Star Wars Bits: Chirrut's Backstory, Celebration 2017 Badge Art, And Donald Glover Promises A "Cool" Lando

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

ScreenRant's interview with Rogue One star Donnie Yen reveals a very interesting tidbit about Chirrut Îmwe – there exists an extensive backstory about the character's past, which includes the nature of his blindness. Of course, Yen can't talk about any of that:

That's a backstory that we actually did a lot of back and forth discussions, research between actors, producers and director. So, that is something that's probably this thick of notes and research... [...] That is a backstory that I'm not allowed to talk about.

Does this mean we'll be learning more about Chirrut in an upcoming comic or novel? I'd put the odds at "yes."

In an interview with Vulture, Rogue One star Riz Ahmed spoke about how the character of Bodhi Rook was very different and less integral to the plot when he first signed on. However, the character and his importance to the story grew as the film was developed (and partially reshot):

I signed up for the movie not having read a script or knowing where the character sat in the movie. I've got to be honest, the character was a different character at that point. He had a different name and a different relationship to the rest of the team, and he really evolved once I signed on and once I started shooting, even. They decided to start expanding the role and introducing him earlier and he became more integral to the story and the rest of the team. It's interesting, looking back, that I signed up knowing nothing, but ultimately I'd sign up for a 'Star Wars' movie to make tea, just to be around that level of creativity.

Whether intentional or not, this key scene in the original Star Wars can now be viewed in a very nifty new context in a post-Rogue One world.

You may not see actor Dermot Mulroney on screen in Rogue One, but you can hear him. Or rather, you can hear him play the cello on the soundtrack, because Mulroney has been playing that instrument since grade school and has been playing in the orchestra for composer Michael Giacchino for years now. The LA Times has the whole story.

Marvel is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars next year by releasing 48 variant covers for its various comic series set in this universe, with each of them recreating a different iconic scene or moment from the films. StarWars.com debuted the first batch of covers, which feature the work of Kevin Wada, David Lopez, Michael Laming, Mike Mayhew, Michael Walsh, Ryan Stegman, Stuart Immonen, and Juan Gimenez.

Donald Glover playing a younger Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo movie is a brilliant stroke of casting, especially since the actor seems well-aware of what made Billy Dee Williams' original take on the character work – he was cool. As he tells The Hollywood Reporter:

It was the first action figure I ever had. I remember my dad giving it to me...I remember Lando really well. He was like the only black guy in space. And he was the cool one. I just realized, he still has to be cool. And cool is an interesting thing. It changes.

You may consider "Jedi" to be your own personal religion, but the Charity Commission for England and Wales may not agree with its validity. It seems that a group known as the Temple of the Jedi Order applied for charity and nonprofit status, but the commission shot them down, saying they don't "promote moral or ethical improvement" and adding "The decisions which the commission makes on the extent of this meaning can be difficult and complex." The Temple of the Jedi Order has 177,000 members in England.

The badge art for next year's Star Wars Celebration has been revealed and it's lovely. Artist Paul Shipper has created twelve different designs, each of them depicting a character from the core Star Wars saga, Rogue One, or Star Wars Rebels for the 2017 edition of the massive fan convention, which will run from April 13-16, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. You can learn more details about the creation of this art over at StarWars.com. Meanwhile, Warwick Davis, David Collins, and Amy Ratcliffe have all been confirmed to return as stage hosts for the event.

Dan Perri, who designed the original title crawl in the original 1977 Star Wars, says it's a huge mistake for Rogue One to not utilize this iconic opening, telling The Hollywood Reporter:

Frankly, it is a huge mistake, because the image is so iconic and it's so important to tens of millions, hundreds of millions of fans. I couldn't imagine it starting without that. It's foolish.

Perri then goes on to say that he hasn't seen a Star Wars movie since the original, so take from that what you will.

let diego luna touch jabba the hutt pic.twitter.com/Xjgwh67SsO

— gab (@kenobitrinity) December 19, 2016

Someone at Lucasfilm really needs to let Rogue One star Diego Luna touch Jabba the Hutt. Please. Or let Guillermo del Toro make that Jabba movie he's pitched in public and find a role for Cassian Andor in the script.