The next batch of live-action Star Wars projects won’t premiere in theaters. They’ll debut on Disney+. The streaming site is adding to its catalog of original shows from the galaxy far, far away. And soon two previously unannounced series will join them. That includes The Acolyte, which will mark a major departure for the franchise. It won’t take place within the Skywalker Saga timeline. The show will explore the era of the High Republic, 100 years before The Phantom Menace. But The Acolyte will do more than show fans a time period they’ve only read about. Series creator Leslye Headland says her time playing old Star Wars RPGs served as an inspiration for the show.
A new interview with Headland in Vanity Fair offers more insights into the surprise show. We already knew it will be the first-ever live-action Star Wars project to take place outside of the Skywalker Saga time period. That means Headland won’t have to deal with legacy characters (which she says she’d never do). She’ll also get to explore how the golden age of the galaxy was anything but. The show, which will blur the lines between good and bad and likely focus on the Sith, will investigate how the Jedi let unknown foes put the pieces in place for Palpatine’s rise a century later.
But the freedom of working in another era will also let Headland pull on her extensive knowledge of the Star Wars Expanded Universe’s Legends. Those consist of stories that are no longer considered canon after Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. And Headland’s E.U. knowledge is extensive, covering countless comics, books, and games she grew up with. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Headland has “read a gazillion books inside the E.U.” As a result, The Acolyte draws on “little bits and pieces” of the Expanded Universe that “no one has explored yet in the onscreen storytelling.”
The origins for the show go beyond just what Headland read about, though. She also grew up playing Star Wars role-playing games. And creating her own original stories within that world led to the show. Headland said she came at the series as someone who grew up in the ’90s playing those RPGs. Here’s what she said about how those old sessions, which often resulted in her writing the equivalent of fan fiction, influence the show she’s developing:
For someone like myself who was introduced to Star Wars not just through the films, but also through role playing games, I’m also like, ‘You don’t understand what type of escapism this afforded me as a young kid – a kid that did not fit in, that had many, many behavioral problems.’ I was able to escape into that world with my friends, to pretend that I was part of that world. It was not like, ‘And now you have to do a scene from the original movie.’
The Acolyte will still draw on classic martial arts films, same as George Lucas’s films. It will still feature Jedi and the Dark Side. But getting to play around in the galaxy far, far away how you want, when you want, with whomever you want, is a dream many fans have had for a long time. Now they’ll finally get to see that dream come to life. Lucasfilm is letting someone turn their role-playing adventures into something we can all watch.
The post Old STAR WARS RPGs Will Inspire THE ACOLYTE appeared first on Nerdist.
The next batch of live-action Star Wars projects won’t premiere in theaters. They’ll debut on Disney+. The streaming site is adding to its catalog of original shows from the galaxy far, far away. And soon two previously unannounced series will join them. That includes The Acolyte, which will mark a major departure for the franchise. It won’t take place within the Skywalker Saga timeline. The show will explore the era of the High Republic, 100 years before The Phantom Menace. But The Acolyte will do more than show fans a time period they’ve only read about. Series creator Leslye Headland says her time playing old Star Wars RPGs served as an inspiration for the show.
A new interview with Headland in Vanity Fair offers more insights into the surprise show. We already knew it will be the first-ever live-action Star Wars project to take place outside of the Skywalker Saga time period. That means Headland won’t have to deal with legacy characters (which she says she’d never do). She’ll also get to explore how the golden age of the galaxy was anything but. The show, which will blur the lines between good and bad and likely focus on the Sith, will investigate how the Jedi let unknown foes put the pieces in place for Palpatine’s rise a century later.
But the freedom of working in another era will also let Headland pull on her extensive knowledge of the Star Wars Expanded Universe’s Legends. Those consist of stories that are no longer considered canon after Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. And Headland’s E.U. knowledge is extensive, covering countless comics, books, and games she grew up with. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Headland has “read a gazillion books inside the E.U.” As a result, The Acolyte draws on “little bits and pieces” of the Expanded Universe that “no one has explored yet in the onscreen storytelling.”
The origins for the show go beyond just what Headland read about, though. She also grew up playing Star Wars role-playing games. And creating her own original stories within that world led to the show. Headland said she came at the series as someone who grew up in the ’90s playing those RPGs. Here’s what she said about how those old sessions, which often resulted in her writing the equivalent of fan fiction, influence the show she’s developing:
For someone like myself who was introduced to Star Wars not just through the films, but also through role playing games, I’m also like, ‘You don’t understand what type of escapism this afforded me as a young kid – a kid that did not fit in, that had many, many behavioral problems.’ I was able to escape into that world with my friends, to pretend that I was part of that world. It was not like, ‘And now you have to do a scene from the original movie.’
