May the force be with them

May the force be with them

This article is published in number 22/23 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until June 7, 2022

For fans of Star Wars it’s a time of fat cows. It begins with the return of Ewan McGregor in the role of the now tired Jedi master in exile: on May 27 the miniseries debuts Obi-Wan Kenobiwho follows the character 10 years after his confinement on the desert planet of Tatooine, where he watches over the young Luke Skywalker from a distance and is hunted down by a Dark Side “Inquisitor” named Reva (played by Moses Ingram de The chess queen). At the end of the summer, Diego Luna’s espionage saga will arrive on the screens, Andor. The third season of The Mandalorianwhich reunites the gunslinger in the Pedro Pascal helmet with his little green pupil (Baby Yoda, of course!), should instead be available in late 2022 or early 2023. Next year, Rosario Dawson will be the protagonist of the episodes of Ahsoka, in which he will play the live-action version of one of the fan-favorite animated series characters, Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice. A little further on he could touch a The Acolytewith a story set about a century before the Skywalker era.

MON MOTHMA – Played by Genevieve O’Reilly, she is the galactic senator who, in the Andor series, will secretly lead a revolt against the Empire. CASSIAN ANDOR – Also in Andor, which will debut at the end of the summer, Diego Luna is a disillusioned man, but in the end he risks everything to help the Rebellion.

McGregor – who made the troubled decision to enter the galaxy in the late 1990s and even returned to it – says this work has saturated his life. “And my partner, Mary, is about to start the series of Star Wars with Rosario ». Previously, Lucasfilm had not confirmed rumors that Mary Elizabeth Winstead would star in Ahsoka, but now it is no longer necessary. “Our baby was born (last summer, ed) in this big family », continues the actor. “She will fall in love with it or maybe not even look at it. I do not know. Maybe she will become a trekkie (fans of the saga of Star Trek, ed) ».

DIN DJARIN – He is the bounty hunter, played by Pedro Pascal, in The Mandalorian series, whose third season may return in late 2022 or early 2023. The character has such an orthodox devotion to his culture that he takes off the helmet only in extreme circumstances. AHSOKA TANO-Rosario Dawson’s alien warrior is deeply attuned to her Force, but some fans of her call her a “gray” Jedi, because she doesn’t commit to the sheer dedication of her brothers. She will be her in the Ahsoka series, which she is expected to release in 2023.

The day Diego Luna received a call from Tony Gilroy in mid-2019 and was recruited for Andor, remembers looking out the car window at the roofs of the buildings along the street and instantly seeing the story of the rebel spies and their escapes poised between life and death. He particularly liked the proposal because it included details that he somehow felt close to his personal experience of him. Luna describes the plot as a story of people fleeing the Empire in desperation at the height of its power. “Andor gave his life for the galaxy, right? I mean, he sacrificed himself in a conscious and lucid world, without vanity and without expecting any recognition. Who ever does such a thing? », He asks himself rhetorically. “This is what the first season is about, of him being averse to the revolution, cynical, bewildered and a bit messed up.” The story begins with the destruction of Andor’s home planet, then follows him into adulthood, when he realizes he can’t escape forever. “His foster home will become the base for the whole first season and we will see that place radicalize,” explains Gilroy. “We will also see another planet completely dismantled and colonized. The Empire expands rapidly, wiping out anyone in its path. ” At the end of the journey, Andor will try to block its advance.

DARTH VADER – In the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the Dark Lord hunts down his old mentor,
linking up with their fateful clash in 1977’s Star Wars, the very first episode of the saga. REVA THE INQUISITOR – Obi-Wan Kenobi also features Moses Ingram as a fearsome Jedi exterminator, who wields a double-edged lightsaber. The series debut is May 27 on Disney +.

The series then focuses on the enigmatic leader of the Rebels, Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, formerly the young senator in the Revenge of the Sith (2005) and, eleven years later, in Rogue One. Mothma (played by Caroline Blakiston at the time) is a sort of priestess who in Return of the Jedi (1983) outlines the weaknesses of the new Death Star, chanting in a low voice: “Many Bothans have died to bring us this information.”

This is the theme that binds all the new projects: devotion. Star Wars it required directors to take it a step further in terms of professional devotion, in fact. Anyone who enters the universe must know that it is a commitment of three, four, five years.

The actors of Star Wars they tend to remain prisoners for life. For this reason, at the end of the 90s, Mc Gregor thought for a long time before agreeing to play the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels. Leaving the franchise behind had been a relief for him. In 2017, however, his feelings changed. After the screening, he began to be asked the same question at each interview: “Would you consider playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again?” He has always answered yes, which is good policy, but not a contractual obligation. The question took on less rhetorical contours four years ago, when it was asked by Kiri Hart, then in charge of the Lucasfilm saga.

