Review: "STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH" is Darker Than Ever

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 82 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Running time:  140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images

DIRECTOR:  George Lucas

WRITER:  George Lucas

PRODUCER:  Rick McCallum

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David Tattersall (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  Roger Barton and Ben Burtt

COMPOSER:  John Williams

Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE and WAR/THRILLER

Starring:  Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, (voice) Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Silas Carson, Ahmed Best, and Kenny Baker

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American science fiction, war, action, and epic space opera film from writer-director George Lucas.  It is the sixth film in the Star Wars film franchise, which began with 1977's Star Wars.  Revenge of the Sith is chronologically the third film in the “Skywalker Saga,” and is a direct sequel to the second film in the saga, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.  Revenge of the Sith opens near the end of the Clone Wars, as a Jedi Master pursues a new threat, while his former apprentice is lured into a sinister plot for galactic domination.

George Lucas had access to digital cameras, computer generated images, or CGI, and better special effects for his Star Wars prequel trilogy, technology he didn’t have when he made his original trilogy.  Still, after the first two films of the prequel trilogy, it was obvious that the newer series lacked the heart of the original series.  It didn’t seem to resonate with audiences, critics, and hardcore Star Wars fans the way the original had.

That changes with the closing film of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.  Revenge of the Sith is about three times the film that Episodes I and II are, at least the second half of Sith is.  The first hour gets bogged down in those SFX that Lucas loves so much and that, because of his over reliance on them, hurt the first two prequel films, but this time improved digital photography makes the merger of the real and CGI appear seamless.  Watch this film and you realize that Lucas has learned one thing – make it look so good that they don’t see the smoke dissipating and the mirrors crack.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith opens three years after the events depicted in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.  The war between the Republic and the separatist’s droid army is at a standstill.  Led by General Grievous, the separatists have laid siege to the Republic’s capitol home world, and Grievous is holding the Republic’s leader, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), hostage.  The Jedi heroes, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), arrive just in time to rescue the Chancellor.  After Anakin rescues him, the Machiavellian Palpatine, who has always taken an interest in the young Jedi hero, entices Anakin to become closer to him and takes him into his confidence.

As Jedi leaders, Obi-Wan, Yoda (voice of Frank Oz), and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) try to hold the Republic together and defeat the separatists.  Meanwhile, Anakin begins his journey to the Dark Side, putting his friendship with Obi-Wan and his marriage to his wife, Padmé (Natalie Portman), who is pregnant, at risk.

The CGI (computer generated imagery) and special effects blend in so well with the real actors and (what there is of it) props, better than they have in previous Star Wars films, perhaps because the film was shot using digital cameras.  Don’t know, but I know the film looks darn good.  Beautiful cinematography, riveting battle scenes set deep in space, over great cities, and in exotic alien locales.  Maybe, Lucas decided that Star Wars films work best when they look like the kind of video games that really click with gamers – tight story, but even tighter action.  Don’t let drama get in the way of great duels, spectacular battles, and awesome explosions.

The acting is shaky, and the actors deliver 98 percent of the mediocre dialogue in a mantra-like neutral monotone.  Hayden Christensen waffles between acceptable and lame.  Ewan McGregor is about the same as before.  Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman were better than I’d heard in early reviews of this film (at least to me).  Ian McDiarmid is suave and deliciously evil as the Supreme Chancellor; he’s the great villain as superb cinematic dessert.  Sadly, only the CGI Yoda matches the intensity that McDiarmid brings to his performance as the wicked Palpatine.

I won’t blame it all on the actors because it’s not as if the plot, script, and concept often make sense.  Anakin is lame, unlikable, and whiny.  The Jedi, at least the prequel version, aren’t as bright and as perceptive as one would assume of a group that wields such power; they certainly don’t have their shit together.  Watch them interact with Anakin, and this whole “chosen one” thing just seems like malarkey; he doesn’t act like one, and the rest of the Jedi certainly don’t seem like they know how to handle one or at least monitor one.

Still, in spite of shaky internal logic and the senses-shattering siege of digital glory, Revenge of the Sith is, not only the best of the prequels, it competes with Return of the  Jedi to be the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back.  It’s fun, and the second half is so thrilling that it makes up for a meandering first half full of overdone effects.  It’s tragic.  It’s dark, and it sweetly unites the prequel trilogy with the original, answering some old questions and justifying some of the revisions Lucas has been putting the original series through for two and a half decades.  It’s a grand finish, and if you’ve ever seen the 1977 film, Star Wars, or any other Star Wars film, then you must also see this one.

