Lucasfilm just announced today that Han Solo will have his own film in the Star Wars anthology.
As we all know, there will be three companion films that will come out on the years in between Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. We now know that one will belong to Han Solo, and it will be an origin story, focusing on his roots and how he became the dangerous smuggler and wanted man we all loved in A New Hope.
Lawrence and Jon Kasden will be writing the script. You may recognize Lawrence Kasden’s name as he has written The Force Awakens, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. The movie already has directors attached as well, Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie) will be at the helm. So far there is no word on any casting choices, and I wish them the best of luck. Whoever they cast as Han has some pretty iconic and badass shoes to fill.
Who do you think would make a good young Han Solo? Let us know in the comments!
The Han Solo movie will hit theaters May 25, 2018.
Fanboys, ready to drool? ScarJo has been cast in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell, based off the popular anime. Get ready for some major boobage and baddassery. Source: Variety.
Fangirls, ready to drool? ChanTat (Is that a thing?) has officially put a ring on it; the newly-minted Gambit announced the release date for X-Men Apocalypse, which Remy Lebeau will make his X-debut (we don’t talk about Origins in this house). Source: Twitter.
Agent Carter debuts today. SET YOUR DVR! Or just huddle around the radio with your family like they did back when the show is set (mid-1940’s).
Hold the phones – Mortal Kombat X is getting a comic book prequel, and the first one comes out January 6th; it is a short, digital-first book by DC Comics. Finally! WB is putting those licensing rights to good use.
As awesome as it sounds, Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul is NOT slated to play Han Solo in a spin-off Star Wars film. Screw fact checking; you have a story like that – you run with it. Source: Twitter.
Facebook has become an amazing tool for tracking people’s lives, so says the NSA. Sometimes though, it can provide people with a great research tool. A recent study shows interesting correlations among comic books and gender the last few years. Source: Graphic Policy.
Game of Thrones is coming back in a couple months, and I couldn’t think of a better way to catch up than to watch the Season 4 finale in IMAX, followed by a new trailer for the 5th season. GoT will be coming to “select” IMAX theaters the last week of January. We’ll keep you posted as we find out more. Source: EW.
Riding on the back of an elephant murdering bad guys with flaming arrows is just the tip of this metaphorical iceberg. Ubisoft is willing to think outside the box, and this survey should clear the air about any qualms people might have a bout a straight-forward sequel to Far Cry 4. Screw playing it safe; I want dinosaurs. Source: Eurogamer.
In the race of who has the most of my money guaranteed in 2015, the winner right now is 20th Century FOX, who has produced a Peanuts movie, set to release in November. Snoopy and the gang is back. Good grief that trailer is great!
Everybody’s favorite swashbuckling kitten is getting his own Netflix series. The Adventures of Puss in Boots becomes available January 16th. Source: Netflix.
It’s all fun and games until an entire generation of people don’t know who Paul McCartney is… We really have nobody to blame but ourselves. That new Kanye song “Only One” is ridiculous.
A slew of soon-to-be comic book news is making the rounds:
Warren Ellis is going to do some guest writing on Kelly Sue DeConnick’sCaptain Marvel. Source: CBR.
Mark Doyle is coming to DC Comics to stay as the Bat-book editor. Since heading the Bat-books, there have been a lot of pioneering and adjusting, so this is a good move. Source: ComicsAlliance.
With Brian Buccellato (art) and Mike Miller (writing) taking over creative duties on Injustice: Gods Among Us, expect a must different product when issue #15 drops today. Source: ComiXology.
A cool little twist for Tekken 7 has been revealed; a new camera option will let both players be on the left side of the screen when starting a match. To a lame-o like me, whatever, but to serious competition players, this could be the difference between kicking a 13 year old’s ass and throwing your controller down in rage. Source: Twitter.
X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass 2 director, Matthew Vaughn started poppin’ off at the mouth today when he said that he thinks “Nolan kick-started a very dark, bleak style of superhero escapism, and I think people have had enough of it.” SCOOOORE-BOARD. SCOOOORE-BOARD. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Sony is going to continue kicking Microsoft’s ass with these upcoming Playstation features:
Playstation Now will launch this year, and offer so much content for either $20/month of $45/quarter. Sourcer: Wikipedia (super reliable).
