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, U.S., Inc. (“Disney”) hereby appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from the Order Granting Motions to Dismiss and the final judgment entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida on January 31, 2024,” said outside Disney counsel Daniel Petrocelli and a small legion of lawyers in a filing this morning.

No word yet...

When it comes to movie villains, one has stood tall about the rest since his introduction in 1977: Darth Vader. It is difficult to image movies without him, and since his debut, he has become the ultimate symbol of evil on cinema, despite his character's turn toward the light at the end of Return of the Jedi. He is one of the greatest movie villains of all time. He has depth, a tragic and detail-rich backstory, and is ultimately redeemed when it's time for that. It’s not a simple case of letting a mad dog off the chain after his or her enemies or violence for fun. There is more to his motives and heart than sheer brutality and destruction. He’s a deeply conflicted character who walks just over the edge of a fine line into the Dark Side.

We hadn’t seen much of him since The...

"The opposing forces are formidable." Time to battle the Empire! Memento Films has revealed a brand new official trailer for The Empire, the strange French sci-fi film from filmmaker Bruno Dumont. We already posted a trailer for this last year when it was first unveiled. It will premiere at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival next month, perhaps because every other fest rejected it. Bruno Dumont's sci-fi The Empire (aka L'Empire) is set in a quiet fishing village on the Opal Coast in Northern France, and tells the story of a child who is so unique and peculiar it unleashes a secret war between extraterrestrial forces of good and evil. Starring a big French cast including Virginie Efira, Lily-Rose Depp, Camille Cottin, Lyna Khoudri, Anamaria Vartolomei, with Fabrice Luchini. It's a bit weird how this trailer hides so much of the sci-fi until the last few shots at the end, instead focusing...

Mumbai, Jan 25 (Ians) Actor Rishabh Sawhney, who will be seen playing villain in the Hrithik Roshan-starrer ‘Fighter’, did all it takes for his transformation for the upcoming film.

Talking about his transformation, Rishabh said: “It was a very exciting, excruciating and fulfilling journey for me. This was the first time I could actually put on muscle for a role. Coming from a bodybuilding background, I knew this was something that will play in my favour and I’d been waiting to get a chance to gain muscle and grow big.”

“I have been working out consistently for 8-9 years now and it’s been my lifesaver.”

‘Fighter’ serves as Rishabh’s dream Bollywood debut. Before this, he was a part of Nikkhil Advani’s ‘The Empire’, which marked his Ott debut.

Quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rishabh added: “He had said this ‘First I made my body and then my body...

Netflix has shelved Halle Berry sci-fi The Mothership, Screen understands.

Production on the film wrapped in 2021 however the streamer elected not to continue after multiple delays in post-production.

The film centres on a mother who uncovers an alien object under her farmhouse which may solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearance a year prior. MRC was producing the film and Matthew Charman was the director.

The Mothership joins a line of Hollywood films which have been axed despite wrapping production. Warner Bros did this with its DC feature Batgirl, as well as animation Scoob! Holiday Haunt, and Coyote vs. Acme.

Memento International has secured pre-sales to Bruno Dumont’s The Empire to several key territories ahead of its world premiere in Berlin’s main competition and has unveiled the first English-language trailer for the auteur-sci-fi French film.

The Empire has sold to Njuta in Sweden, Vertigo in Hungary, McF Megacom in Ex-Yugoslavia, Scanorama in Baltics, Beta in Bulgaria, and Pt Falcon in Indonesia with more territories in discussions. The film will be released by Arp Selection in France, Cineart in Benelux and Academy Two in Italy.

Set in a quiet fishing village on the Opal Coast in Northern France, The...

A Different Man.The Berlinale have begun to announce the first few titles selected for the 74th edition of their festival, set to take place from February 15 through 21, 2024. This page will be updated as further sections are announced.COMPETITIONAnother End (Piero Messina)Architecton (Victor Kossakovsky)Black Tea (Abderrahmane Sissako)La Cocina (Alonso Ruiz Palacios) Dahomey (Mati Diop)A Different Man (Aaron Schimberg)The Empire (Bruno Dumont)Gloria! (Margherita Vicario)Suspended Time (Olivier Assayas)From Hilde, With Love (Andreas Dresen)My Favourite CakeLangue Etrangère (Claire Berger)Small Things Like These (Tim Mielants)Who Do I Belong To (Meryam Joobeur)Pepe (Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias)Shambhala (Min Bahadur Bham)Sterben (Matthias Glasner)Small Things Like These (Tim Mielants)A Traveler’s Needs (Hong Sang-soo)Sleep With Your Eyes Open. ENCOUNTERSArcadia (Yorgos Zois)Cidade; Campo (Juliana Rojas)Demba (Mamadou Dia)Direct ActionSleep With Your Eyes Open (Nele Wohlatz)The Fable (Raam Reddy...

