Star Wars Bits: The Russo Brothers Want To Direct A 'Star Wars' Movie, Fantastic Fan Art, And A Whole Bunch Of New Toys

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

  • The Russo Brothers talk about their childhood dreams of directing a Star Wars movie
  • You can now fight in the Battle of Geonosis thanks to Battlefront II
  • Some of the most famous showdowns in Star Wars history celebrated
  • The usually tightlipped J.J. Abrams talks about filming Episode 9 in Wadi Rum
  • And much much more...
  • Ever wanted to jump right into the Clone Wars? Well, thanks to the new Battle for Geonosis expansion for Battlefront II you can! Taking place between Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic on Geonosis, it's widely seen as the beginning of the three year Clone Wars which devastated the Galaxy. Now you can be a part of it, including playing as both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

    Get ready to take home some very good droids with these new Elite Series figures which are available exclusively at the Disney Store. Showcased on starwars.com, this all-droid line is full of awesome new additions including R2-D2 complete with drink serving equipment the astromech R5-D4 ("Bad motivator!"), the gleaming protocol droid TC-14, and the GNK power droid, a.k.a. the Gonk droid. If you've ever felt like you didn't have enough of the robots you were looking for then you're surely in luck.

    During a recent interview with Roya News the usually tight lipped J.J. Abrams opened up about some of his feelings on shooting Episode IX in Wadi Rum:

    "It is breathtakingly beautiful and the perfect location for our film. I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to shoot in Jordan. Between the warm welcome from the government and the dedication and hard work of the local film professionals, we couldn't have had a better experience. We are enormously grateful."

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    "Do you have something, a cowl, or something you can put on?" ....... GreatShowdowns.com ....... STAR BATTLING WEEK

    A post shared by Scott C. (@scottlava) on Nov 28, 2018 at 9:38am PST

    Artist Scott Lava has been treating his Instagram followers to some really lovely fan art like this wonderful watercolor of one of the funniest moments in The Last Jedi when Rey asks Kylo to put some clothes on. He's also done some other Star Wars-centric sketches including a great one of Admiral Holdo facing down Poe Dameron, and a super funny vision of Luke vs Yoda and the Force Tree as part of his Greatest Showdowns series.

    Gloria Katz is one of the many woman who have played a huge part in the galaxy far, far, away and it was with sadness that we read a report from The Hollywood Reporter that she has passed away at the age of 75. Her role as a script doctor on the early George Lucas classics A New Hope and American Graffiti had a huge impact on both films and her importance in Hollywood history cannot be underplayed. Rest in peace, Gloria.

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    Millennium Falcon sighting ?! Who's ready for #starwarsland ????? . . #starwars #millenniumfalcon #lessthan12parsecs #kesselrun #hansolo #chewbacca #disneyland #rogueaviation #flyrouge #learntofly #flighttraining #r22 #robinsonhelicopters #avgeek #aviation #pilotlife #instapilot #flyingisfun #whyifly

    A post shared by James Taylor Baker (@heliguy) on Nov 20, 2018 at 10:34pm PST

    The Millennium Falcon has landed at Disneyland! Instagram user James Taylor posted these incredible aerial shots of the under construction Galaxy's Edge which now includes the galaxy's most famous rustbucket! From reports it sounds like the ship will be part of a ride in which parkgoers can actually pilot the famed Corellian freighter, which just sounds like the best thing ever to us! You'll be able to jump into the cockpit when the land opens in summer of next year.

    There's plenty of incredible and imaginative fan art out there, and we got a look a some really strange and surreal reimaginings of some of our favorite characters with these wonderful pieces by illustrator Richard Wilkinson. In them the artist visualizes some of the most iconic Star Wars stars as insects and you've honestly never seen anything like it.

    After seeing the wonder of Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures and the awesome new series of shorts that they created to engage young fans, we knew it wouldn't be long until we saw a line of toys based on the great designs. This month Hasbro released the first look at the first wave of figures along with a press release discussing the aims of the line:

    "Star Wars fans new and old can discover the exciting action from a galaxy far, far away with figures and more fromĀ Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures! Learn about the most iconic characters from the Star Wars movies or scan the included QR code to join in on the adventures of fan favorites like Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and more!"

    The Mandalorian set photoMaking Star Wars has once again been hard at work investigating the set of The Mandalorian, and this time the site has some news about a currently under construction set which could mean the return of a very familiar planet. We don't want to spoil here but if you want to get some inside information about Jon Favreau's Star Wars show make sure you head over to Making Star Wars right now.

    The World of Disney News has some new info about the Disney Star Wars hotel that fans have heard so much about. This new video about the ultra-immersive experience which is being built next to Orlando's Walt Disney World and information which was revealed in a new permit. From the distance of the car park to the hotel itself, as well as the incredible security, the video also explains that the check in will include a themed journey that takes you from Earth to your deep space Star Wars experience. It sounds amazing and we can't wait until next fall to take a trip to the as yet untitled resort.

    If you want to showcase your love for Star Wars, Jedi, and Red Dead Redemption then Shirtoid has you covered with this awesome mashup t-shirt. With incredible art by by Billy Allison that homages Luke Skywalker and the beloved western game this shirt is a must if you want to wear your eclectic fandoms on your chest.

    Avengers Infinity War Q&A

    Looks like Star Wars could have some new creative minds on the horizon as at (via Comicbook.com) Collider's recent Infinity War Q&A the Russo Brothers mentioned how much they'd love to direct a Star Wars movie:

    "We grew up on Star Wars like everyone else did. I went to the theater when I was 11 years old to see Empire Strikes Back and sat in the theater from 11:30 in the morning until 10:00 at night and watched it back to back to back. So it was a huge influence on us growing up. Of course we'd love to work, at some point, in the Star Wars universe, but right now our heads are in the middle of another movie."