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If you're a fan of the Battle of Hoth from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and have wanted to experience it on a more personal level, you're in luck! Days of Wonder has recently announced they will be releasing a new board game titled Star Wars: Battle of Hoth this summer! The board game will be based on the Command and Colors system, designed by famed board game designer Richard Borg.

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Command and Colors

If you've never played Command and Colors before, don't feel bad. I haven't had the pleasure of being able to play it either. The YouTuber Harsh Rules has done rule breakdowns for Command and Colors: Ancients, as well as other Command and Colors systems. It seems to use a card-based system, which sounds pretty interesting. Star Wars: Battle of Hoth also appears...

If you are just getting into the Star Wars universe now after all these years, “Much to learn, you still have.” For starters, you may be wondering why the green Jedi Master the entire fandom loves to bits and pieces speaks the way he does. Well, it was a well-calculated decision on George Lucas and the team’s part, and they have a pretty good reason why.

Yoda is one of the most powerful and wise Jedi Masters in the galaxy far, far away. He talks in that funky, backwards-sounding way, all while dropping some deep and mystical advice for those around him. So, the question is, ‘Speak like this, why does he?’

George Lucas reveals why Yoda talks differently George Lucas at the Classic Film Festival | Credits: Turner Classic Movies / YouTube

Star Wars’ Yoda talks in a linguistic technique known as anastrophe, where the usual word order gets flipped around for emphasis or style.

Genndy Tartakovsky is a legend of the animation medium, having created some of the most popular Cartoon Network shows. During the early 2000s, Tartakovsky was fresh off the success of Samurai Jack when he was tapped to helm an animated series set in the Star Wars universe and focusing on the Clone Wars event.

The proposed animated series was created to explore the titular conflict in the space opera saga’s prequel trilogy. However, in an interview, Tartakovsky revealed the real reason he secured the gig. The animator explained how the franchise’s declining sales in one department were the reason for the animated show’s creation, and here is what Tartakovsky said.

Genndy Tartakovsky revealed he was offered Clone Wars to boost Star Wars sales

Before the beloved Dave Filoni version of The Clone Wars, filmmaker George Lucas sought to explore the titular conflict in a 2D animated series.

Yoda is one of the most recognizable characters in all of Star Wars. In fact, he might be the most recognizable character. As he is a very small but still agile green alien with big pointy ears that walks with a cane, his appearance is very unique. However, the most memorable part of Yoda’s character is the way he talks. Yoda starts his sentences with what most people would end them with and ends them with what most people would start them with. Some of Yoda’s quotes include, “The best teacher, failure is,” and “Always in motion is the future.”

Now, after many years of leaving fans wondering, George Lucas has revealed why he chose to have Yoda speak in such a unique way.

At the 45th anniversary screening of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas was in attendance. He was asked quite a few questions that night,...

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This May, Hulu is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the highly anticipated return of Nine Perfect Strangers to the much-anticipated streaming release of Pamela Anderson‘s The Last Showgirl. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Hulu this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the seven best films that are coming to Hulu in May 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Attack the Block (May 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91% Credit – Optimum Releasing

Attack the Block is a British sci-fi comedy horror film written and directed by Joe Cornish. The 2011 film is set on a council estate in South London, and it follows a group of teenagers as they fight against alien invaders to save themselves. Attack the Block stars John Boyega,...

When he introduced the world to the galactic saga of Star Wars, George Lucas had a very different vision in mind than what has unfolded over the past few decades. One thing he certainly didn’t anticipate was its massive expansion into toy merchandising.

Following the success of the original film and the rest of the trilogy, the film series expanded into a wide range of merchandise, including countless toys and products. However, Lucas himself had little personal interest in them, something he admitted led to criticism.

George Lucas recalled getting cursed at for not caring about the Star Wars merchandise Star Wars: A New Hope | Credit: Lucasfilm

Being one of the most successful and popular film series of all time, Star Wars has extended into a massive franchise that includes movies, shows, animated shows, and games, and an extensive merchandise line, ranging from toys to countless other products.

RelatedGeorge...

Every corner of the internet had their say when "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" came out, with some voices louder than others. This past weekend made it clear that, despite all of the mockery surrounding the third chapter of George Lucas' prequel trilogy, a whole lot of people were more than happy to see it in theaters again to celebrate the film's 20-year anniversary. Some of the most diehard "Star Wars" fans seem to forget that an entire generation grew up with the prequels in the same manner as the original trilogy.