The upcoming 74th Berlin Film Festival looks set to be its starriest edition in years with Kristen Stewart, Adam Sandler, Cillian Murphy, Lena Dunham, Sebastian Stan, Amanda Seyfried and Rooney Mara among the talent due to attend this year.

Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian confirmed the actors’ presence in an interview with Deadline following the festival’s official press conference on Monday.

“Yes. All the stars we have invited are expected to be here and have confirmed their presence,” he said, when quizzed on the above names. “I think the glamor aspect on the red carpet is a good one this year.”

Most are attending in movies due to be showcased in the Berlinale Special Gala line-up.

Stewart, who was at the festival last year as jury president, returns for the Berlinale Special Gala screening of Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding alongside Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco and Jena Malone.

Berlinale Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian announced his final Competition and Encounters line-ups on Monday ahead of bowing out of the festival alongside Managing Director Mariette Rissenbeek at the end of the upcoming 74th edition in February.

News of Chatrian’s ousting by the German Culture Minister Claudia Roth back in September prompted anger in some quarters of Europe’s indie film biz. The seasoned festival programer made it clear at the time that he wanted to stay on but now appears to have made peace with the decision.

“It’s true that in the beginning I said I was willing to go on with the shared role. But then the people who are responsible for the future of the Berlinale thought this structure of two leaders was not the right one and I don’t consider myself able to run the festival alone,” he told Monday’s press conference in...

Berlinale co-directors Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek are going out with a bang in their final year, with a lineup unveiled today featuring the latest works by Olivier Assayas, Bruno Dumont, Mati Diop, Hong Sang-soo, Abderrahmane Sissako, Jane Schoenbrun, Alonso Ruizpalacios, Matias Pineiro, Travis Wilkerson, Kazik Radwanski, Annie Baker, and more.

When the co-directors were asked by Screen Daily about their departure, Chatrian said, “It’s quite simple. Mariette and I had a mandate of five years. It is true that at the beginning I said that I was willing to go on because there was a shared will with the [German] Ministry [of Culture] to go on. But then the people who have the responsibility to see the future of the Berlinale thought this structure of two leaders was not the right one and I don’t consider myself able to run the festival alone. And that was the decision of the Ministry.

The 74th Berlin International Film Festival has revealed the 20 titles selected for its official Competition as well as its competitive Encounters strand.

Scroll down for full list

New films from Claire Burger, Olivier Assayas, Hong Sangsoo, Bruno Dumont, Abderrahmane Sissako and Mati Diop are among those selected for the Competition lineup, with stars including Rooney Mara, Gael Garcia Bernal, Sebastian Stan and Cillian Murphy, who leads the festival’s opening film Small Things Like These.

Festival heads Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek unveiled the selections at the House of World Cultures in Berlin today (January 22).

The 2024 Berlinale will run February...

The Berlin Film Festival on Monday unveiled the titles selected for its official competition and its sidebar Encounters competitive section.

A total of 20 films have been selected for the international competition, with highlights including La Cocina, directed by Alonso Ruiz Palacios and starring Rooney Mara. The pic is described as a “kinetic and cinematic love story” set over a single day in a Times Square kitchen. French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop returns with Dahomey, a 60-minute doc about art repatriation and Hong Sangsoo plays in competition with A Traveler’s Needs, starring Isabelle Huppert. Scroll down for the full lineup.

The Berlin Film Festival takes place February 15-25.

Organizers have already announced more than 100 titles across sidebars spanning Panorama, Forum, and Berlinale Special. Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, a feature documentary about influential British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger narrated by Killers of the Flower Moon...

The 74th Berlin International Film Festival unveiled its full lineup Monday at its official press conference in the House of World Cultures in Berlin. Berlinale managing director Mariëtte Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian presented the films that will compete for this year’s Golden and Silver Bears both in the competition and encounters sections.

Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios, a Berlinale regular and two-time Silver Bear winner — for A Cop Movie in 2022 and Museo in 2018 — returns to Berlin competition with his English-language feature debut La Cocina. Rooney Mara and The Cop Movie alum Raúl Briones star in the drama set over the course of a single day in a bustling New York City restaurant. Briones plays an undocumented cook in a relationship with Julia (Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to their relationship. Fifth Season and WME are selling North American rights to La Cocina with HanWay handling international sales.

