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Fortnite underestimates SAG-AFTRA‘s power, it would appear after the online gaming platform used conversational AI to replicate James Earl Jones‘ voice as Star Wars‘ Darth Vader.

On Monday, the guild announced an unfair labor practice filing with the National Labor Relations Board (Nlrb) against Llama Productions over Fortnite’s agreement with Jones’ estate to use his voice for a feature that allows players to have conversations with the Sith Lord, arguing that the agreement does not extend to others who have also voiced the character.

“We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles,” a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said in a statement. “However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members,...

Image Source Amazon George Lucas. The very name itself evokes visions of iconic space warfare, legendary Jedi, and a galaxy rich in characters one cannot forget. In 1977, he unleashed upon the world Star Wars: A New Hope, a film he directed and authored, that ripped the very fabric of the cinematic universe and has forever altered its landscape. The two follow-ups, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, were co-written and produced by Lucas. While they came after A New Hope, the term ‘sequel’ now carries the weight of the entire saga that followed the original Star Wars. For a time, it appeared Lucas had finished his exploration of that galaxy far, far away. But as the technology of filmmaking made leaps forward, a new opportunity opened up for him: to realize, at last, the Star Wars movies he had imagined as prequels—a kind of storytelling, he now says,...

While audiences eagerly await to see Daisy Ridley return as Rey in her own upcoming Star Warsfilms, fans are getting their first look at what happened following the events of The Rise of Skywalker in a new book centered on the characters of Finn (John Boyega) and Jannah (Naomi Ackie). New York Times best-selling author Kwame Mbalia unveiled the first look at Star Wars: The Last Order in an exclusive image from Collider. Star Wars: The Last Order will hit stores on Oct. 21, 2025.

Set in the immediate aftermath of The Rise of Skywalker, the story sees the Resistance rescue a ship full of young passengers kidnapped by the First Order. Finn and Jannah must grapple with their complicated past as kidnapped children turned soldiers while they set out to find the First Order officer responsible for kidnapping the children they saved. "Being able to work with Finn, who I think...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the entirety of "Andor" season 2.

With the dramatic finale of "Andor" season 2, the book has officially closed on what may well go down as the best and most brilliant installment of "Star Wars" we'll ever see. If that seems like a bold claim to make before the smoke has even begun to clear, well, it's only a natural reaction to what we've been watching with our own eyes since this show first started its journey on Disney+ streaming in 2022. Creator Tony Gilroy defied the odds and turned what seemed like an obligatory prequel/spinoff show into by far the most character-driven, politically incisive, and downright mature franchise entry since "The Empire Strikes Back."

But, of course, this is still "Star Wars" that we're talking about, and no "Star Wars" anything will ever escape scrutiny completely -- even one with as much undeniable critical and...

Lucasfilm recently stirred up controversy with a controversial move into artificial intelligence. They produced a short, documentary-style film set in the ‘Star Wars’ universe, relying entirely on AI to create it. The project, meant to explore new creative tools, has instead left many fans frustrated and worried about the future of filmmaking.

The short follows a probe droid navigating an unfamiliar planet, encountering strange creatures. These beings, generated by AI, appear as odd blends of Earth animals, lacking the distinct ‘Star Wars’ flair. Fans quickly pointed out the designs felt uninspired, like something anyone could whip up on a phone app. The visuals, while polished for AI work, didn’t capture the imaginative spark of the franchise’s iconic worlds.

Rob Bredow, Lucasfilm’s senior vice president of creative innovation, showcased the project in a video, praising how AI tools can boost artists’ creativity. He highlighted the fun of seeing new technology in action.

One of the biggest flops of the 1980s is getting a feature-length documentary. Back in 1986, Howard the Duck was such a box office disaster that it might have cost Universal production head Frank Price his job, and it single-handedly dispelled the notion that George Lucas was infallible as far as his projects went. On a massive budget of over $30 million (the same amount Return of the Jedi cost), the movie only grossed $38 million worldwide, and swept the year’s Razzies. Yet, it has an essential place in the pop culture as the first theatrical adaptation of a Marvel Comics character ever to hit the big screen, and it remains a nostalgic favourite of many folks who grew up in the era (including the writer of this article).

Now, Anchor Bay Entertainment has acquired Howard the Doc or: How I Learned to Start Quacking and Love the Bomb, a feature-length deep...

