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Just like the rest of the U.S, data centers and AI are dividing climate tech founders and investors.

Quick Take

• Members of the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four assembled for a very funny PSA to remind Doomsday audiences to silence their phones.
• This PSA is one of the most star-studded ever recorded.
• Nerdist Take: While this promo might be funny, it’s also important. Using your phone in a theater can ruin the movie for everyone else.

The Avengers saved the world from both Loki and Ultron. Earth’s mightiest heroes also brought back half the universe and defeated Thanos for good. But all of that pales in comparison to their latest heroic achievement. The Avengers joined their new friends from across the multiverse to tell moviegoers to silence their phones during Avengers: Doomsday. You can watch the multiversally important Avengers: Doomsday “Silece Your Phones” PSA below.

Ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, members of the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four got together for a very funny PSA. The short ad begins as a normal Avengers: Doomsday promo. At first we see the memorable moment from the film’s trailers when Thor confronts Doctor Doom. After tossing the God of Thunder aside easily, the infamous Latverian then uses sorcery to bring Sentinels back to life. Only, before he can announce himself, a ringing cellphone ruins the whole thing. That’s when we then see the audience, where Gambit, Shuri, Yelena Belova, Shang-Chi, Cyclops, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Thor (awkward!), Captain America Sam Wilson, Red Guardian, Bucky, M’Baku, Namor, John Walker, Ava Starr, Mystique, and Joaquin Torres sit in their superhero costumes. (And if you can believe it, that’s not nearly the whole Avengers: Doomsday cast.)

Marvel Studios

Everyone in this Avengers: Doomsday PSA is played by their actual MCU actors, though, making this one of the most star-studded PSAs in history. It’s also one of the most important ever.

Nerdist Take: It Shouldn’t Take a PSA By the Cast of Avengers: Doomsday to Get You to Silence Your Cell Phones, But We’ll Take It If It Does

This is a cause near and dear to our movie-loving hearts. It’s also a PSA that applies to more than just Avengers: Doomsday. It’s important to remember that for all movies you go see in the movie theater, you need to silence your phones. You also need to keep them in your pocket, because the screen is distracting. And don’t forget those APPLE WATCHES. One of the best reasons to see a movie in a theater is the opportunity to lose yourself in the film. If you don’t feel that way, it’s fine. To each their own. But that doesn’t mean you should take that away from people who do. It’s a shared experience in a communal space. If you want/need to use your personal phone, leave the theater.

And if you don’t? Then we have no problem if the Avengers don’t come to your rescue during Doomsday. They already did their job warning you.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow Mikey on Bluesky at @‌burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Cast Assembles for ‘Silence Your Phone’ PSA appeared first on Nerdist.

Quick Take

• Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios have announced they’re teaming up on Minecraft World in the UK, the first-ever Minecraft theme park.
• Minecraft World will feature the Escape the Nether roller coaster.
• Minecraft World will open in 2027 at at the UK theme park and zoo Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London.

Minecraft is the greatest selling video game of all-time. It’s live-action movie also pulled in nearly one billion at the global office and is getting a highly-anticipated sequel next year. And you know what? It’s not enough. The franchise is building on its success by building a theme park in Greater London. And Minecraft World will open next year.

Merlin Entertainments/Mojang Studios

Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios have announced they’re teaming up on the first-ever Minecraft theme park. Minecraft World is set to open at the UK theme park and zoo Chessington World of Adventures in 2027. The £50 million project (which sounds much better than its concept art looks) will feature new attractions, including a “world-first” Minecraft coaster. It will send visitors on minecart as they try to Escape the Nether. Here’s the coaster’s official description:

On this exciting new adventure, you’ll join Steve and Alex to battle your way through the Nether, coming face to face with hostile mobs before launching back to the Overworld. Will you escape? And yes, there’s lava. Lots of lava.

Merlin Entertainments/Mojang Studios

The immersive park will also have “interactive adventures” and “epic block-built playscapes.” And of course you’ll also find merchandise stores and dining options like an underwater-themed restaurant. Those who build their vacation around the park will also find “lush caves, mineshafts and plains of the Overworld.” And you’ll “meet mobs for real.” And the park’s official site also shows the experience will include a Minecraft-themed hotel.