Lord Tion, Princess Leia's rival, was introduced in the 1981 Star Wars radio drama and has a significant impact on the narrative of A New Hope. The radio dramas added additional dialogue and expanded sequences to the original trilogy movies, now canonically part of the Star Wars Legends timeline. Lord Tion's death before A New Hope serves as a catalyst for the Rebellion's actions and reveals the darker side of the Rebellion's tactics.

The Star Wars Legends continuity gave Princess Leia a prominent enemy before the events of A New Hope, and this villain exists in the current canon as well. Leia’s rival, the sinister Lord Tion, was introduced in the 1981 Star Wars radio drama, which is now a part of Legends. As with many characters, locations, and concepts from Legends, Lord Tion gained a counterpart in the current continuity, though he likely lacks the same background and fate as his original incarnation.

Actor Rishabh Sawhney, who appeared in Nikkhil Advani’s ‘The Empire’ where he played Babur’s brother Mehmood, is all set to make his Bollywood debut in Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor-starrer ‘Fighter’.

The film is Indian cinema’s first aerial-actioner and Rishabh is a part of its ensemble cast which also includes Akshay Oberoi, Karan Singh Grover and Sanjeeda Shaikh.

Sharing his excitement, Rishabh said: “It is a dream for any actor to see themselves on the big screen one day. And it feels surreal that my dream is about to come true. What makes it more special is that I am getting to do it with names like Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor and under the leadership of Siddharth Anand. Fighter is surely going to be a path-breaking film for Indian film action, and I feel proud to be a part of it.

Warning! This post contains Spoilers for Darth Vader #42

In Darth Vader #42, readers are introduced to Lieutenant Enric Pryde, revealing his more humble origins before his role as a key General in The Rise of Skywalker. Pryde becomes a hostage and bait for Darth Vader in a trap set by elite Rebel soldiers. While Vader initially shows little interest in Pryde, it will be interesting to see if he can prove his value to the Dark Lord in future issues.

Star Wars finally reveals the origins of one of the sequel trilogy's most overlooked villains. Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Marvel's ongoing Darth Vader series features the titular Dark of the Sith in need of new allies and resources as he considers whether to try and overthrow his master once more. To that end, a familiar (albeit younger) face has emerged as...

Warning! This post contains a preview for Star Wars #42

Luke Skywalker embarks on a new Jedi trial, exploring the darker aspects of the Force. Luke encounters a Rogue Sith in a Force vision, likely putting himself in great danger. The Sith Lord may have plans for Luke, potentially leading to a temporary corruption to the dark side via possession.

Luke Skywalker is about to begin a previously unseen Jedi trial in the Star Wars canon as he seeks to learn more about the dark side of the Force. Knowing that an ultimate confrontation with his father Darth Vader is inevitable, Luke has been continuing his Jedi training in the aftermath of The Empire Strikes. To that end, a new preview for Marvel's ongoing Star Wars series teases Luke's dark encounter with a brand-new Sith lord before the events of Return of the Jedi.

As seen in the new preview for...

Memento International has boarded “Arenas,” Camille Perton’s feature debut set in the world of professional soccer, starring Édgar Ramírez (“Carlos”), Iliès Kadri (“Nobody’s Hero”), Sofian Khammes (“November”) and Lorenzo Zurzolo (“Eo”).

Now in post-production, the film shot across Lyon, Monaco, Nice and Baku in Azerbaijan. Memento International will kick off sales at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous showcase in Paris next week.

The film follows Brahim, a rising soccer star who is about to sign his first contract at his prestigious hometown club. But when a mysterious and powerful agent disrupts the negotiations, Brahim discovers the shady side of the business. Torn between loyalty and money, he will engage in a race against time to claim his destiny.

“Arenas” is produced by Eve Robin and Judith Lou Lévy for Les Films du Bal, the ambitious independent company behind Mati Diop’s Cannes prizewinner “Atlantics,” “Ahed’s Knee” by Nadav Lapid and the...

Belgian-French comedy is directed by Stefan Liberski

Paris and London-based The Bureau has inked early pre-sales for Stefan Liberski’s Art Or F-art? starring Camille Cottin and Benoit Poelvoorde.

The Bureau co-produces alongside Belgium’s Artemis Productions and is handling international sales for the satirical look at the world of contemporary art.