Playstation Vue could eventually do away with cable TV, and several major companies are already supporting it. Source: IGN.
Coming into this week’s episode of Star Wars Rebels, I had low expectations. Previews from last week showed a few of our rebel team “stuck” on a foreign planet and fending off attacks by local, dangerous creatures. I was prepared for an action packed, but ultimately pointless episode. Once again, Rebels pleasantly surprised me. The episode was fairly action packed (as expected), but more importantly, the focus of the episode was centered on the greater plot – why are the rebels doing what they’re doing? Who is handing out their missions? How does the team feel about all this? “Out of Darkness” addressed some of the bigger questions that have been hanging out there and it made for a great episode.
Hera’s a good pilot… But could she hang with Han Solo?
The episode wastes no time upping the octane level. We enter to find Hera piloting The Ghost’s dropship, The Phantom, in a hair-raising escape from chasing Imperial TIE fighters. Ezra and Sabine are nervously strapped in tight alongside Hera while she shows us her mad skills. During the cat-and-mouse routine Hera confidently boasts, “There isn’t a pilot in the Imperial fleet that can outrun me!” The first thing that hit me after Hera’s bragging was, “I wonder how she would fair against Han Solo?!” For those of you who didn’t know, Han Solo used to be part of the Imperial military – initially trained as a TIE fighter pilot, but quickly promoted to Lieutenant due to his unmatched skills. Hera blows the chasing TIEs to slag, but I wonder if the result would have been the same if Han Solo had been in one of those TIE cockpits.
At first glance this opening appears to be pointless action – we don’t even know why the rebels are being chased! Everything becomes apparent when Sabine confronts Hera regarding the ever increasing danger that’s associated with their missions. Sabine pushes Hera to tell her where their intel comes from and why they’re continually put in harm’s way. Hera quickly shuts Sabine down and simply asks that Sabine trust her. To know that all the rebels aren’t privy to key information adds much needed depth to this show. It was also apparent that this would be a heavy Hera and Sabine episode, which is a good thing – it’s long overdue.
Today’s forecast is sunny with a bit of asteroid-cover
Once all the rebels are reunited back on The Ghost they quickly prep for their next mission. Sabine, not willing to continue blindly following orders, demands to know more about the mission. Hera throws Sabine a bone and reveals that their information comes from a contact known as Fulcrum. No one but Kanan and Hera have ever made contact with Fulcrum. Sabine pressures Hera into arranging a meeting with the mysterious informant at the drop site of their next supply run. Fulcrum, via encrypted radio communications, hesitantly agrees.
She’s more than a pretty face with crazy-colored hair
As the episode progresses we learn more about Sabine’s background and why she is so adamant to be in-the-loop. Sabine is of Mandalorian descent, that much is known. But if Boba Fett has taught us anything, it’s that Mandalorians rarely have allegiances beyond direct family and the highest bidder. So what makes Sabine different? As it turns out, Sabine, at one point was training to join the Imperial Army. The Empire established a recruitment camp on Mandalore in an effort to add to its ranks; Sabine joined in. After some questionable and uncomfortable assignments that left Sabine with a very bad taste in her mouth, she left her home to join the rebel band she’s with now. We don’t get specifics, but it’s enough to really give some genuineness to Sabine. This lady Mandalorian is sharp, deadly, sexy, and she’s not afraid to think for herself. I really appreciated the internal strife she brought throughout the episode. It really elevated the plot!
What can rip through steel and likes to eat rebels?… This guy!
In The Phantom, Hera and Sabine touchdown on an isolated, asteroid-laden planet home to a deserted military base used during the clone wars. This is where their supply drop and meeting with Fulcrum is to take place. Thanks in full to Ezra, Zeb and Chopper’s horseplay, the damage suffered by The Phantom from the last mission was never fixed. This resulted in all the fuel from The Phantom leaking out and stranding the two rebels – problem #1. Shortly after realizing that they won’t be leaving anytime soon, Hera and Sabine make contact with some very unfriendly and creepy beasts – problem #2. Unable to take refuge in The Phantom until help arrives – these vicious little monsters can rip through armored ship hull!! – the two lady rebels are forced to make a stand against wave after wave of the killer creatures. Sabine formulates a solid strategy at keeping them alive just long enough for Kanan and The Ghost to come to the rescue.