It wasn’t planned this way, but Andor Season 2 arrived on Disney+ when Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith celebrated its 20th anniversary with a theatrical rerelease. This coincidence gives even greater resonance to Genevieve O’Reilly’s performance in the final season of Andor, because it’s a reminder that the actress has now been playing Mon Mothma, a senator who watches her Republic devolve into an Empire and then becomes a leader of the Rebel Alliance, for two decades.

“It's really lovely because I hadn't realized that connection until recently, but it’s a reminder of the longevity of our storytelling and how Star Wars does seem timeless and universal,” O’Reilly This 20th anniversary has collided with Andor Season 2 coming out beautifully. It’s just a reminder that I have had the good fortune of playing with this woman at different times over 20 years. It's not something I ever expected,...

Contains major spoilers for the Andor Season 2 finale. And all of Star Wars.

Andor is over, and I’m bereft. It’s been about 12 hours since I watched the final episode, and my chest still feels heavy with those glorious final moments – not an explosive reveal or rug-pull, but a sumptuous, score-laden sweep over where our survivors end up as the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story beckon. Any fallen heroes – Luthen Rael, Cinta, Brasso – are notable by their absence. And – ah! – there’s Bix, with Cassian Andor’s baby, safe on Mina-Rau, waiting for a reunion with her partner that we know isn’t coming. Surely, she had to know she was pregnant when she left Yavin. Cassian’s son is one he’ll never meet. He burnt his life for a sunrise he’ll never see.

But we, Star Wars fans, do. Back in 1977, the saga...

For Star Wars fans, Mon Mothma was always an interesting character — a grave, regal woman who suddenly pops up in 1983’s Return of the Jedi as the leader of the Rebellion, mourning the death of “many Bothans.” Still, she had one scene, total (as played, at that point, by veteran British actress Caroline Blakiston). So the idea that we would someday be deeply conversant with Mon Mothma’s inner life seemed about as likely as a Pinteresque drama starring the Cantina bar’s Hammerhead and Walrusman.

In 2004, the young Irish-Australian...

Despite pop culture’s ongoing obsession with them, the original “Star Wars” trilogy did not feature a lot of lightsabers, at least in the grand scheme of things, especially in relation to other “Star Wars” properties.

Compared to recent “Star Wars” television series and the prequel films, most fans don’t think of the Original Trilogy as a lightsaber-heavy group of films. It would be pretty difficult to count the number of lightsabers in the Prequel Trilogy, considering all those drag-out battles and the demoralizing defeats. (“Attack of the Clones” alone likely runs in the hundreds when it comes to its lightsaber count.)

Consider the facts: in the first “Star Wars” film, Old Ben (Aka Obi Wan Kenobi) gave Luke a lightsaber that belonged to his father. That’s nice! So, in the the first movie that set off the lightsaber sensation, there were three: Luke’s, Ben’s, and Darth Vader’s.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Andor Season 2, Episode 9

You knew Andor Season 2 was going to be incredible, largely because of how good Season 1 turned out to be. But chances are, you’re still blown away by the third arc of the second run, delivering the most explosive drama of the Star Wars series’ run — not just colliding several of its characters in the chaos of the Ghorman massacre, but also propelling Mon Mothma to her own destiny as a result.

It was always going this way. The Ghorman massacre has long been a footnote in Imperial history, with roots stretching all the way back to West End Games' 1990 RPG Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, and deep-cut fans knew it would be the catalyst for Mon Mothma to denounce Emperor Palpatine in the Senate before making a desperate escape from Coruscant. But if you just watched that Andor episode, 'Welcome To The Rebellion',...

Nearly six years following the release of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," Lucasfilm has mostly avoided exploring the polarizing Sequel Trilogy era. Every possible discussion — both healthy and unhealthy — regarding the pros and cons of J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson's contributions to the Skywalker Saga remains some of the more exhausting discourses within geek culture, and to re-litigate these debates would be beating a dead tauntaun. However, the aspect of the Sequel Trilogy that fans can agree upon is that Finn (John Boyega) was wasted.

Following his phenomenal introduction in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" as the male lead hero, Finn's storyline was subject to a bad game of telephone between Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams, both of whom had differing visions for where the character's development should go. John Boyega has been vocal about his frustration regarding Finn's diminishing character trajectory, and what is particularly ironic...

No one loves a good parody like the folks over on "Family Guy." From poking fun at the works of Stephen King to riffing on "Star Wars" (but don't expect to ever see a "Family Guy" parody of the prequels), the animated sitcom reigns supreme in the spoofing department. 