I must add that Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is my favorite of the prequel films for nostalgic reasons.  It is the only Star Wars film that I watched with a group of friends, whereas I saw the others alone.

It is not that this is a great film, and it’s more skillful than artful.  This is simply the best that a Star Wars prequel film could be.  Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the one that brings balance to the Force.

8 of 10

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

May 22, 2005

Reedited and rewritten:  Tuesday, April 22, 2025

NOTES:

2006 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Makeup” (Dave Elsey and Nikki Gooley)

2006 Grammy Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media” (John Williams)

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES" is Stuffed with Spectacle

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 93 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

Running time:  142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)

MPAA – PG for sustained sequences of sci-fi action/violence

DIRECTOR:  George Lucas

WRITERS:  Jonathan Hales and George Lucas; from a story by George Lucas

PRODUCER:  Rick McCallum

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David Tattersall (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Ben Burtt with George Lucas

COMPOSER:  John Williams

Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/WAR

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz (voice), Ian McDiarmid, Temuera Morrison, Jimmy Smits, Ahmed Best (voice), and Anthony Daniels & Kenny Baker

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American science fiction, war, action, and epic space opera film from director George Lucas.  It is the fifth film in the “Star Wars” film franchise, which began with 1977's Star Wars.  Attack of the Clones is chronologically the second film in the “Skywalker Saga,” and is a direct sequel to the first film in the saga, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.  Attack of the Clones finds a Jedi Master investigating the mystery behind a secret clone army allegedly created at the behest of the Jedi, while his young Jedi apprentice engages in romance forbidden by the Jedi Order.

What a difference a year makes.  When I first saw Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in theaters last year, I hated it.  Now a year later, I’ve watched it on home video, and the movie sure seems a lot better.  Attack of the Clones is the second of three prequels to Star Wars, the 1977 film that had two sequels.  The prequels, of which includes this film and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, are the backstory to Star Wars, what happened before the 1977 film that is now called Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.  For one thing, the plot of Episode II is much better than Episode I’s plot.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones begins something like 10 years after Menace.  Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is now the Padawan learner (apprentice) to his master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).  The Jedi Council assigns master and student to guard Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), who has had two close attempts on her life.

While Anakin guards Amidala, Kenobi rushes across the galaxy to track the assassin who targeted her, a bounty hunter named Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison).  Kenobi discovers a mysterious Clone Army supposedly ordered ten years earlier by representatives of the galactic Republic.  That is just the outer strand of an ever-widening web of mystery and intrigue that began with an attempt on Amidala’s life.  Meanwhile, Anakin and Amidala are dangerously falling in love against a backdrop of political turmoil.

There are two holdovers from The Phantom Menace that I had hoped would not make it to Clones, mediocre acting and wooden dialogue.  Although the actors seem more comfortable and there is a tad bit more rhythm to the acting, the performances are still too stiff and formal and the dialogue is delivered in an awkward fashion as if everyone in the cast were rank-amateurs.  Sometimes I get the feeling that director/creator George Lucas thinks he’s making some great sprawling British epic film in the vein of Sir David Lean, so all of his actors’ speeches must be affected.  It just comes across as fake.

The action sequences and fight scenes are good, especially the Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) and Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) lightsaber duel, which has to be seen to be believed.  I never knew Yoda had it in him.  The special effects in The Phantom Menace were impressive, but no thanks to The Matrix, released the same year, the SFX in The Phantom Menace suddenly seemed dated, compared to the revolutionary work in The Matrix.  The SFX are still good in Attack of the Clones, and there is so much of it; sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between what’s live action and what’s computer-generated.  However, Star Wars SFX is no longer as awe-inspiring as it once was; now it comes across as looking like the effects in a really good video game.

The film does have the feel of a sprawling epic, but Lucas’s direction hops around too much.  He seems uncomfortable dealing with emotion and love in his story lines.  He doesn’t have to turn on the waterworks as if this was some Technicolor melodramatic weepy, but he should give the actors enough screen time to make the emotions palatable.  Before any kind of mood can be established, Lucas is racing off to the next battle scene.  He comfortable staging awesome battles filled war machines of the most fantastic and imaginative designs.  However, his “character moments” feel as if he shoehorned them in, if only to remind his audience that this is supposed to be the love story of Anakin and Amidala that would later lead to such tragedy and heartbreak.  Before any heat can generate, he drops the personal moments like soiled diapers and is off to the next videogame-style battle scene.

