D23 is the Disney fan convention held every other year and today they brought a panel dedicated to their live-action entertainment. They closed the panel with a presentation on “Star Wars.”
The first bit of news to come from the panel was that the director of the mediocre “Jurassic World,” Colin Treverow, would be directing “Star Wars: Episode IX.”
From Lucasfilm’s official release:
While production won’t begin for a few years, Trevorrow is heading to Lucasfilm this year to begin working with artists and his fellow Star Wars directors. “Colin is someone I’ve been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled filmmaker. We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe.”
The next major announcement was that “Star Wars: Rogue One” was definitely in production and that Alan Tudyk (yes, fan favorite from “Firefly”) is in the cast. Curiously, the word “Anthology” was dropped from the Rogue One logo in favor of “A Star Wars Story.”
Here’s the full cast release from StarWars.com
The filmmakers have assembled a stellar cast, including Felicity Jones, nominated for an Academy Award for her leading role in The Theory of Everything; Diego Luna, who was featured in 2008’s Oscar-winning Milk and the critically acclaimed Killing Them Softly; Ben Mendelsohn, recently nominated for an Emmy for his leading role in Bloodline and co-starring in the upcomingMississippi Grind; Donnie Yen, Hong Kong action star and martial artist who starred in Ip Man and Blade II; Jiang Wen, who co-wrote, produced , directed and starred in the award-winning Let the Bullets Fly and Devils on the Doorstep; Forest Whitaker, recently featured in the critically-acclaimed Lee Daniels’ The Butler and winner of an Academy Award for his leading role in 2006’s The Last King of Scotland; Mads Mikkelsen, who starred in The Hunt and was the memorable villain from 2006’s Casino Royale; Alan Tudyk, who plays a performance-capture character in Rogue One, stars in the soon-to-be-releasedCon Man series and Trumbo, which releases this November; and Riz Ahmed, who was recently featured in Nightcrawler and starred in the BAFTA-winning filmFour Lions.
The current cut of the film, according to those there, was revealed to be 124 minutes long, which could be about an hour shy of what I’d want.A new poster for “The Force Awakens” was unveiled as well, drawn by the legendary Drew Struzan. This poster is a D23 exclusive and not the actual poster for the film.
The next large announcement was that Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios would be getting the single largest themed expansion in their history with a “Star Wars” themed area. It will cover 14 acres and be deeply immersive. The setting is a port on the edge of space. Every store and restaurant will employ aliens. Nothing in the land will be out of character or stray from the mythology. There is a cantina planned and one of the rides will put you in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
Here is the official rundown on the Star Wars lands.
“I am thrilled to announce the next chapter in the long and exciting history between Disney Parks and Star Wars,” said Iger. “Through each new attraction and new land we create, we push the boundaries of what is possible. And as you can imagine, with Star Wars, we are taking that to a whole new level, with a whole galaxy to explore.”
And then the panel ended.
As if that wasn’t enough news for you.