George Lucas says he went back and edited the original Star Wars trilogy (with minor tweaks to the prequels) because they simply "weren't finished."

"Most movies aren't finished; they're simply yanked out of your hands and put in the theaters," Lucas said via IGN. "So you're always saying 'oh, I wish I could have just finished that one piece of thing.' But it's not that way. You have a deadline; you've got to make the deadline."

"But then I went back, after Star Wars, and redid all the movies, in terms of finishing them," the filmmaker continued. "So that they're actually finished. And of course, a lot of people got upset about that, because they said, 'you're not allowed to do that.' I said, 'Fans are doing that. They're making alternate versions and all kinds of stuff.'"

As a fan, the two changes from Star Wars: A New Hope that frequently keep me up at night are 'Han shot first' and 'Maclunkey!' In the original 1977 cut, Greedo threatens to kill Han Solo, and Han promptly shoots him in response, his gun having already been drawn and ready underneath the table. In the 1997 Special Edition, Lucas added a scene that shows Greedo firing first at Han, making the subsequent murder a justified one. Did we need this? Nope. Not everyone in the Star Wars universe who isn't a Sith needs to be a good guy (and Andor does a great job at showcasing this).

However, this scene was further edited in 2012, though it didn't hit Disney Plus until 2019, to include Greedo yelling out something nonsensical before being shot and killed. That nonsensical phrase has been roughly translated as "Maclunkey!" and was pulled from the film's archive of unused audio. Lucas has never outwardly explained the reason behind the addition, save for specifying that the phrase is "Huttese."

Star Wars: A New Hope will return in all of its unedited glory in February 2027. Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which arrives on Disney Plus on January 20. Until then, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else that's in the works.

Godzilla Minus Zero is breaking new ground for the kaiju franchise. The film, a sequel to smash hit Godzilla Minus One, is the first ever Godzilla movie ever to earn an R-rating.

Per Film Ratings, the movie is "rated R for some violent content/bloody images." That might not come as a huge surprise, considering the film will no doubt see Godzilla rampaging through the civilian population. Still, it does mean we're probably in for some pretty gnarly visuals from writer/director Takashi Yamazaki, who also handles the film's VFX.

The latest trailer for the film revealed a second kaiju is in the mix: King Ghidorah. How that plays out remains to be seen, but expect carnage – especially as the trailer also seems to be teasing gravity-defying action.

The new film is set two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One and sees the return of the Shikishima family, with Ryunosuke Kamiki back as Koichi and Minami Hamabe back as Noriko. Their story was widely praised in the first film, so here's hoping they make it through the sequel.

"In this new film, an even deeper despair will descend upon Japan and the Shikishima family," Yamazaki said at CinemaCon (via The Hollywood Reporter). "When faced with an overwhelming and inescapable force, how do people fight back? The journey from Minus to Zero will not be an easy one."

Godzilla Minus Zero arrives on November 6 in the US, UK, and Ireland, and November 3 in Japan. While you wait, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies.

One Star Wars fan might have figured out a way the Emperor's return in The Rise of Skywalker actually makes total sense with Return of the Jedi – though, not everyone seems convinced.

"Do you think Palpatine was on the Death Star ready to 'die' since he was sure he could be brought back on Exegol? He wanted Luke to kill him and turn to the dark side?" they question on Reddit.

"Ok so, do you think Palpatine wasn't really worried about dying? Because he had clones on Exegol. Means when he's wanted Luke to kill him, he means it? Even if Vader didn't stop Luke, Palpatine makes no effort to move or dodge. Making me think he really did want to turn Luke to the dark. It also puts Vader's action in a new light. Instead of protecting Palaptine, he's saving his son from falling to the dark…"

In The Rise of Skywalker, it's revealed that Palpatine had a backup plan in the case of his death, involving returning in a clone of himself. So, it would make total sense for him to be okay with the idea of dying in Return of the Jedi.

However, other fans aren't really convinced. "No, I think they didn't think this through when they brought him back. Whether it's Canon or Legends," says one. "That scream he lets out when he falls to his death doesn't sound like the scream of someone where everything goes as planned."

"No. He wanted a new apprentice and was working to turn Luke to the dark side to replace Vader," says someone else.

"I don't believe he thought he was going to die. I think Luke's line to him is the reality here. 'Your overconfidence is your weakness,'" says another person. "Palpatine thought he had already won, that Luke was going to turn, he could finally replace Vader, and the Rebellion was going to be crushed. In his mind, his victory was a foregone conclusion. Sure, he had his backup plans like Exegol, but I think he was just being a cocky bastard here."

"No. He just wanted to pit father against son and take the victor as his apprentice," agrees another fan.

Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which arrives on Disney Plus on January 20. Until then, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else that's in the works.

George Lucas has talked about his decision to retire to work on his recently opened museum.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has freshly opened its doors in California, showcasing a seriously impressive collection that, naturally, includes plenty of Star Wars memorabilia.

As Lucas has explained in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, though, when he made the decision to step away from moviemaking to concentrate on the museum, he still had a lot on his plate.

"Well, I'm 82, so there is a limit," he shared. "When I did this, I decided to retire from making movies, which was a big deal because I had three more Star Wars to make. But, I realized that I was running out of time, and I did want to make this museum. And I'd spent a lot of time developing digital technology for the movie business. You know, all art depends on technology."

Lucas had plans for a sequel trilogy of his own that would have involved Darth Maul as a crime syndicate boss. But, he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and Disney's sequel trilogy – 2015's The Force Awakens, 2017's The Last Jedi, and 2019's The Rise of Skywalker – went down a different path.

Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which arrives on Disney Plus on January 20. "It was so surprising when George [Lucas] created these archetype god characters," Dave Filoni said recently of the Mortis gods, which will be part of season 2. "What were we examining there in Clone Wars? What was the metaphor? A lot of it is about power, and what you do with power, and how you wield power. For a Jedi, I think it's a natural story path to get into these questions."

You can check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store.

Whispers of a Darth Vader movie don't seem to be going away anytime soon, but Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen is keen for us to know that, for now, there's nothing concrete in the works.

When pressed by E News on talk of a Darth Vader movie, Christensen replied, "I think those are just rumors."

He added, "I would be thrilled to get to do that. But right now, those are just rumors."

With that answer, the Force grip a prospective standalone Vader movie has on our hearts and minds has grown a little weaker, but that doesn't mean Christensen is distancing himself from all things in a galaxy far, far away – far from it, in fact.

That's because Christensen is set to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker alongside his old protege 'Snips', AKA Ahsoka Tano, in Ahsoka season 2. The series hits Disney Plus on January 20, 2027.

On his recent experience with Lucasfilm, Christensen had nothing but praise for new co-president Dave Filoni.

"Dave Filoni, I think, understands this character in some ways even better than I do," Christensen told IMDb. "And so when I read the scripts, I'm just elated with what I get to do and say. That said, he's still very collaborative, and if I have an idea, I'll share it, and if it works, then we'll do it. And so, we're not too precious about things and we get to explore a little bit. But I try to honor the words that he's written, and I don't need to deviate much."

Alongside Ahsoka season 2, Star Wars: Starfighter – starring Ryan Gosling – is also releasing next year.

For more, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.

Paramount's previously announced World War Z movie is officially moving ahead with Brad Pitt to return as hero Gerry Lane.

According to Deadline, All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave director Edward Berger is set to helm the pic. British playwright Dennis Kelley will pen the script. Paramount announced the sequel in 2025, citing it as a top priority for the studio.

The 2013 sci-fi action thriller, based on the bestselling Max Brooks novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, sees a deadly virus break out across the globe and turn humankind into zombies. It's up to former United Nations investigator Gerry (Pitt) to search for a cure. Marc Forster directs from a screenplay penned by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, and Damon Lindelof. The cast includes Peter Capaldi, Ruth Negga, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, and Matthew Fox.

The movie grossed $540 million against a budget of $269 million, making it Pitt's highest-grossing movie as a lead next to the Oscar-winning F1.

David Fincher was previously attached to direct the sequel, and planned to focus on the origin of the virus in a way that he compared to HBO's The Last of Us. "Well, it was a little like The Last of Us," Fincher told GQ. "In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite… they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show."

World War Z 2 does not yet have a release date. For more upcoming movies, check out our list of movie release dates.

Tom Hiddleston is just about one of the most charming talents in Hollywood, even when it comes to being thrown a curveball on the red carpet that quickly caught him off guard. In a recent interview, the man who has given us Loki for over a decade was asked how the other mega sci-fi franchise, Star Wars, has inspired who he is today. Pausing for thought, the newly appointed God of Stories gave a brilliant answer that sums up precisely what the franchise from far, far away is all about.

"I love those films," he told Nick Busters. "I loved them as a child. I suppose if I’m honest, it’s a very early introduction to moral clarity and the balance of goodness and love in the universe. I guess that's what the force is all about."

With such an interesting and well-thought-out response about Star Wars and its impact, it's a wonder why Hiddleston has never made the jump to hyperspace and taken up a role somewhere in the franchise. The new era brought everyone from Oscar Isaac to Max von Sydow, and even made time for Tom Hardy and Daniel Craig to wear Stormtrooper suits.

Could Hiddleston take on a role in the franchise if he were offered a gig somewhere in the world of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and company? It's a hypothetical that has been thrown at the star before, and he had nothing but excitement about the idea.

"Goodness, I hadn’t thought of that. I mean, yeah, sure," Hiddleston told Digital Spy back in 2017. "I’m a huge fan, especially of the first three, because I grew up watching Star Wars: A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. So, absolutely, yeah. It would depend on the story and the character and things."

