Did You Hear That? | Star Wars Weekly News - November 1, 2024

Welcome to Did You Hear That?, your go-to Star Wars news segment on ATGLive, the ultimate live talk show for fans airing every Thursday night! This week, we’re diving into some incredible stories from the galaxy far, far away, featuring a major anniversary, film updates, and exclusive insights straight from the creative minds behind Skeleton Crew. Here’s what’s happening:

Celebrating 12 Years of Disney and Lucasfilm
October 30th marks a milestone—the 12th anniversary of Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. Since 2012, Disney has revolutionized the Star Wars universe, from launching the sequel trilogy to opening Galaxy’s Edge theme park. As Disney continues to expand the Star Wars galaxy with groundbreaking shows like The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka, this anniversary offers a chance to look back at how much has evolved. We’ll chat about how Disney has reshaped Star Wars storytelling and what this means for fans looking forward to the next 12 years.

What’s Happening with the Rey Movie?
The New Jedi Order film featuring Daisy Ridley’s Rey is stirring up excitement—and questions. With Steven Knight recently departing as screenwriter, Lucasfilm is searching for fresh talent to write the next chapter in Rey’s journey as she rebuilds the Jedi Order 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. Could this be the start of a new series? Ridley hinted at the possibility, referring to the project as “new one/new ones,” leaving fans speculating about a multi-film arc. We’ll break down the details and discuss what this film means for the future of the Jedi.

Mando & Grogu Head to the Big Screen!
It’s official! The The Mandalorian & Grogu movie, directed by Jon Favreau, has wrapped filming and is scheduled to hit theaters on May 22, 2026. Fans will see Pedro Pascal return as Din Djarin alongside his beloved Force-sensitive companion, Grogu, as they embark on a fresh adventure in a post-Mandalorian world. With appearances from fan-favorites like Bo-Katan Kryze, Ahsoka Tano, and the addition of Sigourney Weaver, this is shaping up to be a Star Wars cinematic event. We’ll give you all the details, including how cutting-edge technology helped preserve the project’s secrets, keeping fans guessing.

Behind the Scenes with Skeleton Crew
Empire Magazine recently sat down with Skeleton Crew’s creative team—Jon Watts, Bryce Dallas Howard, David Lowery, and more—to reveal exciting new details about the series. The show, which follows a group of lost kids trying to find their way home in the Star Wars galaxy, combines nostalgic, hands-on effects with today’s tech for a truly unique experience. From Lowery’s classic puppets to Howard’s creature-filled scenes, each director shared their influences and vision for Skeleton Crew, hinting at the magic awaiting fans when the series debuts.

Join us on Did You Hear That? this Thursday on ATGLive as we dig into all the latest Star Wars news. Whether you’re curious about the Rey film’s future, hyped for The Mandalorian on the big screen, or eager for more Skeleton Crew insights, we’ve got you covered with expert analysis and live fan calls. Subscribe to ATGLive, your weekly ticket to everything Star Wars!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Did you hear that? Your source for the
top stories from the Star Wars universe. I'm Pete Fletzer,
and along with my co host Nick Milkey, we'll break
down the biggest headlines of the week and share our
thoughts on everything happening in that galaxy far far away.
Don't forget. You can catch us live every Thursday evening
on our weekly show atg Live over on our YouTube

(00:22):
channel at YouTube dot com slash at the SSW Network.
Join the conversation here from special guests and get the
latest news as it happens. And now this.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Week's we are your source for all the Star Wars
news of the week. And this week, it has been
a dozen years of Disney. More confusion swirls around the
Ray movie excuse me, the Mando movie wraps up, and
the Skeleton crew talks about the show.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
So let's get to it.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
A dozen years of Disney. Today mark's the twelfth anniversary
of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, a move that forever changed
the landscape of entertainment and the Star Wars franchise. On
October thirtieth, twenty twelve, Disney acquired Lucasfilm for four point
zero five billion in cash and stock, bringing the iconic
Star Wars in Indiana Jones franchises under the Disney umbrella.