Some of the best "Family Guy" episodes are the ones that go heavy with the lampooning. Case in point: "HBO-No," a season 20 episode that aired in 2022 and goes hard on some of the greatest HBO shows of all time. Okay, saying this is one of the best episodes of the show is definitely a bit of a stretch, especially when competing with hysterical heavyweights like "Blue Harvest." Still, "HBO-No" is downright hilarious. The entire episode is dedicated to throwing jabs at "Game of Thrones," "Big Little Lies," and "Succession." If Peter Griffin masquerading as Brian Cox's Logan Roy isn't enough to pull you in,...

It has been 20 years since several scenes were tossed on the cutting room floor of Revenge of the Sith. Two of those scenes would have introduced the Star Wars community to the origin of the original trilogy character Mon Mothma.

In the scenes, she was portrayed by Australian Irish actress Genevieve O'Reilly. Many actors have been devastated by being left out of a cut of such a popular franchise. Since then, O'Reilly has brought the character to life in a movie, live action series, in animation, and now in her iconic role in both seasons of Andor.

The 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was her first chance to have Mon Motha return in canon before she would voice the character on Star Wars Rebels. Now, she has risen to new heights on Andor and Ahsoka, portraying the character in such a strong, crowd-pleasing yet painful way. Due to O'Reilly's portrayal,...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars #1 Most would assume the galaxy far, far away would be at peace after the fall of the Empire, but they would be wrong. Many recent Star Wars adventures have revised this interesting period in the timeline, and it's no surprise that Marvel's latest Star Wars adventure starts here as well. It also introduces a new threat that shows how fragile the new republic's peace really is.

Star Wars #1, written by New York Times best-selling author Alex Segura, dives into the political turmoil brewing within the New Republic in this sequel to Return of the Jedi. The Fenril sector emerges as a pivotal new threat, shaking the foundations of this fledgling government as discontented planets begin to challenge its authority.

This move mirrors the political instability that led to the Clone Wars, when the Separatists broke away from the Galactic Republic. As tensions rise, the...

There will be another Star Wars crossover event coming to Destiny 2 later this year, but it will be a full expansion this time. Earlier this year, Destiny 2 got a Star Wars event that featured Covert Ranger armor, a Ghost Shell that resembled the second Death Star from Return of the Jedi, and a few other Star Wars-themed items to play around with. Notably, lightsabers were completely absent from that event. This new expansion content, which will be released much later this year as part of the Year of Prophecy content, appears to be correcting that.

According to PlayStation Blog, Destiny 2's new expansion, The Edge of Fate, will be available on June 15. But that's not all that's coming to Destiny 2 — another video on the Destiny 2 YouTube account teased a new Star Wars crossover for the game's second expansion this year, called Renegades, which will be available on December 2. Both are available for pre-order now.

This December will mark the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. There will be many different ways that the record-breaking film will be honored this fall and winter. Penguin Random House is one of those celebrating in its own way. Published by Titan Books, this should be a huge collectible for any fan of the franchise and the film.

They are set to release a 10th anniversary Star Wars Insider commemorative magazine. This special hardcover magazine is set to be released on November 11, 2025, and is available for pre-order on several sites such as Amazon and Target through the Penguin Random House website.

The anniversary special issue will feature behind-the-scenes interviews and pictures from the making of the space epic. It will also feature several images from the Lucasfilm archives about the making of the film, along with interviews from stars Harrison Ford and Daisy Ridley.

Another Star Wars Day is upon us and that means fans of the films are looking for one thing: where every single “Star Wars” movie can be streamed online, preferably as easily and swiftly as possible.

The short answer is Disney+. Every “Star Wars” film and TV series is available on the streamer for subscribers.

When “Episode IV: A New Hope” was released, filmmaker George Lucas told audiences the story was being told out of order. With the addition of prequels and sequels, this admission has fostered a discussion about when and how the movies should be enjoyed.

The order in which fans should watch the “Star Wars” movies is hotly debated to this day, but many agree that a chronological viewing is the best way forward. This would mean watching the movies as follows:

“Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones...

Spanning 11 live-action feature films and six live-action TV shows (and counting), the “Star Wars” universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order. The title “Episode IV: A New Hope” underlined there was both a past and a future beyond the 1977 film, and indeed this saga has moved forward and backward in time throughout its history, telling a number of different kinds of stories in a galaxy far, far away.

To that end, whether you’re new to the franchise or hold it dear as a favorite film series, you may be looking for a way to watch all the “Star Wars” movies in order. From young Anakin Skywalker to Rey Palpatine, we’ve got the full story in order below.