As it stands, Star Wars: Starfighter, from director Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, is the only big project from that world on the way, and we haven't seen any sign of Hiddleston turning up in it. For now, we’ll just have to settle for him making an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, where he'll be potentially facing off against Doctors of Doom as opposed to Dark Lords of the Sith. For more info on Star Wars, check out our guide to every upcoming Star Wars movie and television show on the way.

21 years after the release of Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars fans have spotted an emotional parallel with Return of the Jedi.

One viewer took to Reddit to point out a similarity between Padmé Amidala and her son Luke Skywalker, specifically in conversations Obi-Wan Kenobi has with both characters.

"I just know this whole exchange must have strongly reminded Obi-Wan of Padmé and Luke's resemblance to her," the fan wrote.

In the first conversation with Padmé, Obi-Wan is trying to find Anakin Skywalker's whereabouts after he has turned to the dark side. Padmé, knowing Obi-Wan will kill her husband, can't bring herself to tell him. In the conversation in Return of the Jedi, Luke says he can't kill his own father, and insists there is "still good in him" – unknowingly echoing Padmé at the end of Revenge of the Sith.

"Interesting symmetry, I hadn't realized this one," says one fan. "Alec Guinness was such a good actor that he was calling back to things that hadn't happened yet," says someone else.

"I've always thought that Luke was far more like Padme than he was like his father. He was a strong Jedi, true, but he was much more in tune with his emotions than Anakin was, and had an unwavering conviction in his ideals, like Padme did," is another person's analysis. "Both Padme and Luke appealed to Anakin's heart the same way; reminding him of the good he was capable of and pulling him back from the darkness. Leia on the other hand was much more like Anakin, despite being a politician like her mother. She was often headstrong and stubborn, finding unconventional solutions in a wartime environment, like Anakin as a general in the Clone Wars"

"For me, it's more sad that Obi-Wan just completely gave up on Anakin, just accepted that he was evil and that was it," is another fan's take. "I understand it, of course, but it's just sad considering he basically raised him"

"There is a reason it is Luke that Obi-Wan was holding as Padme told him 'there is good in him,' because Luke is the one who keeps his mother’s belief that Anakin can be saved. George [Lucas] knew what he was doing," says another fan.

"And both of them [Luke and Padme] were ultimately right. Not that Obi-Wan could have actually drawn Anakin from the darkness however, so it wasn’t really an option for him sadly," says someone else.

Hayden Christensen's Anakin will soon return in Ahsoka season 2, which arrives on Disney Plus next January 30.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else that's on the way.

Having made it out of the Backrooms to booming success (and a seal of approval from Hideo Kojima), Kane Parsons continues to play with fans' emotions in the best way possible after paying the Valve offices yet another visit, pushing speculation about a Portal movie to new heights.

The director posted an Instagram story showing him watching a beautiful sunset from Valve HQ and probably taking a moment to appreciate how cool it was that he was even doing so. This would mark his most recent visit (that we know about), which he shared with fans after snapping a photo back in June.

If there's one thing he's made more public than this, it's his adoration for the game franchise, citing Portal 2 as the biggest inspiration that led him to venture into the Backrooms. "It's like the strongest influence over, like, everything I've done in my entire life. It's a two-game series," he explained to Letterboxd. "So, if anything, I would say Portal 2 is the bigger inspiration for me... It's inherently comedic and absurd, and that’s what I like about it. So many bleak creative choices come from an inherent humor."

It really seems like a no-brainer to put Parsons to work on a project like this, not simply because of his success with Backrooms, but because of Hollywood's growing hunger for adapting video game titles that are actually paying off. That couldn't be more evident following the immense critical praise for Resident Evil, which is out this week. Perhaps the next time Parsons posts on Instagram, it'll be declaring that a Portal movie is finally happening, maybe even with a nice slice of cake to celebrate.

Look ahead with our list of the most exciting upcoming movies, or scare yourself silly with our ranking of the best horror movies ever.

Alden Ehrenreich doesn't seem too interested in reprising his iconic Star Wars role. The actor played Han Solo in the prequel movie Solo: A Star Wars Story, which didn't have the best reactions from fans of the galaxy far, far away.

While critics agreed it was a fun story, the general consensus was that it was pretty forgettable. Currently ranked at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, it didn't set the fandom alight. As a result, there have been no follow-up movies, even though star Ehrenreich was contracted for a trilogy.

In a new interview with IndieWire, his future in the role was brought up by the interviewer. When they told him "In your life, you will play Han Solo again," Ehrenreich simply replied: "No idea."

The journalist went on to compare his trajectory to Andrew Garfield returning as Spider-Man in No Way Home. The actor continued: "Oh, interesting. We'll see." We've got to admit, he didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about the possibility of returning to the role.

The only current project that he could slip into is the Lando Calrissian movie, which was due to star Donald Glover in a spin-off. However, development on that has seemingly stalled with no recent updates.

In fact only one Star Wars movie is definitely happening at the moment: Star Wars: Starfighter. Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, filming has wrapped on the project with a trailer shown behind closed doors.

Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2. For more adventures across the galaxy, check out our guide to upcoming Star Wars movies and shows in development.

The next trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero is here, and it's seriously epic.

In the clip, which you can watch above, mankind gears up for a second battle with the fearsome kaiju. This time, though, the trailer teases that "everything ends here" and that there will not be a third fight, meaning this is likely the last film we can expect in the series.

The trailer is filled with all the kaiju action you could want, too, including a mysterious, gravity-defying scene with Godzilla's blue atomic powers seeming to lift up some houses.

Most mysteriously of all, though, is the sound of a roar that very much sounds like King Ghidorah, before we see Godzilla falling. Looks like Godzilla might have met his match...

Godzilla Minus Zero sees the return of Ryunosuke Kamiki as Koichi and Minami Hamabe as Noriko. The first film was widely praised for its human story, so we can expect another emotional tale for this young couple and their adopted daughter in the sequel, as suggested by Noriko saying she doesn't have much time left.

"In this new film, an even deeper despair will descend upon Japan and the Shikishima family," writer/director Takashi Yamazaki said at CinemaCon (via The Hollywood Reporter). "When faced with an overwhelming and inescapable force, how do people fight back? The journey from Minus to Zero will not be an easy one."

Godzilla Minus Zero arrives on November 6 in the US, UK, and Ireland, and November 3 in Japan.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies.

Star Wars fans are worried that another project is being left behind at Lucasfilm. It's been three years since a new solo movie starring Daisy Ridley as Rey was announced at Star Wars Celebration.

A director and writer were initially attached, as we heard some details on what the film would follow. Due to be set some 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, it was going to see Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order.

However, since 2024, there has been very little news on the development of the project. The latest update from Ridley came in 2025 when she promised that "the wait will be worth it" as she spoke about the hurdles that films have to overcome to get made.

Despite that positive update, the Star Wars community is growing more certain that this movie won't ever make it off the page. Posting on Reddit, one wrote: "It's been over three years since Daisy Ridley was brought out at Celebration to announce the Rey movie and there isn't even a script written yet. Will this eventually come out? When can we expect to see Rey onscreen again?"

The response from other fans was pretty unanimous: this isn't a movie that's going to get made. "My rule for Star Wars content is that it doesn’t exist until there is a trailer AND release date," wrote one, while another added: "Probably never. Changing leadership can sideline projects."

They weren't alone either, with a third commenting: "Agree 100%. Daisy Ridley has been absolutely done dirty." Another simply put it: "This right here is probably the biggest issue with Star Wars. Announcements. Don't tell us you're making it, just make it."

Several Star Wars projects have been announced but not made it out of the development phase. Star Wars Rebels co-creator Simon Kinberg was due to make a Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold was announced to be making a film set thousands of years before the Jedi, and Taika Waititi has long been linked to making his own movie set in a galaxy far, far away. Who knows if any of them will one day happen.

Currently, there are only two projects on the horizon for Star Wars that are definitely happening: Ahsoka season 2 has been filmed and arrives in January 20, 2027, and Ryan Gosling's Starfighter is set for a May 28, 2027 release date.

For all the announced Star Wars movies and shows on the horizon, here's our guide to new Star Wars.

Don't miss out on The Mandalorian Lego special. The delightful animated short has arrived on Disney Plus (alongside its live-action big sibling, The Mandalorian and Grogu), and, while it might not be canon, it is a laugh-out-loud, joyful 45 minutes every Star Wars fan needs to tune in for.

The special has an adorable premise: Din Djarin's pals have thrown him a party – and it's not even his birthday! – which he begrudgingly attends with baby Grogu. While the duo are there in their party hats, a gang of their closest friends retell their story so far, all the way up to the events of the new movie.

The result is an irreverent, self-referential blast – exactly what you'd expect from a Lego special – that's also pretty much a perfect way to recap the Disney Plus show. What more could you ask for?

Getting the band back together

Probably the biggest selling point of any Lego special is just how damn hilarious they are, and The Mandalorian's is no different. The 45-minute runtime is packed with jokes that poke gentle fun at The Mandalorian and Star Wars as a whole, including Mando and Grogu's reunion taking place in a different series, IG-11's tendency to go straight for self-destruct mode, and Luke Skywalker having no luck with his Jedi students. I got to watch the special at this year's D23 in a crowd of Star Wars fans that laughed at every gag, and it only enhanced the experience.

The wacky premise doesn't just allow for laughs, too: it also gets the whole Mando gang back together again. There are cameos aplenty in the special, which means original actors return to their roles. Listen out for Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett, Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon, Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto, Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze, Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth, and even Bill Burr as Migs Mayfeld (he's on hand to recount the events of season 2, which, he points out, he witnessed a whole 20% of).

