We’re still recovering from yesterday’s bombshell reveal that Lizzo and Jack Black have joined Star Wars in The Mandalorian. This seems to have split the fanbase right down the middle, with some claiming it’s ruined their immersion and others happy to see these beloved performers in a galaxy far, far away. But this isn’t the first celebrity cameo in Star Wars and it won’t be the last, so let’s look a little forward to the future.
We’re now less than a day away from the ‘Star Wars Celebration’ in London, England. The convention will bring us our first look at Ahsoka, but we’re also hopeful of footage from Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, Star Wars: Visions series two, and some kind of update on the next Star Wars movie due in December 2025.
The event will begin with a grand opening, so fingers crossed we get something to talk about after the first presentation.
Lizzo pops the champagne after her ‘The Mandalorian‘ debut
Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Bryce Dallas-Howard didn’t just pluck Lizzo’s name out of the air when casting the last episode of The Mandalorian. Lizzo (and Jack Black) have been Star Wars fans for years, with Lizzo even dressing up as Grogu and parading around the streets of L.A. for Halloween 2021.
Getting to cuddle Baby Yoda sounds like a dream come true for her, so we’re not surprised that she took to social media to celebrate yesterday’s episode:
Lizzo has previously claimed to have a large collection of Grogu merch, so we’re guessing that what’s on camera here represents a small fraction of what’s in her house. It seems almost certain that Lizzo’s character “The Dutchess” won’t return for another adventure, though we’re just happy she got to make her mark on a galaxy far, far away. Fingers crossed she gets a Dutchess action figure so she can add herself to her collection.
A key MCU director looks to have joined ‘Skeleton Crew’
Upcoming Disney Plus show Skeleton Crew is amassing a very talented group of directors. MCU Spider-Man director Jon Watts is showrunner, Everything Everywhere All at Once directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert are on board, as is Green Knight‘s David Lowery. Now we can add another name to that lineup, Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier.
Schreier has previously directed oddball sentimental comedy Robot & Frank and Paper Towns, but has been selected by Marvel Studios to bring what’s essentially Marvel’s answer to the Suicide Squad to the big screen in July 2024. Clearly, someone at Disney likes him, as he’ll soon have MCU and Star Wars credits under his belt.
Fingers crossed we get a full Skeleton Crew unveiling at the ‘Star Wars Celebration’ this weekend. We want to see Jude Law taking his first steps in this weird Goonies-inspired Star Wars coming-of-age story.
Simon Kassianides opens up on Axe Woves’ ‘The Mandalorian’ comeback
It’s looking like the main plot development of The Mandalorian‘s third season will be the retaking of the planet Mandalore. We now know it’s far from the poisonous wasteland of legend, though Bo-Katan and Din are facing an uphill battle to unite the various Mandalorian tribes.
But, as of yesterday, they’d scored a big win. Since Bo-Katan’s departure, Simon Kassianides’ Axe Woves had assumed command of her fleet, apparently doing the dirty work of anyone who’ll pay their bills. Now, Kassianides has opened up about Axe Woves’ mindset. Speaking to Vanity Fair, he said:
“When you meet him, he’s absolutely disillusioned in terms of, ‘It’s money. It’s fine. This is our future now.’ I don’t think he is very happy about it.”
He also discussed his traumatic past and what motivates him now:
“I imagined he lost a lot of loved ones during the Purge and uses his pain to fuel his attacks. He’s a natural leader in his own right, evident in the army of Mandalorians who’ve now chosen to follow him as mercenaries rather than stay loyal to Bo-Katan. It’s also evident in how fierce his and Bo’s fight is. They do not hold back, something Katee and I were passionate about.”
And it certainly sounds like there’s conflict brewing between the differing groups of Mandalorians:
“The big question is how Axe will overcome his disdain for those that do walk the Way, who he calls zealots. They need all the help they can get and must unite. But Axe has a big personality and always makes his thoughts plain.”
It certainly sounds like Axe is sticking around in the show for some time yet. We suspect Mandalore may not be quite as deserted as Bo-Katan believes it to be (after all, where did those TIE Bombers in episode three come from?). So, if we follow that logic, we’re barrelling towards a Mando vs Imperial remnants with the planet of Mandalore at stake in the season finale. We can’t wait.