Watching "Revenge of the Sith" in a theater made me feel like a kid again. I was able to recognize the film's noticeable shortcomings (such as its wonky compositing and awkward line deliveries), while still recognizing the very present heart and emotion at the center of it all. Its blemishes strangely make it more endearing.

"Andor" truly is the single best thing "Star Wars" has done since "The Empire Strikes Back." This is a bold, poignant, timely political thriller set in the galaxy far, far away. It works precisely because it's a grounded show that takes place in a big franchise like "Star Wars," bringing timely sociopolitical commentary to a well-established sandbox.

And yet, one of the most special things about "Andor" is how it treats the rest of the "Star Wars" galaxy, managing to connect to the entire franchise while still resisting the urge to just point at every Glup Shitto imaginable and wink at the audience. Every reference feels earned, and the show gives meaningful context rather than just doing obvious cameos. Whether it's creating links to "Star Wars Rebels" or just giving us a catchy wedding song that's a galaxy-wide mega hit, "Andor" makes the galaxy feel more connected without feeling forced.

"Star Wars" is one of the most fleshed-out, realized worlds in all of fiction, one with a vast lore and a tactile sense of tradition and culture. There are hundreds of planets and peoples, each with a huge sense of history that the franchise (for the most part) doesn't dwell on or feel the need to stop and explain. Why is Coruscant is a single city? Who cares, it looks rad. Why can Master Rwoh use her lightsaber as a whip? Doesn't matter, shut up. And in terms of larger mysteries, there's also the mysterious Bendu from "Star Wars Rebels," as well as the Mortis gods, who are clouded in intrigue and lack any specific details.

Then there's Yoda, arguably the single most mercurial, perplexing being in the "Star Wars" galaxy. He's a fascinating character: one of only three known members of his species, he's incredibly old, and he speaks backwards for no discernible reason.

Ian McDiarmid has now been playing Emperor Palpatine for 42 years. First, it was as the mysterious big bad of the original Star Wars trilogy, and then as a Senator who rises to the ultimate position of power in the Galaxy (while corrupting Anakin Skywalker) in the prequels.

Return of the Jedi killed the Emperor, and Revenge of the Sith wrapped up the story of how he became the monster we first met in The Empire Strikes Back. Fans thought that was it for the villain, but The Rise of Skywalker brought him back from the dead as a clone.

In an interview with Variety (via SFFGazette.com), McDiarmid said it was "very satisfying" to learn he had a granddaughter in Daisy Ridley's Rey. However, no one ever explained how the Emperor managed to have children.

"There was never any discussion of any of that. It was up to me...

George Lucas broke down the origins of Yoda’s “very distinctive way of talking” at a 45th anniversary screening of The Empire Strikes Back at the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival last week.

Lucas was asked about Yoda’s particular patter, which often found the character doing away with typical sentence structure and essentially delivering his heady insights and mighty koans backwards. For example: “Luminous beings are we”; “Anger, fear, aggression — the Dark Side are they”; and, “Wars not make one great.”

All of that was done intentionally, Lucas said, to...

George Lucas has always done things his own way, even after almost 60 years in Hollywood.

At the 45th anniversary screening of The Empire Strikes Back during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival, Lucas made a rare appearance. He spoke about his early days in the movie business, his friendship with Francis Ford Coppola, and how he went from making American Graffiti to creating Star Wars. Even though the crowd came to hear about Empire, Lucas only talked about it when he felt like it.

Many books and documentaries already tell Lucas’ story, but it was still fun to hear him explain how he didn’t really enjoy working in the studio system. He said he had already planned out the story for The Empire Strikes Back while working on the first Star Wars movie.

“I write like a blueprint,” Lucas said. “It’s not got a lot of detail on it.

Can you hear that? Pop! That’s the sound of champagne corks popping at Warner Bros in Burbank this morning. While last weekend’s $48 million opening for Sinners was viewed as solid, many in the industry wondered whether or not, with a soft international launch, the movie was poised to turn a profit. This weekend, the resounding answer is hell yes, with the film only dipping 6% in week 2 for a $45 million weekend, and a $122 million total. The A CinemaScore rating proves that word-of-mouth on Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic is terrific, with the movie looking like a shoo-in for a domestic total well north of $200 million. That’s a stunning number for an R-rated horror flick, although it seems to be playing more like an action blockbuster than anything else. Clearly, this will make WB a whole boatload of cash and only further enhance Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan...

