Fan tributes greet ‘Rise of Skywalker’

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Final chapter of space epic franchise

Audiences enthusiastically greeted the latest “Star Wars” film, rising in a standing ovation Monday as the credits on the closing chapter in the franchise’s third trilogy rolled.

“The Rise of Skywalker” director J.J. Abrams told the audience before the film played that he was “mostly terrified” to show the film. Seated in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood were Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and director Steven Spielberg, who Abrams specifically thanked.

Cheers erupted throughout the nearly 2 ½ hour film, which Abrams has said will draw the story of the Skywalker clan to a close.

Fans turned the premiere into a living tribute to various eras of the space epic franchise, with some dressing up like Hamill’s Luke and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia from the 1977 original film, others opting for the look of the characters’ mother, Queen Amidala and many donning the armor of Stormtroopers, bounty hunters and Darth Vader.

Attendees were treated to a red carpet spectacle that included appearances by the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and Chewbacca stepping out of a black sport utility vehicle and posing for photographers with long arms stretched in the air.

Guests included Harrison Ford and actors made famous by the newest trilogy: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Kelly Marie Tran.

The premiere was the first time anyone outside a select group saw the ninth film in the core “Star Wars” story. “Rise of Skywalker” arrives in theaters Friday. Attendees had a chance to walk past an exhibit lined with numerous photos from previous films including a portrait with the late Carrie Fisher and her daughter Billie Lourd, another photo with Mark Hamill hugging Fisher and several Stormtrooper uniforms.

Few films have captured the popular imagination like 1977s “Star Wars,” which has sparked three film trilogies, TV shows, toys and more. “The Rise of Skywalker” is one of the year’s most-anticipated releases, in part because filmmakers have promised a conclusion to the story of the Skywalker clan that includes Luke, Leia and their father Anakin, who became Darth Vader.

Characters

Disney paid more than $4 billion to acquire the Star Wars franchise in 2012 and the recent trilogy started by Abrams in 2015 with “The Force Awakens.” While it returned beloved characters from the original trilogy to the big screen for the first time since 1983, the story has focused on a new generation of characters played by Ridley, Adam Driver, Boyega and others.

Fans remain divided on 2017s “The Last Jedi,” which showed a late-in-life Skywalker as a bitter recluse who cut himself off from his friends and broader conflicts embroiling the fictional far, far away galaxy.

Disney has not yet announced film plans post-“Rise of Skywalker.” Work on a trilogy set outside the Skywalker story has been halted, and no new stand-alone films have been announced since the poor showing of 2018s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

Regardless of the reception to “Rise of Skywalker,” Disney has already delivered Star Wars fans two wins in 2019. Its theme parks in Florida and California opened massive Star Wars-themed expansions this year where guests are essentially transported to a distant planet. The company’s new streaming service, Disney Plus, also debuted the first live-action “Star Wars” television series in “The Mandalorian,” which introduced a popular new character: Baby Yoda.

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LOS ANGELES: Those who are caught up on “Watchmen” know Yahya Abdul-Mateen II knows how to strike the balance between understated and omnipotent. He’s also no stranger to playing superheroes, as Aquaman’s nemesis Black Manta in the DC Universe.

But asked whether he would consider taking on another DC Extended Universe role – Superman – Abdul-Mateen told Variety he would consider it.

“I have Black Manta going on, but if they want to have more conversations, I’ll definitely come to the table and see what we could do,” Abdul-Mateen said.

Variety exclusively reported that Michael B. Jordan had pitched Warner Bros. on his vision for the Man of Steel, but could not commit to a movie, which would likely not hit theaters before 2023. Henry Cavill most recently donned the cape, playing the hero in “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.”

Abdul-Mateen added that he’s open to playing some non-superhero roles: “I do need to fill up my slate with some regular dudes without powers, who can figure out their problems without access of superhero powers.”

As Variety exclusively reported in October, Abdul-Mateen is taking on a lead role in the upcoming fourth installment of “The Matrix” series. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are set to return to the hit sci-fi franchise, with Lana Wachowski (one half of the Wachowski sibling duo who created it) set to write and direct. The new “Matrix” will open on May 21, 2021.

“I was always a fan of the technology of ‘The Matrix,’” Abdul-Mateen said of the original film, released in 1999. “I’m already a fan of what we are about to do — just from the perspective of wanting to see how crazy we can get with the technology. excitement is rising and rising every day.”

The first three “Matrix” films — “The Matrix,” “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” — have collectively earned more than $1.6 billion at the global box office.

Abdul-Mateen’s star is certainly on the rise. In addition to starring in HBO’s “Watchmen” he is also set to topline Jordan Peele’s remake of “Candyman,” which he told Variety he has already wrapped. (Agencies)

By Jonathan Landrum Jr

This news has been read 5216 times!