We’re now in sight of Star Wars Day on May 4. The centerpiece of the annual celebration will be the second season of Star Wars Visions, with the entire second season arriving at once on Disney Plus. This brings together top animation studios from around the world and lets them go nuts in a galaxy far, far away with non-canon stories pushing the boundaries of what Star Wars can be.
Bubbling away under that is the continued enjoyment of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Though performance issues and various bugs (particularly on PC) have dampened its launch, the patching process is ongoing, and it seems each day the game gets a little smoother and a little more glitch-free.
Though we were disappointed with the state of the game on its release last week, we can’t emphasize enough that under the technical issues, it’s a great sequel to Fallen Order and it’s reassuring to see that these issues may be squashed sooner rather than later.
But in other news, we finally have a small update on Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie.
Taika Waititi set to begin shooting his ‘Star Wars’ movie next year
It’s been a long time since The Rise of Skywalker, and fans are itching to see the franchise back on the big screen. The recent Star Wars Celebration announced three movies that’ll hit theaters in the latter half of the 2020s, beginning with Rey’s return in an untitled movie due in December 2025. But there was one project notable for its absence at the celebration.
Taika Waititi has been lined up to make a Star Wars movie for a while now, with indications that it’ll be completely separate from the Skywalker Saga and tell a completely original story. The hype around Waititi has cooled a little after Thor: Love and Thunder, though a new report in Deadline indicates that his Star Wars movie is still a going concern.
They said his next movie will adapt Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, but once he’s done with that, he’s moving onto a galaxy far, far away. As they report:
“As for Star Wars, insiders say he is still excited about the project and committed to direct that next year.”
We think a 2024 shoot likely means we’re looking at a 2026 or 2027 release. Klara and the Sun will likely take up most of next year for Waititi, so we anticipate the Star Wars shoot beginning in late 2024 and spilling over into 2025. With the Rey movie arriving in 2025, Dave Filoni’s ‘Mandoverse’ movie coming in 2026, and James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi likely due in 2028, that leaves 2027 notably free. Here’s hoping Waititi fills that gap.
‘Fortnite’ once again embraces ‘Star Wars’ for May 4th
Fortnite and Star Wars have crossed over many times now, with the battle royale shooter particularly notable for featuring the return of Emperor Palpatine in the run-up to The Rise of Skywalker. Along the way, we’ve seen icons like Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Kylo Ren become available as skins, and as of this week, a new event introduces many more.
This crossover focuses on the prequel trilogy, bringing with it Fortnite‘s first “mini battle pass” that asks you to earn “galactic reputation” to unlock skins. With the free tier, you can get a Clone Trooper skin, though for 1,000 V-Bucks, the premium tier lets you play as Darth Maul.
Beyond that, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Maul are all now NPCs on the map, and interacting with them will give you the Force powers of push, pull and throw, as well as being able to sprint at Jedi speed and double-jump. Over in the item shop, you can buy Anakin and Padme skins, which come with a bundle of other prequel trilogy packs and gliders, loading screens, emotes, and other cosmetics.
We know Fortnite isn’t for everyone, but it remains one of the biggest games on the planet, and we love that it’s continually updated with new gameplay additions and map features. And, hey, who wouldn’t want to play as a shotgun-wielding Anakin Skywalker/Padme team pursuing a frightened suit-wearing banana-man through a medieval castle?
The official ‘Star Wars’ site has some fun recipes and art ideas to celebrate ‘Star Wars Day’
May the 4th will bring with it a bunch of great deals on Star Wars merchandise, books, comics, and video games. Right now, you can get The Mandalorian art books for 30% off on Abrams’ site by checking out with the promo code “MANDO,” Amazon is running “deal of the day” offers on various merch, and the strange yet fun Star Wars x Beeline Creative Tiki and Aloha party set is all on offer on their website.
But if you don’t want to break the bank, StarWars.com also has some great ideas for ways to celebrate Star Wars without feeding the Mouse. The official site has just posted its “Stars Wars Day Recipes and Crafts” section, which lets you have fun with things you may well already have at home.
The section now features guides on how to create a (non-alcoholic) real-world version of the Chandrilan Squigs cocktail from Andor (sadly not including the wriggling worm), a recipe for The Mandalorian vegan “pog soup,” and a guide on how to “have a snippy snack” with an Ahsoka Tano tortilla and red pepper dip that “pays homage to the intrepid hero.”
As for arts and crafts, you can “join The Bad Batch with a DIY Hunter headband,” make an adorable “upcycled Ewok fairy house,” create your own magnetic droid, make a burlap Grogu pencil pouch, a “trench run marble puzzle,” a Hoth snowglobe and — perhaps most excitingly — a Death Star pinata. Fun for all the family!
We’d love to get some revenge for Alderaan while being showered in tasty sweet treats, so we’re all in on this. Let’s hope that as the day itself draws closer, the fevered imaginations over at StarWars.com serve up yet more awesome party ideas.