(01:11):
This acquisition paved the way for a new era of
Star Wars content, including a slew of films, television series,
theme park expansions, and multimedia ventures that have captivated fans worldwide.
In the years following the acquisition, Disney launched the Star
Wars sequel trilogy, beginning with The Force Awakens in twenty fifteen.
The company also invested in creating spinoffs, including Rogue One

(01:32):
and Solo, as well as Disney Plus series like The
Mandalorian and Or and Ahsoka, which have redefined Star Wars
storytelling for generations. Additionally, Galaxy's Edge, an immersive Star Wars
theme park experience, opened in Disneyland and Disney World, transporting
fans directly into the Star Wars universe. Pete, We're twelve
years on. Disney's influence on lucasfilm is undeniable, blending legacy

(01:54):
with innovation as fans eagerly anticipate what the next chapters
hold for one of the most beloved franchises in cinematic history.
We talk week in and week out about Star Wars,
about all the things that happened with Disney Star Wars
twelve years in four point zero five billion dollars. I'm
not going to ask you how is it going? We

(02:14):
talk about that all the time. I'm going to ask you,
in the twelve years of Disney Star Wars, what are
some of your favorite things that have come out of this.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
That's a really great question. I think, you know my favorite.
First of all, I think my favorite thing is that
we learned that we can tell Star Wars stories on television.
I think we also learned that we shouldn't tell all
Star Wars stories on television. I think, you know, I
remember vividly the first episode of Mandalorian, I remember the

(02:45):
build up to it, and I remember that ending where
we saw baby Yoda for the first time, and they
did such a great job of maintaining that secrecy and
allowing us all to have that sort of collective moment
shared together. I think some of the things that Disney
has learned about how to bring television Star Wars to

(03:06):
television has been really important. Things like having this show,
having the shows now drop at nine o'clock Eastern times,
six o'clock specific so that we can all experience them
together and have those conversations. And I also think though
that they have I think in a way, and we've
gone through this recently with a couple of our guests,
I think they kind of felt like it was at times.

(03:28):
I feel like they thought it would be simple and
easy to make money with Star Wars, and I'm not
sure that it's gotten all the love and care it needs.
And that's not to say that things have been bad,
but it is to say that I think that it's
not as simple and slammed dunky as they might have thought.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, I agree with all of that, and I think,
just if nothing else, I'm in the kind of a
look at the journey mode, like, look.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
At what Star Wars started as.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Look at the stories we know of ping pong tables
in a parking lot in the valley covered with battleship parts. Right,
So this thing where it's on a platform where literally,
when we get done with this, I can go watch
almost any Star Wars I want, and I can enjoy
it and share it with my kids.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
We talked about that with Paul Scher.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
You know, the ability for Star Wars to continue to
grow and change is my favorite thing because it's not lost,
it's not dead ended. Because if George Lucas keeps it,
at some point he gets older, he gets tired, and
he maybe already did that twelve years ago when it
was time to sell.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
And there's new younger generations. There's Favros and Feloni's, and
you know the people that are in come behind that
to be the sewards of this thing. I think I
love that this purchase created the opportunity for Star Wars
to continue living and growing and changing.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
One hundred percent. And what I would agree with you
on and I would extend on that is I don't
care what any of the naysayers say. Without this purchase,
twelve years ago, you and I would not be sharing
Star Wars with our kids. It would not be of
interest to them. We'd be showing them movies that were
twenty years old, twenty five years If.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
I'm being perfect, if we're being really honest, if that
didn't happen twelve years ago, we're not sitting here talking
having this conversation.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
I don't think a Star Wars podcast yep.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
If Disney doesn't buy Star Wars and I don't have
a friend that we get re excited about Star Wars,
and we spend two and a half hours breaking down
a two and a half minute movie trailer, and you know,
all the misguided hours that we've spent in this hobby
that we love. So there's so much that comes out
of it, and there's still so much to come, which
is exciting, yep. But we move on to our next

(05:34):
story and we want to know what is going on
with the Ray movie. Steven Knight, the Peaky Blinders creator
tapped to write Lucasfilm's upcoming New Jedi Order movie, has
exited the project. Night's departure comes over a year after
he joined the project, during which he submitted multiple drafts.
Armine Obeye Chinoi remains attached as the director, with Lucasfilm