The official announcement also says the park will feature “fan favourites and ridiculous fun from the Minecraft universe.” And the two companies partnered with Minecraft creators to enhance the authenticity of the park, which is 35-minute by train from London Waterloo.

Merlin Entertainments/Mojang Studios

“Minecraft World represents a meaningful milestone in our ongoing journey to expand the Minecraft universe,” said Torfi Frans Ólafsson, Senior Creative Director of Entertainment at Minecraft in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have partnered with Merlin Entertainments to realise a place where you can literally be in the Minecraft Overworld and have an adventure of your own with your family and friends. The team at Merlin Entertainments and Mojang have worked hard to craft an experience that feels immersive, authentic and welcoming, and we can’t wait for our community to experience it.”

Will fans flock to Minecraft World? Uh, yeah. Minecraft fans turn every endeavor by the franchise into a towering success. The only question is how long will it take them to build a second theme park.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow Mikey on Bluesky at @‌burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post Minecraft World Theme Park Opening in Greater London Next Year appeared first on Nerdist.

Quick Take

• Superstar comic book artist Alex Ross revealed that he nearly illustrated a Superman/Star Wars crossover comic several years ago.
• Among the battles we would have seen were Superman vs. Darth Vader and Batman vs. Boba Fett.
• When Lucasfilm and DC Comics couldn’t figure out how to split the profits, the project was canceled.
• Nerdist’s Take: With a Marvel/Star Wars crossover happening soon, and many recently released Marvel/DC crossovers in the past year, we could see this happening at some point down the line.

It was recently announced that for Star Wars’ fiftieth anniversary next year, the inhabitants from the galaxy far, far away would cross over with Marvel’s biggest heroes in a comic book event series. This will be the first major Star Wars crossover with another well-known IP ever. But according to a post from Marvels and Kingdom Come artist Alex Ross, there was very nearly a Superman/Star Wars crossover at one point. And the iconic artist even did several concept paintings for the series, which never came to be. He talked about it in a video he posted to social media, which you can watch below:

A lot of this art has circulated for many years, but most fans believed it was just private commissions. One features Superman fighting Darth Vader. Kal-El is literally holding the blade of Vader’s lightsaber in his indestructible hand in this one. Another shows the two main heroes of their respective universes, Luke Skywalker and Superman, standing side-by-side. Boba Fett battles Batman in another image, which makes us feel very sorry for the bounty hunter. (Sorry, but Bruce clears Boba.) And finally, there’s one that recreates the iconic A New Hope poster, only with the rebels alongside the Justice League. And looming behind them is Lord Vader and Darkseid. JLA/Avengers crossover writer Kurt Busiek has said he would have been the one to write it.

Click To View Gallery Alex Ross/DC Comics/Lucasfilm DC Comics/Lucasfilm/Alex Ross Alex Ross/DC Comics/Lucasfilm Lucasfilm/DC Comics/Alex Ross

So why didn’t it ever happen? According to Ross, they couldn’t come to an agreement on how the profits would break down between Warner Bros. and Lucasfilm. Obviously, this is not a problem that the upcoming Marvel/Star Wars crossover has to contend with, because Disney owns both Lucasfilm and Marvel. But with DC Comics and Marvel doing crossovers again in a big way, who knows what the future holds? If it does happen, we certainly hope Alex Ross gets to be the artist to do it. We’d love to see the power of Darkseid and the power of the dark side try to take down the Justice League.

Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a Swiss Army knife of fandoms. Eric loves DC, Marvel, horror movies, and even Star Wars and Star Trek equally.

The post Alex Ross Almost Drew a Superman/STAR WARS Crossover Comic appeared first on Nerdist.

As the debate rages over whether the recent spate of rogue AI agents is a step toward AGI or a more conventional engineering problem, Nvidia is offering its own answer to problem. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Monday introduced a toolkit of software and hardware products that add independent security layers around AI agents to […]

Quick Take

• We break down the nine new Star Wars movies currently in development or production, including Daisy Ridley’s return as Rey.

