Flyguy and Yakface are back to break down the week’s collecting news and more. This week, product is coming in at record pace with wave after wave of Saga Legends, Mission Series and 6″ Black Series products hit retail. Plus, there are even great sales to be had as well. There are a few very cool customs to discuss this week, the main one grabbing headlines around the world is the drone speeder bike which is too cool not to hit production. Finally, big news broke from Disney involving the first of the standalone films as well as the official release date for Episode VIII. There is a lot to wrap our addled brains around but you can watch/hear it all on Episode 55 of The Realm Recap!
Disney and Lucasfilm have just announced the first standalone film for the Star Wars franchise.
Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz). The first actress cast is Felicity Jones, who garnered an Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim for her performance in The Theory of Everything. The idea for the story of Rogue One came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. He will executive produce along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) are on board to produce and John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will co-produce. The film starts shooting this summer in London and is due for release on December 16, 2016
Also, they Bob Iger confirmed, that Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII. The film, which continues the saga after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is set for release on May 26, 2017!