With a slighter second weekend drop than that of Jordan Peele’s Get Out in 2017, director Ryan Coogler’s Sinners topped the domestic box office charts once again. The movie blazed past expectations in its debut weekend, earning $48 million on the back of massive acclaim. It’s estimated to have grossed $45 million in its sophomore frame, registering an almost unthinkably strong second weekend hold, especially for the post-pandemic era. This takes Sinners’ running domestic total to around $122 million. At this rate, a final tally of around $250 million is on the cards for the acclaimed vampire-horror. It's now among the 20 highest-grossing horror movies in domestic box office history.

The movie is basking in near-unanimous praise from both critics and audiences. It holds a 98% rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, in addition to a 97% audience score. Most horror movies tend to be front-loaded, but Sinners is defying genre trends and is...

If last year was any indication, there is a huge audience for re-releases, especially of those films that are aimed directly at a millennial audience. The theory is being proven true yet again, with Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithmelting records in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The movie was re-launched in theaters this week, where it exceeded all expectations and outperformed the brand-new release, The Accountant 2, starring Ben Affleck. It also grossed around twice as much as Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace did in its own re-opening weekend last year.

Revenge of the Sithhas now passed the $400 million mark at the domestic box office, thanks to the $25 million that it made this weekend. The movie made an additional $17 million from overseas territories, for a cumulative re-release debut of $42 million. Globally, the film’s total haul is nearing the $900 million mark. Revenge of...

Robert Pattinson & Blake Lively ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Stardom often comes with its perks, lavish red carpets, endless paparazzi, and millions of fans. But sometimes, the very roles that catapult an actor into the limelight are a double-edged sword. The fame that once seemed so sweet can quickly turn sour, leaving actors trapped in characters they’d rather forget. While the world loves to shout “iconic!” these stars have been known to mutter something closer to “ugh, not again.”

From being forever linked to a single, typecast role to being bombarded with fan expectations, these actors have all experienced the dark side of fame. So, let’s dive into the top 8 stars who, despite their legendary status, absolutely hated the roles that made them famous, because sometimes, the price of fame isn’t just fame itself.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight

To put it mildly, Robert Pattinson’s time...

When it comes to iconic Star Wars characters, one of the most enduring and enigmatic of the entire franchise only appeared on-screen for around 18 minutes in the original trilogy and died shortly after his first appearance. That character is Yoda – although you would be forgiven for thinking we were talking about Obi-Wan Kenobi, who only appeared for around 23 minutes in the trilogy and also died in his first appearance. During a recent appearance at a special anniversary screening of The Empire Strikes Back, creator George Lucas has addressed one question that everyone wants to know about the little green Jedi master – why does he talk in that strange backward pattern?

Some people always believe that there are big and elaborate reasons behind such personal character traits as Yoda’s unique and often-imitated way of speaking. However, Lucas is here to disappoint you with his pretty mundane reason for giving Yoda the personal quirk.

The NFL draft has been taking place this weekend, and many newest draftees to teams are sharing their stories. One player decided to share his love of the Star Wars franchise after he was drafted by the New York Giants.

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was drafted by the Giants with the 25th pick in the first round of the NFL draft. As ESPN was showing his ability and highlights, they also mentioned and allowed him to share his story and his Star Wars admiration.

He stated that he is a big fan of the franchise and that his favorite films are Revenge of the Sith and The Empire Strikes Back. He actually wears eye black during games as a tribute to Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith. "I started it back in my junior year of high school," Dart explained to ESPN. "The first time I saw it...

George Lucas shared the reasoning behind Yoda’s distinctive speech pattern during a 45th anniversary screening of The Empire Strikes Back at the TCM Classic Film Festival. Speaking during a conversation moderated by Ben Mankiewicz, Lucas said the character’s unique way of speaking was designed to hold the audience’s attention.

“Because if you speak regular English, people won’t listen that much,” Lucas explained. “But if he had an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying.” Lucas emphasized that Yoda’s role in the story required extra care. “He was basically the philosopher of the movie,” he said. “I had to figure out a way to get people to actually listen — especially 12-year-olds.”

During the discussion, Mankiewicz attempted to ask several questions about the 1980 film’s production, including the origins of carbon freezing and the logistics...

There is no doubt about the fact that Star Wars was born from the genius of George Lucas, but there was more to the visionary director than just being a filmmaker. As it happens to be the case, the director was also a pretty accomplished businessman, with one neat trick that made his film a hit.

