Disney reveals plan for new Star Wars trilogy and live-action TV series

Disney has announced plans for a new Star Wars trilogy and TV series in a company call to discuss annual earnings. The company's CEO, Bob Iger, revealed that the writer-director Rian Johnson will tackle the new films, which will feature completely new characters in "a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored".Johnson has already directed this December's next instalment, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. His previous credits include Brick and Looper.

Lucasfilms announces new Star Wars trilogy

Lucasfilm has announced that the Star Wars: The Last Jedi director, Rian Johnson, will create a brand-new Star Wars triology. According to the announcement on the Star Wars website, Johnson will be writing and directing the first movie in the trilogy, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman producing.

What Star Wars history may tell us about Rian Johnson's new trilogy

Yesterday, the news dropped that Rian Johnson's time in the Star Warsuniverse would not end with The Last Jedi. Instead, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Johnson would be working on a brand new trilogy of movies, separate from the main Saga films, that would "introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored."

US fighter jets firing lasers is no longer science fiction

The future of the US Air Force is looking more and more like Star Wars. The United States Air Force Research Lab is investing heavily in the future of this country's defense systems, and that future will apparently involve an increase in airborne laser weaponry.

The military history behind the Star Wars costumes

The costume designer for Star Wars, John Mollo, died recently, at the age of 86. Even though he didn't have any previous costume design experience, he was hired by director George Lucas to design the costumes for the 1977 Star Wars film because of expertise in military history.

How inventions once depicted in science fiction can help students think about the possibilities of technology in the future

After numerous blogs on the subject of D&T in the classroom, I would like to think I have earned the opportunity to indulge in a mix of two loves of mine: technology and film. So today's blog is simply the result of a bit of daydreaming while watching a film about a killer drone.

As an avid follower of technology and gadgets, I began to wonder just how many inventions, once simply science fiction (or fantasy), have actually become a reality in the 21st Century. Also, how many were prophetic - think Blade Runner's dystopian future cityscapes that look just like contemporary downtown Tokyo - and how many simply planted the creative seed needed to nurture an idea until technology caught up.

The end of 'Pump Fiction'

New basic insights into the workings of a biomolecular mechanism crucial to life: the calcium pumps in our cells: Our cells move energy and matter to the places it is needed. But how do they do this in real time, and seen from the perspective of a single molecule? A Danish research team has successfully uncovered new basic insights into this invisible world, by doing experiments that track how a single molecule of the protein 'engine' known as the calcium pump works.

Religion in Science Fiction Television

Consider this: you are two thousand years in the future. You live in a different part of the galaxy. You have never seen Earth and it's not even a planet you are sure is still out there. So which religion do you follow?

The future is going to be weird, but at least Joelle Renstrom is here to explain it to us

by Dylan Love

Writer and academic Joelle Renstrom contemplates the implications of the singularity and suggests that the rise of machines will result in a personal erosion of purpose and deepening sense of human isolation. Renstrom suggests that it's important to consider emergent technological trends from a liberal arts perspective and consider the ways that the machines we create affect our minds.

The fungus that turns ants into 'zombies' by affecting their muscles and controlling their movements like a puppeteer

The idea of a fungal parasite that infects ants to turn them into zombies by controlling their behaviour may sound like an idea from a science fiction blockbuster. But the terrifying behaviour happens in reality, and a new study has shed light on the gruesome phenomenon.

Well we hope you enjoyed this issue of StarWarrior. Let us know what you think, we'd love to hear from you! Send in your Cosplay photos and a brief bio and you too could feature in StarWarrior!

Thomas Austen
thomasausten@starwarrior.space

News email: news@starwarrior.space

Admin email: johnausten@starwarrior.space                                

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Luke Skywalker returns to the Millennium Falcon in the new trailer

What's especially cool about this Star Wars trailer is the fact that we get to see Luke return "home," so to speak, as he steps aboard the Millennium Falcon for the first time in decades. We also get a sense of more of the growing conflict within Rey (Daisy Ridley) as she is being trained in the ways of the Force by Luke; and then, of course, there's the growing threat of Adam Driver's Kylo Ren.

