A tribute to Carrie Fisher at Star Wars Celebration

Cast and crew pay tribute to the late Carrie Fisher at Star Wars Celebration during an emotional 40 Years of Star Wars panel featuring franchise creator George Lucas.

Force for Change on Good Morning America

Star Wars: The Last Jedi co-stars Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley appeared on Good Morning America to promote Force for Change in celebration of Star Wars' 40th anniversary.



Fans have a chance to win an appearance in the upcoming Han Solo spin-off movie, a night at Skywalker Ranch and attend the premiere of The Last Jedi. What's not to like and, best of all, you're helping a charitable cause.

Hamill and Ridley will be joining past and present cast members at Star Wars Celebration this Thursday.

Fans can donate to Force for Change here.

Carrie Fisher to appear in Star Wars: Episode IX?

The late Carrie Fisher may appear in Star Wars: Episode IX after her family gave their permission to use existing footage from The Force Awakens and first sequel The Last Jedi. Carrie's brother, Todd, recently spoke to The New York Daily Times:

“She’s as much a part of it as anything and I think her presence now is even more powerful than it was, like Obi-Wan — when the saber cuts him down he becomes more powerful. I feel like that's what's happened with Carrie. I think the legacy should continue.”

General Leia's role in Episode IX, directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), is unclear and Disney has said the script is not being rewritten. The final installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy is expected to begin lensing this July for release in December 2019.

Fisher will be remembered during an emotional 40th anniversary panel at Star Wars Celebration this Thursday. It is expected a teaser trailer for The Last Jedi will be shown and a standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi movie, with Ewan McGregor reprising the titular role, will be announced during the 4-day event in Orlando.

Forest Whitaker at Star Wars Celebration

Forest Whitaker, who plays Saw Gerrera in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars Rebels, returns to Star Wars Celebration.

Whitaker will be making his second Star Wars Celebration appearance, and will also stop by the Star Wars Show LIVE stage with Rogue One co-star Felicity Jones, on Saturday, for a one-on-one chat.

Star Wars Celebration Orlando begins 13th April, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars' US release and rumoured to premiere the first teaser trailer for The Last Jedi.

Xbox Scorpio specs officially revealed this Thursday

This Thursday Digital Foundry will exclusively reveal the specs for Microsoft's upcoming successor to the Xbox One. Project Scorpio.

It is claimed the new Xbox is much more powerful than PS4 Pro. So, the announcement will be of great interest to gamers ahead of a full unveiling at E3. It has been confirmed the console will include a 4K Blu-ray disc player and internal power supply like the Xbox One S.

Quite a coup for Digital Foundry, which is known for its in-depth critical analysis of hardware and software. The Xbox brand has been subject to fair criticism since the bungled launch of the Xbox One in 2013 and PS4's subsequent domination of the current console generation.

Phil Spencer, and his team at Microsoft, must have something special if the company is prepared to take this kind of risk. Spencer alluded to an early Scorpio reveal during IGN's Unlocked Podcast in which he said the emphasis would be on games at E3.

Digital Foundry will reveal the specs, via Eurogamer, on Thursday at 2PM (BST).

Are you excited about Xbox Scorpio and native 4K gaming? Let me know in the comments below.

Hayden Christensen at Star Wars Celebration

May marks the 40th anniversary of Star Wars' release in the US. So, this year's Star Wars Celebration is extra special for fans.

Hayden Christensen is appearing at Star Wars Celebration for the first time since 2002, which has fuelled ongoing speculation he's reprised his role as Anakin Skywalker in director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. The actor's likeness appeared in Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Christensen's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, in the Star Wars prequels, was met with mixed reaction until the latter moments of Revenge of the Sith. Most notably when a dismembered Skywalker solidifies Obi-Wan Kenobi's (Ewan McGregor) failure. However, Natalie Portman delivers a bland performance herself. This could be attributed to the director, dialogue and an over-reliance on special effects. Therefore, I'm optimistic given Johnson's focus on a character-driven story.

Hayden Christensen joins Mark Hamill and more at a special "40 Years of Star Wars" panel on 13th April. Lucasfilm teased the lineup:

"Never before have this many involved in bringing Star Wars to life — from the original trilogy to the prequels to the current Star Wars Rebels animated series — joined together in one place to discuss a galaxy far, far away. Plenty of surprises are in store so fans will not want to miss this very important kick-off to Celebration."