While selling the distribution rights of the film to Fox, George Lucas decided to keep his hand on licensing for the film. Not only was this a genius move on his part, but it also managed to shock Fox come the release of Empire Strikes Back.

George Lucas’s brilliant idea was not something Fox expected Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back || Credit: Lucasfilm

Speaking with IndieWire, George Lucas talked about how holding tight on the licensing for the film was actually something that gave him the tools to outdo Fox in one department.

There are many questions that Star Wars fans have about the George Lucas produced and co-written 1980 sequel The Empire Strikes Back which kicked off the 16th TCM Class Film Festival last night at the Tcl Chinese Theatre with 45th anniversary showing.

For example, why didn’t we ever get to see that dinner that Han Solo, Princess Leia, Lando and Chewbacca have with Darth Vader? Where did Lucas get the freaky idea of carbon freezing Han Solo from? Why are the Rebels on Hoth to begin with and why are they riding Tauntaun creatures which are susceptible to freezing?

However, Lucas in his pre-q&a before the film only addressed one about the $30.5M production which has minted a lifetime gross of $550M: Why does Yoda talk backwards? TCM host Ben Mankiewicz tried to ask other Empire Strikes Back questions over 30 minutes, however, Lucas yearned to regale the crowd with...

Since the beginning of his Hollywood career, George Lucas has always done things his own way. Almost 60 years later, he hasn’t changed a bit.

Appearing at a 45th anniversary screening of “The Empire Strikes Back” on the opening night of the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival, Lucas discussed his introduction to longtime friend and collaborator Francis Ford Coppola, his earliest experiences with the studio system and his path from “American Graffiti” to the industry-changing blockbuster “Star Wars.” However, despite the best efforts of host and moderator Ben Mankiewicz, he barely mentioned the film that the sellout crowd was there to see — and only then when he was good and ready.

Suffice it to say that Lucas’ career is one that’s been thoroughly documented and deconstructed; no fewer than eight books have been written about him, along with a handful of documentaries and nonfiction series. Even so, it was fun...

Actor Mark Hamill is arguably best known for playing the role of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise. Hamill was mostly an unknown face when he debuted in George Lucas’ 1977 blockbuster. He later reprised the role in the further two installments of the original trilogy, leading him to new heights of fame.

However, Hamill’s face in the sequel looked significantly different. Between the release of his breakout hit and the critically acclaimed sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, Hamill was mangled in a terrible car accident that left his facial structure changed. As a result, it led to speculation that one scene in the sequel was written because of the accident, and here is everything you need to know about it.

Mark Hamill reflected on his gnarly car accident before Star Wars fame

Actor Mark Hamill was a relatively unknown commodity when he was cast as the lead for...

The fun is certainly beginning for George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith as the 20-year-old film had an impressive showing at the box office in Thursday previews.

Per Deadline, Revenge of the Sith earned $3.4 million in Thursday previews, beating out the newly released sequel, The Accountant 2, which brought in $2.5 million. According to the outlet, Revenge of the Sith is projected to earn around $20 million in its opening weekend, which would place the 20-year-old film at or near the top of this weekend's box office totals. Over the past few years, Lucasfilm has re-released past Star Wars films to celebrate anniversaries. Last year, Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace was re-released in theaters for its 25th anniversary and Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi had its own 40th anniversary re-release back in 2023. However, Revenge of the Sith is poised to...

The 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival kicked off with a screening of the 1980 hit Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, featuring a rare pre-movie discussion with director George Lucas.

The Star Wars sequel, currently celebrating its 45-year anniversary, was the festival’s opening night programming at Hollywood’s Tcl Chinese Theatre. TCM’s primetime host Ben Mankiewicz led Lucas in a just over 30-minute conversation, touching upon a wide variety of topics.

Fellow director Francis Ford Coppola, who’s set to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award on Saturday, was a big topic of conversation throughout Lucas’ remarks. Lucas is presenting Coppola with his AFI honor alongside Steven Spielberg, as Lucas and Coppola have a long history of friendship and collaboration. Lucas shared the pair’s origin story throughout the conversation.

Lucas and Coppola met working on the latter’s 1968 film Finian’s Rainbow, where Lucas was essentially interning at Warner Bros....

The 16th annual TCM Classic Film Festival got off to a roaring start Thursday night, screening one of the greatest movies ever made in one of the greatest venues in the country with one of the most influential filmmakers of all time in attendance.

