ST New Canon Materials (novels, TV shows, comics, games) and Episode IX - SEE WARNING ON PAGE 41

Fairly certain news previously was it'd post-RoS, though there was scepticism on that actually happening.

If they want to do film/TV that flattens a load of comics, they'll do so anyway.

 

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/charles-soule-ben-solo-rise-of-kylo-ren-interview

You’ve done a lot of Star Wars stories in the past five years, so you’re savvy about what sparks with the fandom. But even knowing that, did the response to The Rise of Kylo Ren surpass your expectations?

Charles Soule: It did. I've worked in Star Wars. I've worked at Marvel. I've worked in licensed storytelling enough to know when a concept is just the thing that everybody wants. And part of that is because I can tell it's something that I would really want to read, or know, whether that's the story that I'm working on for the Star Wars comic now, which picks up right after Empire Strikes Back, or something like Kylo Ren, talking about how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren. So, I think the potential of it was obvious, and that's one of the reasons that both Will Sliney and I were so excited to work on it.

But in terms of reception, one of the things that's really become clear to me over the course of working on this project — and maybe it should've been obvious to me before — is the depth of love for particularly the Ben Solo character and the way that the fandom embraced the elements of the character that are almost implied by the films more than the text. There's a lot of subtext with Ben Solo. And Rey as well. And that's been something that people have really enjoyed. That was pretty clear, but getting a chance to write a story that gave actual additional text to Ben, as opposed to just letting people speculate, seemed like something that would have a massive audience. But, I will say that it exceeded even my high expectations. But that's great.

When they came to you with Kylo Ren, how much detail about Ben was attached to it?

Well, with every Star Wars project that I work on, it's generally an outline that I generate, which is then vetted by Story Group and the Marvel editors and the Lucasfilm publishing editors. So, there's a lot of eyes on pretty much anything that I do.

And, of course, with Rise of Kylo Ren, because of the timing of it, [the book] was something that was being developed before Episode IX came out. There was a great deal of secrecy about the elements of that storyline in the film. And [the first issue] was going to drop the day before the film came out, so there was a lot of focus on what could be in Issue #1, how it could work, how the elements of Ben’s story that were revealed in the film could be fleshed out in different ways by the comic. There was a lot of back and forth on the outline. Everybody knew that this was a story that was gonna have a ton of fan interest.

And I never really mind Story Group’s notes, or input, or Lucasfilm editorial, or Marvel editorial notes in any case because they're always constructive as opposed to reductive or destructive. And it's always great to get their insight, especially because they know things that I don't. We all really wanted to do the story justice and work really hard on it. And I know that Will Sliney definitely treated it the same.

This was a really important story within the overall Star Wars timeline, so, let's really focus on it. Let's make sure we give it, not just our A-game, which is our standard, but our A-plus-plus game. And I think the way that it's been embraced, by and large, is a validation of that.

What was most interesting to you as a writer to get across about Ben/Kylo in the series?

I think that the important thing that I really wanted to convey in Rise of Kylo Ren was that Ben Solo was a figure who had been tapped by destiny. And in the Star Wars galaxy, that cosmic force is kind of a stand-in for fate or destiny. I think that from the day he was born, just based on the storytelling we've seen, the fact that he was part of a dyad with Rey, is such a unique thing in Force mythology He was a figure that was going to be at the center of a lot of significant events in Star Wars from the moment he was born.

So, I thought that that was the most interesting element of the character for me. It was to have a character who, by the time he's at Luke’s temple and certainly by the time the events happen that we see in the story, he knows the weight of expectations that have been put on him. And not just by presumably the cosmic force, but also by his family and his friends and other people in the galaxy who know his lineage, if that's a word that we can use here, which I think we can. I mean, as the child of Leia Organa and Han Solo, and the nephew of Luke Skywalker and the grandson of Darth Vader and the grandson of Padme, there's a lot that goes into Ben Solo’s lineage that even if the Force didn't exist would have been a lot. That's the thing that I wanted to dig into because I thought that that was something that would be a lot of weight for any person to bear. I think Ben Solo is somebody whose abilities in the living force provided a sense of possibility for people both on the light side and the dark side. In some ways, perhaps, they saw the possibility of Ben’s abilities more than Ben the person. And Ben, at the time of the story, is realizing that to a degree. And I thought that was a very interesting spot to start telling his story and a very interesting place from which to approach his turn.