And while we're waiting for "The Last Jedi", Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy recently revealed that plans are being mapped out for the next decade or so of stories set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, saying this during a recent promotional interview:

Mark Hamill - 'Harrison Ford is REAL reason I returned for new trilogy

By George Simpson

Star Wars legend Mark Hamill has revealed he returned for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi because of Harrison Ford. Back in 2012 George Lucas made the surprise move of selling his Star Wars rights to Disney. With news of a third Star Wars trilogy on the horizon, fans were wondering if the original actors would be returning.

Now in a new interview, Hamill - who plays Luke Skywalker - has revealed his early reservations about a comeback. Speaking with The New York Times, he said: "I was just really scared, I thought, why mess with it? The idea of catching lightning in a bottle twice was ridiculously remote."

Kathleen Kennedy opens up about plans for next decade of Star Wars

By Tom

Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy has opened up about the plans for the next 10 years for the franchise. Speaking on the Star Wars YouTube channel, Kennedy spoke about the early plans for the future and the life of new characters like Daisy Ridley's Rey and Oscar Isaac's Poe. She said: "We're sitting down now, we're talking about the next ten years of Star Wars stories and we're looking at narratively where that might go.

Future stories beyond Episode IX, with these new characters, Rey, Poe, Finn, BB-8, but we're also looking at working with people that are interested in coming into the Star Wars world and taking us to places that we haven't been yet, and that's exciting too because it's a vast galaxy far, far away. The possibilities are endless."

Future Man' makes video games real, then everyone pukes

Hulu's upcoming original series seems like a time-traveling sci-fi comedy for gamers, but the laughs are inspired more by gross-out gags than far-out future. More than one hard-core gamer has dreamed that real life could be as action-packed and exhilarating as the title they've spent so much time trying to conquer.

In the upcoming Hulu sci-fi comedy series "Future Man." that dream comes true for Josh Futterman (see what they did with the name there?), played by Josh Hutcherson of "Hunger Games" fame, But the result is more about raunchy humor than epic action sequences or mind-bending science fiction storylines.

Star Wars 8 OUTRAGE: Cinemas BAN Last Jedi over 'AWFUL' Disney demands - Which cinemas?

Will some cinemas really refuse to show The Last Jedi? Fans are worried they won't be able to see the next Star Wars movie after some cinemas refuse to agree to "onerous" secret Disney demands. There has been a major disturbance in the Force. Star Wars Episode 8 was cruising towards a massive box office triumph in December but now some cinemas may refuse to screen The Last Jedi at all.

The Wall Street Journal has revealed that Disney is demanding such oppressive contracts with cinema chains that some may be forced to pull the movie from the Christmas schedules, leaving fans disappointed. Share prices fell for major cinema chains in the US after the news and fans online are outraged at what is being seen as an "awful" and "ridiculous" money grab.

What is going on and who will be affected?

Mickey Rourke is starring in a dystopian movie about figure-skating robots!

It seems that a recent trend of original science fiction movies (not all of which were successful ones) is set to continue into next year. The Hollywood Reporter brings word of Vestige, a brand new science fiction movie starring Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Sin City, Iron Man 2), Analeigh Tipton, and Anne Heche.

Luke Skywalker's book is literally the story of 'Star Wars'

Whether or not Luke Skywalker is turning to the Dark side of the Force certainly won't be answered in any of the trailers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but that's not the big news from a galaxy far, far away. Instead, we now know one of Luke's ancient books probably tells the entire story of the galaxy. And that's because it's called the "Journal of the Whills."

USA Today teased a photo of Luke with his small stash of books in The Last Jedi, and one of them is the Journal of the Whills.

New updates from Avengers 4, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Justice League, and more

Steppenwolf speaks in new Justice League footage. Some new Star Wars toys may tease some intriguing Last Jedi dialogue. Lin-Manuel Miranda's Kingkiller Chronicles adaptation finds a home. Plus, Konami wants to bring another classic video game to the big screen, and Avengers 4 set pictures. Hooray for spoilers!