Still, Star Wars fans should like Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (which Disney renamed Star Wars: Attack of the Clones) for the most part, and I imagine that it will hold up over time.  I know Star Wars fans always have such high hopes.  However, after the first two prequels, I think we should understand that the films are meant simply to enforce brand awareness and sell merchandise.  Any pretense to cinematic art is just that – a pretense...

6 of 10

B

★★★ out of 4 stars

RE-edited with some rewriting:  Monday, April 21, 2025

NOTES:

2003 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Visual Effects” (Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll,and Ben Snow)

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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A "Star Wars" Link-o-Rama 2019 by Negromancer - Update #79

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Posted by Leroy Doureseaux - on Patreon.

REVIEW - From Patreon:  My review of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."

ROSE TICO - From BleedingCool:  Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) wants to produce a Disney+ TV series featuring sequel trilogy character, "Rose Tico," played by Kelly Marie Tran.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Newsarama:  Jon Favreau has announced that a second season of "The Mandalorian" will debut Fall 2020.

STAR WARS - From Newsarama:  Elizabeth Howell explains the staying power of "Star Wars."

FUTURE - From THR:  "The Hollywood Reporter" has a readers' poll asking them what should be the subject of the next "Star Wars" film.  "Baby Yoda" is one of the choices.

THE CLONE WARS - From GamesRader:   How Star Wars: The Clone Wars shows what George Lucas’s prequel trilogy should have been

BABY YODA - From Newsarama:  Hasbro has revealed a new line of toys featuring "The Child" a.k.a. "Baby Yoda" from "The Mandalorian."  They are available for preorder and will arrive in March 2020.

COMICS - From StarWars:  Coming in March 2020 is a new ongoing "Star Wars" comic book series, "Star Wars: Bounty Hunters" from writer Ethan Sacks and artist Paolo Villanelli.

COMICS - From StarWars:  Writer Charles Soule and artist Will Sliney talk about their comic book miniseries, "Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren."

THE LAST JEDI - From IndieWire:  John Boyega ("Finn") did not agree with some of the choices made in "The Last Jedi."

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - From EW:  Episode V's co-screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan, looks back on the film's most shocking moment... without a mention of Leigh Brackett, whom George Lucas once admitted was the one who suggested that Darth Vader be Luke Skywalker's father.

DISNEY+ - From StarWars:  Disney+ announces a new online TV game show, "Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge."  Star Wars actor, Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), will host the show in which young contestants will test their abilities in "core Jedi principles."

LANDO CALRISSIAN - From YahooHuffpost:   Actor Billy Dee Williams a.k.a. "Lando Calrissian" describes himself as "gender fluid."

C-3PO - From YahooMovies:  Anthony Daniels talks about the good and the bad times playing iconic "Star Wars" droid, C-3PO, in his new book, "I Am C-3P0: The Inside Story."

THE MANDALORIAN - From MensHealth:  With the release of the third episode of Disney+'s "The Mandalorian," Deborah Chow becomes the first female director to helm a live-action "Star Wars" production - over 42 years after the release of the original "Star Wars" film.

FUTURE - From THR:  Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy, reportedly already has a director lined up for a "Star Wars" film lined up for 2022.

GEORGE LUCAS - From YahooMovieUK:   Lucasfilm boss, Kathleen Kennedy says that George Lucas criticizes the current "Star Wars" films because he has a difficult time letting go.

BOBA FETT - From TheRinger:  "How Boba Fett Became a Star Wars Icon" by Jake Kring-Schreifels.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Esquire:  The twist ending of the first episode of "The Mandalorian" expands the mystery surrounding whatever alien species from which Yoda hails.

THE LAST JEDI - From IndieWire:  Director Rian Johnson, preparing for the release of his new film, "Knives Out," fires back at critics of the diverse casting in his film, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

THE MANDALORIAN - From VanityFair:  Veteran actress, Ming-Na Wen, will play the assassin, "Fennec Shand," in The Mandalorian."

STAR WARS - From YahooHuffPost:   George Lucas told Mark Hamill that there is no underwear in space.

FUTURE - From Deadline:  David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the duo behind the Emmy-winning "Game of Thrones" have walked away from their much publicized deal to create a new "Star Wars" trilogy for Lucasfilm, which was to launch in 2022.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Writer Alyssa Wong and artist Marika Cresta will relaunch Marvel Comics' "Star Wars: Doctor Aphra" in April 2020.