Art or F-art? (L’Art de Rien) stars Poelvoorde as a conceptual painter who leaves Brussels after a career setback to settle down in French Normandy in search of creative inspiration. Cottin plays a gallery owner and manipulator who disrupts his concentration as he interacts with colourful locals...

Happy New Year! With just two shows until 600, The Empire podcast crashes back into your feeds this week. Well, two-thirds of it does because Chris is on holiday, leaving Helen and James to hold down the fort. And by that we mean have a cosy fireside discussion about all the fantasy books they devoured over Christmas, along with assorted stories of New Year's Eve shenanigans.

But none of that matters because we have the one and only Ja Bayona on this week's show, the director stopping by to talk about his brilliant (and very likely to be Oscar-winning) film, :a[Society Of The Snow]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/society-of-the-snow/' }. Plus Joel Edgerton joins us to explain what happens when the cast is crew in The Boys In The Boat.

Plus Helen and James pull their reviewing caps on and watch Sofia Coppola's :a[Priscilla]{href='https://www.

Luke's connection to the Force is just as strong as his father's, confirmed through a unique encounter that transcended time and space. Luke and Darth Vader canonically entered a cosmic plane resembling the World Between Worlds where they faced each other's spiritual forms in the Force. Luke and Darth Vader were mirror images of each other, with Luke's power within the Force nexus being on par with his father's. They pushed each other out of the nexus, showing their equal strength within the cosmic Force.

Star Wars secretly confirmed Luke Skywalker's connection to the Force is just as strong as his father's, making them equals. In the months preceding Return of the Jedi, it's recently been confirmed that Luke and Darth Vader had an encounter via the Force that transcended both time and space. To that end, this unique encounter carries some key implications regarding Luke's own connection to...

The introduction of the Sith Rule of Two adds depth to Palpatine and Vader's conversation, suggesting that they both saw themselves as Luke's new master and wanted to utilize his power for their own gain. If Luke had joined Vader, it would have put Vader on the Emperor's throne with Luke as his apprentice, potentially leading to a power struggle and the risk of someone dying. This scene gains even more depth with the Sith Rule of Two, as Vader's idea of gaining Luke as an asset could have resulted in death, either Luke's or Palpatine's.

The Sith Rule of Two retcons a scene from The Empire Strikes Back in a way that only enhances it even more. It was in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace that the Sith Rule of Two was first introduced by Yoda following the death of Qui-Gon Jinn at Darth Maul's hands.

Warning! This post contains a Preview for Star Wars: Dark Droids: D-Squad #3

R2-D2 has teamed up with Triple Zero to save Threepio and more droids corrupted by the sentient Scourge virus. Artoo will face off against infamous droid bounty hunters Ig-88 and 4-lom in the new D-Squad #3 during his mission to save Threepio from the Scourge hivemind. R2-D2's loyalty and bravery could make him a key hero in Dark Droids who helps defeat the galaxy-spanning droid virus and saves the day (as usual).

R2-D2 is facing some of the most dangerous droids in the Star Wars galaxy. Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the canonical Dark Droids crossover event seen in the comics has seen multiple droids across the galaxy being corrupted by a sentient droid virus, including C-3Po. Wanting to save his companion from the Scourge hivemind,...

Star Wars has the opportunity to bring back Keira Knightley's character Sabé, who served as Padmé Amidala's body double, in a key role during the Dark Times. The Amidalans, a rebel cell formed on Naboo, could be featured in Andor Season 2, which explores the formation of the Rebel Alliance, potentially including a meeting with Mon Mothma. Bringing back Keira Knightley's Sabé would not only be an exciting Easter egg, but it would also allow for the exploration of Padmé Amidala's legacy and showcase Knightley's acting skills.

Star Wars has the perfect chance to bring back Keira Knightley's Sabé, Padmé Amidala's body double in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. George Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy introduced viewers to the beautiful planet Naboo, and to its young ruler, Natalie Portman's Padmé Amidala. The Queen of Naboo, Padmé was served by a group of dedicated handmaidens who swiftly proved key to her safety.

Some of the deadliest characters in Star Wars are traitors, whose betrayals result in heavy loss of life. While some betrayals in the franchise involve less-severe consequences, others have far-reaching implications. Betrayals by characters by Lando Calrissian, Dooku, Barriss Offee, and Kylo Ren have had significant impacts on the storylines.

