Watch the first 5 minutes of Silo season two

Juliette lives. Entertainment Weekly (EW) exclusively shared a sneak peek at Silo season two on Apple TV+.



Read the official synopsis:

"Silo is the story of the last ten thousand people on earth, their mile-deep home protecting them from the toxic and deadly world outside. However, no one knows when or why the silo was built and those who try to find out face fatal consequences. Ferguson stars as Juliette, an engineer who seeks answers about a loved one’s murder and tumbles onto a mystery that goes far deeper than she could have ever imagined, leading her to discover that if the lies don’t kill you, the truth will."

In addition to Rebecca Ferguson, Silo season two stars new addition Steve Zahn, alongside returning stars Tim Robbins, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Clare Perkins, Billy Postlethwaite, Rick Gomez, Caitlin Zoz, Tanya Moodie and Iain Glen.

Silo season two premieres on 15th November on Apple TV+.

Are you watching Silo on Apple TV+? Are you looking forward to season two? Let me know in the comments below.

Ahsoka awakens in Entertainment Weekly

Ahsoka begins this August on Disney+. The highly-anticipated Star Wars live-action spin-off series sees Rosario Dawson reprise the titular role of fan-favourite Ahsoka Tano from The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Ahsoka is the cover story in Entertainment Weekly (EW). Since EW went digital-only, I miss receiving physical copies of Star Wars-related issues with the much-appreciated help of our US-based readers.

"I was literally doing jumping jacks," Dawson says with a laugh, speaking to EW in late June of her excitement. "I remember seeing Jon and Dave's faces, like, 'Ooh, did we make the right decision? She's a little bit… hyped fangirl.'"

Ahsoka was first introduced as Anakin Skywalker's Padawan in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Later, they would clash in Star Wars Rebels when Skywalker succumbs to the dark side of the Force and becomes Darth Vader. There are rumours Hayden Christensen will reprise the role of Anakin Skywalker as he did in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Lucasfilm has dropped a new TV Spot.



Expectations are running high for this spin-off series from Dave Filoni that builds on decades of lore that began with Star Wars: The Clone Wars. After being successfully backed, the Star Wars HasLab The Ghost may meet all the stretch goals as a result. Like many fans, I'm hoping to populate the beloved spaceship, based on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress cockpit and the conceptual art of Ralph McQuarrie from the original Star Wars trilogy, with the full crew from Star Wars Rebels.

Doctor Who fans (myself included) will be delighted David Tennant returns in the role of droid Huyang from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Ahsoka premieres with the first two episodes exclusively on Disney+ on 23rd August.

Are you looking forward to Ahsoka on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Enter Darth Vader

This week's Star Wars news has provided some much-needed hope.

Star Wars Celebration returns in May and Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, starring Ewan McGregor as the titular Jedi Master, is on the cover of Entertainment Weekly (EW).

Culminating in a Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi teaser trailer and the first look at Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen), which evokes Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

When EW asked whether Hayden Christensen might be making an appearance in the Star Wars special event series unmasked, the prequel trilogy star teased, “I wish I could tell you. I’m sworn to secrecy.”

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres exclusively on Disney+ on 25th May.

Are you excited to see Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader duel once more? Let me know in the comments below.

Obi-Wan Kenobi in Entertainment Weekly

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is the cover story for Entertainment Weekly (EW). This coincides with the launch of an official Twitter account and rumours of a teaser trailer dropping later today.

Speaking exclusively to EW, Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) says, "We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up."

Very little is known about the six-part special event series set a decade after the cataclysmic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. However, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen will reprise the roles of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader respectively.

Disney+ is the perfect platform to fully explore the tragedy of Obi-Wan Kenobi's greatest failure: losing Anakin Skywalker to the dark side and the rise of an evil Empire.



Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres exclusively on Disney+ on 25th May.

Are you looking forward to seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader clash on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Bad Batch?

Star Wars: The Bad Batch premieres on 4th May AKA Star Wars Day on Disney+.

Matt Lanter played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Clone Wars for seven seasons and has teased the character's return in an upcoming animated spin-off series.

"There's some new Lucasfilm Animation going on. I've been a part of some things I can't talk about yet. You'll see Anakin again," Lanter told Entertainment Weekly (EW). "I never quite put Anakin down, whether I'm doing a video game or something new for Lucasfilm Animation."