The Acolyte will still draw on classic martial arts films, same as George Lucas’s films. It will still feature Jedi and the Dark Side. But getting to play around in the galaxy far, far away how you want, when you want, with whomever you want, is a dream many fans have had for a long time. Now they’ll finally get to see that dream come to life. Lucasfilm is letting someone turn their role-playing adventures into something we can all watch.
The post Old STAR WARS RPGs Will Inspire THE ACOLYTE appeared first on Nerdist.
Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes
It's that time, once AGAIN! let's get into it, people. Welcome to a new episode of Afronerd Radio's The Grindhouse live-stream, airing each and every Sunday at 6 p.m. eastern on the BTalk 100 cyber-broadcasting platform. Join your favored AFROnerdist hosts as they elucidate upon the following issues: noted British actor, Idris Elba (Thor, Avengers: Endgame) joins his MCU alum, Tilda Swinton in a psychedelic trailer entitled, Three Thousand Years of Longing....is this another "magical negro" vehicle? Let's discuss:
And then there are additional interesting trailers (The Boys and Umbrella Academy, both S3) to imbibe in and analyze:
News sources have formally announced the return of Netflix's Daredevil (S4) but this time on Disney plus; the CW network appears to still be producing DC-themed television, hence Gotham Knights; popular social media influencer, B. Simone had some pretty controversial thoughts about Civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King:
One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF
Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!!
Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify, and, IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!
During the cold winter of 2021, we had the humble sea shanty to keep us warm. TikTok saw a surge of creators recording renditions of sea shanties, making the tradition that dates back to the 1800s mainstream. And what a blessing it was to anyone who enjoys shanties (hi, it’s me). Earlier this year we saw a Doctor Who spin on “Wellerman,” and today, we have another sea shanty pop culture moment: Star Shanties. It’s Star Wars meets sea shanties and it’s every bit as delightful as it sounds.
Star Shanties: Songs From a Galaxy Far, Far Away is currently playing at the Orlando Fringe Festival. The music tells tales about Star Wars legends and characters such as Thrawn and Hondo Ohnaka (my personal favorite shanty). For producer, director, and writer Arthur Rowan, Star Wars sea shanties began as a passion project during the pandemic. He first shared “Old Man Thrawn” online in early February 2021.
Rowan told Nerdist that “Geek Folk” is his favorite style of song to write. He added, “I love how the [Star Wars] galaxy is so rich with possibility when it comes to storytelling, even in areas that are unexplored in the films. I was an avid reader of the Extended Universe growing up, and I’ve been loving a lot of the additional material that’s been in the new canon.”
For Star Shanties, Rowan tries to take an authentic approach. He considers if the Star Wars galaxy had shanties, what and who would they be about? For most of the pieces he’s written so far, he said, “I start with an actual shanty or old traditional song, and then imagine where something like that would fit in universe. For example, some old shanties are about how bad-ass a ship or a captain is, and Thrawn seemed likely to have a devoted crew sing something along those lines. Some shanties are about boasts and tall tales; Hondo Ohnaka struck me as a great subject for that genre. And I love traditional Irish tunes, which frequently deal with defying an oppressor or with mourning the loss of home… both subjects that feel very Alderaanian.”
The long-term goal for Rowan’s Star Wars sea shanties has been to continue to evolve them and grow them. Hence, Star Shanties. The production stars Taylor Harrell as Barrett, Ryan J. Lynch as Jander, Mark Miller as Captain Vale, Jandrea Novak as Mynoc, and Charles Stevens as Rafe. Ashley Willsey designed the costumes and is handling the marketing. And Star Shanties has scenic design by Jake Lockwood and photography by McKenzie Lakey.
If you’d like to see Star Shanties at the Orlando Fringe Festival, you have four more opportunities to do so. The production has shows on May 21, May 25, May 27, and May 29. You can get venue information and tickets here. And if you can’t make it to one of these showings, dive into Rowan’s YouTube account to hear some excellent Star Wars sea shanties.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of several Star Wars books and A Kid’s Guide to Fandom. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
The post STAR WARS and Sea Shanties Come Together with STAR SHANTIES and We Can’t Get Enough appeared first on Nerdist.