Star Wars Bits: The Chinese Title For 'Solo,' Poe Dameron Becomes A Meme, And Rian Johnson Gets Starstruck
In this edition of Star Wars Bits:
First up, here's some very cool art by Adam Schickling, who remade Drew Struzan's classic poster for the special edition re-release of A New Hope using the cast of the new trilogy. You can find more of his work on Instagram at @adamschicklingillustration.
Everyone has opinions about The Last Jedi, which has garnered the clickbait-worthy title of "most divisive" Star Wars movie. Even the directors of Avengers: Infinity War have gotten in on the action. During an episode of MTV's Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Comicbook.com), they revealed they're huge fans of Johnson, and thought his take was "exciting." The pair also denied rumors that they'd been asked to direct Episode IX, stating that the Avengers were taking up all of their time right now...but they'd love to direct a Star Wars movie at some point in the future.
During a chat with Kevin Smith and IMDB at Sundance, Domhnall Gleeson appeared to take credit for one of The Last Jedi's defining moments. Though the actor seemed like he created the tense stand-off between Kylo and Hux in Snoke's throne room, he has since clarified that it was actually all writer/director Rian Johnson with a little collaboration.
Another of Kevin Smith's little chats saw director Reed Morano, Elle Fanning, and Peter Dinklage sit down to talk about their new movie I Think We're Alone Now and get on the topic of Star Wars. After all, there have been rumors that Morano might be the next director to take on the classic franchise. Though she denied that's the case, we did learn that Dinklage is apparently very eager to become a part of the galaxy far, far away. He began an impromptu audition as a droid before stating "I just want a part!"
The death of Han Solo was obviously a monumental moment in Star Wars canon, but some fans felt it wasn't properly addressed in the newest installment. If you're one of those fans, fear not. In a recent interview with The Star Wars Show, Rian Johnson let slip that Han Solo's funeral will be covered in the upcoming novelization of The Last Jedi. So get those tissues ready as the galaxy mourns our fave scruffy looking nerf herder.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) January 26, 2018
It's rare that the director of one of the highest grossing movies on Earth gets starstruck, but that's exactly what happened this week. In a strange confluence of events, Stormy Daniels – the adult filk star who allegedly had a weird affair with Donald Trump – tweeted her hate for The Last Jedi. She professed a rather blunt statement about something rude that Rian Johnson could partake in, to which Johnson replied *starry eyes emoji*.
Looks like Dame Helen Mirren had a horrible realization about the Empire during The Force Awakens, as she revealed during an interview with the LA Times. "There was this lovely young actor [John Boyega] – which means one of the Stormtroopers is a human being. And if he's a human, they're all human. And you have been indiscriminately killing Stormtroopers for the last [six] Star Wars movies without any consideration to their humanity!"
According to local media Mtime, Official Chinese title of Solo: A Star Wars Story is Ranger Solo(游侠索罗). And STAR WARS(星球大战) is abandoned in Solo's local title after Star Wars: The Last Jedi flopped in China. pic.twitter.com/FsOTZcxENW
— Gavin (@gavinincinema) January 26, 2018
We've reported on Star Wars: The Last Jedi's poor performance in China, and it looks like this has had an impact on the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story – the film will undergo a name change. The troubled prequel will be released in China as Ranger Solo, a title that doesn't feature the words "Star" or "Wars."
Captain Phasma became instantly iconic in the lead up-to The Force Awakens, but many fans thought that she was criminally underused. Although she appeared to fall to a grisly doom in The Last Jedi, many have speculated on her possible return, including Christie herself. "In truth, I don't know. And that scares and upsets me because I really want to see this character explored. I'm actually very invested in the character now. And that's genuine. That's not just chat. It has opened up a chain of stories and events in my mind about who Phasma is," Christie explained to The Times.
One of the most beloved parts of Star Wars canon was the Expanded Universe, an often esoteric world filled with a compelling cast. The books, video games, and comics that crafted a universe outside of the movies were sadly de-canonized after the Disney takeover. Slowly but surely, some of the characters we know and love have been returning to the screen, and as Leland Chee of the Lucasfilm story group has hinted, this might just be the beginning of an Expanded Universe resurgence.
Star Wars is known for its creatures, costumes, and character work...and also its cameos. In a recent interview with Graham Norton, Simon Pegg opened up about his role in The Force Awakens as the evil junkyard owner Unkar Plutt. Unsurprisingly, it was very sweaty for Shaun of the Dead under all those prostheses.
Exciting news for Star Wars fans! Lucasfilm is hiring an Episodic Director to oversee their animated properties. The entertainment powerhouse is looking for someone to "creatively oversee future animation development." This is obviously a dream job for a lot of us, so you better apply right now! You can find the listing on Linkedin right here.
As divisive as it may have been, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been confirmed as the highest-rated science fiction movie of the year by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. We loved The Last Jedi, so you won't hear any complaints from us.
Always wanted to wear R2-D2 on your feet? Quite a niche question, we know. But if that's your particular fantasy, make sure you get your hands on these R2-D2 sneakers from Star Wars Addicts. The comfy casual kicks are inspired by the sassy droid and come in black or white soles!
Looks like everyone's favorite pilot is also the first official canon meme in the Star Wars universe! Yup, as revealed by Twitter user kyleauxren, some of Poe's friends made a pretend propaganda poster to mock the heroic hottie, only for it to garner actual interest from prospective new X-Wing pilots!