After many false starts and canceled projects, Star Wars is finally ready to return to theaters. Lucasfilm announced three new upcoming standalone movies during the opening of Star Wars Celebration 2023. These new Star Wars movies include a story about the founding of the Jedi, a movie that will serve as the finale to this era of interconnected Disney+ shows, and the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey. On top of that, the once-canceled Rogue Squadron may rise to join the line-up (but nothing official has been reported.) Shawn Levy also teased that he will direct a Star Wars film. And finally, a whole new trilogy of mysterious Star Wars movies also appears to be in the works. That makes a total of 8 new Star Wars movies in production or development.

Lucasfilm

Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg

8 New Star Wars Movies Are On the Way

The galaxy far, far away is finally going back to the big screen, and how. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel, Saving Face) have all been tapped to direct these new Star Wars movies. Additionally, if what Patty Jenkins says is true, she will direct an upcoming Star Wars movie as well. And Shawn Levy will also direct a Star Wars movie. Finally, Star Wars: Rebels‘ Simon Kinberg has reportedly been tapped to write a new trilogy that may or may not continue the Skywalker Saga. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rey could play a role “in several movies that are being developed, although which ones remains unclear.”

Variety confirmed on November 15, 2024 that Disney had removed one of its untitled Star Wars movies from its original date of December 18, 2026. While which was not confirmed, it was very likely the Rey movie. While Lucasfilm shared few official details about the films, the little they tell us says a lot. Here’s what we know about these new Star Wars movies so far.

James Mangold’s New Star Wars Movie Tells the Story of the Force

James Mangold’s “will go back to the dawn of the Jedi,” a time set tens of thousands of years earlier than anything we’ve ever seen on screen before. That might mean we’ll meet the figure known as Prime Jedi. That’s the person who founded the Order on Ahch-To 25,000 years before the events of A New Hope. And that is when this film takes place, according to James Mangold’s latest interview with MovieWeb, which you can check out for Star Wars intel in the video below at the 7:30 mark.

Here’s what else Mangold had to say about his upcoming Star Wars film:

“The two aspects that really important are the freedom to make something new, and beau and I have been working on a script in relation to Star Wars and we’ll see what happens, and in relation to Swamp Thing and DC, it’s all about do we find a way on the page to say something original

Part of the reason, the Star Wars movie would be taking place before any known Star Wars movies is because not only its an area and a playground that I was inspired by as a teenager, but also I’m not that interested in being handcuffed by so much lore at this point that it’s almost immovable and you can’t please anybody.”

Fans already know Ahch-To well. They first saw it in The Last Jedi when it served as Luke Skywalker’s hideaway. A release additionally shares, “James Mangold will take audiences deep into the past, telling the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.”

Lucasfilm

Mangold further noted to Empire that his new Star Wars movie “takes place 25,000 years before Episode IV, and it’s about the discovery of the Force.” He further shares, “I told Kathy [Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm] I wanted to make a kind of Bible movie, a kind of Ten Commandments of Star Wars – kind of a Cecil B DeMille film about the arrival of the Force, and that’s what I’ve been pecking away at between press events. That’s the idea.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, playwright and screenwriter Beau Willimon will co-write the script with Mangold. In addition to his playwriting career and his Emmy-nominated scripts for House of Cards, Willimon also wrote the prison three-parter in season one of Andor. Writing the best episodes of the best Star Wars show is some real bonafides.

James Mangold’s New Star Wars Movie Connects with Rey’s Next Appearance

Kennedy also recently shared that this movie will help inform the new Star Wars movie featuring the return of Rey. She noted to Total Film, “I think it’s a really nice compliment to what we’re doing with moving into the future with Rey, and then understanding a bit more of where this all came from,” she explains. “Because it will be at the heart of creating the new Jedi Order, so to get a real sense of where that might have began with the dawn of the Jedi could be pretty cool.” 

According to a new official Star Wars eras list revealed by LucasFilm, this movie will most likely take place in the “Dawn of the Jedi” era, but could even take place earlier than that.

Dave Filoni’s Film Will Bring Together Many Current Disney+ Series

The next new Star Wars movie will come from franchise veteran Dave Filoni. His film “will focus on the New Republic and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series.” That’s huge news for both the television and movie side of Lucasfilm. When we get a release date for Filoni’s film, we’ll know just how many more seasons of The Mandalorian we might see. Clearly, there’s already an end in sight to Din Djarin and Grogu’s story. Although, we suppose they could continue on beyond a culminating movie. A release further shares, “Dave Filoni will orchestrate the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic.”

