STAR WARS Holonet Weekly: Mandalorian Music, IX Timeline, and Anakin’s Father?
Lando Calrissian’s partner brings music to The Mandalorian while Nick Nolte is nowhere to be seen on set. More clues given on the direction of Episode IX and a spin around the Galaxy on some bombshell rumors. Let’s dive in.
The Mandalorian hasn’t added any new cast members this week, but it did add a Swedish composer. Ludwig Goransson will produce the score for the live-action series. He’s currently nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Grammy for his score for Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther. Other credits include Creed I, Creed II, Venom as well as Community and Happy Endings for the small screen. In fact, his unofficial “six degrees of separation” partnership with the galaxy far, far away began on the set of Community when he met Donald Glover who played Lando Calrissian in Solo: Solo Film, Solo. They have become partners since, with Goransson helping Glover with a majority of his rap albums under his Childish Gamibno rap persona, which has also led to three Grammy nominations. In a statement, Goransson says:
Words fail to express how surreal and humbling it feels to be invited into the Star Wars universe. I am deeply grateful to Jon Favreau and Disney for this opportunity and to John Williams for raising the bar so high with his iconic, intrepid scores – they will never be matched. In these next months, I hope to honor the tradition of Star Wars’ musical landscape while propelling The Mandalorian into new and unchartered territory. And I will try to remember that there is no try.
Other notes from The Mandalorian set comes from a source of Making Star Wars. In a post this week, they reveal that the character Nick Nolte will be playing is an Ugnaught, the pig-like humanoid creature we first saw in The Empire Strikes Back. The species has also shown up or been mentioned in the show’s Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Resistance as well as the books and comics. According to MSW, his character will not be digital or physically Nolte himself. They have a new practical animatronic mask what works on voice command which was developed by Stan Winston’s Shop of experts. The mask is worn by a small woman who matches Nolte’s inflection. Nolte has not been on set but finished recording his lines in a day’s work. So how big of a role he will have in the show is still unknown but it seems to appear that he will be used sparingly.
And lastly from The Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal shared with fans a little insight in how Dave Filoni thinks. From the man who gave us Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, and is directing the premiere episode, he is a master animator and he thinks in drawings. Imagine what his high school notebooks looked like.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrTv114j69_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Over on the Episode IX front, we are a year away from the release. Anyone excited yet? After The Last Jedi we all know that J.J. Abrams has A LOT of work to do to wrap up the Skywalker saga in such a way that hopefully will reunite Star Wars fans. As usual with all the films, not much is known; however, John Boyega has given a little spoiler, if you want to call it that. He has confirmed the film takes place roughly a year after The Last Jedi. If you remember by the time the Resistance escaped Crait, there was just a handful of them left. With giving them a year, they can rebuild their ranks. But on the other hand, it has given Kylo a year to get control over the First Order and begin driving it in the direction he wants. This also gives Rey a chance to fix her lightsaber. We know the kyber crystal in it was split in two, beyond repair. However, it has been confirmed that the Skywalker lightsaber will return in Episode IX, most likely to be repaired but by whom, we don’t know.
Finally, just a few last thoughts:
If anyone is making it to Star Wars Celebration in April, our favorite Warwick Davis is set to return as the stage host. He was fun to watch in 2017 and will most definitely rock the Mouse House this year.
After last weeks sighting of Sabine Wren’s helmet on the set of The Mandalorian, voice actor Tiya Sircar has expressed interest in bringing her Rebels character to life if offered, posting up on Twitter:
Opposed?! On the contrary, I am seriously trying to will the Universe to allow a live-action Sabine story to be told and for me to be the one to get to tell it (as Sabine, of course). 😉 #fingersandtoescrossed https://t.co/QKeCUTM9tB
— Tiya Sircar (@tiyasircar) December 19, 2018
Your favorite villain is returning next year. The third book in the Thrawn series by Timothy Zahn, Thrawn: Treason will be released, taking place before Rogue One, throwing Director Krennic into the deep end when the two meet. Returning will be Eli Vanto, who was introduced in the first book and mentioned in the second. The book’s teaser mentioned the rise of a traitor, but who is it? Vanto? The newly introduced Krennic? Or is it Thrawn himself having to make a decision between his loyalty between his home world of Chiss or the Empire after receiving a warning from Vanto?
Want to talk about parents and spoilers? We are not talking Rey, but Anakin. If you remember from The Phantom Menace Ani’s mother told Qui-Gon that she carried him, birthed him, and raised him. She had no explanation of how it happened and there was no father. Qui-Gon then believed Anakin was born of the Force and was a creation of Midichlorians. However, this is not true. If you want to find the answer to who Anakin Skywalker’s real father was, head out to get the Star Wars comic Darth Vader No. 25 for the answer. We are not going to spoil this bombshell here.
To finish up, here is our holiday gift to you from Mr. Mark Hamill. The trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX.
Here it is as promised (& who didn't see THIS coming?)
A) An #EXCLUSIVE #StarWarsTrailer photo!!
B) Bonus vintage photo of #TrollMasterHamill (who's considering retirement now that it's impossible to trick you nerds!) #EpNeinFootageAvailable pic.twitter.com/KXzLS1rlvm— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) December 14, 2018
Happy Holidays Crumbers! See you next week!