During Disney’s Investor Day Webcast, they revealed that the official launch date for Disney+ will be November 12. With that, the new Lucasfilm series, The Mandalorian will also be available. Subscription costs for the Disney+ service launches at an attractive $6.99 per month.
As you know, the characters from The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and Solo, were shrouded in secrecy with the use of code names. For Episode IX and The Mandalorian, that practice continues. I found out a few of these a while ago and waited for a little more corroboration but now that the Toy Fair dust has settled a bit, I feel now would be a good time.
For Episode IX, code names revolve around famous cities, like London, Oslo, Bruges, Limerick, and Boston. As for The Mandalorian, I’ve only seen one name referenced thus far and that is “Huckleberry”.
How these names are assigned to the characters has yet to be deciphered, but I would think it’s safe to assume that The Mandalorian may be “Huckleberry”. More as we learn more…
Confirming our initial report from back in December, StarWars.com has posted the official announcement of “Triple Force Friday” (October 4) which commemorates the launch of Episode IX, The Mandalorian and EA’s Jedi: Fallen Order title. Stay tuned for more as we get closer.
Solo: A Star Wars Story managed to snag an Oscar nomination in the Visual Effects category for this year’s Academy Awards. It will have stiff competition against films like Avengers: Infinity War and Ready Player One both of which had visual effects supplied by ILM.
Disney Channel has ordered a second season of the high-flying animated series “Star Wars Resistance” for a fall 2019 premiere. The series follows Kazuda Xiono (“Kaz”), a young pilot recruited by the Resistance for a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order. Season one continues on SUNDAY, JAN. 13 (10:00-10:30 p.m. EST/PST), on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW. The mid-season one trailer for “Star Wars Resistance,” featuring a first look at a major villain from “The Force Awakens,” was released today on the Star Wars YouTube page.
While the final cinematic chapter in the Skywalker story draws to a close in December 2019, there will (once again) be a huge marketing push and global launch for products for Episode IX. Rumor has it that this date is set a bit closer to the film launch than the previous installments — October 4, 2019. Barring leaks and official early first looks and preorders, this will be the hard street date for the copious amount of licensed products (toys, books, clothing, etc.) from not only Episode IX but from other sources throughout the franchise as well.
And yes, you can expect us to assemble our downloadable “unofficial” checklist for this event as well.
UPDATE: also of interest, Star Wars will be sharing a merchandise launch date with another popular and highly anticipated sequel. If you have young kids like I do, hopefully that won’t cause your bank accounts and credit cards to be Frozen, too.
The Star Wars Kids YouTube Channel has been updated with a series of Galaxy of Adventures videos showcasing characters and starfighters of the saga. Click on through to check them out.
*There is a Darth Vader video that may be a bit intense for younger viewers.
If the newest official animation from Lucasfilm isn’t “doing it” for you, check out this amazing submission via Daz Tibbles for this year’s Star Wars Fan Awards. I’d love to see a series or feature length films in this style — it’s truly impressive.
Disney and Lucasfilm have officially announced a new Star Wars Kids YouTube channel and with it, the first trailer for a series of animated shorts called “Galaxy of Adventures”. If that name sound familiar, we revealed that earlier this month along with products from Hasbro we revealed in October.
Preorder the new Star Wars Icons: Han Solo book by Insight Editions for 20% off the cover price only through Sideshow Collectibles.
Smuggler. Rogue. Hero of the Rebellion. Scruffy-looking nerf herder. Han Solo has been called all these things and more since making his debut in the original Star Wars film back in 1977. Four decades later, the irrepressible Solo continues to be one of the most iconic and enduring elements of the saga.
Update: Now in stock at Sideshow Collectibles