Some of the best moments in the Star Wars franchise come from traitors finally revealing their true colors. Some traitors are characters the audience knows have been wound up so tightly that their snap was inevitable, whereas others seemingly switch sides at the last minute without any forewarning. Either way, there are plenty of characters in Star Wars who fit Obi-Wan Kenobi’s “scum and villainy” description all too well. Nevertheless, some betrayals weigh heavier than others due to the lives lost in their wake, making the traitors some of the deadliest characters in Star Wars.

Aside from the deadlier traitors,...

“Woman Of…,” Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s pioneering trans drama, has been sold by Memento International across Europe.

Set against the landscape of the Polish transformation from communism to capitalism, “Woman Of” stars Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik as Aniela Wesoły. “Woman Of…” spans 45 years of Aniela’s life as she aspires to find personal liberty as a trans woman and faces hardships in marriage and parenthood, strained family relations and complicated attitudes in her environment.

The movie has been acquired for Italy (I Wonder), France (UFO), Germany (Salzgeber), Austria (Filmladen), Spain (Karma), Benelux and Israel (Cinemien), Switzerland (Xenix), Sweden (Lucky Dogs), Greece (Cinobo), Ukraine (Arthouse Traffic) and Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe).

Discussions are ongoing in other territories including the U.K. and Scandinavia. North American sales are handled by Anonymous Content and Memento International. The film will be released in Poland by Next Films and is set for March...

Vader's response to his droid Arex shows that he puts himself above the Force, truly embracing the mindset of a Sith Lord. The Sith's prioritization of their own power and identity prevents them from becoming Force Ghosts, which sets them apart from the Jedi. Vader's newfound alignment with his Sith brethren adds depth to his redemption in Return of the Jedi, making him an even more remarkable hero.

Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #39After the events of The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader proves that he was actually a better Sith than the original movies made him out to be. How the Sith Lord most effectively demonstrates his reverence and awe of the Force in A New Hope actually conflicts with what the Sith are shown to truly prioritize and value in Star Wars lore. But that no longer seems to be the case.

Vader proves just...

Lando's betrayal of Han Solo goes beyond just selling him out to Darth Vader - he also endangered the Rebellion by selling their codes. Lando's preoccupation with helping his friend Lobot has led him down a dark path, resulting in his betrayal of the Rebellion. Lando's upcoming confrontation with Princess Leia will likely be intense, as she was just beginning to trust him before the full extent of his betrayal was revealed.

Star Wars is exploring the full extent of Lando Calrissian's betrayal of Han Solo 43 years after The Empire Strikes Back. Initially, Lando sold Han and his friends out to Darth Vader and the Empire, setting a trap for them which resulted in Han being frozen in carbonite, given to bounty hunter Boba Fett, and delivered to Jabba the Hutt. However, it's since been revealed that Lando's full betrayal in the Star Wars canon was worse and goes even further.

While Lucasfilm's illustrious Star Wars franchise is a theatrical property first and foremost, the brand has paved the way for countless excellent novels with similar scopes. The franchise has been iconic for decades thanks to its creative blend of sci-fi and fantasy for its adventurous stories, with many of these books doing admirable jobs of filling in continuity gaps.

Star Wars has never been one to have 1:1 adaptations of books into its movies, but both the Legends and mainline canons could more than carry this burden. Between stories going as far back as the Old Republic in the Darth Bane Trilogy and playing in The Clone Wars sandbox with Dark Disciple, plenty of Star Wars books have the potential for adventurous film adaptations.

Heir To The Empire Trilogy is "Sequel Trilogy" Worthy Material Heir to the Empire - Dark Force Rising - The Last Command

Release Date

May...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSMe and You and Everyone We Know.The Writers Guild of America reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and have voted to end the strike as of 12:01 a.m. Pt this morning. A summary of the agreement is available here. Before the details were released, the WGA negotiating committee had this to say in a statement: "We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership." The WGA has also encouraged their members to support SAG-AFTRA's ongoing picket line.A new novel from Miranda July is due out in May of next year: All Fours follows an artist in the throes of a midlife crisis and a messy divorce. While driving...

Early last year we learned Bruno Dumont would next direct the science fiction feature The Empire, then said to mingle “the common life of the inhabitants of a fishing village on the Opal Coast [with] the parallel and epic life of knights of interplanetary empires.” Little else has been known since, other than once-cast Adèle Haenel leaving the project for fear it propagates “dark, sexist and racist” attitudes, mocks victims of injustice, and exhibits general disregard for non-white perspective. Not the press most would seek, but not exactly counteracted by French distributor Arp Sélection describing The Empire as Dumont’s “caustic, cruel and crazy vision of Star Wars” in posting the first (French-only) trailer, released ahead of the film’s likely 2024 debut.