Lucasfilm Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars Movie

If it happens, Obaid-Chinoy’s movie will take place after The Rise of Skywalker. It will mark the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey. Set 15 years after the ultimate defeat of the Sith, she will be trying to build a new Jedi Order. Hopefully, that goes a lot better than her mentor Luke Skywalker’s attempts. According to the new list of Star Wars eras, it seems like this movie will take place in the “New Jedi Order” era.

Unfortunately, most recently, we learned some roundabout information about this Rey Star Wars movie. It was announced that Daisy Ridley would star in a new movie, Killa Bee, a true story about an ICU nurse who became an MMA fighter. That’s not as important as when the movie will film—and that’s Q2 of 2026. So, unless we hear something soon, it feels like the new Star Wars Rey movie will likely have to wait for the second half of 2026 to get started… If it still plans to get started at all.

The latest reports on upcoming Star Wars movies suggest that Daisy Ridley’s Rey Star Wars movie may have been shelved altogether, but nothing official has been shared yet. For all the updates we’ve seen about the Rey movie since 2023, you can expand the below.

All the Updates and Details We’ve Seen About Rey’s Movie Since it Was Announced The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean’s 12 Writer George Nolfi Joins Rey’s Star Wars Movie—Potentially Titled New Jedi Order

The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean’s 12 writer George Nolfi has come aboard as a writer on Rey’s Star Wars movie, seemingly titled New Jedi Order. This looks to signal the Star Wars film is moving ahead again.

Daisy Ridley recently revealed that she has not seen the latest script, but feels confident about the film. She notes, “I have not read the latest script, but I know what’s happening, and I know the story, and I think what feels really good is that George is a phenomenal writer. I think we’re making sure that this story is the best way, this script is the best way to tell the story, and I think it will be worthwhile. for everyone watching it, and I am very excited, yeah.”

Rey’s Star Wars Movie Lost Its Original Writer

Recent rumors speculated that the Rey movie might have been delayed indefinitely due to creative differences between Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and the movie’s former writer Steven Knight. However, according to Gizmodo, Lucasfilm confirmed in January the movie is still moving forward without issue. According to the publication, a source at Lucasfilm noted at the time, “Knight continues to write and be a part of the process. In fact, the company is waiting on his latest draft as you read this.”

But now, Knight appears to be officially out as the writer of the Star Wars film and has departed from the project.

A Release Date for Rey’s New Star Wars Movie

According to Productionlist.com, which tracks production updates for the Film & Television Industry Alliance, the Rey movie was reportedly meant to start shooting on April 7, 2024 in London. But that does not seem like it came to pass.

Disney had announced two upcoming release dates for Star Wars movies: December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027. Rey’s Star Wars outing will likely not debut in 2026. This was later all but confirmed as Disney removed the Star Wars movie from the December 18 date, replacing it with—is this right?—Ice Age 6.

Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg

The Plot of Rey’s Upcoming Star Wars Movie

Kathleen Kennedy shared more about the movie with Variety. She noted:

Well, we’re 15 years out from ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ so we’re post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray. There’s a lot of discussion around, ‘Who are the Jedi? What are they doing? What’s the state of the galaxy?’ She’s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that’s where we’re going.”

Speaking to Empire, Kennedy added, “The First Order has fallen, the Jedi are in chaos – there’s even a question of how many exist anymore – and Rey’s building the New Jedi Order, based on the text that she was given and that Luke imparted on her.” She also offers, “Rey has made a promise to Luke, and that’s really the core of where we’re going and what this story will be. And I think it offers just tremendous opportunity to introduce new characters and start with something fresh, because we culminated with what George [Lucas] was creating, and now we take all of that and move it to the next chapter.” 

Lucasfilm

On the topic of a possible Luke Skywalker presence in the new Star Wars movie, Kennedy said: “I don’t know if we’ll spend a lot of time in flashbacks or [on] Force ghosts or things like that, but certainly, the spirit of what he represents to her is going to be significant.”