Rebels to the rescue!
The rebels make a safe getaway with the supplies, but it feels like we’re missing something… OH YEAH! Where is Fulcrum?!?! He was supposed to meet Hera and Sabine at the drop point, but never did. Was he eaten?! Did he bail at the onset of witnessing an army of the hungry critters? Did he even intend to stay and wait? All these are questions I had at the end of the episode and that’s a good thing! I’m drawn in and I want to know more. This is how it should be with a well formulated story. The catch-22 here is that now expectations have been set. If next episode rolls around and no thought or mention of Fulcrums status is provided, it will be a severe let down.
But as far as this week goes – “Out of Darkness” earns a B. By concentrating on the overarching plot, dedicating screen time to lesser known rebels and keeping things exciting, viewers can enjoy this week’s episode of Star Wars Rebels.
Lyric: “I Strike the Empire Back/ I Strike the Empire Back/ Fuck the Empire!/ High flying like the Millenium Falcon/ Piloted by Han Solo/ I never roll for dolo, fronting on me’s a no-no”
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You know what Mos Def and the Star Wars have in common besides being awesome, ground breaking and revolutionary? One word – Rebels. That’s right, all you nerds out there, if you have been paying attention to Star Wars news as of late you should know about the new animated series entitled, Star Wars Rebels. This animated series is set to drop this year and is to take place between episodes III and IV. Just recently, some of the first footage was released with some new characters fans ought to love; sadly though, Mos Def is not one of them. Especially with great Star Wars related lines such as the chosen lyric of the week, it’s obvious that Mos Def a.k.a Yasiin Bey (he has rebranded himself Yasiin Bey as of late to keep his old record label from making money off the stage name Mos Def) is down for the cause.
Like any good Rebel soldier, Yasiin speaks out against injustice happening in the world and is on a mission to betterment. However, what speaks louder than words? ACTION! Not only has Mos Def spoken out about important tops in his songs such as the right to clean water (“New World Water“), the maltreatment of Katrina victims via the government (“Katrina Klap (Dollar Day)“), Poverty rates among African Americans (“Ni**as In Poorest“), as well as the murder of Trayvon Martin (“Made You Die“), but he has also put his words into action. In 2000 he performed a benefit concert for Mumia Abu-Jamal a death row inmate who is a known member of the Black Panther Party and was convicted of 1st degree murder of a Philadelphia police officer. Popular belief that Abu-Jamal didn’t receive a fair trial, and the court system was unjust to sentence him to the death penalty. He remains in prison today. In 2007 Yasiin appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher where he spoke about racism against African-Americans and the poor response by the American government during Hurricane Katrina, and the Jena Six. A few years later he made a reappearance where he spoke upon the dangers of nuclear weapons and the possible mistranslation of Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist threats.
One of Mos Def’s largest and most “real” actions occurred in 2013 where he sought out to show the world the mistreatment, and violation of human rights people have been portraying on inmates at Guantanamo Bay. He did this by depicting how the prisoners have been forced feed against their will, despite it being an instructional procedure. It has been a point of Yasiin to spread positivity through his music and bring truth and reality to light by his actions. So in this song when he says he strikes back against the empire he is saying that he challenges and battles unjust happenings in this world. Seeing what “empires” have done to cause oppression with imperialism and colonialism it’s no wonder he rebels. Is Mos Def the Han Solo of our day and age, the rebel we need to speak and act out against the empire of today? Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, but regardless of how you look at it, Mos Def is a social activist for the betterment of civil rights and humans in general. With his ability to spread positivity through his music and social action, I feel the world can be more peaceful, united and just, than it was yesterday.
WARNING: The following video depicts graphic images of force feeding. These images at times can be disturbing and difficult to watch. View discretion advised.
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