But not just that – we also weave in how to watch the “Star Wars” shows in order,...

Today is May the 4th, and before wishing you all “may the force be with you”, the time has come to make a definitive poll asking all of our readers what their favourite Star Wars movie of all time is. Now, a lot of your will no doubt roll your eyes reading this, as the common consensus is that it’s The Empire Strikes Back. Routinely considered among the greatest science fiction movies of all time, it was cutting edge for the time as it took our favourite characters, and put them into constant jeopardy, with it daring the end of the film on a note of defeat, paving the way for a triumphant third instalment.

Then again, when I was in high school in the nineties, many folks always considered Return of the Jedi the best, even if an older generation mostly disliked it. Then, there are the prequels.

John Nania, Sebastian Stan's stunt double, has revealed Mark Hamill wants Stan as a recast Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Lucasfilm has always been wary of recasting characters, blaming the Han Solo recast on Solo: A Star Wars Story's box office failure. The debate on recasting legacy characters has recently resurfaced, though, after Andor recast the character of Bail Organa due to original actor Jimmy Smits not being available.

Now, Sebastian Stan stunt double John Nania has told Cantina Talk that Mark Hamill himself supports a popular recast - that Stan would be a great young Luke Skywalker. Hamill has discussed the idea with Stan, and he apparently loves the idea; Stan himself is wary of taking over while the classic actor is still in role. As Nania explained when asked about the idea of this recast:

"Do you know how many conversations he and I have had about this?...

Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars #1!Four simple words usher in a new era for the Star Wars franchise. The new comic will serve as a sequel series that will bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian. While The Mandalorian and the sequel trilogy of movies gave fans a long-awaited follow-up to the original trilogy, the new Star Wars embarks on showing readers everything that happened in between.

The new era for the franchise kicks off in style through four simple words uttered by Princess Leia in Star Wars #1. A preview of the issue to come can be found below ahead of its May 7 release date. In addition to the official pages, readers can find the story's main cover art by Phil Noto.

"Let's get to work," says Princess Leia. Her statement is as vital in-universe for the story Star Wars #1 is telling as much as it...

Every year, Star Wars Day brings with it a wave of nostalgia, a flood of fan-made tributes, and an endless supply of memes. As this May 4th approaches, I found myself thinking about something most gamers love to roast: Star Wars Outlaws. And, surprisingly, not to mock it, but to appreciate one thing it nailed: The timeline.

The decision to set the game between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi was a bold move, but a smart one, and it might earn Ubisoft a bit of redemption. Let’s be clear: the game wasn’t perfect. It flopped hard out of the gate. But over time, something unexpected happened: it grew on me.

Star Wars Outlaws made one strong choice in an otherwise shaky package

For a game that lets you ride speeders through alien jungles, pull off heists, and run through open worlds without a loading screen,...

May the Fourth be with you! The fourth day of May is a great time to be a Star Wars fan, and with the “holiday” falling on a weekend this year, it’s also a great time for a movie marathon. But if you’ve never seen any of the films, where should you start? Here, we’re breaking down two of the most popular “viewing orders” for the Skywalker Saga, as well as advising on which movies, if any, a newbie to the galaxy far, far away could skip. Grab a bucket of popcorn and a Star Wars-obsessed friend, and prepare for an epic journey. What do prequels, sequels, and originals mean? First, if you’re a total newbie to the Star Wars universe, you might need a quick explainer on how the movies are grouped together. The original trilogy was released from 1977 to 1983, and it contains A New Hope,...

Marvel’s Star Warscomics officially enter “sequel” territory with the relaunch of the franchise’s flagship comic series, as the post-Return of the Jedi era finally kicks off, charting the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han as they help rebuild the galaxy, and establish the New Republic, all while forging the path that will lead them to the events of the cinematic Sequel Trilogy.

Star Wars #1, written by Alex Segura, with art by Phil Noto, inaugurates an entirely new epoch for the franchise’s Disney canon; for over a decade, Marvel Comics has meticulously filled in the space on the timeline between the Original Trilogy films, but now they face a decades-long swath of unknown, open narrative space.

Star Wars fans have waited, not always patiently, for over a decade for the franchise to return to this point on its timeline, the years following the Battle of Endor, and...