Ridley previously noted, “I know bits and bobs… I know there’s an introduction of new characters… I don’t know about previous characters.” But she also didn’t rule out anyone’s return. When asked about the popular idea of John Boyega’s Finn returning as a Jedi in the new Star Wars movie, Ridley responded, “That is above my pay grade. [Laughs] I would love to see that, but that is not a decision for me.” She also recently told The Hollywood Reporter that it feels like she and Boyega should reunite in the movie, noting, “Absolutely, of course…It feels like we should, yeah.”

But Ridley does have some information, according to Empire, “she knows the story beats for what the new film will be.” And, as of May 2024, she notes that she still hasn’t read a script “but it is imminently about to change.”

A Jedi Academy Is in Rey’s Future

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy further noted about the new Star Wars movie, “At the heart of it, for me, is Rey Skywalker, Daisy Ridley, and her story, and taking her on an adventure to a Jedi Academy and sort of creating a world that is a natural dovetail to the story that we’ve seen her go through in the last three episodes.”

Obaid-Chinoy additionally adds, “I’ve had conversations with JJ Abrams. I’ve had conversations with George Lucas and, of course, Dave Filoni, who is a big part of the Star Wars universe now. We speak very often, and Kathy Kennedy, Carrie Beck, and Simon Emanuel – I think the team is really taking time to make sure that we do justice to telling the story of Daisy.”

Rey’s Future in the New Star Wars Movie Lucasfilm

But will Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie continue the common franchise trend of introducing new characters that are somehow related to other characters in the world? Daisy Ridley doesn’t really think so. Speaking to Deadline, Ridley noted it seemed unlikely that Rey would have kids in the new Star Wars film. She shared, “I would say she probably doesn’t have children seeing she’s a Jedi.” Of course, we know hypothetically Rey still could have children, like Anakin before her, but it sounds like this won’t be the path of the movie.

Daisy Ridley also notes that Rey will take a different approach to teaching the next generation of Jedi than Luke Skywalker did. Speaking to Den of Geek, she says about Rey’s tactics diverging from Luke’s, “I would say, from what I understand, yes. Short answer.”

Daisy Ridley and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Give Updates on the New Film

Daisy Ridley noted to Collider, “I’m very excited. The story is really cool. I’m waiting to read a script because, obviously, I don’t have any other updates. It’s not what I expected, but I’m very excited.” And additionally told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m genuinely really excited about the next one [Star Wars movie]. I haven’t read anything, but I know the story. It’s really worth telling, worth exploring, and I think people will be excited.”

Daisy Ridley on Returning as Rey

The actress also offered a bit of a further tease about the film to AlloCiné. She said of the upcoming Rey Star Wars movie, “Once I knew what the story was and everything, I knew that it was something I really wanted to do. I think it’s a really fantastic exploration of the Star Wars world. It’s a really cool way of taking the story on in a bit of a different direction.” In conclusion, as Ridley noted to Variety, the story of this Star Wars movie is “cool as sh*t.”

Ridley also recently shared that this time around, she feels more ready to be Rey. “I suppose I feel more like I’m owning it. I suppose I owned it the first time. Basically, I’m an adult now. I certainly did not feel like an adult at the time. Obviously, personally, things have changed, and professionally, I’ve had lots of other experiences, and so I definitely feel like it’s a different thing this time. There’s just a lot of joy with me and these films. Honestly, if I wasn’t excited, I wouldn’t have done it. It feels like a great thing to be a part of.” However, the actress also expressed reprising the role could be a strange experience, saying, “I honestly have had moments where I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I remember what I did [as Rey]… It’s really strange. I think the whole thing will feel so different anyway, with a totally different team. I’m in a very different place than I was. I’m probably going to be one of the adults, and initially, I was the youngest person on set, which is a weird feeling.”

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Tackling a Star Wars Story

Meanwhile, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy noted to CNN, “I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special… We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.

We couldn’t agree more. But something tells us it won’t be smooth sailing for Rey. The dark side of the Force has a way of always creating shadows over the galaxy far, far away, especially in theaters.

The director also added, “The story that interests me most is in Rey’s journey as a female Jedi. That’s how I can best bring my experiences to it.”

Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Jon Favreau Brings Us The Mandalorian & Grogu // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg

Patty Jenkins Returns to Direct the Once Canceled Star Wars Movie Rogue Squadron Lucasfilm

In 2020, Lucasfilm announced Patty Jenkins would direct a new Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron. But the movie was removed from the company’s lineup in 2022. Now, Jenkins has revealed she’s back to work on the film, and she’ll take on the roles of writer and director. You can see what she had to say in full, here.

Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, Will Star Ryan Gosling Lucasfilm/Marvel Studios

Shawn Levy is set to direct a Star Wars movie of his own, Star Wars: Starfighter. Star Wars: Starfighter was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Levy’s Star Wars movie will star Ryan Gosling as well as Flynn Gray, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Mia Goth, and Amy Adams. . It is written by Jonathan Tropper.

Shawn Levy

Star Wars: Starfighter is “an all-new standalone adventure taking place approximately five years after the events of 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.” The movie, which begins production in the fall, is “an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet.“ Star Wars: Starfighter” will release in theaters on May 28, 2027. It has now officially begun production.

Warner Bros./Lucasfilm

Levy also briefly spoke on his Star Wars movie during a Happy Sad Confused podcast appearance in August. Fresh off of Deadpool & Wolverine, the director didn’t give up too many details. But Shawn Levy did say that his Star Wars movie would not be redundant and that he and writer Jonathan Tropper have a fresh concept in mind.

“…there’s only so many times that Star Wars movies can revisit the same section of the timeline, and so it’s really forced me—because I don’t want to do a Star Wars movie that is redundant to others, nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie,” he said.

A New Trilogy of Star Wars Movies Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg Lucasfilm

Recent reports also indicate that Lucasfilm has hired Simon Kinberg to write and produce a new trilogy of Star Wars movies and that these movies will indeed be Episodes X-XII of the Skywalker Saga. It’s news we have mixed feelings about. Spider-Man‘s Jon Watts will direct Star Wars: Episode X.

As we shared in our piece, “According to Knight Edge Media, Star Wars: Episode X will see Daisy Ridley return as Rey Skywalker in ‘a minor role’ that ‘may possibly expand in the sequels.’ No other sequel trilogy stars are attached to the project yet. Instead, Disney is said to currently be casting ‘relatively unknown male and female leads’ for its new Star Wars movie.”

Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg

Originally published on April 7, 2023.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow Mikey on Bluesky at @‌burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post All the New STAR WARS Movies Announced, Including Daisy Ridley’s Return as Rey appeared first on Nerdist.

Anthropic has released the newest version of its mid-range model, boasting faster response times and less token burn.

Quick Take

• Spider-Man‘s Jon Watts will direct Star Wars: Episode X, the start of another Skywalker Saga trilogy.
• Star Wars Rebels co-creator Simon Kinberg is writing the entire trilogy, which will reportedly see Daisy Ridley initially reprise Rey in a minor role in Episode X.
• Nerdist’s Take: We want Lucasfilm to move on from the entire Skywalker family, but if we’re getting another Saga trilogy, there’s reason to hope we’re getting the best possible version.

Two years ago, Lucasfilm tapped Star Wars Rebels co-creator Simon Kinberg to write a new trilogy series for the galaxy far, far away. The initial report said those Star Wars movies might be a new installment of the Skywalker Saga. Now the latest update says Kinberg is in fact writing Star Wars: Episode X and that Disney has already found its director. The Mouse House has turned to someone who has led both a Disney trilogy and a Star Wars series. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Spider-Man‘s Jon Watts is Disney’s choice to continue its main Star Wars story.

Lucasfilm

And if this news about the Skywalker Saga “somehow” returning has you feeling absolutely exhausted about the future of Star Wars, we don’t blame you. But if we are getting Star Wars: Episode X and a new trilogy, it sounds like we might be getting the best possible version we could hope for.

Jump To:

• Who Is Writing, Directing, and Starring in Star Wars: Episode X?
• Why the News About Star Wars: Episode X Is Bad
• The Good News About Star Wars: Episode X
• Nerdist Take: Call Star Wars: Episode X Part of the Skywalker Saga Trilogy, But Tell New Stories Please

Who Is Writing, Directing, and Starring in Star Wars: Episode X?

Jon Watts will direct Star Wars: Episode X. (Caleb Williams at Knight Edge Media first broke the news, and we heard about it at THR). Star Wars: Episode X will be the first installment of yet another Skywalker Saga trilogy that Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past) is writing. However, it’s unknown—or more likely undecided—if Watts will handle the next two installments.