Of course, any Mandalorian project – Lego or not – needs to include its fair share of heartwarming Clan of Two moments. The special doesn't just recreate the tearjerking scenes you know and love from the show (the special's version of Mando and Grogu's goodbye in the season 2 finale did indeed remind me of how many tears I shed back in December 2020), but it also includes a few new moments of its own. Highlights include Mando urging Grogu to make his signature cooing sound more intimidating if he's going to be a bounty hunter, Grogu using the Force to levitate a party hat onto Mando's beskar helmeted head, and Grogu having his own miniature steering wheel in the Razor Crest. If you've been missing Din Djarin and Din Grogu since their big-screen outing earlier this year, then you can't go wrong with the Lego special.

Assembled with love

The special is also set after The Mandalorian and Grogu on the Star Wars timeline, as revealed by the Razor Crest's distinctive yellow paint – and an appearance from Zeb Orrelios to tell this part of the story, before he's interrupted. Of course, Lego releases aren't Star Wars canon, so nothing that happens in this special is actually part of the saga's ongoing story. But, it does give a nice window into the kind of life you'd like to imagine Mando and Grogu living in between missions for the New Republic. What better way to spend their downtime than a party with friends?

And, while it might not be canon, and the premise is indeed silly fun, every second of the special makes it obvious that it was made with clear, reverent love for The Mandalorian and Star Wars as a whole. The story goes beyond just a party, encompassing Mando's growth across his tale so far as he comes to accept he's no longer a loner. Yes, this Lego special gets pretty deep, in between all the fun.

At the moment, it's unclear when we'll see Din Djarin and Din Grogu again, as nothing has been confirmed about their future (either in The Mandalorian season 4 or another movie). So, while we wait to be reunited with the Clan of Two, there's no better way to pass the time than with Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian.

Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney Plus now. See what else the galaxy far, far away has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

The Mandalorian and Grogu director Jon Favreau has talked about his working relationship with Dave Filoni, and how the film and Disney Plus show reflect it.

"I think the show and the film is a reflection of our partnership," Favreau told Filoni, on the official The Mandalorian and Grogu podcast. "Like two musicians who play together. It changes the way we play, I think. And it makes me feel very comfortable when I get to tell stories with you."

Filoni was in agreement. "We come together and we do some things a little separately, then I bring you things to watch, which is always super helpful," he said. "Because that's the other thing, too, especially if we're shooting separately at times, we see what the other shot, you get those fresh eyes to look at something. And you are, in a lot of ways, the ultimate audience member. Because if you don't understand it, you'll tell me."

Filoni, who is the co-president of Lucasfilm, directed the puppet unit on The Mandalorian and Grogu, and he also directed multiple episodes of The Mandalorian TV show.

Next up for Star Wars is Filoni's Ahsoka season 2, which dropped its first trailer at this year's D23. It teased the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the galaxy, Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker back as a Force ghost to guide Ahsoka Tano, and Ezra Bridger back in action.

Ahsoka season 2 arrives on January 20, while The Mandalorian and Grogu and the official podcast are streaming on Disney Plus now.

Check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store.

Industrial Light & Magic animation supervisor Hal Hickel says that impossibly sweet scene in The Mandalorian and Grogu where Rotta and Grogu play together on the beach meant a lot to director Jon Favreau (and me, personally).

"That was maybe the most important scene to Jon. It's the heart of the whole movie for him," Hickel told StarWars.com.

The scene is a moment of stillness in the movie, and it comes shortly after Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) is rescued by Mando from almost being killed in a rotten deal that kept him trapped as a fighter in order to entertain the people of Shakari. Grogu and Rotta simply pass a ball back and forth, and it seems like the worst is over.

Not only that, but also, the scene represents how Rotta never really got the chance to be a playful, carefree kiddo, thanks to being related to the absolutely terrifying and terrible Hutt family. So we love a multi-layered moment that makes us cry a little.

As there likely won't be another season of The Mandalorian, it's unclear when we'll see Rotta the Hutt again. Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which hits Disney Plus in the new year.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is streaming on Disney Plus now, and you can read our guide to all the other The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs through the link.

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, or our The Mandalorian and Grogu review.

While Han Solo doesn't appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu, a sneaky, unintentional Easter egg referencing him does – and it involves Rotta the Hutt.

In the original trilogy, Han was in a lot of trouble with Rotta's dad, Jabba the Hutt. In one scene in the 1997 Special Edition of Star Wars: A New Hope, Jabba even comes to speak with Han by the Millennium Falcon while it's docked in Mos Eisely. During this chat, Han walks over Jabba's tail, which Jabba doesn't seem too pleased about.

In The Mandalorian and Grogu, Rotta fights Din Djarin in a gladatorial ring, and everything comes full circle...

"It goes by super fast, but there is actually a moment during their fight when Mando circles behind Rotta, steps on his tail to get a little height, and then knocks his arm out of the way," Industrial Light & Magic animation supervisor Hal Hickel told StarWars.com.

"We didn't put that in there as a wink to the original gag, but still – it's like poetry, it rhymes," he added.

Even though the call back wasn't on purpose, it certainly is a nice parallel between father and son – though, of course, Rotta is pretty adamant that he's nothing like his dad.

Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which lands on Disney Plus on January 20. The first trailer was finally unveiled to the public at this year's D23, and it features Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Grand Admiral Thrawn going up against the New Republic, and Ezra Bridger back in action.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is streaming on Disney Plus now, and you can read our guide to all the other The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs through the link.

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, or our The Mandalorian and Grogu review.

The Mandalorian and Grogu are coming home. Four months after the Star Wars film brought the saga back to the big screen for the first time in seven years, the Razor Crest is touching down on Disney Plus this September 2.

The film arrived a lengthy three years after its (less well-received) third season and didn't quite set the box office on fire. It scored a reasonably low 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, and many have questioned the wisdom of turning a streaming show into a theatrical movie – or criticized the film for focusing on a standalone adventure story rather than weaving in the wider galaxy.

Still, despite it all, I firmly believe there was no better film to kickstart Star Wars's theatrical comeback than The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Welcome back

That might seem like a nuclear take, but I have my reasons. Personally, I simply loved the movie: an all-grown-up Rotta the Hutt became my surprise MVP; Grogu, continuing to grow into his Mandalorian and Jedi potential, was a delight; and I thought the whole thing was a good old-fashioned, fun adventure tale with cool and creepy critters, spectacular action set-pieces, and all the heartwarming Clan of Two moments you could ask for.

I'm not alone in this, either: the film was well-liked by the audiences who showed up for Din Djarin and Din Grogu, with a healthy 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore on opening night. The box office may have been a somewhat underwhelming $345.8 million (though, on a budget of $165 million, that's not a total disaster), but the film succeeded elsewhere. It returned us to the Mando-verse era of the Star Wars timeline just in time for Ahsoka season 2, and it also seemed to give the three seasons of the flagship show a boost: The Mandalorian was Disney Plus's third most-watched original series in the first half of 2026 with 2.4 billion minutes viewed, according to Luminate. That's particularly noteworthy considering the show hasn't released a new episode in three years.

Aside from the film deserving a much warmer reception and boosting the show's streaming fortunes, though, it was also the right choice for getting audiences used to Star Wars as a theatrical experience again. Seven long years have passed since The Rise of Skywalker, and, in that time, the franchise has released a whole host of Disney Plus shows. Like Marvel, this seems to have contributed to a certain dilution of the franchise, with every new Star Wars project no longer feeling like an unmissable event – unthinkable even 10 years ago – regardless of each show's quality. But, despite the more lukewarm reception to season 3, Mando and Grogu have remained instantly recognizable Star Wars icons, even though they originated on streaming themselves. Choosing this duo to launch Star Wars's return to theaters made total sense.

While the film drew criticism for its self-contained story, going in such a standalone direction was also a wise move. There's nothing more off-putting than feeling like you need to do your homework before you head to the theater, after all. And, since the film is so self-contained, it's also primed to be a new generation's introduction to Star Wars.

Maybe most importantly for the saga at large, though, The Mandalorian and Grogu set the stage for Star Wars: Starfighter. Any film tasked with bringing Star Wars back to the big screen was going to face a great deal of scrutiny – and the pressure of high expectations – but, now that Mando has broken that barrier already, Starfighter has something of a clearer runway.

Next moves

Judging by The Mandalorian's streaming boost, it's likely that the movie will do very well on Disney Plus. In the wake of The Mandalorian and Grogu's theatrical performance, it's hard to imagine Disney and Lucasfilm won't pivot when it comes to its theatrical slate. I would bet that Dave Filoni's movie, announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 and set to tie together the Disney Plus shows, will be reconfigured into a streaming event (most likely an Heir to the Empire-style showdown against Grand Admiral Thrawn, considering the Ahsoka season 2 trailer).

The future of Star Wars on the small screen seems less certain, with nothing live-action confirmed past Ahsoka. It's doubtful that Lucasfilm will abandon TV entirely, but I expect the days of multiple Star Wars shows a year are long behind us.

But for the saga's return to the big screen, I'm glad Lucasfilm chose The Mandalorian and Grogu. If nothing else, the film was a fun few hours at the theater this summer, and it reunited me with two of my favorite Star Wars guys. This is the way.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is streaming on Disney Plus now. See what else the galaxy far, far away has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, or check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review.

Legendary video game designer Hideo Kojima has posted his 'review' of Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars and, just like Thumper in Bambi, it seems Koj believes that 'If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all,' because he doesn't actually say a critical word about the film in question.