How much freedom did they give you and Will on what to portray and how to portray it?

I had basically nothing but support from Story Group and Lucasfilm, which was great. I think that we all just wanted to tell a story that did this character justice. And, of course, there are notes. There's always notes, but it doesn’t mean that there was any sort of pushback to a nuanced portrayal. I think everybody wanted to try to tell a story that felt as deeply mythological as Luke Skywalker’s story or Darth Vader’s story or Ahsoka. There's a lot of really great stories within the larger Star Wars universe about people’s struggle with destiny and the Light side and the Dark side in all of the things that we've seen. And Rise of Kylo Ren is a comic, but we wanted it to feel just as powerful as anything that you would see in a film or a TV show. And so, creating a nuanced character with interesting things going on, with challenges that are relatable, even though it's a long time ago, a galaxy far, far away. All of that was the goal of everybody involved in the project from the start.

Is there something in particular in the four-issue arc that you love?

Sure, you know, there's tons of stuff. That's one of the great things about making comics is that there's always surprises because you're working with other people. They may read your script, and they interpret something differently than you expected. Or even in colors, the folks at GURU-eFX, they lit some of the final battle scenes in Issue #4. They chose color palettes that really highlighted a lot of what was going on in really interesting ways.

I think that the bleeding of the kyber crystal at the end was a really cool sequence that we really wanted to get in. I’d had that in the outline from the beginning, and I really wanted to make sure that there was space for it. But I was a little concerned because four issues of a comic is not a ton of page count, even with the first issue having additional pages in it. I had to pull out every trick I had to make it work, to make sure that there would be room for it. But it did, and I feel like it felt very natural within it. And then, obviously, the way Will did it and GURU colored it and just the whole thing, it really landed beautifully. So, you know, that sequence stands out very well in my mind.

And I also really liked all the stuff with Luke fighting the Knights of Ren in Issue #2. That's one of the great things about working on Star Wars, I am just as much a fan as anybody else is. And I hope it shows in the work. But getting to write the story that this is literally the only time we have ever seen Luke Skywalker pull out his lightsaber and be awesome between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. And even then, he had amazing moments in The Last Jedi, but they were different. They weren't like what we saw in The Rise of Kylo Ren #2. So, knowing that Will Sliney and I would be the first two creators out of the gate to be able to do that was just super cool. I mean, it felt great. So, it was a lot of fun.

Since the book has been a huge success, have sequels been discussed?

There's always more stories to tell. Who knows what will happen. I know that there is a large focus in the fandom about what stories might be told about Ben Solo going forward. And I know people want them to happen and all that, so I can't really speculate about anything. I’m not really in the loop on it. I had a great time on Rise of Kylo Ren. I would be thrilled to do more if the opportunity ever presented itself. I really enjoy working and writing Ben and Rey. I enjoy the sequel timeline quite a bit. There's just a lot of meat on the bone in terms of the storytelling of those characters, whether before or after Episode 9. So, who knows? I have no real insight into what they're thinking, but if they came to me and asked me for ideas, I'm sure I have them. And who knows what would happen in the future?

Just looking ahead, you get to kick off The High Republic timeline in January. Any teases about it outside of the excerpt?

I hate to say it, but I'm really hugely restricted in being able to talk about High Republic in any way. I can say that I'm really excited for the book to come out. I'm glad that people got a chance to see a little bit of it in the excerpt that was released last week. But anything other than that, I know better.

 

I'm just sad that Ben Solo's story is over.

 

I hate the art of the Kylo Ren series, because they didn't even try to make him look younger - that's a thirty-six-year old man's head surgically attached to a young child's body

It's laughably out of proportion and it actually feels kinda mean because it's drawn in as many unflattering angles as humanly possible - sorta like what the main series Star Wars comics did when they just used slapped someone's head pulled from a frame of the OT on a body and called it a day

 

https://www.starwars.com/news/the-lego-star-wars-holiday-special-disney-plus-announce
It’s the most wonderful time of the year on Kashyyyk, and LEGO Star Wars fans are invited to journey back to Chewbacca’s homeworld for a Wookiee-sized celebration of the galaxy’s most cheerful and magical holiday — Life Day!