In related news. Hayden Christensen reprises the role of Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming live-action special event series Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch begins with a 70-minute special on 4th May. New episodes drop weekly exclusively on Disney+ from Friday 7th May.

Do you think Anakin Skywalker will appear in Star Wars: The Bad Batch? Let me know in the comments below.

Jedi search begins in The Mandalorian

This is the way! The official trailer for the second season of The Mandalorian dropped on Tuesday. The titular Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) is tasked with searching for the Jedi and safely handing over The Child AKA Baby Yoda.



Here’s the official synopsis: "The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through a dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire."

The Mandalorian is set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens when Luke Skywalker is building a new Jedi order before his reckless actions lead to the Knights of Ren and the founding of the First Order.

“I’ll be going toe-to-toe with Mando,” Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon) recently told Entertainment Weekly (EW). “It’s an iconic battle. I want to disarm him mentally as well. Who knows? Maybe there’s an opportunity to get him to fight some battles for me. You may think I’m a villain, but I’m trying to harness some energy and some powers for a path that could be best for all. You'll get to see him be somewhat diplomatic and more of a manipulator."

The Mandalorian's second season will launch exclusively on Disney+ on 30th October.

The Mandalorian strikes back in EW

The Mandalorian and The Child AKA Baby Yoda are back to save 2020.

Entertainment Weekly (EW) had exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the Emmy-nominated live-action Star Wars series' second season, which had completed principal photography prior to lockdown and benefited from state-of-the-art remote technology.

Series showrunner Jon Favreau (Iron Man) explained:

"The fact that the set is much more contained is a benefit because you can limit the number of people. A lot of the people controlling it are doing it remotely from what we call the Brain Bar, which is a bank of gaming computers, essentially. The amount of people near the camera could be much smaller than [usual]. We also shoot a lot outside, which is helpful, too. We build to a moment in filming more like an animated production, where we have a lot of storyboards, a lot of discussions, and scouting in virtual reality. We use cinematic tools in VR much the same way we did for The Lion King and The Jungle Book. A lot of times the actors you are seeing on the screen aren't actually there on set."

The Mandalorian's mythology is being built a la HBO's Game of Thrones.

Executive producer Davie Filoni (The Clone Wars) said: “Everything gets bigger, the stakes get higher, but also the personal story between the Child and the Mandalorian develops in a way I think people will enjoy.”



There's no further news regarding Rosario Dawson, Timothy Olyphant, Temuera Morrison, Katee Sackhoff and Michael Biehn joining the cast lead by Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Gina Carano (Cara Dune) and Carl Weathers (Greef Karga). But I like surprises. This is the way.

The Mandalorian's high-anticipated second season begins 30th October on Disney+.

Rey is full of the Force says The Force Awakens writer

Rey's (Daisy Ridley) enigmatic affinity for the Force has been a point of fevered discussion among fans since The Force Awakens (2015). Co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, talking exclusively to Entertainment Weekly (EW), sheds some light on the pivotal moment when Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber flies into her hand, sparking speculation she was a clone of Luke's father.

"Rey is full of the Force — you know that pretty early on," he said, adding that the signs had always been there: "We've seen other demonstrations that she did earlier in the movie that she has in her. You know she's not unimportant.

"The saber flies into her hand because it belongs in her hand. While the secret to Kylo is that he's massively insecure. He wants to be Darth II, but he isn't because he's very conflicted about everything he wants."

Kasdan went on to tease that Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is a conflicted character.

"[Kylo] says right before, 'That lightsaber, it belongs to me'," he continued. "So when it flies by him into her hand everything he worries about is confirmed."

Following the events of The Last Jedi (2017), fans won't know exactly how Rey and Kylo's story will end in The Rise of Skywalker this December. Will there be a surprise twist given the return of the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid)?

Entertainment Weekly shares new Star Wars images

A month from today Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be in UK cinemas and I've booked tickets for a day-one IMAX with Laser screening at Cineworld.

Entertainment Weekly (EW) has shared new exclusive photos featuring Rey (Daisy Ridley), Kylo Ren (Adama Driver) and more here.