Disney would obviously trust Watts with taking on the whole trilogy. He helmed all three movies in the first Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland: that includes Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home. He’s also familiar with the galaxy far, far away. Watts co-created and served as co-showrunner on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. It earned critical-acclaim but low viewership numbers on Disney+.

According to Knight Edge Media, Star Wars: Episode X will see Daisy Ridley return as Rey Skywalker in “a minor role” that “may possibly expand in the sequels.” No other sequel trilogy stars are attached to the project yet. Instead, Disney is said to currently be casting “relatively unknown male and female leads” for its new Star Wars movie. It’s possible production on the movie will begin next year.

That’s a lot of Star Wars: Episode X news. And you might not feel good about any of it for one pretty obvious reason.

Why the News About Star Wars: Episode X Is Bad Lucasfilm

Say what you will about the Star Wars sequel trilogy and The Rise of Skywalker. No, seriously, say whatever you want because I certainly have and will. But even if you think Lucasfilm and J.J. Abrams absolutely crash-landed the Skywalker Saga on the runway, they still technically finished the flight. Disney definitively and intentionally ended the Skywalker Saga with Star Wars: Episode IX. And for that reason alone, it’s clearly time to move on from the family and their tale that has dominated the franchise from the start. When it comes to whatever “main” Star Wars story Lucasfilm wants to tell on the big screen—which is still and forever the most important screen in the franchise—the Skywalkers should not be part of it.

(We’ve long accepted we’re never going to be done with the time period of the Skywalker Saga in standalone movies or Disney+ series. But none of those should revolve around the Skywalker clan like Episodes I through IX, which clearly belong to a category all their own.)

The Star Wars: Episode X announcement has us saying: Just move on. Move on already. (Seriously, how many times can you kill Palpatine?) It’s so easy to do exactly that, too. Lucasfilm could easily move on by going backward in new Star Wars movies if it wants. The galaxy’s history goes back millennia. Better, though, would be going forward. Lucasfilm can move its main story hundreds or even thousands of years into the future and still be set “a long time ago.” Instead, with this Star Wars: Episode X news, it feels like the studio is holding on to the same singular story it just finished telling. It’s frustrating and feels desperate, like it’s afraid to abandon the Skywalker cash cow for uncharted territories. And that refusal to take a risk is coming at the expense of creativity and originality.

Lucasfilm

“Yes, but they botched the Skywalker Saga ending so badly they need to fix it. Star Wars: Episode X is a good thing.” you might say. But no, they don’t. They really don’t! Bad endings happen, and they stink, but they still happen. Besides, eventually people will say they didn’t botch anything. A whole generation of fans will come along in 20 years and say the sequel trilogy was “good actually,” just like the Prequel Truthers have falsely convinced themselves those movies are good. (I can say that because I love the prequel trilogy even though all three movies objectively stink.)

When Star Wars finally does move forward, so many of the things we love about this franchise—the Force, light and dark, Jedi, Sith, good, evil, sassy droids—will still exist. They’ll just exist in a world free of Anakin Skywalker’s presence and memory.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy didn’t go the way anyone hoped. But it did the most important thing fans needed: it revived the franchise. Now it’s time to take its main antagonist’s advice and let the past die. The Skywalker Saga is finished. Leave it that way and tell a whole new story. Give someone the enormous potential of the galaxy far, far away’s sandbox without telling him which action figures he must use. The possibilities of what Disney can do without the Skywalkers far outweigh anything else they can further squeeze out of Darth Vader’s kyber crystal.

Lucasfilm

But since it seems as though we’re not going to get something fresh and new, at least it sounds like we’re getting the most interesting version of Episode X we could hope for. And it will do so in a way that will also address the biggest creative failing of its predecessor trilogy.

The Good News About Star Wars: Episode X

The Watts news also includes the tidbit that Disney has “shelved” Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order movie. Rey is a fantastic character who transcended the sequel trilogy’s issues thanks to Daisy Ridley’s performance. But the premise of that movie also felt like more of the same. Since Rey adopted Skywalker as her name and legacy, even a standalone film about her rebuilding the Order felt like a pseudo-Episode X movie. (Especially as the whole premise “rhymed” with Luke’s post-Return of the Jedi life.)

