Star Wars Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

This week it was revealed that Lucasfilm had lost writers screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, as the pair left last month after working on the script for the latest “Star Wars” film, with two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel“) attached to direct.

EXCLUSIVE: This is one iconic renewal.

 universe in a brand new role. In the latest season of Disney+'s , the actor appears in the Carl Weathers-directed fourth episode titled, «The Foundling.» Best plays Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq, aka the Sabered Hand, who shows up in the episode during a flashback to the events of . Kelleran appears just in time to rescue a young Grogu from falling to his death at the hands of clone troopers after the Sith kicked off Order 66, a top-secret order identifying all Jedi as traitors to the Galactic Republic and subject to execution by the Grand Army of the Republic.Armed with two lightsabers, Kelleran dispatches the troopers and escapes with Grogu to his ship where they blast out of Coruscant into hyperspace.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is set to write the screenplay for a new Star Wars film, according to reports.As reported by Variety, original screenwriters Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Justin Britt-Gibson have departed the project, with Knight on board as a replacement.The untitled film, which is expected to be among Lucasfilm’s first Star Wars films since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel).More information about the project is expected to be announced at Star Wars Celebration in London on April 7-10.Along with Peaky Blinders, Knight is known for writing and directing 2013 films Locke starring Tom Hardy and Hummingbird with Jason Statham.

Everything Everywhere All At Once directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have clarified their involvement in an upcoming Star Wars spin-off series.The directing duo, also known as the Daniels, addressed concerns that they had been “sucked up the ‘corporate machine’” following reports of their involvement in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.In an Instagram Story, Kwan explained they were only hired as guest directors on one episode of the Disney+ series, which is created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford.“Lol, all of the people @ing us about getting sucked up by the ‘corporate machine’ can chill,” Kwan wrote. “These headlines are always misleading.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have directed an episode on the upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series Skeleton Crew.

When it was announced that Damon Lindelof was leading a group of writers to come up with the idea that would be the next “Star Wars” feature film, everything seemed to be going swimmingly. Soon thereafter, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was brought on to direct, fresh off her run on “Ms.

Earlier this month, The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) earned Best Director Oscar and Best Picture statues at the 95th Academy Awards for their fantastic sci-fi film “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The pic won a total of seven awards at the ceremony, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh, Best Supporting Actor went to Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis nabbed Best Supporting Actress.

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi actor Paul Grant has died, aged 56, after collapsing outside London’s King’s Cross train station.The actor was found by police at the station on Thursday (16 March). He was then rushed to hospital where he was pronounced braindead.On Sunday (March 19), his family announced that they had made the decision to turn off his life support machine.The actor’s daughter Sophie Jayne Grant said she is “devastated”, describing her father as “a legend in so many ways”.In a statement to the The Sun, she said: “He always brought a smile and laughter to everyone’s face.

Harry Potter actor Paul Grant, 56, died suddenly on Monday after collapsing at Kings Cross train station in London."I'm heartbroken," Paul's daughter Sophie Jayne Grant told Sky News when confirming the news."No girl deserves their dad to be taken away. He was so well-known and loved. He's gone too soon." Paul Grant died suddenly aged 56 after collapsing at Kings Cross train stationThe actor, who played Ewok in Return of the Jedi, was rushed to St Pancreas hospital on Sunday but his family made the decision to turn off his life support the following day.The father-of-three is also mourned by his girlfriend Maria Dwyer, 64. “Paul was the love of my life.

reported the Sun. Paramedics rushed Grant to the hospital, where he was pronounced brain dead, though he was kept on life support until Sunday, according to his family.The Peterborough father of three lived with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare genetic type of dwarfism, which he said had caused him health problems.Born in Epsom, Surrey, on Feb.

Paul Grant has died at the age of 56, his family has confirmed.The actor, who famously played an Ewok in the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi alongside Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, had been found collapsed outside King's Cross Station in London on Thursday afternoon.The father of three, who also had a turn as a goblin in the Harry Potter film series, was pronounced brain dead after being rushed to hospital. His family has since confirmed that his life support machine was switched off on Sunday 19 March. His daughter Sophia Jayne Grant, 28, paid tribute to her father, saying she was "devastated" by the news.

John Boyega is still in the early stages of his acting career, but he has clearly experienced quite a bit, thanks in no small part to his large role in the most recent “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. And he hasn’t been scared to open up about his negative experiences making those films, along with how they have affected his career moving forward.

The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody” opens on May 10 at the Orpheum Theater in the East Village. It’s based on characters from the franchise and features “Sultry Stormtroopers, a dangerously enticing Boba Fett, and a lady-like Skywalker.” “We have scantily clad droids.