The movie: the 1980 sci-fi classic “The Empire Strikes Back.” The venue: the glorious Tcl Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. The filmmaker: George Lucas, appearing for a rare pre-show Q&a to discuss the making of his “Star Wars” sequel and why he felt financial — but not creative — pressure following up what was then the most commercially successful film in history.

In a conversation with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz, Lucas explained that he never felt intimidated by the prospect of failing to live up to “Star Wars,” because he had written the story for “Empire” long before the first film became an unexpected hit. “When I write,...

The 16th annual TCM Classic Film Festival gets underway Thursday night in Hollywood with a 45th anniversary screening at the Chinese Imax Theatre of the acclaimed second Star Wars feature, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, with creator George Lucas on stage to talk about it. It certainly fits in with this year’s theme, “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film,” though it is hard to wrap my head around the fact that this movie is now old enough to fit snugly in with so many of the classic titles TCM regularly features on their channel and at this festival, which brings them back in all their glory to the big screen.

The heavy programming of more contemporary box office hits this year does provide some irony to the title of one of the festival’s panels happening Sunday, “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To,” featuring among others Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman.

The TCM Classic Film Festival, running this year from April 24-27 for its 16th annual edition, comes at a pivotal time for the network and the state of classic cinema as a whole.

As a new generation of cinephiles flock to vintage film screenings across Los Angeles and beyond, the TCM Classic Film Festival is meeting the moment with Tiktoks and creators helping spread the word.

Beginning in January, TCM hosted a video series titled “New Voices of Film,” where three content creators and impassioned cinema lovers presented a film of their choosing to program on the network. The selections ranged from the Douglas Sirk melodrama “All That Heaven Allows,” Billy Wilder’s “A Foreign Affair” to the pre-code classic “Merrily We Go to Hell.” But in order to reach younger audiences, TCM has also focused its efforts across social media, with short-form videos on TikTok and Instagram drawing bridges between contemporary and older films.

As the “Star Wars” timeline gets more and more prequels and sequels tacked on, it can be confusing where everything falls – including “Andor” Season 2.

Films and shows in the Star Wars universe take place anywhere from hundreds of years before the prequel trilogy to decades after the original trilogy. “Andor” falls somewhere in the middle and manages to be both deeply connected to the events of the classic films and to feel wholly original.

Here is just where “Andor” Season 2 falls in the timeline – which is both simple and a bit more complicated.

When does “Andor” Season 2 take place in the timeline?

The easy answer to this question is: Season 2 takes place between “Andor” Season 1 and the film “Rogue One.”

The broader answer is that the second season of the Disney+ show takes place over the course of four years – ranging from 4 Bby to 1 Bby (Bby standing for Before the...

Andor may not feature a single Jedi, but it’s using the Force in ways that even a lightsaber couldn’t touch — critical acclaim. The reviews across the board for the second season of Tony Gilroy’s critically beloved Star Wars prequel series have been universally positive, and the show has officially landed with a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-rated live-action Star Wars title ever — film or TV. The only real competition? Its own first season, which sits just behind at 96%. Not bad going. Yes, folks, the hype about this one is very real.

Premiering tonight on Disney+ with a three-episode drop, Andor Season 2 continues the story of Rebel Alliance spy Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, and leads directly into the events of 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Disney sent all 12 episodes to critics ahead of time — an unusual move for the studio, but...

Andor might not have any Jedi Knight characters, but the Force is strong with the new season of the Star Wars prequel series nonetheless.

The acclaimed Tony Gilroy drama’s second season — which continues the story of Rebel Alliance fighter Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) — has the best critics score on Rotten Tomatoes of any live-action Star Wars TV show — or movie. Andor season two, which premieres tonight, currently has a 98 percent positive rating.

The new season edged out the previous top-rated title which was … Andor season one (96 percent).

Next comes the agreed-upon favorite of all Star Wars films, The Empire Strikes Back, which has 95 percent positive rating. (In case you’re wondering who actually gave a bad review to Empire, the few negative reviews seem to come from archival reviews published when the film was first released in 1980, with critics grousing that the Star Wars sequel is “too dark,” “confusing,...