Lucasfilm

This new trilogy will seemingly instead focus on all new characters, with Ridley playing a much smaller role to start. This is a far more interesting creative choice, which means the trilogy won’t be as Skywalker Saga-heavy as it might sound. The new characters were the best part of the sequel trilogy. This approach could even mean Episodes X, XI, and XII end up being more of a fourth Skywalker trilogy in name rather than actuality.

If that’s the point—that Disney wants to capitalize on the financial aspect of saying these movies are part of the Skywalker Saga without actually making this trilogy about the Skywalkers—fine. Fine! Great, even. Make your money, so long as we get good, creative, original, engaging films. If this means Disney is simply going to use the term “Skywalker Saga” as a catchall for its main series of films (told in trilogy form) we’ll adjust our expectations in the best way.

Lucasfilm Nerdist Take: Call Star Wars: Episode X Part of the Skywalker Saga Trilogy, But Tell New Stories Please

The issue we have with the announcement of Star Wars: Episode X is not telling “more stories.” It’s telling “more Skywalker stories.” If Disney does that in name only, who cares? Just give us a good trilogy about the eternal battle between light and dark. And if you can do that while also including Rey, Poe, Finn, BB-8, Jar-Jar, Mon Mothma, and anyone else from the previous three trilogies, that’s not inherently bad. In many cases, it might be good. It will depend on whether the movies are good.

The easiest way to make them good is to have a plan before making them. The ping-pong nature of the sequel trilogy was a disaster. The Last Jedi felt like it said everything teased in The Force Awakens didn’t matter. The Rise of Skywalker then undid all of the work of the second installment. It was an awful non-strategy to making a trilogy, one Lucasfilm seems intent on avoiding this time. It has hired one writer to write all three films. There is clearly a plan in place this time when there clearly wasn’t one before. And that plan will remain in place whether Watts directs all three or not.

“A new Skywalker Saga trilogy” is the last thing we wanted from Lucasfilm. We want a whole new story set during an entirely different era untouched by Anakin Skywalker and his kids. But what we most want from Star Wars are “good movies.” And, in true Star Wars fashion, there’s at least a reason to hope Star Wars: Episode X will begin a run of three.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow Mikey on Bluesky at @‌burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post Good News/Bad News About Jon Watts’ STAR WARS: EPISODE X appeared first on Nerdist.

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Quick Take

• The latest trailer for Robert Eggers’ Gothic film Werwulf is bloody, dark, and deeply unsettling.
• The film will come to theaters on December 25.
• Nerdist‘s Take: We are sure that many people will thirst over a beastly and cursed Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Robert Eggers is once again bringing frights to Christmas with Werwulf, which is arriving just two years after Nosferatu. We’ve seen some teases from the film, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, and Lily-Rose Depp, a trio whom we all love. The latest trailer for Werwulf is perhaps our biggest insight into the gothic tale as we see a man’s curse fully unfold. 

In addition to this new clip, Focus Features is giving fans an immersive look into this world with a new website, DevourethAllMankynde.com. It’s an alternate reality game that is timed to our real-life full moons from September to November. There’s a special prize for those who complete its challenges for all three moons, which we assume isn’t the gift of becoming beastly. Fans will have to find a hidden “sign” on different digital platforms and decipher the sign back into the site in order to fulfill the moon. 

But, they only get 24 hours each full moon to search for the sign before it disappears, so they will need to work fast to find it.

Nerdist’s Take: This Werwulf Trailer Makes Us Sure That Fans Will Thirst Over a Beastly Aaron Taylor-Johnson Courtesy of Focus Features

Sounds like some great Fall fun for us to have while we keep this Werwulf trailer on a loop. We already know that this film will somehow spawn a legion of thirst for Taylor-Johnson’s leading man, even after his transition. He truly cannot help being a good looking guy despite the overall haggard look and bloodlust. And, of course, we will be at the theaters on December 25 to check out Werwulf.

Tai Gooden is the Features Editor for Nerdist, a fictional villain apologist, and a horror aficionado who is forever waiting for her trip in the TARDIS.

The post WERWULF Trailer: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Is Both Hot and Haunting appeared first on Nerdist.

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