Herein we find a scale well beyond anything Dumont’s yet mounted––so intriguing that one might overlook it’s also set in his Quinquin Cinematic Universe. Whatever trepidation Haenel’s comments can instill,...

Ji Chang Wook is undeniably one of the most genuinely hardworking and handsome actors in the Korean industry, and he is capable of doing anything, whether acting in a romance story with swooning moments or an action scene that pushes his body to the limits. However, after The K2, his best action work to date, he stopped doing action K-dramas since they were taking a toll on his body.

Nonetheless, fans were always enthusiastic to see him in fantastic dramas like The Sound of Magic, Suspicious Partner, and If You Wish Upon Me. This year, the actor plans to bounce back into his most experienced trait— action. His upcoming drama, The Worst of Evil, will see the actor in an action thriller genre for the first time in a long time, and his fans are naturally ecstatic about it. With that in mind, here's everything we know about Ji Chang Wook's upcoming K-drama,...

The Empire Strikes Back introduced the concept of freezing someone in carbonite as a cruel form of punishment. It's possible Darth Vader drew inspiration from an ancient Sith Lord named Darth Siberus, who used carbonite to trap and drain her enemies. If this theory is true, then Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine may have encountered Darth Siberus herself, potentially leading to a secret Sith war before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy.

A chilling new Star Wars theory suggests Darth Vader was part of a secret Sith war some time before The Empire Strikes Back - one that inspired him to freeze Han Solo in carbonite. Darth Vader is one of the most ruthless and dangerous Sith Lords of all time, and he reveled in the power he had over others. Vader's lust for power was on full display in The Empire Strikes Back, when he successfully...

The planets in The Empire Strikes Back feel empty and lack the complexity seen in other Star Wars stories with more developed societies. Han Solo's dialogue and flirting with Princess Leia can come across as cheesy and poorly executed at times. The changes made in the Special Edition versions of the film, including color grading and replacing original actors, detract from the viewing experience rather than enhance it.

Despite the fact that The Empire Strikes Back is often cited as one of the best Star Wars films, there are many aspects of it that have not aged well. Over the past forty years, there are still many things in this film that stand out. It had a darker, more engaging story with even higher stakes. The planets took viewers to extraordinary locales and left them reeling with the jaw-dropping revelation that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father. It...

Star Wars Outlaws will feature three major crime syndicates - the Hutts, the Pykes, and the Ashiga - as part of its narrative, offering players the opportunity to navigate the criminal underworld. The game takes place during the Galactic Civil War between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, with crime syndicates thriving due to the Empire's focus on the rebellion. However, the Crimson Dawn and Black Sun syndicates are not mentioned, despite their significant influence during this time. Working with or against these syndicates may force players to make difficult moral choices, contributing to the game's emphasis on relationship-building and dialogue options. It is surprising that Kay, the protagonist, does not come across these syndicates considering the game's scope and story.

The Star Wars Outlaws Sdcc panel revealed three major crime syndicates that will play a part in the game's narrative. Ubisoft's upcoming open-world title is...

The new trailer for Ahsoka promises Grand Admiral Thrawn's arrival in a live-action Star Wars project for the first time. With him come a number of expectations about Timothy Zahn's famous trilogy of novels named after him, and how much of their beloved-yet-non-canon content the new series will reveal. The trailer hints strongly that more surprises from the novels are on their way, to the point where Ahsoka herself declares Thrawn "heir to the Empire," in reference to the first part of the trilogy.

That provides an opportunity to answer one of the biggest mysteries in the entire saga: the whereabouts of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. His son Luke lost it -- along with his hand -- during the climax to Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. It turns up in Maz Kanata's basement in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, along with the...

Darth Vader’s Force Choke is a punishment so iconic that it’s actually transcended the world of Star Wars itself, yet in terms of Imperial punishments go, it’s actually pretty tame, especially when compared with that of Thrawn.

In the first installment of the Star Wars saga, A New Hope, Darth Vader uses the Dark Side of the Force to Force Choke one of his fellow Imperials on the Death Star after the Imperial questioned Darth Vader’s power in the Force. Vader found his lack of faith disturbing, and he gave him a lesson in the Force he wouldn’t soon forget. The next time Vader used this tactic was in the next film, The Empire Strikes Back, as he ‘demotes’ one of his subordinates after an unforgivable failure. The man is seemingly killed this time, whereas the Force Choke was only used as a non-lethal means...