I'm not exactly stepping out on a ledge when I say that "Star Wars" finds itself at something of an intergalactic crossroads these days. There hasn't been a single film released on the big screen since the Before Times of 2019 with the disastrous "The Rise of Skywalker," a massive enough dud to scare Lucasfilm off from any further theatrical plans indefinitely. Meanwhile, the otherwise reliable confines of Disney+ streaming endured a bumpy stretch between the forgettable "The Book of Boba Fett," the obligatory "Obi-Wan Kenobi," the abruptly-canceled "The Acolyte," and even the underwhelming third season of "The Mandalorian." And just in case those blaring klaxon alerts were all too subtle, I'm currently writing these words after this year's Star Wars Celebration event in Japan tripled down on the safe shores of new efforts from "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy and "Star Wars" TV director Dave Filoni -- hardly needle-movers...

Dave Filoni brought Ahsoka season 2 to Star Wars Celebration in Japan this morning for a panel that was relatively light on news..

With production not set to begin until next week, the filmmaker could only show off a concept trailer for the series. Fortunately, it's awesome, and we have it for you here today (via SFFGazette.com).

Presented in the style of that classic teaser for The Empire Strikes Back, it establishes that Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren are racing against time to stop Skoll from unleashing a powerful new threat.

Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, and the returning Zeb Orrelios, meanwhile, also have their hands full with Grand Admiral Thrawn's sinister plans for their Galaxy, and we catch sight of a mysterious new villain who appears to be a Force-wielding Nightsister.

She's wielding what look like they could be green lightsabers or perhaps even lightwhips similar to what we saw in The Acolyte.

Dave Filoni brought Ahsoka season 2 to Star Wars Celebration in Japan this morning for a panel that was relatively light on news..

With production not set to begin until next week, the filmmaker could only show off a concept trailer for the series. Fortunately, it's awesome, and we have it for you here today (via SFFGazette.com).

Presented in the style of that classic teaser for The Empire Strikes Back, it establishes that Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren are racing against time to stop Skoll from unleashing a powerful new threat.

Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, and the returning Zeb Orrelios, meanwhile, also have their hands full with Grand Admiral Thrawn's sinister plans for their Galaxy, and we catch sight of a mysterious new villain who appears to be a Force-wielding Nightsister.

She's wielding what look like they could be green lightsabers or perhaps even lightwhips similar to what we saw in The Acolyte.

If you’re hoping The Mandalorian and Grogu will bring that old-school Star Wars magic to the big screen, Jon Favreau has you covered — with help from a legend. Speaking to Collider’s Steve Weintraub at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Japan, Favreau confirmed that the upcoming film taps into the visual effects legacy of the franchise by working with stop-motion pioneer Phil Tippett, whose fingerprints are all over the original trilogy. Anybody for a round of Dejarik in tribute?

While The Mandalorian series has already pushed the envelope in virtual production with its groundbreaking use of the Volume, Favreau said the leap to a theatrical feature allowed for a broader range of techniques, from digital effects that will blow your mind to incredible handcrafted effects. Collaborating with Tippett, whose work includes the At-ATs in The Empire Strikes Back and the rancor in Return of the Jedi, is part of the...

Director Jon Favreau, Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver took the stage at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo today to show off more footage from their upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu.

For some time, all we knew is that the new movie will bring the bounty hunter and baby Yoda on a standalone mission.

In the new footage, Weaver’s character is teased, along with some action-packed battle scenes against stormtroopers. Fans also get a first glimpse at Jeremy Allen White as Jabba’s son Rotta the Hutt.

The last time we caught footage of movie which isn’t due for release until May 22, 2026 was at D23 in Anaheim back in August. That clip showed the return of The Empire Strikes Back‘s At-ATs stomping in the snow, the crazy voiced tiny alien tech Babu Frick from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and red alien, pointy eared Zeb from Filoni...

Following the record-breaking opening weekend for “A Minecraft Movie” and the success of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” a new slate of blockbusters and indie films are hoping to drum up excitement in April about what 2025 has to offer in the cinema landscape.

Starting with the weekend’s wide releases, “The Accountant 2” marks the return of Ben Affleck’s Christian Wolff to the big screen, who is enlisted to help solve the murder of the Treasury chief. Gavin O’Connor returns to direct a script from “Ozark” creator and writer Bill Dubuque, with a cast including Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons and Daniella Pineda.

“The Legend of Ochi,” which is distributed by A24, is an original fairy tale that follows a young girl (Helena Zengel) who ventures out into the dark with forest creatures known as the ochi. The cast includes Willem Dafoe, Finn Wolfhard and Emily Watson, with Isaiah Saxon making his feature directorial debut.