This November, The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, — which premieres on Life Day, November 17, 2020 on Disney+, — will reunite Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie, Rose and all your favorite droids, from R2-D2 to BB-8, for a joyous feast on Life Day, the holiday first introduced in 1978’s Star Wars Holiday Special. The new LEGO special is the first to debut on the streaming platform and will continue the rich longtime collaboration between Lucasfilm and the LEGO Group — playful adventures told in an endearingly irreverent way.



Set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey leaves her friends to prepare for Life Day as she embarks on a new adventure with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force. At a mysterious Jedi temple, Rey finds herself hurled into a cross-timeline adventure through beloved moments in Star Wars cinematic history, coming into contact with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and other iconic heroes and villains from all nine Skywalker saga films. But will she make it back in time for the Life Day feast and learn the true meaning of holiday spirit? You’ll have to watch to find out!



And starting next month, you can get a closer look at some of the holiday-themed characters from the special when the 2020 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar releases on September 1. This year, the advent calendar was designed in concert with the development and production of the show. DK will also release the LEGO Star Wars Holiday sticker book, which lets brick fans stick instead of click.



The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is a production of Atomic Cartoons, the LEGO Group, and Lucasfilm. It is directed by Ken Cunningham and written by David Shayne, who is also co-executive producer. James Waugh, Josh Rimes, Jason Cosler, Jacqui Lopez, Jill Wilfert, and Keith Malone are executive producers.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/enter...day-special-updates-yuletide-miss/3359104001/

 

Star Wars #1 has still sold more then all of the Rise of Kylo Ren issues they really didn't print many of them which lead to them doing the multiple printings due to demand but the comic compared to other Star Wars comics as as well the sales they were getting during the big relaunch in 2015 is very weak.

 

If there's no Lego Pablo Hidalgo wandering by with his coffee and says "all of this is canon" then what's the point of a Holiday Special?

 

Great idea. since they are going to do it with self-awareness unlike the original Holiday Special, throwing in behind the scene figures such as Pabs would work better than just having various characters meet in various timelines. But oh well.

 

The only time period that makes sense is during his time at Luke's Academy - and with his adventures with Luke. Maybe Lucasfilm will throw enough money at Hamill to do a series if cameos; particularly if it shows a powerful Luke in how Hamill would have seen his character develop post-ROTJ.

I cant see it being before then because it would need to include Han and Leia - and sadly, Fisher has passed on and there would be no way in hell that Ford would do any TV show cameo with the Han Solo character; even more so if he thought it would add nothing further to the character.

As long as they (Lucasfilm and the producers of the show) specifically state what Ben's issues were prior to him attending the Academy, then I would be happy. This major area of the Ben Solo character needs resolving properly now that he is dead at the end of TROS.

JJ failed to tell the story and close out the character properly. Maybe a second chance in telling the story of Ben Solo will give the necessary information.

I certainly welcome such a TV show; regardless if Driver plays Ben Solo.

 

They don’t need Harrison Ford, If a show is animated.

Driver can’t play a young Ben Solo because of his age.

Maybe he can impersonate a young Ben via voice acting for an animated series or they just get another actor.

 

Very strange to label Lando a “sequel trilogy character.” Technically true, but he’s obviously far more defined by his role in the OT...

 

I’d be all for a Calrissian Chronicles type show, each episode jumps around to different stories and tales, it would be a great way to include both Glover and Billy Dee Williams.

 

Read the newest issue of Marvel's Star Wars comic. Darth Vader is Disney!?!?

 

Not only do they all die, but none of them get past there 50's.

Pretty sad the sequel trilogy ended the bloodline.

 

https://www.idwpublishing.com/product/star-wars-adventures-1-3/

 

https://www.starwars.com/news/inside-the-heart-of-the-lego-star-wars-holiday-special

Star Wars has always been a genre mashup. Samurai films, Westerns, and Saturday matinee serials are all part of the magic mix of the saga. And over the years, Star Wars has infused everything from monster movies (Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ “The Zillo Beast”) to straight-up gothic horror (IDW Publishing’s Tales from Vader’s Castle series). But now, something new — and definitely unexpected — is inspiring the galaxy far, far away.