(05:55):
now searching for a new writer to take on the script.
The film, set to star Daisy Ridley, will feature the
return of her character Ray as she rebuilds the Jedi Order,
a story that takes place fifteen years after the events
the Rise of Skywalker. In a recent interview with The
Hollywood Reporter, Ridley hinted that the New Jedi Order project
might be the beginning of a new series of films,

(06:15):
driving her return to the role of Ray. She said
it feels both scary and exciting to revisit a character
she quote unquote knows so well in such a different context. Notably,
Ridley referred to the project as the New One slash
New Ones, sparking speculation that Lucasfilm may be planning a
series centered around Ray's efforts to rebuild the Jedi. While

(06:35):
no official title or release state has been announced, the
project promises a significant new chapter for the Star Wars universe,
potentially establishing a multi film arc around this beloved Jedi character.
He is this as big a deal as certain parts
of the Internet are going to make it be.

Speaker 1 (06:54):
You know, this story actually dropped just as we were
going on last week, so we didn't get a chance
to go into a Interestingly, that second piece that you
added came shortly after that were Daisily, And that's what's
confusing about it. And that's why to me, the question
is what is actually happening with this movie? Because you
are you are, I mean clearly Stephen Wright, Stephen Knight,
rather step right, Stephen Wright wrote a.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Star Wars movie. Man, I'm watching the Steven Wright Star
Wars movie. I will check that, but.

Speaker 1 (07:22):
He's clearly left the project and that's fine, and I
like to believe it's because they just weren't happy with
where it was going. And I don't know. I think
the I think we're in a situation where Disney has
has put themselves in a spot where they continue to
talk about things that are coming, and what ends up happening.

(07:45):
Is it the excitement that gets built for it is
actually ending up being diminished and giving fodder to people
who are trying to find a problem with the Disney
era of Star Wars. At the end of the day,
I think if they are taking their time, I'm in
doing it right. And if Stephen Knight was not the
guy to do it, if Lindeloff, David Lindeloff was not

(08:06):
the guy to do it, find somebody to do it.
Here's what I'm going to throw out there, call Ryan Johnson.
Ryan Johnson understood the Ray story arc better than anybody else.
Let's let him give him that trilogy that he was
supposed to do and make it the Ray Trilogy, and
let's just give him all three movies and let him

(08:27):
do it from top to bottom. I would love to see.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
That based on and again we talked about this, I
think last week. I don't want them to announce things.
I want them to present me something and say, hey,
here's this thing we've been working on for the last
two years, and we didn't tell you about it, cause
like you don't tell your kids, hey, we're going to
disney World this weekend, you don't say it till you're
at disney World, because something could happen. We were told
years ago Ryan Johnson's going to do a trilogy.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
That in theory presupposes some sort of contractual agreement that
was made somewhere back down the line. Possibly let's exercise
that contract. You know, you hear every now and then
you know so and so still owes so and so
two more projects or two more movies.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
They made a three movie deal. They made it this.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
I hope that's true, and I think that's a fantastic idea.
Let Ryan swoop in here, yeah, fix it and tell
the whole story, tell the arc. That's what I wanted
from him, was for him to have the opportunity to
tell a full story.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
If it involves three movies.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
Well, and that's you know, the knives out trilogy is
going to be done soon. That third movie is coming
out early next year. I just think that it becomes
a marketing challenge because whether whether you like it or not,
we need to be realistic about the response to Ryan Johnson.
But you know it, he created great again.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
I did his track record and let's go from there.
That's what I would do if I was Disney. Start
pumping out every review, you see, every you know award
he's won. Let's start talking about it's a big deal
that this guy's gonna do this. Mendo and Grogu, it's
a rap o. The upcoming Star Wars film The Mandalorian
and Grogu has wrapped filming and is on track for

(10:03):
a May twenty second, twenty twenty six release. This highly
anticipated project, we'll see Pedro Pascal reprise his role as
den Jarn, joined by his fourth sensitive companion Grogu, marking
their first official appearance on the big screen after captivating
audiences on Disney Plus since twenty nineteen. Directed by John Favreau,
the film will continue the storyline from the Mandalorian series,