The sun has set on the first season on "Daredevil: Born Again" and we're quite fearful for the Man Without Fear. Even in the Netflix era, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) ended each chapter on a bit of a heroic high note, whereas "Born Again's" first outing feels very "The Empire Strikes Back." Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) has forced his hand, firstly in splitting the commissioner's head open like an Easter egg, as well as rounding up vigilantes and protestors alike. Where does that leave Daredevil? Hiding out at Josie's and being forced to regroup with the few left to fight the good fight. The question is, just what exactly does that fight look like?

With season 2 already in production (and with Charlie Cox finally sporting the double-d logo), Marvel Studios are going hell for leather in keeping Daredevil's story going as quickly as possible, with scarce details on just what that will include.

"Black Mirror" season 7 recently arrived on Netflix, and it brought with it another batch of twisted sci-fi tales. Perhaps most important of all, it finally delivered a sequel to the fan-favorite episode "USS Callister" from season 4, something many viewers have waited a long time to see. That's certainly good news. But at one time, there was talk of doing an entire spin-off series based on that episode. So, what happened? We finally have an answer.

Talk of a "USS Callister" spin-off series first emerged in 2018, with the episode's director, Toby Haynes, explaining that he'd had conversations about it. However, there have been few updates since then. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Haynes, who returned to direct the season 7 sequel episode, "USS Callister: Into Infinity," offered some background on how the spin-off started to come together behind the scenes before it ultimately fell apart:

"I was talking about it...

M. Night Shyamalan’s eerie masterpiece, The Sixth Sense remains a phenomenon(Photo Credit –Prime Video)

M. Night Shyamalan’s eerie masterpiece wasn’t just another spooky flick, it was a phenomenon. Imagine walking into a movie where you think you know what’s happening, only to be sucker-punched with a revelation so shocking, you’d swear your spine just did a backflip.

That’s exactly what The Sixth Sense did, capturing audiences with its haunting atmosphere, heart-stopping suspense, and a twist so iconic, it practically became its own genre. And let’s not forget the legendary Bruce Willis, who delivered his most mysterious role yet, alongside the hauntingly brilliant Haley Joel Osment, whose unforgettable line “I see dead people” echoed in pop culture long after the credits rolled.

The film didn’t just earn box office success; it turned into an entire cultural moment, leaving everyone scrambling to unpack...

Every path has a price on the HBO drama The Last of Us, including a trip to the Emmy Awards. When the HBO drama from Craig Mazin and The Last of Us video game creator Neil Druckmann premiered in 2023, it became an instant sensation. It struck a chord with Television Academy members to the tune of 24 overall Emmy nominations and eight eventual wins at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, including for guest actors Nick Offerman and Storm Reid. However, with success comes expectations, and the prevailing thought ahead of the Season 2 premiere on Sunday is that The Last of Us could expand its nominations total and compete for Primetime Emmy Awards glory.

Here are some instant Emmy predictions for The Last of Us.

Best Drama Series

With review scores comparable to what The Last of Us received in Season 1 — even if the reviews themselves are more muted due to the...

HBO’s Emmy Award-winning hit series The Last of Us is back.

On Monday, the network dropped its review embargo on the new episodes, and the consensus is that the show remains as upsetting and unsettling as ever, albeit with a shocking twist that changes its scope and future.

The seven-episode second season premieres on Sunday.

That game-changing shift is well-known to fans of The Last of Us video game franchise (or anyone who has read the game’s Wikipedia summary). Showrunner Craig Mazin has somewhat alluded to it in pre-release interviews, comparing the show to the conclusion of Star Wars — The Empire Strikes Back.

“I think about that a lot — because I love The Empire Strikes Back, and I think everybody should,” Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter. “We love that one because the second act is the tough act. That’s when everything is challenged and characters go through...

Warner Bros. Discovery announced the renewal of the show just a few days before its second season is set to premiere.

The creators of HBO’s hit series “The Last of Us” have referenced “The Empire Strikes Back” when discussing the impact Season 2 of the show will have. But without a “Return of the Jedi”-like follow-up, that tease of Season 2’s promise would feel a bit hollow. Fans don’t have to worry about that, however, as Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that the show is officially returning for a third season.

Key Details: Wbd announced the renewal of “The Last of Us” on Wednesday, April 9. The show’s second season premieres on Sunday, April 13. Fans are likely in for a wait of two years or so for the show’s third season. Sign Up $9.99+ / month max via prime video

Wbd made the news of the renewal of “The Last of Us...