“We found ourselves talking about holiday specials,” James Waugh, vice president, franchise content and strategy at Lucasfilm, tells StarWars.com, “and the heritage of sitting down and watching holiday specials every year, and how beloved and timeless those things are. When looking at what to do next with LEGO Star Wars, it kind of went from there.”



That brainstorm eventually led to The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, coming to Disney+ on November 17 — the day our galaxy observes the now-canonical Star Wars holiday of Life Day. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special picks up post-Episode IX and finds Rey continuing her Jedi training. She comes upon something mystical in a Jedi temple that sends her hurtling through time, meeting Star Wars legends and visiting places of the past — but still, she must get back home for Life Day. The cast features many returning fan favorites, including Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, as well as several Star Wars: The Clone Wars vets: Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), Tom Kane (Yoda, along with Qui-Gon Jinn), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and Dee Bradley Baker (clone troopers) are all back. “We’re particularly thrilled that these great actors from the Star Wars family chose to reprise their roles and came to play in this LEGO sandbox,” Josh Rimes, director of animation development at Lucasfilm, says.



The creative team looked at their own favorite holiday classics, from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, for inspiration. And what they found was that that kind of storytelling was a surprisingly good fit for Star Wars. “I think what aligns so much about these specials with Star Wars is that, at the end of the day, you don’t have a good Star Wars story if you don’t have heart. If you don’t have soul,” Waugh says. “And I think the reason those holiday stories are timeless is because there are lessons. Whether all of those specials are great or not, they are trying to warm you with a theme about being with your family, caring, loving others, being selfless. These are things that are automatically inherent to Star Wars. So we really wanted to anchor this with the idea of, ‘What is Rey missing right now?’ She is so focused on the burden of being the only Jedi in this new era and the duty of potentially passing on that knowledge. She’s missing the point that there still needs to be time to be with your friends and the family you’ve made.”

“She has a nice It’s a Wonderful Life moment,” says Rimes, “as she reflects on her own mistakes, her own teachings, and what it means to be a mentor.”



This kind of story and timeline crossover is uniquely suited to LEGO Star Wars, which has become something of a sub-brand, or sub-galaxy, all its own, proving to be a huge gateway into Star Wars for kids, but has also become popular with adults. It’s not hard to see why: Building sets are creative exercises, and LEGO Star Wars series and specials are routinely filled with jokes and gags, breaking of the fourth wall, and exciting action, but also respect for the source material.

“We were looking for new creative approaches now that Disney+ was out in the marketplace. We’ve done LEGO shorts and series before so we pushed ourselves to think more broadly,” says Rimes. “And the fact that we’re operating in the LEGO galaxy gave us license to lean into the fun and playfulness that’s critical when it came to thinking about exploring a new take on a Star Wars holiday special.”



“LEGO Star Wars has its own sense of humor, its own style, and creates a special opportunity to share something you love with your kids no matter the age,” Waugh says. “One thing that helped define how we approached this special was actually looking at how kids are playing with LEGO Star Wars. [In the Story Group], we’re in our canonical sense of building stories, which delineates certain characters and vehicles sets across different points of time. And when I’m watching my son play with them, and watching other kids play with them, that’s not the case. It’s more like, ‘I’m dumping all my LEGO Star Wars out, and I’m going to have the AT-AT fight battle droids from the prequels.’ It’s one of the cool things about bringing LEGO sets home. We were talking a lot about that, Josh and I, early on. ‘How do we craft a story that allows for that?’”

The goal became to bring over 40 years of Star Wars history together; or, dump all the toys on the floor.

“And there’s a moment,” Rimes adds. “We call it the ‘bucket dump’ moment.”



LEGO Star Wars, as fans know, has its own holiday tradition: the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar. In the spirit of LEGO Star Wars play and cleverness, Waugh and Rimes were determined to have it intertwine with their special. “We suddenly started thinking, ‘Well, this all makes sense.’ From there, we worked with LEGO to make sure that the Advent Calendar was truly integrated with the show. Both companies worked hard to create a connection and influence the other in the special and the product,” says Waugh. Indeed, the figures and trinkets included in the release will come straight from The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. So kids and adults can experience the show through play, or create their own holiday story. Star Wars proper, of course, has its own history with holiday content — even though that history is somewhat checkered.