(10:25):
diving into new adventures while revisiting beloved characters. The movie
will also explore Den Jarren's life post retirement that we
saw at the end of Mendo season three, where he
remains by Grogu side. Returning characters include Katie Sakoff's Boca
tan Crease, who aims to restore Mandelor, and Rosario Dawson's
Asokatano on her quest to locate Grand Admiral Thron, portrayed

(10:46):
by Lars Nicholson. The project also welcomes Sigourney Weaver to
the Star Wars universe, though her role remains undisclosed, adding
to the intrigue. Utilizing the cutting edge volume technology, the
production wrapped without major leaks, preserving suspense around plot details.
As the Mandalorian and Grogu enters post production, fans eagally
await Disney's first Star Wars movie since twenty nineteen. That's

(11:09):
Wild The Rise of Skywalker a milestone for Lucas's interconnected
storytelling vision in its cinematic and streaming franchises. We haven't
had a Star Wars movie in five years on the screen.
We've gotten some series, we've gotten some you know, re releases,
but this is new Star Wars in the cinema. It's
still over a year away. There's time, there's work. There's

(11:32):
a part of me that thinks, why is it that
far away? If they're done shooting, we should be ready
for this next May. But we don't want to rush it.
We've seen those things happen before. Let it breathe, let
it take time.

Speaker 3 (11:43):
Pete. Who is Sigourney Weaver going to be in the
Star Wars universe?

Speaker 1 (11:47):
I hope she's going to be an imperial. I want
to see her as a bad guy. I know she's
either a bad guy or pell Motto's mother, one of
the two, but I want to see her as as
a bad guy. How great would it be to see
her as part of that imperial remnant, somebody who kind
of swoops in, maybe fills a vacuum that's created with

(12:10):
the exit of maf Gideon. Just I want to see
her as because she's always such a great good guy.
She was to me, she was one of the best
parts of Avatar, the Avatar series. That's a conversation for
another day. But I just don't understand how that is
so huge. Let me ask you, do you know anybody
who loves Avatar who went to go see this movie.

Speaker 3 (12:33):
I've never even watched it.

Speaker 2 (12:34):
Because of all the conversations I've heard about how yeah, no, yeah, no,
it's and.

Speaker 1 (12:41):
She's great in that. She's like, to me, the best
part of those movies. Of course, Aliens and alien and
Aliens and everything. She's been in there and you know,
Zeel and everything ghost Us. But let's see her as
a bad guy. I think she'd make a ripping Imperial.
What are your thoughts, I'm throwing it out there. I'm
thinking I'm throwing it out there. She's Throng's number two.

(13:02):
Oh okay, cool.

Speaker 3 (13:03):
I want her to serve at the pleasure of Grand
Admiral Thron.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
That would be fantastic, and it would keep her in
that bad guy.

Speaker 3 (13:10):
I don't think. I don't think she works to be
priced necessarily from rebels.

Speaker 1 (13:16):
I think she'll be too old.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
I think I don't know because of the time jump,
but I like her as a bad guy. I agree
with you, And I also think that her playing off
of Michelson's Thron could provide some really juicy stuff.

Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah yeah, I mean the only thing to all that
stuff is is her age. So she will be I
don't know how old she'll be, but yeah, I mean,
it's the Imperial remnant. So it's I don't know. I
think if she's not an Imperial, I was gonna say.

Speaker 3 (13:48):
So, Gorny Weaver is currently seventy five years old.

Speaker 1 (13:51):
Seventy five okay, so yeah, I mean she could be.
She could be an old Imperial, not old. Sorry, you
never know. Seventy five is old. Let's admit that we
can say this.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
Ag Pete is here.