CASSIAN ANDOR - From Variety:  Tony Gilroy, who wrote and directed the reshoots on "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," will write the pilot for Disney+'s "Rogue One" prequel that focuses on the character "Cassian Ando."  Gilroy will reportedly also direct multiple episodes of the series.

MOVIES - From YahooMovieUK:  Rian Johnson casts doubt on his planned original "Star Wars" trilogy.

MANGA - From Newsarama:  VIZ Media has acquired the publishing rights to "Star Wars: The Legends of Skywalker: The Manga.

COMICS-NOVELS - From SyfyWire:  At New York Comic Con 2019, new Star Wars novels (including the secret "Project Luminous") and comic books (including a new "Star Wars" series set after the events of "The Empire Strikes Back") are announced.

STAR WARS RESISTANCE - From TheWrap:  The executive producers of the Disney Channel's animated series, "Star Wars Resistance," say that the alien characters, Okra and Flix, are “absolutely a gay couple and we’re proud of that.”

OBI-WAN - From Deadline:   Debra Chow, who has directed episodes of "The Mandalorian," will be an executive producer on the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series for the Disney+ streaming service.

FUTURE - From Variety:  Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, is reportedly developing a "Star Wars" film for Lucasfilm.

GEORGE LUCAS - From EW:  Disney CEO Bob Iger talks about "Star Wars" creator George Lucas feeling betrayed when Disney decided not to use his story ideas on "Star War: The Force Awakens."

COMICS - From AVClub:  Comic book writer Charles Soule is expecting angry reader comments over his upcoming Star Wars comic book,"The Rise of Kylo Ren."

COMICS - From StarWars:  Marvel Comics' ongoing "Star Wars" comic book will come to an end with "Star Wars #75 (November 2019) and the epilogue, "Star Wars: Empire Ascendant #1" (December 2019) .

JON FAVREAU - From Newsarama:  Jon Favreau, executive producer of "The Mandalorian," would like to do a new "Star Wars" holiday special for Disney+.  Many Star Wars fans remember the notorious "Star Wars Holiday Special" from 1978.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Deadline:  "Twilight" actress Julia Jones ("Leah Clearwater") is joining the cast of "The Mandalorian."  No other information is currently available.

THE MANDALORIAN - From YahooEntertainment:   Members of the cast of "The Mandalorian" get emotional when talking about being cast for the Disney+ "Star Wars" series.

FILM-TV - From EW:  A list of all the "Star Wars" TV shows and movies that are in the works.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Deadline:  Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian," has a trailer.

OBI-WAN - From Deadline:  It is official.  There will be an Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series on Disney+ with Ewan McGregor reprising the title role.  According to Lucasfilm boss, Kathleen Kennedy, all the scripts are written and the series will shot next year.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics' current ongoing "Star Wars" comic book series will end in November with issue #75.

THE MANDALORIAN - From THR:  The first trailer for Jon Favreau's Star Wars TV series, "The Mandalorian," will debut at Disney's D23 Expo, Friday, Aug. 23rd.  The series is scheduled to debut Nov. 12th on the streaming service, Disney+.

THE FORCE AWAKENS - From YahooLifestyle:  See an early design of Kylo Ren that is positively scary.

RIAN JOHNSON TRILOGY - From TheObserver:  Rian Johnson talks about the freedom of creating his new "Star Wars" trilogy without saying anything else about it.

OBI-WAN - From Deadline:  Ewan McGregor is in talks to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a series for Disney's streaming service, "Disney+.

BOOKS - From ComicBook:  A new book, "Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi" will explore the history of the Jedi as told by Luke Skywalker.  The book is due Nov. 19th, 2019.

COMICS - From CBR:  At Comic-Con 2019, Lucasfilm announces a new four-issue comic book that looks into the backstory of Kylo Ren.  Entitled "Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren," it will launch in December (via Marvel Comics) and will be written by Charles Soule.  No artist has been named.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Beginning with its Star Wars Adventures #27, IDW Publishing will offer an untold story set between "Return of the Jedi" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

CASSIAN ANDOR - From Syfy:  Diego Luna, who played "Cassian Andor" in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," says that the film left a very deep mark on him.  He also talks about the character's prequel series for Disney+

THE MANDALORIAN - From IndieWire:  Executive Producer Jon Favreau announces that a second season of "The Mandalorian" is already being written - ahead of the series' November 2019 debut on Disney+.

JAR JAR BINKS - From TampaBayTimes:  Why is Jar Jar Binks, the hero/goat of "The Phantom Menace," trending on Twitter?