Are you looking forward to the conclusion of the Skywalker saga? Let me know in the comments below.

New look at Keri Russell's mysterious Zorii Bliss

Entertainment Weekly (EW) has shared an exclusive photo of the mysterious Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell) and her helmet design evokes the art deco aerodynamics of Disney's The Rocketeer.

I'm looking forward to unboxing Hasbro's Kenner-branded vintage collection action figure (affiliate link), part of my online haul from Triple Force Friday, when it arrives from Amazon.

With only two months to go until the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Cineworld is opening a new IMAX with Laser cinema later this month in Plymouth. I'll be booking tickets to see the final chapter in the Skywalker saga as soon as they go on sale.

Jon Favreau to direct The Mandalorian

Executive producer Jon Favreau (Iron Man) recently talked to Entertainment Weekly (EW) about directing an episode for the second season of The Mandalorian Star Wars live-action series for Disney+:

“We’re working on season 2, writing, prepping with the directors and getting ready to direct myself, actually,” said the Iron Man and The Lion King director. “I didn’t get a chance the last time around because I was doing Lion King. So I’ll step in for one of them.”

The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Bill Burr, Omid Abtahi and Werner Herzog.

Season one of The Mandalorian begins exclusively on Disney+ 12th November in the US, Canada and Netherlands (where subscribers currently have a free 2-month trial).

The Mandalorian and the rise of the First Order

The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal as the titular character, begins streaming, on Disney+, this November and is Entertainment Weekly's (EW) cover story.

Producer and director Dave Filoni (Star Wars Rebels) says of the first live-action Star Wars series:

“This doesn’t turn into a good guy universe because you blew up two Death Stars. You get that the Rebels won and they’re trying to establish a Republic, but there’s no way that could have set in for everybody all at once. You have in a Western where you’re out on the frontier and there might be Washington and they might have some marshals, but sometimes good luck finding one.”

Series showrunner Jon Favreau (Lion King) teased:

“What could happen in the 30 years between celebrating the defeat of the Empire and then the First Order? You come in on Episode VII, [the First Order are] not just starting out. They’re pretty far along…So somehow, things weren’t necessarily managed as well as they could have been if [the galaxy] ended up in hot water again like that.”

The Mandalorian's 8-part season one begins streaming, weekly, in the US, Canada, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand exclusively on Disney+ this November. The House of Mouse is sparing no expense for its Star Wars and Marvel live-action series.

What do you hope to see from Favreau's highly-anticipated live-action series with creative input from Star Wars creator George Lucas? Let me know in the comments below.

First look at Captain Marvel and Starforce

Entertainment Weekly (EW) has unleashed exclusive photos from Captain Marvel, and Brie Larson looks dazzling in the titular role.

Talking to EW, Larson said of her character Carol Danvers: "She can’t help but be herself. She can be aggressive, and she can have a temper, and she can be a little invasive and in your face. She’s also quick to jump to things, which makes her amazing in battle because she’s the first one out there and doesn’t always wait for orders. But the [not] waiting for orders is, to some, a character flaw.”

The highly-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) instalment is set in the nineties and introduces Starforce - sounds cooler than Space Force - commanded by Danvers' mysterious mentor (Jude Law).



Ronan The Accuser, last seen in Guardians of the Galaxy, is back to battle the Skrulls - Skeletor-inspired Stormtroopers. Here, Ronan is seemingly meeting Starforce in their distinctive green uniforms.



Following the March release. Captain Marvel is expected to play a pivotal role in Avengers 4 in the wake of Thanos' universe-altering snap. The sequel to Infinity War is rumoured to be set during the events of the first Avengers movie.

What are your thoughts on Captain Marvel? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who series 11 first look during World Cup final

The BBC has announced a first look at Doctor Who series 11, starring Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor, during the World Cup final this Sunday.



Jodie Whittaker was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly (EW) in a special double issue ahead of the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) next week.

“Well, I would say that it’s hopeful and fizzing with wonder,” Whittaker said, when EW visited the set of Doctor Who in Cardiff, Wales, earlier this year. “I have absolutely shot myself in the foot for any ADR, because I get in there, and realize I speak at a hundred miles an hour. If a plane goes over I’m like, ‘Are you kidding?’ I’ve got to try and match that speech of ‘Di-didda-di-didda-di-didda’? But essentially I think the big theme is hope.”