Writing on X, Kojima's 76-word post expounds on his history with Peter Heller's original novel (he hasn't read it), what he pictured the movie would be like ("something along the lines of Cormac McCarthy's The Road") and even his palpable disappointment that they didn't create pamphlets for The Dog Stars (souvenir brochures that are commonly for sale in Japanese theaters). But what's missing is any kind of verdict on the movie itself, which, if you've been following along with Kojima's movie reviews, almost always means he disliked the movie and is too polite to say as much. Check out the full post below

Of course, if you read between the lines, Kojima's feelings about The Dog Stars are plain as day; he didn't get on with it, perhaps because it wasn't close enough to his McCarthy-aping expectations for his liking. Typically, there's a direct correlation between tweet length and Kojima's feelings about a movie, ie., the longer the tweet, the more warmly he feels about it. This is a rare example where that theory doesn't hold. Perhaps he didn't want to disparage the work of Death Stranding star Margaret Qualley so publicly.

So far this year, Kojima has been "blown away" by creepy pasta horror Backrooms, and was one of the few who liked Supergirl (he even compared it to The Good, the Bad and The Ugly). Still, Kojima's verdict on The Dog Stars is nowhere near as damning as his Return to Silent Hill movie review, which ran just 8 words long (savage). And over a year later, we're still waiting on his Electric State review.

As for The Dog Stars, Kojima wasn't the only person who didn't respond to the post-apocalyptic action drama, as despite costing almost $80 million to produce, it made less than $8 million at the US box office on its opening weekend. The 88-year-old Scott shows no signs of slowing down, however, as he recently revealed a third Alien prequel starring Michael Fassbender's David is in the works.

The Dog Stars is currently in theaters. For more, check out our guide to all the biggest upcoming movies heading your way this year.

Ridley Scott says he made the best Alien movie... and we have to hand it to him.

"I did the best [Alien] by far. Full stop. End of the fucking story," Scott told Brut. "Then they let it die. After the fourth they killed it. So I sat there thinking: 'I'm gonna bring it back.' So I sat down with very good writers and we've caught fire… and wrote Prometheus."

Alien hit theaters in 1979 and became one of the most critically and culturally important sci-fi movies of all time, and would go on to change not only the genre but the art of cinema as a whole. James Cameron taking over for the also-excellent Aliens in 1986, with David Fincher directing 1972's also-excellent Alien 3. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) helmed Alien: Resurrection in 1997, which became the most controversial of the franchise.

Scott resurrected the Alien franchise in 2012, with Prometheus, with follow-up Alien: Covenant hitting theaters in 2017. Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Alvarez, arrived in 2024 and is regarded as one of the better installments of the franchise (and that's due in part to the stunning performance given by our new Black Panther David Jonsson).

The filmmaker previously told the LA Times that he was working on a direct follow-up to Covenant, which will see David, the evil, malfunctioning AI, "make a brand new world for himself."

Scott's latest release, The Dog Stars, is in theaters now. For more upcoming movies, check out our list of movie release dates.

One Star Wars fan artist has recreated the iconic Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi duel in Revenge of the Sith in the most incredible way.

The artist, who goes by the Tumblr username idk-i-was-bored, shared the artwork of the fiery Mustafar duel – which is actually recreated from every single line of dialogue in Revenge of the Sith, written out by hand. Check it out below.

"I decided to do something a little bit insane. I sat down and typed every word spoken in Revenge of the Sith so I could then hand write every word to create this scene redraw. I am very pleased with the final result I'm not gonna lie," the artist captioned the post.

In the comments, he also revealed a little more about the process – and it sounds like serious dedication went into the artwork. "1. My hands were fine after doing this. I spaced out how often I'd do write the words and my handwriting got looser in the end so there was less pressure. Also literally every hobby and activity I do heavily involves my wrists, so they're kind of used to this," they wrote.

"2. Yes I’m aware there are scripts online for this movie. But the ones I found weren't accurate or were of the uncut 4 hour version therefore I'd have to watch the movie again anyway to work out which parts exactly were in the movie. So I just decided to do it myself," he added.

And, as for how long it might have taken: "3. Idk how much time this actually took to make I'm not gonna lie. Procreate says there was about 12 hours of pen to canvas time spent arranging of the text, actually writing, and drawing and colouring the image. But typing up all the words in the movie took absolutely ages. And like I said. Everything was very spaced out so I didn't hurt my wrists. So I actually have no idea how many hours it was from having the idea to posting the image"

Plus, it sounds like we might be able to look forward to more artwork in a similar style. "4. I know this is mildly insane but I actually had a lot of fun doing it and I'll probably end up making more of other movies at some point," they said. In the immortal words of Sheev Palpatine: we will watch your career with great interest…

We'll soon be seeing Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker again in Ahsoka season 2, which sees him return both as a Force ghost and in Clone Wars-era flashbacks on the Star Wars timeline. As for Ewan McGregor, nothing has been confirmed, but the actor is so keen to return he pitched a comeback to Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni on the Ahsoka season 2 set (his wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, plays Hera Syndulla in the show).

The Disney Plus show arrives on January 20, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store.

Ridley Scott says a follow-up to Alien: Covenant that will continue David's story is in the works.

Per the LA Times, the new installment will focus on David (Michael Fassbender) creating a "brave new world for himself.” In regards to David, a malfunctioning AI, Scott said: "AIs can go off. And if they do, it’s like a bomb."

Alien: Covenant hit theaters in 2017 and had a modest box office return of $240 million against a budget of $111 million. The film, which sees the crew of a colonizing ship land on an uncharted planet, received mixed reviews from fans and critics. As it stands, Covenant has a 65% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 55% 'rotten' audience rating.

Prometheus, which hit theaters in 2012, marked the franchise's first installment since the highly controversial and low-grossing Alien: Resurrection (the Alien vs. Predator movies aren't part of the main franchise). Covenant continued David's reign of terror against humankind. Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Alvarez, arrived in 2024 and is regarded as one of the better installments of the franchise (and that's due in part to the stunning performance given by our new Black Panther David Jonsson).

“A number of years after, I said, 'I'm going to resurrect this,' [and wrote] Prometheus from scratch – a blank sheet of paper. Damon Lindelof and I sat, then hammered out Prometheus," Scott previously told Variety, when asked about his future involvement with the franchise. "It was very present and very welcome. The audience really wanted more. I said, 'It needs to fly.' No one was coming for it, [and] I went once again [and made] Alien: Covenant, and it worked too. Where it’s going now, I think I’ve done enough, and I just hope it goes further."

Scott's latest release, The Dog Stars, is in theaters now. For more upcoming movies, check out our list of movie release dates.

25 years after Donnie Darko hit screens and instantly became a cult classic, director Richard Kelly is releasing an 800-page sequel novel set to hit shelves later this year.

As per Variety, the novel takes place around 14 months after the movie. Donnie Darko follows Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular teen who experiences strange visions that predict a disastrous event. The movie concludes with Darko dying, ultimately sacrificing himself for his family. Kelly's novel, officially titled 'The Philosophy of Time Travel,' is set to explore the aftermath of Darko's death.

The novel will be presented as a collection of found documents from Donnie’s mother and father. Kelly has been working on the book for the past ten years, but says he has been trying to figure out a Donnie Darko sequel for almost two decades. The Philosophy of Time Travel will be released in the last quarter of 2026, in line with the 25th anniversary of Donnie Darko on October 26.

However, the book is just the first step in Kelly's larger plan to revive the Donnie Darko World. The filmmaker wants his novel to be adapted into a movie that could in turn spawn more sequels. "There is much more narrative material that I’ve been developing where the time jumps 28 years into the future, and there’s a lot of really exciting stuff that happens starting around 2015/2016," added the writer.

Kelly didn't give any plot details away, but he teased that there are "a lot of surprises when you realize who the characters really are in the reality of Southern California," revealing that the characters get drawn into "the tangent universe" or a "dream that lasted for 28 days" that spurs them to form a support group that turns into a cult.

The director added that he sees a section of the on-screen sequel being presented in animation, followed by the huge time jump so that the original stars could return to their respective roles. Kelly explained, "My caveat with doing a real sequel was that I want to reunite the original cast, and I want to take it onto a gigantic scale, and that takes time, and it has a price tag, and it’s hard to pull this off because it’s multiple movies." However, Kelly admitted that he is yet to approach the Donnie Darko cast.

The Philosophy of Time Travel is available to preorder now on Amazon. For more, check out our list of the best Jake Gyllenhaal movies, and keep up with new movies on the way.

Despite positive first reactions, the reviews for Ridley Scott's new movie The Dog Stars have been less glowing. The post-apocalyptic movie starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin has debuted to a meagre 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is Scott's lowest score since Exodus: God and Kings in 2014.

Based on the novel of the same name by Peter Heller, The Dog Stars focuses on Hig, a former pilot navigating life after a flu pandemic has nearly eradicated humanity. When the prospect of a better life beckons, he teams up with former Marine Bangley to navigate the treacherous path to reach it.

The Guardian reviewer Benjamin Lee calls it a "misfire" in his two star review, writing: "In a world of seven Walking Dead shows, the beats are now far too familiar – artfully dishevelled actors grieve for the past and fear for the future as they scramble to find and protect resources – and there’s nothing new or notable here to conjure anything but deja vu."

"Four flu-pandemic survivors do the best they can in trying circumstances in Ridley Scott's low-energy latest, and the same goes for the charismatic quartet of actors muddling through it," adds Variety's Guy Lodge.

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey gives the film two stars, calling out its derivative nature. "The veteran filmmaker has made a movie that rips off 28 Days Later, Mad Max, and the video game Fallout to dull ends," she writes.