One of Star Wars: The Force Awakens' best scenes is Rey's Force vision after touching Anakin's lightsaber in which she gets glimpses of the wider Star Wars universe that are both explained and still shrouded in mystery. The scene comes in Maz Kanata's castle, as Rey hears the call of Anakin's lightsaber from beneath the compound. After touching it, Rey is transported through a mirage of Force visions linking her to the wider Skywalker Saga in plenty of ways.

While most of the scenes in Rey's vision have been explained by the further two films in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, there are also some that are still unclear. Despite this, the scene still allows Rey to be tied intrinsically to the saga before she officially becomes a Skywalker herself in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. From connections to the original Star Wars trilogy, foreshadowing of The Force Awakens' ending,...

One of the most common Star Wars questions is where exactly the Rebel fleet was hiding at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. A common assumption is that the Rebels are outside the Star Wars galaxy, but this is never confirmed in the film itself, leading to the possibility of another explanation. Several sources have given conflicting accounts over the years, but thanks to the Lucasfilm Story Group, there is now an official explanation for where the Rebel fleet is located.

Even so, the history behind the different explanations is incredibly fascinating, adding a new dimension to The Empire Strikes Back's ending. Small details from one source led to an expanded explanation in others, and some authors created new explanations entirely. However, there is only one definitive answer for where the Rebel Fleet is in The Empire Strikes Back, even with alternative evidence seen over the years.

Some Star...

George Lucas chose to film and release the Star Wars franchise in a strange way, and that created a big problem for the Jedi in each trilogy. By starting with the original trilogy in 1977, Lucas first introduced the concept of the mystical power of the Force to audiences. While Luke Skywalker doesn’t utilize his powers much in A New Hope, he begins to train and hone his skill in The Empire Strikes Back. By the time of Return of the Jedi, Luke is considered a Jedi Knight. But even at this level, his abilities seem to pale in comparison to the average Jedi from the prequel trilogy.

Aside from Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi is also weak in the original trilogy compared to himself in the prequels. While this may have been due to a combination of Obi-Wan being 57 and his skills being out of practice, it still seems like...

Although his time on-screen was shorter than expected, there's much to be learned about Supreme Leader Snoke from Star Wars' sequel trilogy. The original ruler of the First Order, which was formed out of the Imperial Remnant, Snoke took command of the Empire's remains to reclaim control of the galaxy from the New Republic. However, the truth about Snoke and his role in the galaxy was far more complex than even he realized.

Thanks to supplemental Star Wars media beyond the films, Snoke's character has been fleshed out quite a bit since his demise in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Not only does his conception date back to the original trilogy, but his legacy could have continued had it been wished by his true creator in the established Star Wars canon. Here are 10 facts that provide a strong summation of Supreme Leader Snoke.

Related: Star Wars Debunks Its Most Exciting...

Sofia Coppola, Emerald Fennell, Yorgos Lanthimos, Pablo Larrain, Michel Franco and Bradley Cooper could all be on the Lido.

Alberto Barbera is closing in on his Venice Film Festival selection, with buzz around Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Matteo Garrone’s migrant drama Io Capitano and Pablo Larrain’s dark comedy El Conde about Augusto Pinochet for the Competition.

Also potentially Lido-bound are Michael Mann’s Ferrari with Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz, David Michod’s comedy Wizards! with Pete Davidson, Naomi Scott and Orlando Bloom, and Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers starring Zendaya and Josh O’Connor.

Michel Franco,...

Although the Rebel Alliance had its own secret version of Exegol, they actually wasted it in the Star Wars galaxy. As revealed in the animated Star Wars Rebels series, the individual Rebel cells that would become the Alliance discovered a world that was similarly remote and hard to access, making it the perfect planet to hide from the Empire and build their forces just like Palpatine did with the Final Order on Exegol. However, it seems this hidden world was left largely unused by the Rebellion.

In The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren locates a Sith wayfinder, an ancient artifact that safely guides him through the dangers of the Unknown Regions to Exegol, the hidden Sith world where Palpatine resurrected himself and built a brand-new fleet of Star Destroyers and soldiers for his Final Order. Known as a "box system," Exegol had strategic value as there was only one way in or out.

Adèle Haenel, the French star of Cannes prize-winning film “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” vanished from the film world in the aftermath of the 2020 Cesar Awards ceremony. That year, Roman Polanski won best director and Haenel, who was on the ground for her nomination with “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” walked out of the ceremony in a burst of anger upon hearing Polanski’s name, shouting “Bravo pedophilia!”