Series 11 is expected to premiere on BBC One and BBC America this September.

George Lucas still has his say on Star Wars

George Lucas may have sold Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 Billion in 2012. But, the creator of Star Wars still offers advice to the Mouse House. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy tells Entertainment Weekly (EW):

“Not really, but he’ll whisper in my ear every now and then. Usually, it’s something specific or important to him about Jedi training. Things like that.”

Star Wars was released over 40 years ago in America and it's understandable Lucas would still have an interest in his blockbuster creation. Director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi seemingly centres on Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) training Rey (Daisy Ridley). Kennedy goes on to say:

“I think he’s starting to settle into this and just be a fan. It’s taken a while. It’s hard to let go, after 40 years. That’s a lot of expectation and things he thought a lot about. Suddenly that next generation, that whole thematic idea he came up with, is in process.”

Lucas planned 9 movies as evidenced by the liner notes of The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack release. However, the sequel trilogy and standalone spin-offs are very much the vision of Kennedy and Disney.

Rey's identity to be revealed in The Last Jedi

Rey (Daisy Ridley) is the 'Rosebud' of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. An enigma spawning countless fan theories since The Force Awakens. However, Star Wars: The Last Jedi promises to shed light on the character's origins.

“To me, it’s important insofar as it’s important to her. And I think it’s important to her in terms of what is her place in all of this?”, director Rian Johnson told Entertainment Weekly (EW).

"What’s going to define her in this story? She was told in the last movie that the answer’s not in the past; it’s looking forward. But she’s showing up on this island to talk to this hero from the past.

"You can be told [‘the answer’s not in the past’], but I think she still has a lingering hope that she’s going to find the thing that’s going to say: This is where you belong. This is where you are. I think she still holds onto the thought that where she comes from will help define where she’s going."

In the same interview, Daisy Ridley teased the big reveal won’t necessarily affect Rey’s journey in Star Wars.

“You can always look for answers and that doesn’t mean that the rest of your life is so easy”, she explained.

“It’s not like, ‘oh, I know who my parents are so now everything falls into shape’, especially in the Star Wars world.”

Who do you think Rey is? Anakin Skywalker reincarnated, Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter or something else? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set for release on 15th December.

Praetorian Guards from The Last Jedi

The enigmatic Emperor's Royal Guards captured my childhood imagination whilst leafing through the pages of a toy catalogue prior to the release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (EW) looks at Snoke's crimson Praetorian Guards. An updating of the Royal Guards for director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi.

“The Emperor’s guards were very formal, and you always got the sense that they could fight, but they didn’t,” writer-director Rian Johnson tells EW. “They looked like they were more ceremonial, and you never really saw them in action. The Praetorians, my brief to [costume designer] Michael Kaplan was that those guys have to be more like samurai. They have to be built to move, and you have to believe that they could step forward and engage if they have to. They have to seem dangerous.”

The evolution in design since the original trilogy is welcome and I'm looking forward to seeing the Praetorian Guards in battle aboard Snoke's Mega Star Destroyer (confirmed by an Amazon listing ahead of Force Friday II).

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theatres 15th December.

Jason Isaacs as Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery

Here's a first look at Jason Isaacs as Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery courtesy of the fine folks at EW.

The upcoming prequel series is set ten years before the original series and begins airing on CBS All Access on 24th September. Netflix will stream the series outside the US sometime thereafter.

Each episode has a purported budget of $6-7 million dollars and is a big gamble for the streaming network. However, Star Trek: Discovery maybe able to reach a mainstream audience much like the rebooted film franchise. The partnership with Netflix can only be a plus for the fledgling series.

The unaired series has been accused of being too diverse by some fans.

“Well, I would encourage them to key into the essence and spirit of Star Trek that has made it the legacy it is — and that’s looking across the way to the person sitting in front of you and realising you are the same, that they are not separate from you, and we are all one,” Sonequa Martin-Green told Entertainment Weekly.

“That’s something Star Trek has always upheld and I completely believe that is why it’s been a mainstay in society in the hearts of so many people for so many decades,” she added. “I would encourage them to look past their opinions and social conditioning and key into what we’re doing here — which is telling a story about humanity that will hopefully bring us all together.”