Not all of the reviews are negative. Nick Howell of the Evening Standard writes: "So not quite a return to form, but for Scott, now 88, this strange flight of apocalyptic fancy proves there’s plenty of bite in the old dog yet."

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter calls it "pleasingly soulful" as their reviewer David Mooney writes: "Muted but never dull, The Dog Stars seems unlikely to land near the top of anyone’s Ridley Scott rankings. But it’s an appealingly mellow watch, even if that might seem antithetical to a post-apocalyptic drama positioned squarely in the shadow of death."

The Dog Stars is out now. For more upcoming movies, check out our list of movie release dates.

Anakin Skywalker star Hayden Christensen wants to work with Padmé Amidala actor Natalie Portman in Star Wars again.

The duo starred together in prequel movies Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but despite both Christensen and Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor returning to Star Wars since, Portman has yet to reprise her role.

"I would love to get to work with her again and play these characters together," Christensen told USA Today at D23. "I think there's still opportunity to do that. I love the whole Clone Wars timeline in Star Wars and it's been a lot of fun to get to explore that a little bit in this series [Ahsoka]. So, I would love to get to do that with her at some point."

Christensen will return in Ahsoka season 2, both as a Force ghost and in Clone Wars-era flashbacks on the Star Wars timeline, as revealed by the first trailer and a display at D23 (you can read our Ahsoka season 2 trailer breakdown for all our theories).

Portman isn't the only prequel actor Christensen would like to reunite with, either. "I know that Ewan McGregor would love to do more with it," Christensen shared on the Hey Jonas podcast. "I've heard Natalie [Portman] would love to come back. Sam Jackson. So you could get the band back together."

Whether we ever do get a reunion remains to be seen, though McGregor is apparently so keen to return he pitched some ideas to Dave Filoni on the set of Ahsoka season 2, which stars his wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla.

Ahsoka season 2 arrives on January 20, 2027. While you wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store.

Dave Filoni has spoken about his Star Wars mission statement after becoming installed as Lucasfilm co-president.

Speaking at a D23 panel about Leslie Iwerks' new documentary Worldbuilders – which charts how major Disney franchises are integrated into park experiences – Filoni said of his task, "We have several different generations of Star Wars fans, right? There’s original trilogy fans, prequel fans, sequel trilogy fans, Clone Wars fans, expanded universe fans. They all have different interests."

"And I always look at how we’re going to serve all these different interests. And most importantly, how do we bring them all together because they have this common love of Star Wars," Filoni added. "And I think the park is a great place to do that."

While Filoni has only stepped into a major Lucasfilm leadership role recently, we have already seen his approach bear fruit: The Mandalorian and Grogu (despite box office struggles) was marketed as a family-friendly film, while also playing into the original trilogy's appetite for lone heroes.

Elsewhere, Ahsoka season 2 is undoubtedly aimed at fans of prequels and animated series The Clone Wars, while the likes of anime spin-off The Ninth Jedi, Maul – Shadow Lord, and Andor are all distinct, capturing different sections of its audience in their own inimitable style.

Next up on the big screen in a galaxy far, far away is Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy. As announced at SDCC, the pair will reunite in the MCU for 2028's Ghost Rider.

For more, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.

2026 has been a bumper year for new projects from big directors, from Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Next up is Alien helmer Riley Scott, whose upcoming movie The Dog Stars has opened to positive first reactions praising the director's change of pace.

"Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars is a surprisingly humble and emotionally weighted change of pace for the director," says Future of the Force's Phil Roberts following The Dog Stars world premiere in London on August 20. "With its impressive cinematography, endless desolation and magnetic performances from Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, it’s an impressive post-apocalyptic ride."

Similarly, YouTuber Patrick T writes, "The Dog Stars is soothing and gruelling. A western set at the end of the world with a big heart. Some intense FURY ROAD energy mixed with quiet campfires under the stars. Acoustic guitars, Josh Brolin smoking cigars, and a dog. Ridley Scott knows what we want."

The post-apocalyptic movie's emotional themes took other critics by surprise too, including Film Hounds' Gavin Spoors. "Ridley Scott has proven yet again that his finger is on the pulse when it comes to current themes. A warm, human, post-apocalyptic drama about the need for community." And film critic Liz Slade adds, "It’s quiet and contemplative, which I didn’t expect, with unexpected moments of ferocity and violence… I think Ridley Scott has created something unique."

The Dog Stars follows a young pilot named Hig (Jacob Elordi), who, alongside military survivalist Bangley (Josh Brolin), lives in an isolated homestead safe from the post-apocalyptic world outside. However, when he hears a mysterious radio transmission, Hig ventures into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exists. The movie also stars Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce.

The new film marks Scott's first project since his 2024 action sequel Gladiator 2. The Dog Stars is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Peter Heller, and is written by The Revenant's co-screenwriter Mark L. Smith.

The Dog Stars hits cinemas on August 26. For more, keep up with new movies on the way.

A new trailer has arrived for Dune 3... and subsequently crashed the AMC and Cineplex apps within a matter of minutes.

The brief clip, which can be viewed below, sees Florence Pugh's Princess Irulan Corrino ask what lies ahead. The answer? "The end." As Paul succumbs to the darkness, absolutely everything is at stake. And then all of that stunning drama ends with an announcement for a special ticket sale for IMAX and premium large format screenings exclusively for Dune Insiders (which is a free mailing list of sorts that you sign up for via email). You might recall that Dune IMAX screenings sold out all the way back in April for the general public. In the hours following the announcement, however, lines have wrapped around the block at various AMCs around the country, the AMC and Cineplex apps crashed, and many people have been left without tickets.

"People are currently lining up outside of the Lincoln Square AMC for Dune tickets... the line is literally wrapped around the corner and tickets don’t even go on sale for another two hours," one person wrote.

"My experience trying to get Dune 3 IMAX tickets so far: my ticket got stolen out of my cart; an early showing fully sold out in 8 minutes; multiple apps are tweaking; up to a 60+ minute queue; tried to buy an IMAX 70mm ticket on AMC and got banned from that page," one fan lamented.

Dune 3 arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026, the same day as Avengers: Doomsday. For your sake, I hope you already have your tickets.

For more, check out our guides to all the upcoming movies you need to know about.

Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni appears to have crushed any remaining hope for the Adam Driver-led movie Hunt for Ben Solo.

During a Variety interview at D23, Filoni was asked about the scrapped Star Wars project. He responded that it wasn't happening "right now", before offering a curious gesture involving a Jedi mind trick.

Unfortunately for those clinging to the unlikely comeback story, Filoni was far more definitive in a later chat with Deadline.

“It’s not here; you won’t find it here. The Force is not with us in that regard," Filoni said. "I love the love you feel for it."

The Hunt for Ben Solo has become a white whale for Star Wars fans in a galaxy far, far away – but it seems to be dead in the water after Disney's previous rejection.

Last year, Adam Driver suddenly revealed details of the top-secret production, which would have been directed by Steven Soderbergh.

“We took it to [then-Disney CEO] Bob Iger and [Disney Entertainment chairman] Alan Bergman and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that," Driver told AP News.

In a statement, Soderbergh said, "I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it."

Next up for Driver is a villainous franchise role of a very different kind – as Mister Sinister in Marvel's new X-Men movie. Driver recorded a video message for fans at D23 as the cast was unveiled.

Over on the Star Wars side, a Starfighter teaser was shown behind closed doors. Luckily for you, we were there and have an exclusive description.

For more, check out all the latest news on the upcoming Star Wars movies and upcoming Marvel movies in the works.

At D23, Star Wars: Starfighter finally revealed a first look at the Ryan Gosling-starring movie. The catch: it's not going to appear online anytime soon, and was only for people in the room. However, we were on the ground and can bring you an exclusive description.

The teaser footage starts with Flynn Gray's as-yet-unnamed young character throwing the cover off a starfighter. Gosling, whose character was confirmed as Kade Auberon, tells him not to touch, it's a decommissioned Imperial model and the fastest ever built. Kade says there's a reason Gray's character has never heard of such a vessel, despite it's capabilities. Quick flashes of action, include flying/gliding across water, turning an ignition and, of course, plenty of flying.

Starfighter, directed by Deadpool and Wolverine's Shawn Levy, stars Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, and Aaron Pierre. It is the first Lucasfilm movie to take us beyond The Rise of Skywalker on the Star Wars timeline.

"In a rebuilding galaxy, a solitary pilot becomes entangled in a crucial mission as new threats emerge. Their journey may alter the future of the Force itself," reads the synopsis.

"It is different in that it is an all-new non-sequel, non-prequel adventure," Levy has said previously of the film. "It's new characters, it's a new timeline. It inherits legacy themes, but it's really trying to give Star Wars [fans] – and just movie audiences – something fresh, something new. And with a spirit of play and big-hearted adventure with moments of real levity that, frankly, A New Hope had in a revolutionary way."

Starfighter arrives May 28, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else that's in the works.

You can keep up on more announcements and reveals with our D23 liveblog.

Marvel Studios will be appearing at D23 as part of the company's major panel today. But when exactly is it?

It feels like only yesterday that Kevin Feige headed to San Diego Comic-Con 2026 for a host of big announcements, but Marvel still has more up its sleeves. They'll appear in the Disney Entertainment Showcase, which takes place at the annual convention for the House of Mouse, D23.

This is set to be a bumper event featuring the latest from Marvel, as well as announcements from Star Wars and Lucasfilm, Pixar, and other upcoming Disney projects. Happening live from Anaheim in California, we're expecting some big news covering everything from Ahsoka season 2 to VisionQuest.