Star Wars universe is in rude health following a string of well-received Disney+ tv shows but the franchise hasn’t released a full-length movie since 2019’s The Rise Of Skywalker.Following Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars in 2012, work began on a sequel trilogy and the original plan was to release one full film every year, starting with 2015’s The Force Awakens and including spin-offs Rogue One and Solo.However, following the mixed reception to The Rise Of Skywalker, Disney seems to be focusing more on its acclaimed television universe. Season three of The Mandalorian is currently being released onto the streamer with Ahsoka set to premiere later this year.Jude Law’s Skeleton Crew is also due for release in 2023 and there’s a second season of Andor in the works alongside a series focusing on original trilogy hero Lando Calrissian.The next Star Wars movie is currently due for release December 2025.

insanely expensive Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience.“It’s a true ‘wow’ moment for our guests and for me. As you can tell, I love firing this thing up as much as I possibly can,” D’Amaro said in the presentation, per a video posted to Twitter by fan account Disney Food Blog.D’Amaro activated the saber, which extends out and makes all the noises and sounds “Star Wars” fans will instantly recognize.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Me want… nonfungible token? Sesame Workshop is introducing the first digital collectibles based on the iconic Sesame Street kids’ brand. The first NFTs from the initiative will feature Cookie Monster, the beloved blue cookie fiend from the show, with the initial drop scheduled for March 19 on the VeVe digital collectibles app. There will be one Cookie Monster NFT collectible with 5,555 editions for sale, priced at $60 each. According to Sesame Workshop, additional Sesame Street collectibles will be released later this year. NFTs are unique identifiers that verify ownership of digital content. The craze for NFT collectibles kicked off in earnest in early 2021 and has continued since. A number of studios, TV networks, sports leagues and athletes, actors, musicians, artists, gaming companies and more have launched NFT initiatives, looking to generate revenue and engage with fans.

EXCLUSIVE: “I’ve told stories about my community and stuff, but this is, this is my story,” declares Frybread Face and Me director Billy Luther of his Taika Waititi executive produced feature debut.

Having a premiere at SXSW last year turned out to be a charm for directing duo The Daniels, and although awards lightning most likely won’t strike this year for this somewhat niche horror pastiche, hopefully its creators — Australian double-act the Cairnes brothers — will get their own media moment as a result. That Late Night With the Devil is one for the myriad genre festivals that abound internationally is a no-brainer, but the Cairneses deserve a bit more consideration than that for their film’s wry engagement with U.S. history and pop culture, despite shooting their New York-set film entirely in Melbourne.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Introducing “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” the lavish hyperkinetic popcorn fairy tale that kicked off SXSW this evening, the film’s co-directors, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, told the audience that they had designed the movie to appeal to hardcore D&D players — and also to those who know absolutely nothing about the game. This came as a relief to me, since what I know about Dungeons & Dragons you could put on the head of a…well, I know so little that I can’t even come up with a proper D&D reference with which to spin that cliché. The filmmakers were being honest. “Honor Among Thieves” is built on the edifice of D&D lore, packed with totems and characters and Easter eggs that fans of the legendary role-playing game will drink in with a connoisseur’s delight. But for those, like me, who have spent their lives avoiding anything to do with Dungeons & Dragons, the film is eminently comprehensible and, in its you’ve-seen-it-before-but-not-quite-this-way fashion, a lot of fun.

Pedro Pascal was the most recent guest on “Hot Ones,” the interview show where celebrities answer complex questions as they eat hot wings. Pascal completed the challenge but made some incredibly hilarious faces as the pressure rose.

Bob Iger returned as CEO of Disney last November, and since his return, the company’s mantra has been “stick with what works.” Last month, Iger put that into practice when he announced sequels to the “Toy Story,” “Frozen,” and “Zootopia‘ franchises. But what isn’t working at Disney recently? THR reports that Iger doesn’t like how expensive making films and shows has gotten, with Deadline adding that franchises like “Star Wars” and Marvel may see some shifts because of that.

SPOILER ALERT: The following interview contains details about The Mandalorian Season 3 episode 2, “The Mines of Mandalore”

Ethan Shanfeld Lucasfilm, the production company home to all things “Star Wars,” has been hit with a wrongful termination lawsuit from “Ballers” executive producer Karyn McCarthy, who was axed from the Disney+ series “The Acolyte” after just a few weeks of work. According to a complaint obtained by Variety, “As a result of its bad faith and wrongful termination, Defendants deprived Ms. McCarthy significant employment, from which she would have earned millions of dollars over the [life] of the series.” Two weeks after Lucasfilm and McCarthy apparently settled on a “broad strokes” agreement, “without explanation, without reason, without justification, Lucasfilm told McCarthy it wanted out of the deal,” per the complaint.

The Mandalorian series has simultaneously acted as a vessel for expanded lore around the classic Star Wars character Boba Fett.Created by Jon Favreau, the Star Wars spin-off series (controversially) reintroduced Boba Fett following his presumed death in the Sarlaac pit in Return Of The Jedi.With his survival confirmed in season two, the bounty hunter was given his own spin-off in The Book Of Boba Fett which intertwined with events between the second and third seasons of The Mandalorian.Aside from their obvious similarities in armour sets, there’s less common ground than you might expect between the two characters.Technically, they’re not. Din Djarin aka The Mandalorian was adopted into Mandalorian culture – a creed which derives from the planet Mandalore.After his parents were killed in the Clone Wars, an orphaned Djarin was rescued by a tribe of Mandalorian warriors and raised as a “foundling” – despite not originating from Mandalore.