Several months prior, Haenel had accused French director Christophe Ruggia of having sexually harassed her for years starting when she was just 12 years old, prompting the birth of France’s #MeToo movement. Since then, Haenel exited the movie biz to dedicate herself to political activism, as well as theater and dance with the artist Gisèle Vienne. She recently appeared on French TV to support the strike and protest against the country’s unpopular pension reform.

While some hoped she would...

There is a big chance that your favorite era of "Star Wars" is going to be whatever was prominent when you were a kid. For '90s and 2000s kids, that was the Clone Wars era — or as Lucasfilm now calls it, the Fall of the Jedi era. This felt like a truly exciting time for the "Star Wars" franchise, because the movies gave us cool and epic fights with tons of Jedi, incredible worlds, and more, but also video games like "Battlefront" and "Republic Commando" made clones as cool and badass as the Jedi, while both "Clone Wars" and "The Clone Wars" expanded the galaxy, shining a light on the titular war that forever changed it.

Not that there was anything wrong with what Lucasfilm calls the Age of Rebellion from the original trilogy, but those told a familiar and recognizable story of a small band of heroes fighting an evil empire.

Stormtroopers have always been the Empire’s biggest weakness in Star Wars. They have been part of the franchise's iconography and storytelling since blasting their way into the Tantive IV in A New Hope, and remain so in the most recent Star Wars projects. They’re the nuisance that needs to be dealt with, easy to impersonate, and even easier to kill. And yet the Empire has always relied on its stormtroopers to do the grunt work, hoping time and again that they would be able to protect their strongholds and prevent rebel activity from undermining its operations; but the stormtroopers nearly always prove them wrong.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch has been explaining why stormtroopers replaced clones within the Empire’s ranks. But watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars makes it hard to fathom the Empire’s decision to favor stormtroopers over clones – clone troopers seem to have much more practical combat experience,...

Warning: This article contains Spoilers for Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventure's "Yoda's Mission."

Star Wars just revealed Yoda’s first lightsaber. Despite being described as a “great warrior” in The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda never fought during the original Star Wars trilogy. Yoda served as a different type of Jedi master to Luke Skywalker compared to Obi-Wan Kenobi, someone far more experienced and wise. It was only during the Star Wars prequels that Yoda used a lightsaber on-screen for the first time.

More precisely, Yoda only ignited a lightsaber in a Star Wars film for the first time in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Since The Empire Strikes Back, audiences had theorized what Yoda’s fighting style looked like, and whether he even had a lightsaber. Now, 21 years after Attack of the Clones, Star Wars has shown Yoda’s very first lightsaber.

Yoda Gives His Training...

The Mandalorian season 3 wrapped up Din Djarin’s battle against Moff Gideon neatly, but it also paved the way for a much bigger villain to wreak havoc in the upcoming The Mandalorian movie. Grand Admiral Thrawn is gearing up to make his return to the Star Wars universe after being exiled by Ezra Bridger in the Star Wars Rebels series finale. He already appears to be the main antagonist of the live-action Ahsoka series, but he's also expected to return in future Star Wars installments of the New Republic era as he attempts to prematurely resurrect the Empire.

Similarly to Palpatine before him and Snoke after, The Mandalorian season 3 sets up Thrawn as the next major villain in the Star Wars universe. While barely anything has been revealed about Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian movie, the pattern of events for Thrawn is beginning to mimic Timothy Zahn’s original novels...

Memento International has boarded Vladimir Perisic’s Serbian film “Lost Country” which will have its world premiere at Cannes’ Critics Week.

Set in Serbia in 1996, “Lost Country” unfolds during the student demonstrations against the Milosevic regime. Story follows 15-year-old Stefan who has to confront his beloved mother, spokesperson and accomplice of the corrupted government that his friends are rising against.

The cast is lead by Serbian debuting actor Jovan Ginic and Jasna Djuricic, the actor of Oscar-nominated film “Quo Vadis Aida.” “Lost Country” was penned by Vladimir Perisic and celebrated French writer-director Alice Winocour, whose latest film “Revoir Paris” earned Virginie Efira the Cesar award for best actress.

“Through this story, I wanted to explore the fragility of the human ability to admit reality, to accept it without reservations. This ability often falls short, especially when it concerns our loved ones,” said Perisic. “Thus, the character of Stefan leads alone,...