Episode VII Ups the Diversity: Christie and Nyong’o Join Cast

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Now this is how you address concerns about diversity.

Lucasfilm announced just moments ago on the official site that Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o will be joining the cast of Episode VII.

Lupita Nyong’o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.

“I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”

Yes, be excited. Be very excited. This is fantastic news.

Review: Serenity #5

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serenity 5Action!  Action action action action action!  For all the set-up in Serenity #4, Serenity #5 is all action, and yes, you will need to go back and read the previous issue to catch up and understand exactly what is happening in this issue, because there is so much action switching between enough perspectives that it takes a read or two to figure things out.

Basically, though, this is where the excrement meets the cooling machinery.  The crew (plus the Operative) has gone to rescue the other River-like girls, only to discover that they’ve been completely brainwashed, leaving River to fight them.  And everything goes nuts here, until the end, when there’s a horrible realization that what’s left of the Browncoat resistance are those left on Serenity–because the Alliance has used all of this as a trap.

But Malcolm Reynolds has one thing he has left to do–and that’s to save Zoe.  And he’s going to do whatever it takes.

Art – cue my normal complaints and my normal WOW about the cover.  Writing – not up to its usual standards here, but that’s because this is action action OMG all the action.  Still, comic writers are responsible, in part, for laying out the pages and the panels and what’s happening in them, and this was the first time I really wasn’t all that impressed.  Still, overall, it’s a good story, and I’m not sure how all the ends are going to get tied up in one issue next month.

Review: Star Wars: Rebel Heist #2

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It’s a very Star Wars week as Rebel Heist #2 by Matt Kindt and Marco Castiello is released in comic store everywhere today.  How does this second issue stand up against the first?

While Han Solo has managed to land himself in prison, Princess Leia is halfway across the galaxy.  And oh boy is she handling her mission much more competently and professionally than he was.  That doesn’t mean it won’t be tough to get the Alliance’s agent off of Feddasyr.

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Review: Star Wars: Legacy #15

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It’s another crazy day in the life of Ania Solo as Legacy #15 by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman hits comic store shelves today.  Will Ania survive the glass rain and the most inhospitable planet this side of Mustafar?  Will Ramid’s sacrifice be in vain?  Will something about this quest to track down the Sith ever go right?  (Okay, so maybe only some of these questions will get answered in Issue #15.)

Stuck out in the middle of a glass rainstorm, things continue to look bleak for Ania Solo even though her friends have finally tracked her down.  Thankfully, none of them are about to let this strange bounty hunter take their friend without a fight. But how do you stop a bounty hunter with a light whip who seems hell bent on finding and capturing Ania Solo?

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Review: The Star Wars #8

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All good things must come to an end and thus so does The Star Wars this week.  Issue #8 hits comic store shelves today as J.W. Rinzler and Mike Mayhew bring this excellent alternative universe to its close.

It’s a race against the Empire as Annikin Starkiller infiltrates the Space Fortress to rescue Queen Leia.  Meanwhile, General Luke Skywalker is leading an army of newly trained wookiees in an aerial starfighter against the deadly battle-station.  Annikin, never one for stealth, has already been spotted by Darth Vader and Prince Valorum who are more than happy to deal with the Jedi…

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Gareth Edwards and Gary Whitta sign on for Star Wars standalone

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The Star Wars powers that be certainly aren’t letting us want for news lately.  Star Wars.com has just given us our first piece of confirmed information about one of the standalone films.

From the Official Site:

In addition to the episodes of a new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm and Disney have begun development on multiple stand-alone movies that will offer new stories beyond the core Saga. Gareth Edwards will direct the first stand-alone film, with a screenplay by Gary Whitta. The film is due out December 16, 2016.

Edwards is known for directing the recently released Godzilla while Whitta’s writing credits include The Book of Eli and Telltale Games’ adaptation of The Walking Dead.

No word yet on what the film will be about but release date is December 16, 2016.

J.J. Abrams says hello from Abu Dabi and you can win a chance to appear in Episode VII

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First off, it’s official: Episode VII is filming in Abu Dabi. See for yourself in the video above. Second, you can win a chance to appear in Episode VII by supporting UNICEF through the new Force for Change program.

Star Wars: Force for Change is a brand new charitable initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm in collaboration with Bad Robot dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will raise funds and awareness for UNICEF’s Innovation Labs and its innovative projects benefiting children in need.

For your chance to appear in Episode VII and visit the London studios, click the link above and enter the contest.

Review: Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #1

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This comic is special, folks.  It has the distinction of being the first comic or book published to officially be a part of the new canon.  Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir with a script by Jeremy Barlow and pencils by Juan Frigeri takes one of the unused story ideas from The Clone Wars’ unfinished Sixth Season and brings it to life on paper but does it work?  Read on to find out!

Darth Maul’s plans to conqueror the galaxy were halted when his former master decides to chop them right in half before he could get very far with his Mandalorian and Underworld army.  Held captive in a secret prison, Maul’s efforts seem to have found their end.  Sidious’s plotting, on the other hand, is just beginning.  He believes that Mother Talzin survived the invasion of Dathomir and he’s willing use Maul as bait to lure the Nightsister back out.

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DIY: Interactive Artoo Mickey Ears

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Note: This nifty little DIY project comes to us courtesy of our friend Nut. 

This is a little project that originated with one too many trips to Disney with Nanci, who likes wearing her R2-D2 Mouse Ears and eat cannibalistically out of an R2-D2 popcorn bucket.  After a couple evening trips to the park, the question arises:  “Wouldn’t it be cool if it had lights and made noise?”

Well of course it would!  But Disney hasn’t taken us up on our suggestion (yet), so here’s how to make your own.

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