Keira Knightley said she felt “caged,” “constrained” and “very stuck” after being in blockbuster film series Pirates Of The Caribbean. The 37-year-old British actress, who has been twice nominated for Oscars, starred in the first film Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl in 2003 – alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom – as Elizabeth Swann, along with three sequels.

There’s a minor disturbance in the force, but there always is when it comes to Lucasfilm and “Star Wars” Celebration. And what we mean by that is Lucasfilm always makes major “Star Wars” updates at Celebration—which is coming up in April of this year in the U.K.—and the nature of development over at the company, which has been admittedly a little rocky over the last few years, means, some projects go forward and some get nixed (and honestly, this is a better approach than just releasing a movie with a weak script because it has a release date like a lot of blockbusters).

Two longtime Star Wars projects have been officially shelved.

There’s a minor disturbance in the force, but there always is when it comes to Lucasfilm and “Star Wars” Celebration. And what we mean by that is Lucasfilm always makes major “Star Wars” updates at Celebration—which is coming up in April of this year in the U.K.—and the nature of development over at the company, which has been admittedly a little rocky over the last few years, means, some projects go forward and some get nixed (and honestly, this is a better approach than just releasing a movie with a weak script because it has a release date like a lot of blockbusters).

A legend in film and television! Best known for his roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford’s career has spanned over six decades and he has become an icon in the film industry.

Incredible entertainment is arriving at The Bridgewater Hall just in time for Spring. On Friday, March 24, music lovers can explore a world of cinematic soundtracks with their loved ones, all thanks to The Music of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and Beyond.

The Mandalorian has teased more “surprises” in the third season.The Star Wars spin-off debuted the first episode of season three on Wednesday (March 1), which picks up after Grogu and Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), reunited in fellow spin-off The Book Of Boba Fett.It also comes after the show’s season two finale, where Mark Hamill made a surprise appearance as Luke Skywalker in digitally de-aged form.Speaking to the Radio Times, Rick Famuyiwa, who directed the season three premiere, was asked whether anything in the third season will match Luke’s return.“There’s always something to look forward to, there’s always surprises,” Famuyiwa replied.“I think the show, at its heart, is still just about this relationship between Mando and Grogu, and that’s still the focus and still going to be the centre of it, but in that journey and in that exploration and in what Mando does, we’re obviously going to expand.”He added: “As you start to see things and his world starts to expand, we’ve had some interesting surprises and guests that have come along the way up to this point and so there’s always going to be new places to go and surprises ahead.”Along with Pascal, Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, and Amy Sedaris reprise their roles in the third season.

Jon Burlingame editor In what may be the most difficult-to-predict score competition in years, the original-music Oscar could go to a sentimental favorite, a past nominee or the newcomer to the race. Academy members begin voting today. Legendary composer John Williams broke records again by becoming the most nominated living person (53 nominations, winning five), earning the highest number of nominations ever in the music categories, and (it is believed, per the Academy) becoming the oldest nominee ever for a competitive award. He is 91. His nomination for “The Fabelmans” surprised some outsiders, as his fairly spare score is often overshadowed by the several classical pieces performed by Mitzi (Michelle Williams), the character based on director Steven Spielberg’s piano-playing mom. But it passed the 35% rule — that is, more than a third of the total musical content must be original dramatic score — or it would have been disqualified by the Academy’s strict music-branch executive committee.

Pedro Pascal is sharing his thoughts about the new storyline and upcoming seasons, including his admiration for Lionel Messi.“Well, I wouldn’t see him as a Jedi,” Pascal said, when asked which character would the soccer star be on the show, if he were to be in the Star Wars universe. “I see him as a mandalorian, but he would have to take off his helmet so we could see his face.”Pascal explained that the audience would want to “recognize” him, as most of the mandalorians are known for keeping their helmet on at all times.

From the beginning, the main criticism on Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian,” a show about Mandalorian Bounty Hunter, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), and the little Baby Yoda creature he’s been tasked with protecting, Grogu, was that the series was very episodic. After coming into contact with Grogu and becoming his ward in a fascinating “Lone Wolf and Cub”-like dynamic, that initially felt fresh and like a strange “Star Wars” Western, “The Mandalorian” quickly settled into a familiar pattern.

John Wick: Chapter 4 changed after he called out its script for feeding into Asian stereotypes.Speaking to GQ in a recent interview, Yen shared that despite being a big name with a wide acting range, his roles in Hollywood have been limited to the occasional action spot and that he has been typecast much like other Asian actors.Speaking on his most recent incident with typecasting, Yen revealed that he had his role in John Wick: Chapter 4 altered after he noticed several Asian stereotypes attached to his character. In the upcoming film, Yen plays an assassin named Caine who was reportedly first named “Shang or Chang”.Yen would go on to say: “Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic? Then the wardrobe again – oh, mandarin collars.