So when does it all kick off and how can you keep up with the latest news? We've compiled a guide below for everything you need to know about the D23 Marvel panel below. And if that wasn't enough, check out our guides to all the upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Star Wars movies for what might be in store.

When is the D23 Marvel Panel?

The D23 Marvel Panel forms part of the Disney Entertainment Showcase. This kicks off on Friday, August 14th at 7pm PT. It runs for two hours, concluding at 9pm PT.

If you're watching on the East Coast, this means it starts at 10pm EDT. In the UK, this means you'll have to tune it on Saturday, August 15 at 3am BST.

Disney don't release the exact running order for their panel so if you're hoping to tune in for only the Marvel Studios announcements, it might be a bit tricky to navigate. They'll probably only have around 20-30 minutes of the allotted time too, which could come at any point during the timeframe.

How to watch D23

Unfortunately, the Disney Entertainment Showcase is not streamed live. This means that you won't be able to watch along as it happens. Some panels are streamed during D23, but this is not one of them.

This means that if you want to follow along with all the news and announcements, then you'll need to keep an eye on our live-blog as well as Total Film's Twitter for live updates.

What will be announced at D23?

We're not yet sure what will be announced at D23 but some early details in the convention hall have given us a bit of an idea. The Ahsoka season 2 costumes have been on display so we'd hedge our bets that a trailer might be imminent for the Star Wars show.

VisionQuest also has an installation, featuring an intriguing tease about a new character. We're yet to have a trailer from the show, despite it arriving in just a few months. D23 might be the perfect time for that.

Other potential announcements could come around the upcoming X-Men movie. The project was largely absent from Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con panel and there have been some casting rumors circling.

Other upcoming projects sure to get a mention include Star Wars: Starfighter and Avengers: Doomsday.

In terms of other Disney news, there are rumors that a new Pixar movie will be announced and we expect to hear some details from the upcoming Frozen 3.

Check out our guide to all the new Disney movies coming in 2026 and beyond.

At a time where Star Wars desperately needs a cinematic win, IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond has heaped praise on the upcoming Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter.

"I've been on set of [Star Wars: Starfighter] and that's a throwback to the Harrison Ford kind of Star Wars," Gelfond said on The Town with Matt Belloni.

When Belloni replied that The Mandalorian and Grogu tanking doesn't help their case, Gelfond said, "I'm on a limb on this one. I'll tell you, take it to the bank… I think it's going to be good."

Right now, Star Wars is on shaky theatrical ground. We're seven years removed from The Rise of Skywalker and the bad taste it left in the mouths of audiences still lingers. The Mandalorian and Grogu was also a notable box office flop, even though Disney felt it was a success in other areas.

Precious little is known about Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy. A new synopsis reads, "In a rebuilding galaxy, a solitary pilot becomes entangled in a crucial mission as new threats emerge. Their journey may alter the future of the Force itself."

Thrillingly, Tom Cruise also arrived on the set of Starfighter – and even helped direct an action scene. If Mr. Movies is onboard, that already feels like a good omen.

Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, and Aaron Pierre, is released in cinemas on May 28, 2027.

For more, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.

Ever since the first trailer for The End of Oak Street hit the internet, fans have been theorising that the movie is connected to producer J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield trilogy, but the filmmaker has now put that rumor to bed.

"The only connection to our Cloverfield movies is that Ewan’s partner is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was the star of 10 Cloverfield Lane, who we were very lucky to get to work with and who I adore," said Abrams to The Hollywood Reporter. "So there was that, but other than that, people are just making connections that they happen to see."

Directed by David Robert Mitchell, The End of Oak Street stars Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway as a married couple who wake up one day to find that their whole neighbourhood has been transported to prehistoric times. The Cloverfield franchise deals with alien invasion, but fans saw links between the two movies due to The End of Oak Street originally being titled Flowervale Street, and McGregor and Hathaway's characters sharing the same surname as Hud Platt from the original Cloverfield.

Plus, the third movie, The Cloverfield Paradox, includes news segments reporting that whole city blocks went missing due to tears in space and time caused by a new dangerous device. Oh, and Collider even found that the real Oak Street in Santa Monica, California, ends at Clover Park, right by where Abrams' production company Bad Robot is located. There were just too many coincidences for fans to ignore.

Alas, it sounds like the two universes are not connected after all. However, that might be a good thing, as we have had our fill of alien projects over the past few years. It is time for dinosaurs to shine, and first reactions to The End of Oak Street are already calling it the best dino movie since Jurassic Park. Abrams adds that the Jurassic theme is what pulled him in. "To have dinosaurs in our world, there was a juxtaposition that was so immediately exciting," said Abrams.

The End of Oak Street is released in cinemas on August 14. For more, keep up with new horror movies and upcoming movies on the way in 2026 and beyond.

After appearing in the trilogy of Star Wars prequels, Natalie Portman says "no director" wanted to work with her.

Quotes from a 2014 piece in New York Magazine have recently resurfaced thanks to Far Out Magazine. There, Portman recalled the fallout from playing Padme Amidala in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.

"Everyone thought I was a horrible actress," Portman said. "I was in the biggest-grossing movie of the decade, and no director wanted to work with me."

The Phantom Menace grossed over $1 billion dollars upon its release, but Episode One, and the subsequent movies in the trilogy, were widely panned by critics – and used as shorthand for unnecessary prequels thanks to its melodramatic twists, middling CGI, and move away from what made the original Star Wars trilogy so popular.

A separate 2008 interview in The Independent also saw Portman recall a negative backlash to her stint in the Star Wars prequels, but had a measured approach to her performances.

"With almost every performance, I feel like I've failed on some level," Portman said at the time. "But I also think it's very human to feel that when you mess up, you get more out of it than when you succeed."

Thankfully, Portman soon turned her career around with acclaimed performances in 2003's Cold Mountain and 2004's Closer, the latter of which netted her a Golden Globe win and Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

The 2010s proved more of a success for Portman, with the actor winning Best Actress for Black Swan. She even dipped back into franchise waters as Jane Foster in Thor and Thor: The Dark World, before reprising the role for a (seemingly) final time in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Portman is next appearing in Good Sex, the Lena Dunham-directed romcom, alongside Mark Ruffalo.

For more, check out the rest of 2026's biggest movie release dates.

These days, it's easy to look at a movie's box office number and declare it a success or, in the case of both live-action remake Moana and Star Wars feature The Mandalorian and Grogu, a dismal failure.

New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro clearly doesn't subscribe to such binary thinking, declaring on the company's earnings call (via Variety), "Even when our franchise films don’t meet our box office expectations, as with The Mandalorian and Grogu and the live-action Moana, our investments in these core properties fuel other parts of our company."

Disney CFO Hugh Johnston added, "Theatrical performance is important to us, of course, and we certainly aspire to deliver consistent financial results for our films. But the nature of the film industry is such that it is more of a portfolio game. The good news for us is our diversified business helps us basically cover the volatility that comes out of the film business."

As the pair of Disney leaders allude to, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Moana aren't film-only concerns. There is, of course, immense value in adding them to streaming on Disney Plus. That's without factoring in merchandise and synergy with Disney's theme park and cruise ship businesses.

Released on May 22, The Mandalorian and Grogu marked the next chapter in Din Djarin's journey in a galaxy far, far away after three seasons on Disney's streaming success.

Unfortunately, a low-stakes plot and general disinterest in the series led to disappointing takings at the box office, with the Star Wars movie only grossing $345 million – a record low for a live-action film in the franchise.

The Moana remake fared less well when stacked up against the gold rush of Disney live-action movies in recent years.

It's currently only just made more than its $250 million budget, a stark contrast to last year's Lilo and Stitch remake ($1.03 billion). It's not a disaster Disney is sweeping under the carpet, but it's certainly one the House of Mouse is taking positives from.

For more, check out the new Disney movies in the works, plus all the movie release dates we still have to look forward to in 2026.

Legendary director James Cameron is thinking about what the rest of his career looks like, which may or may not involve the next two Avatar movies.

After receiving the Canadian Governor General’s Prize, Cameron told GG Awards what's next for him. "There's been momentum in the Avatar universe for 21 years at this point because we started in 2005. It's been kind of an unbroken continuum," said Cameron. "So this is the point where I'm looking at the landscape and asking, 'What are the other stories I want to tell? How many of them do I need to direct myself versus writing and/or producing with other filmmakers?'"

It sounds like Cameron's future may not include Avatar at all, as the director shared that "over the last two weeks" he has "literally mapped out" what his last act of filmmaking looks like. "I started with, 'What will do the most good?' I put that in block letters at the top," added Cameron. "And I started looking at all the projects I'm most fond of, asking, 'How's this going to improve our condition? How's that going to make the world better for our kids?'"

This is a complete 180 from Cameron's comments just two years ago. Following reports in 2024 that Cameron might not direct the next two Avatar movies, the director told The Hollywood Reporter, "They're going to have to stop me. I've got plenty of energy, I love doing what I'm doing," adding that the only way "somebody else is going to do it" is if "I get hit by a bus and I'm in an iron lung."

However, that was before Avatar: Fire and Ash had hit screens. As we know, Avatar movies take a very long time to make, and as Hollywood studios continue to cut budgets, movies like Avatar may fade out. In May, Cameron told Empire that Avatar movies are "simply too massive, too expensive, and too time-consuming to keep making the same way." Avatar 4 officially entered production in 2022. However, despite targeting a 2029 release, the fourquel is still very much "floating," according to Cameron.

But we might not have to worry right away, as Cameron assured GG Awards, "I haven't made any decisions yet. I'm still in this liminal state of mapping out, you know, kind of the last act. And I don't know if that last act will last a year or 20 years."