Star Wars Outlaws composer Wilbert Roget II had some very insightful comments regarding Lando Calrissian's character after his iconic betrayal of the Millennium Falcon crew on Bespin in The Empire Strikes Back. Lando had a role in Star Wars Outlaws' base game, but featured prominently in the Wild Card story expansion, and Screen Rant had an opportunity to ask Roget about his work prior to the release of Outlaws' second Dlc, A Pirate's Fortune.

Speaking with Roget on the red carpet of the ASCAP Screen Music Awards, Screen Rant asked about composing for fan-favorite characters who have leading roles in the Star Wars Outlaws expansions. Roget first discussed Hondo Ohnaka, star of A Pirate's Fortune, saying previous themes composed for him are really "more of a vibe with certain instruments," rather than specific motifs. He went on to explain that a similar idea was used in Wild Card:

"It was...

Among all the depictions of Luke Skywalker, the character undoubtedly looked the most dignified (and was the most mature) in his appearance in Return of the Jedi. While the versions of Luke that came before were still very much training to be Jedi, Return of the Jedi managed to deliver a Luke Skywalker who was as confident and cunning as his father before him.

Luke Skywalker, when contrasted with the likes of Anakin, might come off as slightly incompetent and also less powerful, but given that Luke was able to achieve a lot more without formal training Anakin in a similar situation might point towards why Luke was the perfect candidate to fight his father.

Return of the Jedi showed audiences a Luke Skywalker they could get behind Luke Skywalker with Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi || Credit: Lucasfilm

The Luke Skywalker that was in A New Hope and...

Once upon a time, "Star Wars" was king of the world. Since its beginning in 1977, George Lucas' astronomically successful trilogy -- comprising "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" -- captivated audiences of all ages, earned millions at the box office and in merchandise sales, spawned countless knockoffs, and essentially paved the way for modern Hollywood, for better or worse. Without "Star Wars," Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic (Ilm), and the Thx sound system do not exist, nor do LucasArts, Skywalker Sound, or Pixar Animation. 

Yeah, "Star Wars" was a big deal.

So, it made sense that Lucas would continue to milk his franchise for all its worth. In 1997, 14 years following the release of "Return of the Jedi" and two years before "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," Lucas re-released the original trilogy in newly minted "Special Editions," featuring a plethora of changes, some controversial, some essential, designed...

The bizarre manner in which Yoda speaks has a monumental presence in global pop culture. You'd hear people who are not even Star Wars fans talk like that. But why was such an important character made to speak like that? George Lucas revealed the reason recently.

Appearing at a 45th anniversary screening of The Empire Strikes Back on the opening night of the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival, Lucas said he did it to make people pay attention.

"Yoda had a very distinctive way of talking, and it was done purposely because if you were speaking regular English, people don't listen that much," Lucas told TCM’s primetime host Ben Mankiewicz. “But if you have an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying."

"He was basically the philosopher of the movie, so he was talking about all the things.

Andor is one of the best Star Wars shows ever, and it showcases how one big character is being wasted at Disney parks!

Star Wars fans are, to put it lightly, a divisive lot who can often be quite judgemental of the franchise. That’s only increased since Disney purchased it, with new fans coming on board, but as many older fans decry the state of the later movies and TV shows. That’s not counting the slams on Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership.

So it says a lot that almost all fans can agree Andor is the best thing Disney has done with Star Wars. The series begins five years before the events of Rogue One and focuses on how Andor (Diego Luna) rises up from outcast to Rebel spy.

The show is stunning in showcasing the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance which is an “alliance” in name only with scores of agendas abounding.

Of the plethora of Star Wars projects that are in development at Disney, the only one that we know for sure that’s coming out next year is The Mandalorian & Grogu, which has a release date of May 22, 2026. Featuring Pedro Pascal reprising his role as the titular Mando from the beloved series, the film is set at some point between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and will once again see him and Grogu go on what Pascal calls "one of the best adventures ever made."

Appearing on the red carpet at Star Wars Celebration Japan recently, Pascal was approached by the good folks at IMDb, and discussed a little of what's to come in The Mandalorian & Grogu. He had high praise for both the sets and creator/director Jon Favreau, noting that "the series alone had some of the most incredible sets that I've ever seen in my life,...

The "Star Wars" franchise has one of the biggest and most detailed fictional universes out there, with the first movie introducing a world that was both recognizable and entirely alien. Sure, we had a princess, a cowboy, a wizard, an empire, and a rebellion, but it was firmly an alien world that felt unlike ours in most ways. And yet, in time, the franchise started looking more and more familiar. The way the Ewoks fought the Empire in "Return of the Jedi" was unequivocally inspired by the Viet Cong, and the prequels took this to a new level, featuring an American diner in space, an opera house, a NASCAR race, and more.

