Washington, United States (AFP) by Paul HANDLEY Forty years after US president Ronald Reagan stunned the nation and world with his “Star Wars” plan to take nuclear competition into outer space, a new battle of the satellites has emerged in the stratosphere. Largely because it far outpaced technology at the time, very little became of Reagan’s March 23, 1983 declaration that the United States would head to space to seek absolute supremacy in the Cold […]
Tag: Star Wars
Disney seeks old magic in return of ex-CEO
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – In a dramatic twist worthy of a “Star Wars” spin-off, Disney ditched CEO Bob Chapek and brought back Bob Iger, Hollywood’s most respected executive, who faces a huge challenge to revive the Magic Kingdom. Iger’s return comes as Disney is trying to negotiate an uncertain era, where investors have lost faith in some of the most storied names in US media as companies bleed cash in the hunt for customers […]
‘Star Wars’ stays aloft to again top N.America box office
Los Angeles, United States (AFP)-“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” stayed on a strong glide path in North American theaters, taking in an estimated $73.6 million for the three-day weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The Disney film, marketed as a grand finale of the nine-film “Skywalker Saga,” has had mixed reviews and was down considerably from last weekend’s lofty $177.4 million opening. But it has compiled a strong domestic total of $364.5 million. It again […]
‘Star Wars’ TV series ‘Mandalorian’ confirmed for season two
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — “The Mandalorian,” the live-action “Star Wars” television series which introduced the world to Baby Yoda, has been confirmed for a second season. Creator Jon Favreau posted the news on Twitter Friday, the same day the first season drew to a close on streaming platform Disney+. “Season 2 of #TheMandalorian coming Fall 2020,” wrote Favreau, along with an image of a troll-like green space alien. While a second installment was […]
Force is still with ‘Star Wars,’ which has a big N.America opening
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The force is clearly still with the galactic good guys, as “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” opened with a massive estimated take of $175.5 million in North America, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The Disney film scored the third biggest December debut ever, behind only the two earlier chapters in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” according to Variety. “Rise of […]
Star Wars fans camp outside LA theater week before film opens
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Star Wars fans with sleeping bags and a portable movie projector have started camping outside Hollywood’s Chinese Theater, more than a week before the blockbuster begins playing. Roughly 20 sci-fi lovers were in place Thursday, seven days before doors swing open for the first preview screening of the much-hyped, saga-concluding “The Rise of Skywalker.” Organizers expect that number to swell to 150 in the coming days, with fans of […]
Disney bets streaming launch on new ‘Star Wars’, past classics
by Andrew MARSZAL LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The star of Disney’s hugely ambitious new Star Wars television series remembers the moment he first stepped into a galaxy far, far away. Pedro Pascal was trying on his character’s helmet for “The Mandalorian” — the mega-budget, live-action show which launches the Disney+ streaming platform this Tuesday — when he caught a glimpse in the mirror. “If you grow up playing with Star Wars toys, and […]
Actor Peter Mayhew, who portrayed Chewbacca in ‘Star Wars’ dies
by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) –Actor Peter Mayhew, who won over fans worldwide as the Wookiee warrior Chewbacca in the blockbuster “Star Wars” movies, has died at the age of 74, his family announced on Thursday. Mayhew died on Tuesday at his home in Texas, surrounded by loved ones, the family said in a statement released on the actor’s Twitter account. “He put his heart and soul into the role of Chewbacca […]
Carrie Fisher in trailer for final ‘Star Wars’ movie
by Nova SAFO Agence France-Presse Chicago, United States (AFP) — Lucasfilm delighted “Star Wars” fans Friday with a glimpse of Carrie Fisher in sneak-peek footage of the hotly-anticipated final episode of the space opera — more than two years after her death. Director J.J. Abrams told the US “Star Wars Celebration” event the writers had agonized over giving Fisher’s beloved General Leia Organa a fitting send-off in the ninth installment, revealed as “Star Wars IX: […]
Battle for space more stealth than Star Wars
by Ivan COURONNE Agence France Presse Colorado Springs, United States (AFP)– At tens of thousands of kilometers above the Earth, a Russian satellite slowly approached the French-Italian satellite Athena-Fidus in October 2017, a move France later denounced as “an act of espionage.” What is less widely known is that just a few days before that, the same Russian satellite — known as Luch or Olymp-K — had been approached by an American military satellite named […]
Pedro Pascal to lead cast of ‘Star Wars’ series
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — “Narcos” and “Game of Thrones” star Pedro Pascal is to play the lead in upcoming “Star Wars” TV series “The Mandalorian,” Disney said Wednesday, as it builds on the beloved and profitable science fiction franchise. Penned and produced by Marvel mainstay Jon Favreau, the live-action show will follow Pascal’s lone gunfighter, making his way in the outer reaches of the galaxy after the fall of the Empire. “We’re having […]
Han Solo’s ‘Return of the Jedi’ blaster up for auction
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — In the wildly popular “Star Wars” films, Han Solo once told a lightsaber-wielding Luke Skywalker: “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” Now, fans of the space saga can own one of the blaster pistol props Harrison Ford used in his iconic role as Solo in “Return of the Jedi” — an item expected to sell for between $300,000 and […]