Season two will not be the last of The Last of Us.

HBO has renewed the Emmy-winning drama series for a third season ahead of its highly anticipated return this weekend. The news comes on the heels of the show’s new episodes receiving glowing reviews from critics, with season two currently sitting at a 92 percent positive average on Rotten Tomatoes, and The Hollywood Reporter calling it “thrilling” and “addictive.”

“We approached season two [trailer below] with the goal of creating something we could be proud of,” said co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin. “The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with season three.”

Added co-creator Neil Druckmann: “To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and...

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May the 4th be with you…because we’re less than a month away from the annual Star Wars celebration, and the Disney Store is already releasing stylish merch collections (and teasing others that will drop on the holiday itself).

Coming to you from a galaxy far, far away, these limited-edition drops include a lineup of apparel, collectibles and more celebrating the George Lucas franchise, which is also...

It’s time to check out from another season of The White Lotus, and before the final credits rolled on the latest edition of Mike White’s decadent dark comedy anthology, the shadow of death loomed large in Thailand. While season 1 saw the tragic demise of Murray Bartlett’s Armond and season 2 was a veritable bloodbath that had us waving goodbye to Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid and ‘the gays,’ the bodies were again piled high in season 3.

As with any season of The White Lotus, it was anyone’s guess who’d be leaving in a body bag. I'm just thankful that Parker Posey’s Victoria Ratliff will live to fight another day (she has to be the new Coolidge for season 4). While Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) survived a brush with death at the wrong end of a poison shake, it was the end of the road for Walton...

Steven Spielberg has been a longtime friend of filmmaker George Lucas, best known for creating the Star Wars franchise. The duo also collaborated on the Indiana Jones franchise, produced under the latter’s Lucasfilm banner, with Spielberg frequently expressing admiration for Lucas’s space opera saga.

During an interview, Spielberg reflected on his second favorite movie in the franchise, praising Lucas for his work on the prequel trilogy’s second installment. However, Attack of the Clones was arguably the worst of the lot from a fan perspective.

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg (Credit: Time | YouTube).

Nonetheless, Spielberg praised the movie and also found it similar to Terminator 2 in one aspect. Given the general dislike for the movie despite the resurgence in the prequel trilogy’s popularity, some fans might find Spielberg’s comment surprising. Here is what Spielberg had to say about Attack of the Clones.

Steven Spielberg feels Star Wars: Attack of the Clones...

It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy. Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker has established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth. The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space...

So began the opening crawl of "The Empire Strikes Back," the sequel to the blockbuster "Star Wars" that would come to be known as the fifth chapter in the Skywalker saga. Just as Darth Vader was obsessed with finding his estranged son, so too will fans be obsessed with tracking down some of the cool new gear and collectibles that will be arriving on Star Wars Day in celebration...

Both James Gunn and David Corenswet have an enormous weight on their shoulder with Superman, as the future of this new DC chapter is heavily riding on this iteration of the DC icon. However, given Gunn’s track record in the Cbm landscape and his passion for the source material, it’s safe to be optimistic as a Superman fan.

David Corenswet as Superman | Credit: DC Studios

As for Corenswet, before he was cast at the center of an entire cinematic universe, during his childhood, the actor was obsessed with Star Wars, which eventually pushed him to pursue acting.

David Corenswet recounted his childhood obsession with Star Wars

Growing up, David Corenswet fell deeply in love with the original Star Wars trilogy after renting the VHS copies from a Blockbuster. Although he wasn’t able to witness the sci-fi epic on the big screen, his decision to rent the VHS...

Michael Mann, Rob Reiner, Kathy Bates, Aaron Sorkin, Keir Dullea, Sean Young, Barry Bostwick and Eric Braedon are headed to the 16th annual TCM Classic Film Festival this month.

Reiner will chat with Kathy Bates and Aaron Sorkin before screenings of his dramas Misery (1990) and The American President (1995), and for the closing night film, Michael Mann will be on hand for a presentation of his action-packed Heat (1995), whose memorable performances include one from the late Val Kilmer.

The festival takes place April 24-27 in Hollywood.

Other presenters announced Thursday to talk about the making of their films include Dullea for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Bostwick for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and Young for Blade Runner (1982).

Danny Huston will introduce Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) — a film directed by his father, John Huston — Alexander Payne will get the audience pumped for Ben-Hur (1959), and Paul Schrader will set up Hud (1963).

Plus, the...