For more, check out our guide to upcoming movies and keep up with 2026 movie release dates.

Given that Star Wars has been around for almost 50 years now, you’d be forgiven for being a little off in remembering certain portions of the beloved franchise. That’s the very issue one fan highlighted on Reddit, which sparked plenty more replies about revealing sequences that didn't play out like they originally imagined.

"What's one of those things that you swear you remember happening in the movies that isn't actually from the movies at all?" wrote the fan, with plenty coming back with their own rather odd encounters with the Star Wars saga.

One moment was an obvious one, given that the whole world had seemingly been hit with the Mandela Effect when it came to The Empire Strikes Back. "There isn't one I can’t think of for myself, but 'Luke, I am your father' is probably the most famous historical example of this," wrote the fan, referring to the sequel's big reveal, which is often misquoted. It's "No. I am your father."

Another fan chimed in, saying that they misremembered the outcome of Luke's test. "When I was a lad I didn't understand that Luke's face was in Vader's mask in the Dagobah vision scene. I thought that was Vader." One fan also added the double-take that had lasted decades: that C-3PO was all gold, when in fact he had a silver leg instead of a matching pair. Clearly something we overlooked, what with being near-sighted scrap piles and everything.

Admittedly, given that there are various versions of the movies up to this point, we'd understand how some scenes are a little sketchy in the old memory banks.

For our list of favorite Star Wars moments, head on over here and see which one of yours makes the cut.

Acclaimed sci-fi director Neill Blomkamp has shared his work on an AI film. The director behind District 9, Elysium, and Gran Turismo posted a 14-minute-long short film that he made entirely with artificial intelligence on YouTube, which is a mash-up between a military movie and a zombie thriller.

Entitled 'Nightbourne', it features 32 AI characters, based on real actors, and tells the story of a helicopter pilot shot down and killed in action. However, it seems the army is actually building zombies to make super soldiers. It's a cool idea in theory, but it seems no one is happy with the execution or the fact that Blomkamp has used AI software Seedance 2.0 to make it.

"Wow Neill thank you for showing us that even in the hands of an established director AI slop looks indistinguishable from everyone else's AI slop," replied one on Twitter. "Holy fuck this somehow looks even worse than you can possibly imagine lmao," another simply replied as a third wrote: "Waited 17 years for District 10, and now this? Come on, man."

Others have been pointing out some of the inconsistencies in the film. Posting on YouTube, several viewers spotted inconsistencies with things like the injury placement, seeming duplication of AI actors, and strange reactions that feel "uncanny". Not only this, but there are some pretty strange line-readings and even moving buildings in the backgrounds of shots.

It doesn't seem like any of this will be stopping Blomkamp, though, as he also announced his plans to make a fully AI feature-length film. He has also founded a studio purely for AI called Barley Studios.

Blomkamp's film isn't the only AI movie knocking around. Recently, it was announced that another studio is remaking The Odyssey too, but they already admit it won't be at the same level as Christopher Nolan's epic.

For more movies out in 2026, check out our guides to upcoming movies and movie release dates you need to know about.

Following a muted non-annoucement and an unspecified delay, the director's cut of the maligned 2008 standalone movie The X Files: I Want to Believe now has an official streaming date on Hulu and Disney Plus, and a bizarre new title along with it.

As announced by the big D (h/t Gizmodo), the "never-before-seen R-rated Chris Carter Director’s Cut" of The X Files: I Want to Believe will stream from August 14 on Hulu or Disney Plus, depending on which part of the world you live in and which bundle you may or may not have. Set to "faithfully restore the filmmaker’s original vision," the standalone X-Files movie has also been re-monikered with a strange new title: The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn.

That new title – a clear reference to Victor Frankenstein in Russian – isn't totally out of left field. If you watched I Want to Believe, you may recall it doesn't involve aliens at all, but is instead about the grisly theft of organs, which are used to keep one particular character alive, Frankenstein-style. There's also some ill-advised backstory involving abusive priests. With any luck, Carter has cut that stuff.

Carter revealed the existence of the director's cut on X-Files star David Duchovny's podcast last year, with Carter explaining it was an opportunity to "make the scary movie that I always intended." The original cut was widely panned and is sitting at just 32% on Rotten Tomatoes.

As for The X-Files, after two uninspiring sequel seasons featuring Mulder and Scully, the show is currently being rebooted by Sinners director Ryan Coogler. Filming on the pilot episode recently wrapped, starring The Odyssey's Himesh Patel and Station Eleven co-star Danielle Deadwyler. There's currently no official release date.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn streams on Hulu and Disney Plus from August 14. For more, dive into our list of upcoming horror movies, or the best movies on Hulu right now.

Star Wars creator George Lucas is the latest prominent voice to come out in support of AI in the creative arts, comparing its rise to that of the invention of the automobile.

Lucas's full-throated embrace of AI despite its inherent ethical and environmental risks – not to mention Yoda's outspoken skepticism of paths that are quicker, easier, and more seductive – is disheartening, but the Star Wars visionary says there's no point in resisting. It's "the future," in his words.

"Artificial intelligence means it's much easier for us to make movies," he tells A Rabbit's Foot. "It's very much like sitting here saying, 'Well, I believe the horse and the buggy is really where it's at. These cars, they break down, they need gas, there's all kinds of problems with them and pretty soon they'll be making them into tanks, and then they'll be killing people. It's terrible.' There's nothing you can do about it."

The car analogy is one of the most common rationalizations for AI complacency in the ongoing debate about the technology's role in various mediums, an inevitability one would be wise to adapt to or risk being left behind. But most analysts still see the worst implications of AI as far from inevitable, which is why in the video game industry many prominent developers refuse to use it at all. Meanwhile, other filmmaking auteurs are outright rejecting AI in movies, like The Odyssey director Christopher Nolan, who just recently praised Gen Z for its "rapid wholesale dismissal of a supposedly foundational jump in technology."

Lucas acknowledges that AI has its risks, but argues that it's smart enough to self-correct. "If you want AI that tells you when something is fake and where it came from, AI can do that," he says. "Humans can't, we're not that smart. The whole idea is you're a human being, you're responsible for what you say and what you do, and if you're doing something that's illegal you should be punished for that. Whatever you do, you should be recognised. It's just like real life."

Of course, Lucas is one of the most prolific, enduring, and beloved filmmakers of his generation, known for pushing technological boundaries and revolutionizing the film industry's approach to visual effects. If anyone's allowed a bullish take on an emerging technology, it's him, even if film buffs and creatives alike are grimacing at the implications.

Star Wars creator George Lucas says film studios nowadays care more about "what the fans think" rather than trusting filmmakers

Star Wars creator George Lucas has been around long enough to see the film industry change and shift into what it is today, and feels thta studios nowadays care more about the audience's opinion than the filmmaker's original vision.

“I don’t like focus groups,” said Lucas in an interview with A Rabbit's Foot. "The audience doesn’t know what they want to see. If they don’t like a character, that’s interesting, and as a filmmaker I want to find out why. But when the studios hear that, they take the wrong message."

The legendary director added, "They let the audience actually make the movie. Of course, now they go crazy with that. Now, it’s all about what the fans think. That isn’t how you make the movie. You make a movie by finding someone that knows how to make movies, that has a story to tell and is passionate about it.”

But in an industry run by box office sales and Rotten Tomatoes scores, Lucas still values the artistry in filmmaking. "You go to the movies because the stories move you emotionally,” he said. “Art is an emotional medium.” Lucas thought back to the criticism he received when he was making the first Star Wars trilogy in the late '70s, and if he had listened, we wouldn't have some of the most beloved characters in the galaxy far, far away.

"The critics and the fans who were 10 years old when they saw the first one and 13 when they saw the second one complained that they didn’t want to see a children’s film," recalled Lucas. "Oh, that’s terrible. Jar Jar Binks is terrible!... Everyone said the same thing about R2-D2 and C-3PO. At the beginning, there was a huge push for me to get rid of C-3PO, and then in the third one [Return of the Jedi], people said the same thing about Ewoks."

However, despite admitting "I’m a stubborn man," Lucas will take criticism from his lifelong friends who just so happen to be celebrated filmmakers in their own right. "I had a group of friends I went to school with: Marty Scorsese, Francis [Ford Coppola], Steven [Spielberg]. We were all students at the same time, and we all know each other really well," said Lucas. "When I show them a movie and they make comments, I know where they’re coming from."

For more, keep up with movie release dates and new movies heading your way.

The End of Oak Street director David Robert Mitchell isn't confirming or denying whether the upcoming sci-fi pic is part of the J.J. Abrams-produced Cloverfield franchise.

"Here’s what I can tell you. I wrote the script before I ever personally talked with J.J. You can make of that whatever you will," Mitchell told SFX Magazine. As for whether the film explains how the neighborhood ended up in whatever dinosaur-infested universe it's currently in, Mitchell says that “there are certainly some answers in there."

"Don't want to over-explain," he continued. "And I think it's a subjective thing as to whether or not someone has enough, but I believe that's the case."

The new movie, written and directed by Mitchell, sees a "mysterious cosmic event" transport Oak Street to an unknown location that's rife with dinosaurs, and the Platt family quickly realizes that the only way they can survive is by sticking together.

Now, there isn't a lot of evidence that points to Oak Street intersecting with, say, Cloverfield Lane in the upcoming film, but the whole different universes and creatures thing and the flash of light in the beginning of the trailer, and the fact that the movie was initially called Flowervale Street (clovers, flowers...), and the whole J.J. Abrams producing thing... I say, at minimum, there's a connection. But only time will tell.