Costume designers Suttirat Larlarb, Shawna Trpcic, Michael Wilkinson. Make-up and hair Cool Benson, Ashleigh Childers, Alexei Dmitriew, Amber Hamilton, Crystal Jones, Morgan Marinoff, Davy Newkirk, Julio Parodi, Ana Gabriela Quiñonez, Maria Sandoval, Cristina Waltz. Set designer Mary Howard. Creative production Kathryn MacLeod.

Co-star with McGregor in the prequels, Hayden Christensen, had been Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan’s brother-in-arms, until the brutal confrontation over a lava flow in the Revenge of the Sith. However, in the first interactions of Obi-Wan’s history in exile, Vader was not included.

For Lucasfilm it is a constant dilemma: what are the pros and cons of exposing historical characters? Wouldn’t it be better to keep them on the sidelines to make them intervene in key moments? Putting Vader into a story about Obi-Wan’s exile would not end up reducing the scope of their fateful Death Star encounter in Star Wars 1977, when Vader hits old friend? Or, conversely, could the discovery of a previously unknown encounter emphasize that moment even more?

In the fall of 2019, director Deborah Chow sat down in Christensen’s living room with the aim of convincing him to take on the role of the galaxy’s most fearsome tyrant again. “I was originally cast for a very specific stage in his life,” he says. “For most of my work I have been Anakin. Now I can go back to exploring the character of Darth Vader ».

Technically, you wouldn’t need Christensen to play Vader: you just need a mask and a figure massive enough to fill the armor and, if you’re lucky, James Earl Jones’s stentorian voice. But Christensen serves to show the public the hotheaded yet compassionate head that disappeared when Anakin Skywalker became Vader. In March 2020, just before the pandemic confinement began, the decision was made: Vader would return.

A scene from the backstage

Chow’s reasons for the prospect of putting Vader and Kenobi in front of each other again may surprise the most devoted fans, especially those who believe the two harbor epic contempt for each other. “For me, in the prequels and in the original trilogy, there is an underlying love story between them that runs throughout the saga,” explains Chow. “It seemed wrong to me not to include the person who left Kenobi in such distress in the show.” What intrigued her was the idea that, despite what Vader had become, Kenobi could still be deeply attached to him. “I don’t see how he could ever sever that link, shut it out of his life, forget about it.”

On the set

Rosario Dawson’s casting for the role of Ahsoka Tano, who was previously voiced by Ashley Eckstein and only existed in an animated version, is the son of a fan suggestion that Lucasfilm has decided to take seriously. Someone tweeted a piece of art to Dawson that portrayed her as the heroine and she replied, “Mmm … Yes, thank you.” Ahsoka is expected to debut on Disney + in 2023, though Lucasfilm has yet to confirm whether Dawson has been missing out on the truth about Anakin or whether it is false news. As in any title of Star Wars, even in this there are emotions and nostalgia. The research Ahsoka hints at in appearances of him in The Mandalorian And Boba Fettconcerning the Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn, who disappeared at the end of the series Rebelsit may be in-depth, but the details remain secret.

To continue to grow the fan base, Lucasfilm must offer a collection of characters to love and hate, aware that not all the classics can be repeated indefinitely. In The Mandalorian and in The Book of Boba Fett, 70-year-old Mark Hamill played 30-year-old Luke Skywalker, but younger actors animated Luke’s body, while the deepfake technique synthesized the face. Bringing Luke to life has now become a team sport. However, this technology still has its limitations. As well as recasting.

THE PARTY IS NOT OVER From left, Rosario Dawson, 43, Pedro pascal, 47, Ewan McGregor, 51, and Diego Luna, 42.

Alone, of 2018, explored Han Solo’s early years, with Alden Ehrenreich inheriting the role that was from Harrison Ford. The film has its admirers, but at the box office it is among those who have earned the least. Perhaps Solo’s bravado was too peculiar to be revived by another actor. To resist, Star Wars it will need new faces, new characters … a new era, one that moves away from the timeline we know.

Costume designers Suttirat Larlarb, Shawna Trpcic, Michael Wilkinson. Make-up and hair Cool Benson, Ashleigh Childers, Alexei Dmitriew, Amber Hamilton, Crystal Jones, Morgan Marinoff, Davy Newkirk, Julio Parodi, Ana Gabriela Quiñonez, Maria Sandoval, Cristina Waltz. Mary Howard designer set. Creative production Kathryn MacLeod.

It is beautiful in the green

Director Jon Favreau cradles the animatronic puppet the world knows as Baby Yoda. “We didn’t want him to be too cute,” he says. Still, everyone likes it.

TRANSLATION by Stefano Viviani Stogl

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Source: Vanity Fair