MARK HAMILL - From ComicBook:  Mark Hamill has been parodied by MAD Magazine over the years for playing Luke Skywalker.  MAD will no longer contain new content in just a few months, so Hamill sends his salute.

FANS - From MosEisleySpaceport:  The site names the "50 best Star Wars blogs."

ROGUE ONE - From YahooNews:  Riz Ahmed talks about how an incident of airline profiling of Muslims forced him to cancel his appearance at Star Wars Celebration.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Writer Robbie Thompson talks to "Newsarama" about the upcoming miniseries, "Star Wars: Target Vader."

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Darth Vader to appear in Marvel Comics #1000.

MARK HAMILL - From TheRinger:  A look at Mark Hamill's (Luke Skywalker) career as a voice actor.

BILLY DEE WILLIAMS - From BleedingCool:  Billy Dee Willaims (Lando, of course) shares photos he took with some old Star Wars friends at the opening of the "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" theme park.

THEME PARKS - From Newsarama:   Harrison Ford made a surprise appearance at the opening ceremony of Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park area to activate the Millennium Falcon on display in the park with a dedication to late Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew. Ford joined Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, George Lucas, and Disney CEO Bob Iger.

FUTURE - From BuzzFeed:  There is apparently development on a movie based on "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" (the video game first released in 2003).  The current screenwriter is Laeta Kalogridis ("Avatar," "Shutter Island").

FANDOM - From YahooEntertainment:  This is an interesting article from writer Ethan Alter: "The Phantom Menace" at 20: How the first episode of the 'Star Wars' saga created toxic fandom.

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FUTURE - From Variety:  “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are working on the “Star Wars” movie that’s due out in 2022, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed.

FUTURE - From Newsarama:  Disney has announced the schedule for three new Star Wars movies starting on December 16, 2022, with new films arriving December 20, 2024, and Dcember 18, 2026.

A NEW HOPE - From YahooEntertainment:  5 crazy but true fun facts about disco 'Star Wars' — your new May the Fourth soundtrack.  Remembering Meco’s #1 smash hit on the Billboard charts, “Star Wars/Cantina Band.”

LEGACY - From YahooEntertainment:  May the Fourth: How 'Star Wars' has changed fans' lives forever

OBIT - From THR:  Peter Mayhew, the actor who originated the role of Chewbacca, died Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at the age of 74

COMICS - From Newsarama:  The five-issue Marvel Comics' title, "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge," offers a peek at the new Disney theme park.

FUTURE - From ThePlaylist:  Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy says that there is some kind of development on a project in the fan-favorite "Knights of the Old Republic" series.

THE MANDALORIAN - From CinemaBlend:  What is known so far about the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian, from writer-director-executive producer, Jon Favreau.

THE FUTURE - From EW:  Rian Johnson and "Game of Thrones" showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, are "working in tandem" on their respective "Star Wars" film projects.

LEGO - From Newsarama:  LEGO is going classic Star Wars ("A New Hope") and is giving the Alderaanian diplomatic ship, the "Tantiv IV," its own set, which will be available May 3.

THE FUTURE - From Bloomberg:  Disney CEO Bob Iger says that the Star Wars film franchise is going on "hiatus" after the upcoming "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" - Episode IX.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From EW:  The secrets of "Star Wars Episode IX" revealed, including a teaser trailer and a title.

DISNEY+ - From Deadline:  The full "Star Wars" film franchise will be available on Disney's new streaming service within a year of its debut, which is November 12, 2019 ($6.99 a month).

DISNEY+ - From Newsarama:  Alan Tudyk will reprise his role as "Rogue One" role as the droid K-2SO in the "Cassian Andor" prequel series.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Big changes are coming for Marvel Comics' "Star Wars" line of comics, including the flagship "Star Wars."

RIAN JOHNSON - From ScreenRant:  Rian Johnson, the writer-director of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," says that he is still working on a new trilogy of "Star Wars" films, despite rumors to the contrary.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics is reviving its original "Star Wars" comic book for one special issue.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Dark Horse Comics will publish "The Art of Star Wars Rebels," a book about the late Disney XD series, "Star Wars Rebels."  Dark Horse previously held the license to produce "Star Wars" comic books before Marvel Comics regained the license.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics is launching a comic book, "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge," based on the Disneyland Resort and Disney World Resort of the same name.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics five-issue miniseries, "Star Wars: TIE Fighter," will show the other side of the "Rebellion era" beginning in April 2019.

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics' "Age of Rebellion" line of Star Wars comic books will include Jabba and Moff Tarkin comic books, among others.