Diversity and inclusion has always been a hallmark of the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry was a pioneer.

Judge Dredd is the law in Mega-City One TV spin-off

The 2000 AD sci-fi comic started in 1977 along with the US premiere of a space opera set in a galaxy far, far away... Both 2000 AD and Star Wars would form the backdrop to my youth and foundation for future friendships.

However, I didn't start reading 2000 AD until my late paternal grandfather gifted me a copy, during a holiday by the Jurassic Coast, in the summer of 1979. Until then, I was avidly reading Dan Dare reprints, Marvel's Star Wars comic and Starburst magazine.

The ABC Warriors had been unleashed and later Rogue Trooper's endless war with the Norts took over high school lunchtime discussions, and GCSE Art and Design lessons, with fellow geeks in the 1980s.

So, when news broke of a Judge Dredd television series, my interest was instantly piqued. Afterall, my nickname at high school, in an era when Harrison Ford was linked to the titular role for a future film, was Judge Dredd. Because chiselled jaw.

"This is one of those seminal sci-fi properties that seems to only become and more relevant with age," IM Global Television boss Mark Stern told Entertainment Weekly (EW). "Not only is it a rich world with biting social commentary, but it’s also fun as hell! As a fan of the comics and both films, it’s a dream come true to be able to work with Jason and Chris in adapting this for television."

"We’re very excited to be beginning the journey to get more of Judge Dredd’s Mega-City One on the television screen,” says the Kingsleys. "Thanks to the legions of fans who have kept up pressure on social media, and a lot of background work and enthusiasm, we aim to make a big budget production that will satisfy both our vast comics audience and the even greater general screen-watching public."

Mark Stern shepherded the Battlestar Galactica reboot. A seminal sci-fi series that found critical acclaim early last decade.

The two Judge Dredd movie adaptations have had varying degrees of success. Sylvester Stallone was miscast as Judge Dredd in 1995 and fans (myself included) took issue with the iconic character removing his helmet. But, James Earl Jones', the voice of Darth Vader, opening narration was the most memorable part and left me yearning for more Star Wars.

Who would you like to see playing Judge Dredd in a television spin-off? Star Trek's Karl Urban wasn't too shabby in the gritty film noir from 2012. Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars' future to be decided in January

With the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story less than 3 weeks away, speculation surrounds whether or not the Star Wars franchise will switch to standalone movies following the conclusion of the sequel trilogy in 2019.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said: “There are [possible movies] that we have been talking a lot about. But we are planning to sit down in January, since we will have had The Force Awakens released, now Rogue One, and we’ve finished shooting Episode VIII.

“We have enough information where we can step back a little bit and say, What are we doing? What do we feel is exciting? And what are some of the things we want to explore?”

Hollywood composer Michael Giacchino, who replaced Alexandre Desplat on Rogue One, talked to Entertainment Weekly about his approach to orchestrating the upcoming standalone Star Wars movie directed by Gareth Edwards.

"It is a film that is in many ways a really great World War II movie, and I loved that about it. But it also has this huge, huge heart at the center of it, and that was the one thing I just didn’t want to discount. Yes, it’s an action movie, and it’s a Star Wars film, and it has all the things that you would come to expect and love about that, but I didn’t want to forget that it was also an incredibly emotional movie as well. That was what really pulled me in. I love working on projects that have an emotional center to them – and not manufactured emotion either, even though, you know, [laughs] it’s a weird thing to say because literally that’s all we’re doing, manufacturing emotion."

This maybe a standalone movie, but there'll be familiar orchestral themes:

"It does borrow from traditions that both John [Williams] and George Lucas borrowed from when they made the original Star Wars, you know. George was looking at Flash Gordon, the old serials, and John was looking at [Gustav] Holst and different composers along the way to get a baseline for what he wanted to communicate. There is a wonderful musical language that John put together for the original films. I wanted to honor that vernacular but still do something new with it, something that was still me in a way."

Would you like to see the Skywalker saga concluded with 9 movies as franchise creator George Lucas originally intended? Let me know in the comments below.

May I take this opportunity to wish US readers a happy Thanksgiving!