This is not a bad thing, necessarily. The prequels were more specific in their commentary and used familiar imagery to tell a story of a very fictional world that nevertheless can suffer the same political issues ours does.

Ian McDiarmid is a cherished figure in the Star Wars universe, but even he wasn’t immune to the criticism surrounding the return of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Long presumed dead after being cast into a reactor shaft by Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine’s sudden reappearance—along with the explanation that he had been orchestrating events from the shadows—sparked widespread debate among fans.

While speaking with Variety, McDiarmid addressed the backlash. “Well, there’s always something, isn’t there? I don’t read that stuff and I’m not online. So it’ll only reach me if someone mentions it. I thought there might be a bit of a fuss about bringing him back,” he said. “But as I said, mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable. This man who was horribly maimed thought maybe one day it might happen to him,...

Every corner of the internet had their say when "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" came out, with some voices louder than others. This past weekend made it clear that, despite all of the mockery surrounding the third chapter of George Lucas' prequel trilogy, a whole lot of people were more than happy to see it in theaters again to celebrate the film's 20-year anniversary. Some of the most diehard "Star Wars" fans seem to forget that an entire generation grew up with the prequels in the same manner as the original trilogy.

Watching "Revenge of the Sith" in a theater made me feel like a kid again. I was able to recognize the film's noticeable shortcomings (such as its wonky compositing and awkward line deliveries), while still recognizing the very present heart and emotion at the center of it all. Its blemishes strangely make it more endearing.

Only a Sith deals in absolutes, but “Star Wars” fans love to deal with hyperbole.

This fan has such a declaration to make: “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” is the best “Star Wars” movie of all. It is as personal a blockbuster film as you’ll find this century, a work of operatic grandeur and daring and despair that built on every “Star Wars” movie before it to deliver a final statement. Well, a final statement for George Lucas, at least, who folded up his director’s chair once and for all after “Revenge” hit theaters in 2005.

Over the past 10 years, since Disney took over the franchise and unspooled its galaxy’s worth of films and TV shows set in the “Star Wars” universe, the prequels have received an approval-ratings boost. The cynics will say that the prequels haven’t changed, it’s just a matter...

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If it wasn't evident that people still love "Star Wars," this past weekend made that crystal clear. In honor of the film's 20th anniversary, Disney and Lucasfilm have re-released "Revenge of the Sith," aka "Episode III," the movie that concluded George Lucas' prequel trilogy in 2005. Fans turned out in droves to watch the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader all over again, with "Revenge of the Sith" now ranking as one of the biggest re-releases ever in terms of opening weekend box office.

"Revenge of the Sith" made $25.2 million domestically over the weekend, which was good enough for second place trailing only Ryan Coogler's "Sinners," which posted a stellar $45 million second weekend. It even outgrossed newcomers "The Accountant 2" ($24.4 million) and "Until Dawn" ($8 million), in addition to edging out "A Minecraft Movie" ($22.7 million) in its fourth weekend.

As Star Wars: Episode III-- Revenge of the Sith celebrates its 20th anniversary, there has been a lot of reflection over the past decades on the film. One person who discussed his career as Emperor Palpatine was the beloved Ian McDiarmid, who sat down recently in an interview with Variety. While they talked about Episode III, McDiarmid shared a humorous story about how he impressed one of Hollywood's greatest directors.

McDiarmid and the interviewer, Todd Gilchrist, discussed the recent passing of Clive Revill, who was the original voice of the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. McDiarmid shared his appreciation for Revill, calling him, "a very fine actor," and saying that the two of them had met a few times.

McDiarmid figured that Revill would just dub over his part. George Lucas liked what McDiarmid did and kept his vocal work. Though he also felt bad for taking the vocal role from Revill.

After Star Wars Celebration wrapped up only a few weeks ago and Revenge of the Sith has returned to theaters everywhere to celebrate its 20th anniversary, there’s no better time to be a Star Wars fan than right now. The latest season of Andor recently hit Disney+ last week, and it’s already earned the title as the highest-rated Star Wars project ever. Fandom has conducted a new study on the Star Wars franchise by collecting data from fans, which has revealed the favorite characters, movie/TV shows, and even games.