The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels - reviews roundup

Nina Allan excels at creating subtle, shifting narratives straddling the mundane and the bizarre, the real and the unreal. In her second novel, The Rift , she has produced a lyrical, moving story beautifully balanced between the reality of contemporary England and the ethereal otherness of the alien world of Tristane. Selena and Julie were not only sisters but best friends, and when Julie vanishes aged 17 - the victim of a killer? - Selena's life and that of her family changes forever.

Tom Hanks will star in Sci-Fi movie 'Bios' from a 'Game of Thrones' director

We all love Tom Hanks. He's charming, funny, and his career has been consistently impressive over decades in the movie industry. Now, Hanks is going to add another iconic role to his already impressive repertoire - he'll be playing a key role in the brand new, original sci-fi movie called Bios, which will be directed by Miguel Sapochnik.

Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi would 'love to' make a Star Wars film

We're also getting a What We Do in the Shadows spin-off! With Thor: Ragnarok earning incredible reviews, the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, must be absolutely delighted with his decision to give Thor's third standalone adventure to New Zealand director Taika Waititi. Then again, those who followed Waititi's career knew that something special was on the cards.

Star Wars 8: Rey's identity REVEALED? Snoke and Kylo Ren ALREADY know who she is

Star Wars fans think they still have to wait another two months to discover the true parentage of the girl from Jakku. Is she a Skywalker, Kenobi, Palpatine, Windu or virgin birth?

There are some cryptic clues in the latest Last Jedi trailer, but a canon Star wars novel has revealed that Kylo Ren and Snoke already know who she is.

Star Wars 8 Last Jedi: Rey gets VIOLENT with Luke Skywalker in shock fight?

STAR WARS' heroine Rey will have a violent clash with Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, according to a new theory. Nearly a fortnight after the release of the Episode 8 trailer, every single little shot is still being dissected for clues on what exactly is to come in the upcoming movie. Now, it is claimed that Rey and Luke will have a shocking physical altercation.

The evidence? In one shot, Luke is seen on the ground, saying: "This is not going to go the way you think." Seconds later, we see Rey - in a separate shot - emerging from water, with Luke appearing to hover over her.

Blade Runner 2049 is an exceptional Science-Fiction epic

By James McCraw

In the future police officers known as Blade Runners are sworn to hunt down and exterminate humanoid androids known as Replicants who have discovered a way to feel emotions and go away from their original programming as laborers. Thirty years ago, director Ridley Scott and actor Harrison Ford showed us this future, set in the year 2019.

This year, director Denis Villeneuve and actor Ryan Gosling brought us a new vision of the future, set 30 years after the events of the first film.

Philip K. Dick was dubious of 'Blade Runner' being adapted from his novel

Hollywood loves Philip K. Dick's stories, but the adaptation of his 1968 novel - "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" - has proven the most iconic. That film, of course, is "Blade Runner."

"'Blade Runner' started the whole Philip K. Dick revolution," says Paul M. Sammon, a filmmaker and author of "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner."

Salient Minus Ten Sci-Fi/Horror short trailer

Salient Minus Ten is the new Sci-Fi/Horror short film from award-winning filmmaker Emma Dark, and is a cerebral foray into the darker, more disturbing, side of Science Fiction.

Adam Harper is an average man. And on an average day he suddenly finds himself catapulted into the strangest, reality changing game... A game of time and chance, where the stakes are a matter of life and death.

https://vimeo.com/231845267

Golden Compass' author Philip Pullman touts 'darker' prequel

It's been 17 years since Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy wrapped up, and a decade since "Compass" hit the big screen. The wait for a follow-up is over. Lyra Belacqua is finally back. And fans of "The Golden Compass," both the best-selling fantasy novel and the Oscar-winning film, are no doubt beside themselves.

Is the world a simulation?

By Jamin Huebner

In June of last year, entrepreneur Elon Musk intrigued the science and technology community with his controversial remarks about the world being a "simulation." "The odds that we're in base reality," he said during the Code Conference interview, "is one in billions." In other words, the universe we live in is probably (or is probably like) a sophisticated computer game.