The End of Oak Street arrives in theaters on August 14. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the rest of this year's biggest movie release dates.

A new trailer has arrived for Dune 3 and alongside it Timothée Chalamet and Denis Villeneuve sat down for a fan Q&A. During the conversation, Paul Atreides star Chalamet reflected on his experience filming the trilogy and how it feels to be letting it go.

"This was the most emotive, on a personal level," Chalamet said of the upcoming third film, per Gold Derby. "Not necessarily the character, but I've been living with this for so long. I'm so proud to live with it. I'm so proud to work with Denis and this family. So I felt there was a finality in the exercise that I was kind of nostalgic about living the moment, even though I was 29 when we shot this. I still felt like I was losing a part of me by getting through it."

He went on to add: "It felt like there was finality in it. And it was just moving. I felt melancholic to be moving on from this incredible family, incredible crew. And I just couldn't believe how quickly the experience came and went."

At the same event Villeneuve also teased Chalamet's performance. "I'm really looking for you all to see what Timothée did in this film," he said. "It's really impressive. It's like in the first movie he's like, you have a boy discovering a planet, second one someone becoming an adult and now he creates something very special. I was very impressed with Timothée brought to the movie again."

The actor lost out on an Oscar last year for his role in Marty Supreme. Could Dune 3 finally turn the dial for the star? We'll have to wait and see.

Dune 3 arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026, the same day as Avengers: Doomsday. For more, check out our guides to all the upcoming movies you need to know about.

Ahead of its release later this year, a new trailer has been released for Dune 3. The latest look sees Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides at war with Zendaya's Chani in the brutal return to a much-changed Arrakis.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, Chani confronts Paul for taking power after he promised her that he never would, and his shaved head and eerie new demeanor signify a major change to our once-hero. Now, the rest of the universe is ready to go to war with Paul in order to obtain peace – and yes, there's a sandworm.

Alongside Zendaya and Chalamet, the new movie brings back several major cast members including Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem. Jason Momoa is also returning to the fantasy world as a clone of the deceased character Duncan Idaho. Robert Pattinson joins the cast while Anya Taylor-Joy plays a larger role, following on from her cameo in Dune 2.

The third movie is based on the Dune sequel, Dune Messiah, which was released in 1969 from author Frank Herbert. It also marks the conclusion to Villeneuve's trilogy of movies.

Chalamet spoke earlier this year at CinemaCon about his work across the trilogy, comparing it to one of the greatest franchises of all time. "I've grown up on screen with Denis [on these] three films," he said. "It was just deeply moving to be part of a sci-fi trilogy on the scale of Lord of the Rings, but in a time when movie theaters and movies aren't as naturally successful as they used to be, you know. It's a deep honor."

Dune 3 is set to be released on December 18, 2026, which is the same day as Avengers: Doomsday. For what else is coming this year, read our guide to all of the 2026 movie release dates you need to know about.

One of the stars of Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic The Odyssey thinks the director's mindbender sci-fi Tenet is underrated.

Himesh Patel plays Eurylochus in The Odyssey, but he also played Mahir in Tenet. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Patel shared his assessment of the time-twister.

"Dare I say, I think Tenet is one of his underrated movies," Patel shared. "What I get with Chris is, he doesn't stop with the ambition. He just wants to keep pushing it and keep pushing it, and what's the next thing? What's the next thing we can do to to elevate the cinematic experience to put a marker down in cinematic history, you know?

"I remember the first time I watched Tenet and I didn't know how they were going to achieve all of the inversion and all that sort of stuff. It still does something to me when I watch clips from it, or if it comes up, and I just go, it does something weird to my brain when I'm watching it, more than any sort of CGI will ever do... He seems to understand some sort of alchemy," he added.

It sounds like The Odyssey will be another massively ambitious film, with early reactions saying it's some of Nolan's best work ever.

"It was a really weird movie for me personally in the sense that I had almost a nostalgic feeling the entire time I was making it, because it felt like the movies when I started working. And I know that that’s going away," Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus, has said of the film. "I knew that this was the last chance I was going to have to do something like this."

The Odyssey arrives this July 17. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies of the year to plan your theater trips.

It's time to discuss the Star Wars prequels like it's 1999.

Speaking on the Class Clown podcast (H/T Variety), Peter Serafinowicz – who voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – recalled his displeasure with the experience.

"The design of it… I wasn't that into it," Serafinowicz said of Maul's Dathomir look. "When I saw the film, it was the biggest disappointment of my life at that point. It really was."

Serafinowicz, who was replaced as the voice of Maul by Sam Witwer in future projcets, even revealed how Star Wars creator George Lucas compared him to Darth Vader's voice actor, James Earl Jones. It didn't seem to go down that well.

"Suddenly there I was with George Lucas, and he was like saying, 'Well, Peter, you're the new James Earl Jones,' and I was like, 'Fucking hell, am I? Then why are you paying me such shit money, George?'"

Whatever Serafinowicz's opinion, it can't be doubted that Darth Maul emerged from the prequels as one of its most iconic aspects. The twin-blade lightsaber-wielding Sith went on to play a key role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars before starring in his own Disney Plus animated series, Maul – Shadow Lord.

Recently, fellow Star Wars villain actor Ian McDiarmid has revealed that Lucas once had plans for a Palpatine TV show, seemingly charting his life from Chancellor to Emperor. But that's not a story Disney will tell you.

For more from a galaxy far, far away, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.

The Mandalorian and Grogu star Brendan Wayne has defended the movie's box office performance – and also hinted at Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni's grander plan.

Wayne is one of the Din Djarin suit performers and has played Mando since season 1 of the Disney Plus show.

Speaking to Brandon Davis, Wayne was asked what makes Filoni the right man for the top Lucasfilm job. As part of his answer, Wayne explained: "Dave's understanding of like, 'Hey, we're going to tell a story, and we're going to tell it over, three movies, or this next episode, this next season of Ahsoka.' He understands that it's not all about, did we open well against Solo, or whatever it was? We were amazing because we didn't have the budget of those movies, and we still did something."

The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted to a $165 million opening weekend on a budget of a matching $165 million, and its total global gross now stands at $297 million. While it has made almost double its production budget, it is the lowest grossing Star Wars movie ever, behind Solo's $392.9 million.

What's especially intriguing about Wayne's answer, though, is the concept of telling a story over three movies and the next season of Ahsoka. Whether Wayne is just speaking hypothetically, or whether there really is a plan for more movies, remains to be seen…

What is clear, though, is that Ahsoka season 2 is going to have huge ramifications for the galaxy far, far away.

"Anybody who saw the sequels knows that there's a First Order coming in, like, 20 years from where we are now in the storyline," Jon Favreau has previously teased. "And then Ahsoka season 2 is coming out – which I've seen all of – and that's definitely more dealing with the larger [picture], a higher level. That's about the officers and we're the enlisted men – this is more of a ground-level experience of what's going on. You're seeing the backdrop – which, by the way, is what the first Star Wars started off as."

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

Mad Max director George Miller is reportedly shopping a final Mad Max movie and TV show around Hollywood, before he plans to sell the beloved post-apocalyptic franchise off to the highest bidder, according to a new report.

The news arrives via Puck, which claims that the 81-year-old maestro of mayhem has been meeting major studios around Hollywood after Warner Bros – Mad Max's traditional home – turned down the opportunity to make both the movie and the show. Universal, Amazon and Sony are reported to be among the interested parties.

This isn't a huge surprise. While true that Warner Bros. has distributed all five Mad Max movies over the last 40+ years, 2024's Fury Road prequel Furiosa was something of a flop, earning just $174 million on a $168 million budget, meaning the studio Warner Bros likely lost over $100 million on the movie. This despite overwhelmingly positive reviews – back in 2024 our Furiosa review awarded the movie 4 stars, while it currently sits on 90% over at Rotten Tomatoes.

It's a safe bet that any 'final' Mad Max movie would be centered on Max Rockatansky, though the idea that Tom Hardy would reprise Max after the rocky production of Fury Road seems unlikely. A script, called The Wasteland, was written in conjunction with Fury Road and Furiosa, and is presumably the film Miller now hopes to make.

A Mad Max TV show has long been mooted. Miller even considered making a TV show set in the Wasteland during the decade-long development process of Fury Road, before he turned his attention to that modern action classic.

But it certainly sounds like Miller has an ambitious plan for his Mad Max swan song if reports are true. Miller, famously, owns the rights to Mad Max and clearly wants to put the pedal to the metal one final time before handing the beloved series over to a new custodian.

The future of Mad Max is uncertain, but you can read about all the movies hitting screens in the near future with our list of upcoming movies.

Jon Favreau says The Phantom Menace inspired a tiny detail in The Mandalorian and Grogu.

In the in-theater director commentary, Favreau revealed that the red laser barriers in the stadium where Din Djarin is forced to fight Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) were inspired by the Duel of the Fates sequence in The Phantom Menace (H/T Laughing Place). Remember those laser gates on Naboo in the infamous fight scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi faces off against Darth Maul? It's a subtle reference, but a cool one nonetheless.

Favreau also revealed that the video game Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order was used as a reference for what the inside of an All Terrain Armored Transport, aka an AT-AT walker, looks like. The worlds depicted in various Star Wars graphic novels also helped the art team figure out what the planet of Nal Hutta should look like.

The director commentary is available in over 6,000 US theaters via the TheaterEars app, and is currently only available in the United States. The commentary itself, and more, will likely arrive with the later streaming and VOD release of the film. As the movie is still in theaters, we likely have quite a while to wait before that happens.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get caught up on the galaxy far, far away.