No discussion about The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special could happen without addressing the bantha in the room: 1978’s widely maligned The Star Wars Holiday Special. To put it simply, it is not good. It has never been officially released after its one-time airing on television. But the new special clearly borrows not just from the name of the original, but story elements it introduced, as well, including Life Day. Ever since its release, Lucasfilm seemed to have no interest in revisiting or even acknowledging The Star Wars Holiday Special. But time heals all lightsaber wounds, it seems.

“It was completely anathema to talk about doing a holiday special within the halls of Lucasfilm for years,” Waugh says. “But the truth is, it’s part of our tapestry. It’s part of our story. And fans have embraced it in a kind of ironic, fun way. And we’re not doing THE Holiday Special. It’s more honoring the elements of that holiday special that have lingered with the franchise. The truth is, Life Day is now in The Mandalorian. Life Day is celebrated at [Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge]. So, it’s part of our DNA and it was something to look back to.”



For people who love holiday specials, there’s no understating their importance. We watch them with family and friends as part of shared experiences and traditions. They teach us. And they form memories around holidays that we carry with us forever. Considering all this, Waugh and Rimes have high hopes for The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.

“I hope that it becomes a family tradition and that it becomes part of the rotation,” says Rimes. “You know, you have Rudolph, Frosty, everything else. And you have The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.”

“I want it to be timeless,” Waugh says. “That was always our hope. ‘Let’s try to make something that is as timeless and everlasting as those holiday specials we love.’ LEGO and Star Wars mean a lot to people’s lives. They mean a lot to my life. They’ve been woven into my life with my son. And so, hopefully, this becomes something like all those classic specials that people who love Star Wars, people who love LEGO, people who just enjoy holiday specials will sit down and watch every year. And it becomes part of their lives.”

 

https://ew.com/tv/star-wars-holiday-special/

Three Star Wars veterans are joining Disney+'s upcoming Holiday Special, EW has learned.

Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) have all signed onto the voice cast of The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special, an irreverent animated take on the galaxy far, far away that's coming to the streaming service next month.

Daniels and Williams will reprise their Star Wars characters which date back to George Lucas' original trilogy.

"Williams had such great, positive energy around the whole project and, of course, we couldn't do C-3PO without Anthony Daniels and he brought his magic to the character," says executive producer James Waugh.

And Rose Tico, the Resistance engineer and pilot was first introduced in 2017's The Last Jedi, will have a particularly significant role.

"She has a really prominent role throughout the story," Waugh says. "This story works in an A-B way. The 'A' story is on Kashyyyk where Rey, Poe, Rose and Finn are all trying to create the greatest Life Day party ever for Chewie and his family. Then the B story is Rey going off to seek knowledge at the Jedi Temple that takes her across the movies' history ... Rose's role in this it to really takes charge she basically saves the day, in many ways. We wanted to make sure we got a lot of Kelly in as Rose was going to be an essential part of whatever [the Resistance heroes'] future was going to be after Episode IX and she was a blast to work with."

Tran was originally supposed to have a more prominent storyline in 2019's The Rise of Skywalker as well, but some of her footage ended up being cut (co-writer Chris Terrio has said the team struggled from a technical standpoint to make Rose's scenes flow convincingly with repurposed footage of the late Carrie Fisher playing General Leia Organa).

Other voice actors include The Clone Wars regulars such as Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker, Tom Kane does Yoda, James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Dee Bradley Baker "who has done every clone trooper you’ve ever heard."

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special also marks a redemptive return for the saga's Holiday Special brand, as the project is a successor of sorts to the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special that aired once on CBS (and never again).

"Daniels did joke around with us that he couldn't believe he was doing yet another holiday special," Waugh says. "He never thought he'd be doing that again."

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special streams Nov. 17 on Disney+.

 

I’m very curious who will be voicing Rey, Finn, Poe, and the inevitable appearance from Ben.

 

Might be archive audio, given it's a trip through the saga ala Galaxy of Adventure, although with Rey playing an active role, Daisy might reprise her role?

 

Ochi in the newest issue of the Darth Vader comic. I'm sorry but his design looks terrible.

 

https://www.starwars.com/news/lego-star-wars-holiday-special-trailer-poster