Leading the charge for the favorite character is Ahsoka, voiced by Ashley Eckstein in animation and portrayed by Rosario Dawson in live-action. Following behind Ahsoka, in order, is Ben Solo (Adam Driver), Snoke (Andy Serkis), Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Darth Maul (Sam Witwer/Ray Park), Darth Plagueis, Rey Skywalker (Daisy Ridley), Count Dooku (Christopher Lee...

Ian McDiarmid has now been playing Emperor Palpatine for 42 years. First, it was as the mysterious big bad of the original Star Wars trilogy, and then as a Senator who rises to the ultimate position of power in the Galaxy (while corrupting Anakin Skywalker) in the prequels.

Return of the Jedi killed the Emperor, and Revenge of the Sith wrapped up the story of how he became the monster we first met in The Empire Strikes Back. Fans thought that was it for the villain, but The Rise of Skywalker brought him back from the dead as a clone.

In an interview with Variety (via SFFGazette.com), McDiarmid said it was "very satisfying" to learn he had a granddaughter in Daisy Ridley's Rey. However, no one ever explained how the Emperor managed to have children.

"There was never any discussion of any of that. It was up to me...

George Lucas broke down the origins of Yoda’s “very distinctive way of talking” at a 45th anniversary screening of The Empire Strikes Back at the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival last week.

Lucas was asked about Yoda’s particular patter, which often found the character doing away with typical sentence structure and essentially delivering his heady insights and mighty koans backwards. For example: “Luminous beings are we”; “Anger, fear, aggression — the Dark Side are they”; and, “Wars not make one great.”

All of that was done intentionally, Lucas said, to...

Star Wars: Revenge Of Sith Re-Release Box Office Opening Weekend Update ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith has toppled A Minecraft Movie and the new release, The Accountant 2, to earn the #2 spot in the domestic box office chart. The film was released to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The movie has beaten Avatar, Titanic, and Return of the Jedi’s re-release in North America, and with that, it has also hit a major milestone. Keep scrolling for the deets.

According to the report, the Star Wars movie has also surpassed Frozen and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to become one of the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time in the United States. The threequel in the prequel trilogy is set three years after the onset of the Clone Wars, which was established in the previous film, Attack of the Clones, depicting the rise of Darth Sidious and...

Ian McDiarmid “thought [he’d] gone too much too far” during his Palpatine vs Mace Windu duel in ‘Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith’.The 80-year-old actor - who has portrayed Emperor Palpatine in the sci-fi saga since 1983’s ‘Return of the Jedi’ - battled Jedi master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) during director George Lucas’ 2005 prequel blockbuster, though has now admitted he thought he had overdone it during the fight.He told Variety: “I thought I’d gone much too far, and George said, ’No, no, you can go much further.’ It’s the moment when the monster becomes available and he is ecstatic with delight because he can lose the hypocritical face. “When we were doing ‘The Phantom Menace’, George said, ‘You should think of your face as a carapace’ - as if we’d made me up, and underneath was the real person. That was great,...

None other than Steven Spielberg gave Ian McDiarmid his seal of approval for making Star Wars' Emperor feel genuinely evil.

Speaking with Variety ahead of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith's twentieth anniversary, McDiarmid reflected on his legacy playing Emperor Palpatine and having the opportunity to expand upon his Return of the Jedi role in the prequel trilogy. On replacing the late Clive Revill as Palpatine's voice, he said, "I thought if Clive knew what that creature had become or what he looked like, he would be doing something along the lines of what I was doing. So I continued to do my little voice like that; George didn't say stop, and neither did Richard." While recording the Adr for his performance, McDiarmid happened to meet director Steven Spielberg and future Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy -- then co-founder of Spielberg's production company Amblin Entertainment -- recalling,...

Though the Skywalkers tend to get most of the love and attention from “Star Wars” fans, there was another famous lineage throughout the intergalactic saga that remains just as vital to the narrative… even if it wasn’t all that clear in the beginning. During a recent interview with Variety in celebration of the 20th anniversary re-release of “Revenge of the Sith,” Emperor Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid reflected on his experience playing the big baddie over the course of nearly 40 years, explaining how the character’s importance wasn’t strategized beforehand.

“It wasn’t mapped out at all, really,” he said. “When I first got the part, I had no idea what the world was that I’d be in charge of as the Emperor. So it started off as a big mystery. I had no idea that Palpatine would figure [into the story so heavily].”

Even when George Lucas brought McDiarmid back for “The Phantom Menace...

Ian McDiarmid has admitted he felt like he'd "gone much too far" in the iconic Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith scene where his character Supreme Chancellor Palpatine reveals he is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. The shocking revelation comes during a battle between Palpatine and Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson).

