Star Wars Bits: The Book Of Boba Fett, Star Wars: Visions, War Of The Bounty Hunters, Secrets Of The Sith, And More!

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

In an interview with Express, New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison, known for playing Jango Fett in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, casually confirmed that several directors from The Mandalorian would be helming episodes for The Book of Boba Fett.

"We've got some great directors onboard," said Morrison. "Robert Rodriguez, [Jon] Favreau, Bryce [Dallas Howard], and Dave Filoni."

The Book of Boba Fett, considered the next chapter of The Mandalorian saga, will premiere on Disney+ in December.

In a panel at Anime Expo Lite, Lucasfilm provided a "Special Look" at its upcoming anime-inspired anthology series, Star Wars: Visions. Hosted by Chastity Vicencio and featuring producer Kanako Shirasaki and executive producers James Waugh, Josh Rimes, Jacqui Lopez, and Justin Leach, the panel showcased concept art, revealed the studios and creators behind the project, and offered a few scintillating plot details.

StarWars.com has an excellent article highlighting 20 things we learned from the Star Wars: Visions panel, so I highly recommend checking that out. For me, one of the coolest and most exciting things about this upcoming series is that the storytelling doesn't have to fit into the established timeline:

"In developing the series, Lucasfilm made the decision to let creators tell the stories they wanted to tell — whether they featured established or original characters — without a need to tie into the larger chronology. "We really wanted to give these creators a wide creative berth to explore all the imaginative potential of the Star Wars galaxy through the unique lens of anime," James Waugh said. "We realized we wanted these to be as authentic as possible to the studios and creators who are making them, made through their unique process, in a medium they're such experts at. So the idea was, this is their vision riffing off all the elements of the Star Wars galaxy that inspired them — hopefully to make a really incredible anthology series, unlike anything we've seen before in the Star Wars galaxy."

Star Wars: Visions will arrive on September 22 on Disney+. Check out a special preview above!

Speaking of Visions, Kamikaze Douga's The Duel, helmed by director Takanobu Mizuno, focuses on Jedi and Sith, but with an alternate history pulled from Japanese lore — and it has become the inspiration for Star Wars: Ronin: A Visions Novel. Written by Emma Mieko Candon, the novel will expand on the world of The Duel, telling the story of a former, unnamed Sith — known only as Ronin  — as he travels the galaxy.

"Far on the edge of the Outer Rim, one former Sith wanders, accompanied only by a faithful droid and the ghost of a less civilized age. He carries a lightsaber, but claims lineage to no Jedi clan, and pledges allegiance to no lord. Little is known about him, including his name, for he never speaks of his past, nor his regrets. His history is as guarded as the red blade of destruction he carries sheathed at his side. As the galaxy's perpetual cycle of violence continues to interrupt his self-imposed exile, and he is forced to duel an enigmatic bandit claiming the title of Sith, it becomes clear that no amount of wandering will ever let him outpace the specters of his former life."

Star Wars: Ronin: A Visions Novel arrives October 12 and is available for pre-order now.

StarWars.com has an exclusive preview of Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters #2, in which Bossk and Boba Fett battle it out on the planet Jekara en route to an elite underworld auction. If you're unfamiliar with Marvel's epic crossover event, it centers around Boba Fett's journey to bring Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt following the events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. If you haven't dug into the comic event yet, Fantha Tracks has an excellent War of the Bounty Hunters reading guide to help you get started.War of the Bounty Hunters #2, from writer Charles Soule and artist Luke Ross, with a cover by Steve McNiven, is available for pre-order now on Comixology and arrives on digital and at your local comic shop on July 14.

Insight Editions will unleash Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith — written in the voice of Emperor Palpatine himself — on October 5. Described as "an exploration and celebration of all things dark side," the book will feature Palpatine's wisdom regarding Force powers, Sith warriors, and more, with gorgeous art by Sergio Gómez Silván.

StarWars.com caught up with author Marc Sumerak and Silván, also the talents behind Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi, for an exclusive interview about the upcoming book. Here's a taste:

"I think fans will revel in the chance to get inside of the Emperor's mind and to explore his generation-spanning master plan from his perspective. He may have been twisted by the dark side, both physically and mentally, but there's no denying that he planned for every eventuality. Well...almost every one."

Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith is available for pre-order now.

BioWare recently announced that it's celebrating the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Old Republic with Legacy of the Sith, a major expansion that continues the game's storyline, sending players on a campaign to secure the aquatic planet Manaan for their faction as they uncover the ultimate plan of Darth Malgus. Per BioWare:

"The expansion also introduces redesigned combat styles, a new feature that blends class abilities and an array of quality-of-life upgrades. Combat styles will allow players to independently choose a specific class story and combine it with ability sets from other related tech or Force-wielding classes. New and old players alike can look forward to revamped character-creation system, featuring greater customization than ever before. And several game elements have been overhauled, including global rebalancing of gameplay and enemy encounters, updates to itemization, and character loadouts."

Look for Legacy of the Sith this holiday season on PC via SWTOR.com and Steam,

The TIE Fighter: Total Conversion project brings the 1994 LucasArts game TIE Fighter into a more modern era. Built upon the X-Wing Alliance (1999) upgrade mod, which radically overhauls the game engine TIE Fighter: Total Conversion includes all 13 original battle campaigns, cutscenes, voiceovers with a remastered soundtrack as well as a "reimagined" campaign with 37 missions. Here's the full release trailer:

If you want to try it out, you'll need a copy of both X-Wing Alliance and the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade Project mod, which you can purchase through GoG or Steam.

Created by Barnaby Martin, Listening In is a series of video essays on classical music, film music, and music in art and literature. Check out their 22-minute video about the genius of John Williams below, which analyzes one theme from each trilogy: "Duel of the Fates" from the Prequel Trilogy, "Princess Leia's Theme" from the Original Trilogy, and 'The Battle of Crait' from the Sequel Trilogy.

On The Walt Disney Family Museum's Happily Ever After Hours, Lucasfilm Vice President and Executive Creative Director Doug Chiang discusses his amazing career, from stop-motion animating on Pee-wee's Playhouse to becoming Head of Lucasfilm's Art Department on Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and serving as Production Designer on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Mandalorian.

And that's it for this edition of Star Wars Bits! If you have something cool from the Star Wars universe that should be included in this column, reach out on Twitter!