Speaker 2 (14:02):
Here, I am, You're ran the captain of the Titanic
being as all right, well, we've got one more scory
Skeleton Crew details from Empire magazine. Empire's latest issue dives
deep into the creative minds behind Skeleton Crew, revealing insights
from showrunner John Watts and directors David Lowry, Jake Schreyer,
Bryce Dallis Howard, and Lee Isaac Chun. They discussed everything

(14:24):
from episode origins to their personal Star Wars inspirations. Howard
highlighted the advanced production techniques inherited from the Mandalorian, particularly
the immersive radio play approach, where actors recorded voices in
advance that helped the director shape the episodes with a
clear tonal vision. Lowry's episode features hand puppets, blending classic

(14:45):
effects with modern tech. A mixed he found magical. Each
director shared their favorite Star Wars creatures, with Howard showing
fondness for Droids and teasing a special creature in her episode.
Lowry recalled Prune Face action figures from his childhood, and
Schreyer admitted to being a nostalgic Ewok fan. John Watitt's
wrapped up the interview by explaining how Skeleton Crew was

(15:06):
inspired by a simple concept kids unknowingly lost in the
Star Wars galaxy trying to find their way home. The
directors even imagined which other filmmakers they'd love to see
tackle Star Wars, sparking visions of Spielberg and Coppola style epics.
I mean, there's so much to unpacking that we've only
got about two and a half minutes. But Pete, I

(15:27):
love the focus in this story and what where this
series seems to be heading, which we saw. It feels
like early Mandalorian where we heard about the Boba fat rifle,
the long I forget what it's called. We see, you know,
the the kawaki and monkey lizards in that first trailer.
It's pulling in some of those remember ales, It's pulling
in some of those hey that thing is a thing,

(15:49):
but it's things like puppets, and it's things like action
figures that have a meaning and droids. This seems like
another group of folks who grew up loving Star Wars
getting the chance to make Star Wars. And I think
that's where we get our best stuff.

Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, I think so too. I think you know it's
it's funny because if it is aimed at kids, which
we obviously have that inkling, and we talked a little
bit about it in the last couple of weeks of
the show My Kids, your kids, They're not gonna recognize
the Teak from Ewoks. They're not going to recognize the
Prune Face action figure or whichever, you know, droid surprise

(16:25):
that may be sitting in there. But done right. And
it's funny because we've talked about this before. I think
Star Wars Television has done both extremely well and extremely
not so great when it comes to bringing characters that
have a history to life. I think bringing Ahsoka in
to those of us that have been Clone Wars fans

(16:47):
and Ahsoca fans forever was fantastic because the people who
didn't Knowhsoka just knew her as Hey, she's that cool
new Jedi person the whole. A lot of the Mandalorian
stuff was pretty deep felt, sort of Silmarillion kind of
thing for Tolkien fans. So drop them in there with
And I'm encouraged by it being Bryce Dallas Howard back

(17:08):
at this because she she gets it, she knows how
to tell the stories. But I'm encouraged that just like
you said, and I think that's a really good point.
Is it's Star Wars fans making Star Wars and making
it in that sort of sort of wondrous world, right,
versus Leslie Headlund who got Star Wars man. She understood

(17:31):
Star Wars, she knew the lore, she knew the books,
she knew all the deep, deep stuff. But it was
a heavy topic. This this is Star Wars in that
fun place, right, That that that as as Eric is
sitting there on the screen about for kids, you know,
being young at hard and being a kid at heart.
That's what Star Wars needs too, right, because it's gonna

(17:52):
be followed by and Or in April ish, right, which
is gonna be some heavy stuff. So yeah, let's let's
get people who love Star Wars and and and bring
the fun right.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
Well, and let's look at You know, we talk about
goonies all the time because we're Don Nectars and we
grew up with things like goonies and et and that's
what this has been pitched as an amblance style kids
adventure whatever, but you dial that up to a little
bit more modern times. Look at what Stranger Things has done.
Stranger Things started out with young kid. That cast is
all grown now because we're still waiting for that eventual

(18:23):
you know, final season five or whatever it is, but
there's still room for that, and those are the things
that still click because it's kids. It's fun, it's adventure filled,
and there's a little bit of danger. There's a little
bit of a jump scare, but it's not so heavy
that we have to take it so seriously.

Speaker 3 (18:41):
We get to just enjoy Star Wars.

Speaker 1 (18:43):
So thanks for tuning into did you Hear That? Remember
you can join us live every Thursday evening on YouTube
at YouTube dot com slash at the SSW network for
all of the latest Star Wars news and conversations with
special guests. This podcast stream is also home to Around
the Gallery, the weekly Star Wars interview show where we
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(19:05):
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(19:27):
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This podcast is copyright twenty twenty four Peden the Seed Studios,
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