The 2005 prequel lays the groundwork for Palpatine turning Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side by manipulating the Jedi Council to take a stand against him. Mace Windu eventually discovers Palpatine's true nature, leading to a lightsaber battle where the Supreme Chancellor kills Windu with Force Lightning (thanks to some interference from Anakin).

Ian McDiarmid Reveals George Lucas' Reaction to Palpatine Revealing Himself as a Sith Lord

The scene is perhaps most memorable for Palpatine initially feigning weakness, only to scream that he had "unlimited power" after seizing the advantage over Windu. McDiarmid has now told...

The weekend box office is on fire, with ticket sales up more than 120 percent over the same frame last year.

The blaze is led by Warner Bros.’ Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan. Heading into its sophomore outing, the film was expected to compete with Ben Affleck-starrer The Accountant 2 for the top spot with anywhere from $20 million to $25 million.

But the supernatural period vampire pic continues to defy all the odds and easily stayed No. 1 domestically with a phenomenal $45.7 million to boast one of the smallest drops in history for a movie playing outside of the year-end holidays, or 5 percent off from its $48 million opening weekend, according to weekend actuals. (That’s ahead of Sunday’s estimate of $45 million, a 6 percent decline).

Put another way, Sinners boasts the smallest second-weekend decline for any film opening north of $40 million since 2009’s Avatar and the smallest...

Ian McDiarmid has defended his controversial return as Emperor Palpatine (a.k.a. Darth Sidious) in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. McDiarmid reprised his role even after Palpatine was seemingly killed in 1983's Return of the Jedi.

Director J. J. Abrams made the controversial decision in the ninth Star Wars film to resurrect Palpatine for a showdown with his granddaughter Rey (Daisy Ridley). Fans were critical of Abrams' creative decision, especially as the opening crawl of The Rise of Skywalker matter of factly announced that the galaxy had simply heard "a threat of revenge in the sinister voice of the late Emperor Palpatine."

Star Wars Legend Addresses Controversial Return of Emperor Palpatine

Speaking to Variety, McDiarmid admitted that he'd never expected to return to Star Wars after the Emperor's apparent death in Return of the Jedi.

"I mean, I thought he was killed," he admitted. "So when I got...

The 20th anniversary re-release of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is making a big impact at the box office, and could take a top prize from another beloved Disney classic. Re-releases and Star Wars have gone hand in hand for years, with the 1997 Special Edition of the original trilogy films being among the most memorable. However, the practice of re-releasing films in theaters has started to decline as streaming has gained popularity. Yet following the Covid-19 pandemic, Disney has been experimenting with re-releases of Star Wars films. Return of the Jedi received a 30th anniversary re-release in 2023, and The Phantom Menace got a 25th anniversary release in 2024. Now, Revenge of the Sith is getting the big-screen re-release treatment, and it is doing better than anyone could have expected.

Box office numbers show that Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith pulled in $11.3 million on its opening Friday,...

Robert Pattinson & Blake Lively ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Stardom often comes with its perks, lavish red carpets, endless paparazzi, and millions of fans. But sometimes, the very roles that catapult an actor into the limelight are a double-edged sword. The fame that once seemed so sweet can quickly turn sour, leaving actors trapped in characters they’d rather forget. While the world loves to shout “iconic!” these stars have been known to mutter something closer to “ugh, not again.”

From being forever linked to a single, typecast role to being bombarded with fan expectations, these actors have all experienced the dark side of fame. So, let’s dive into the top 8 stars who, despite their legendary status, absolutely hated the roles that made them famous, because sometimes, the price of fame isn’t just fame itself.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight

To put it mildly, Robert Pattinson’s time...

Fans recently saw Star Wars Celebration, which came with heaps of announcements for a galaxy far, far away. There were dozens of guests, from Hayden Christensen to Rosario Dawson and even Ahmed Best.

Best is most famously known for playing Jar Jar Binks, and whilst the hatred he received for the role was extreme, he does understand where it's coming from. Though Best is famous in Star Wars for playing Binks, he appeared in Season 3 of The Mandalorian as Jedi Kelleran Beq, a role he’d be more than happy to revisit.

Beq was a Jedi during the time of Order 66 and, as flashbacks show, he was the one who saved Grogu from the clone troopers. Best had previously appeared as Beq on the live contest show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.The Mandalorian redeemed Best, earning him much-deserved love from a fandom that spurned him nearly two decades ago.