Stay tuned for more coverage of Star Wars Celebration.

Destiny 2 reboots the franchise this September

Bungie's Destiny promised more than it delivered upon launch in September 2014. A so-so story was overshadowed by fun Fireteam adventures with friends on PSN and Peter Dinklage's infamous Ghost. Dinklage was ultimately replaced by Nolan North best known for playing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series.

Subsequently, Destiny has evolved with expansion packs, but I stopped playing after completing the original campaign and never went back.

Earlier this week Bungie released a teaser trailer for Destiny 2 featuring Cayde-6 (Nathan Fillion) and it was comedy gold. Could this be the sequel fans are looking for?



On Thursday Bungie released a full trailer and announced the release date for the upcoming sequel. 8th September on PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One and PC. As before, PlayStation owners have access to exclusive content before anyone else. Time-limited exclusivity remains a point of contention within the gaming industry. I think it's a mistake across all platforms, but that's business for you.



Bungie won't be revealing any gameplay footage until 18th May. E3 will only be weeks away and presumably the developer will appear on the PlayStation stage.

There are several editions of Destiny 2 available for pre-order and I've already pulled the trigger. Because Beta.

Are you looking forward to Destiny 2 and the promise of a more story focussed adventure? Does it matter that loot won't carry over from the original game? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars Battlefront II at Star Wars Celebration

EA has officially announced Star Wars Battlefront II. A trailer will premiere in April during Star Wars Celebration. This will be livestreamed from the convention in Orlando along with a panel including in-house developers Dice, Criterion and Motive.

Star Wars Battlefront was roundly criticised for lacking a single player campaign, but established an enduring multiplayer following. So, that's been addressed in the upcoming sequel with EA interacting with the Lucasfilm Story Group.

I was a critic of Star Wars Battlefront at launch and promised myself I wouldn't buy it! It became my most played game of last year, well until my PlayStation Plus subscription lapsed.

The new game is expected to be released for PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One and PC this November prior to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The previous game coincided with The Force Awakens and included DLC based on the movie in 2015. It's a safe bet there'll be The Last Jedi DLC.

Be sure to subscribe for more coverage of Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Celebration.

Spider-Man: Homecoming gatecrashed by Vulture

Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man's latest adventure just became my second most anticipated movie of 2017 behind The Last Jedi. Because Star Wars.

The new Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer dropped yesterday and features Peter Parker (Tom Holland) facing Vulture (Michael Keaton) with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) confiscating his Spider-Man suit. An hilarious cameo from Captain America (Chris Evans) is icing on the cake.



There's a sense of momentum following Spider-Man's celebrated cameo in last year's Captain America: Civil War and news the beloved character will appear in Avengers: Infinity War. Sony has confirmed there'll be at least 3 Spider-Man movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I'd suggest this remains the new status quo.

Looking forward to Spider-Man: Homecoming? Let me know in the comments below.

Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider

Lara Croft is no stranger to the silver screen. Angelina Jolie played the titular character to mixed reviews in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, last decade.

Now, Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) assumes the mantle in a cinematic reboot following the recent critical and commercial success of the original video game franchise, which was in decline until Tomb Raider wiped the slate clean and deftly mixed movie inspirations in 2013. Actress Camilla Luddington breathed new life into the role with a script by acclaimed writer Rhianna Pratchett.

Director Roar Uthaug elaborates on his reboot based on the 2013 game of the same name:

"Being a longtime fan of the game, it’s important to me to honor the Lara Croft legacy and capture that spirit. It’s great to know that there’s such a passionate global fan base for Lara and her world, and our commitment to that will be evident in our movie. What’s different about this “Tomb Raider” movie is that it’s an origin story for the big screen, focusing not only on Lara’s strength and physical accomplishments but her humanity. We see Lara as a young woman, smart and capable but largely unfocused, and follow her on a dangerous journey that will push her to her limits in every sense, and allow her to hone the skills she needs to ultimately become who she was meant to be. As Lara Croft, Alicia Vikander is brilliant. She brings great depth to a complex role that is both physically and emotionally demanding. We hope this film will delight fans around the world and add another intriguing chapter to the Tomb Raider story."

Tomb Raider, originally released on the ill-fated Sega Saturn, became synonymous with PlayStation in the mid 1990s, and I followed the franchise for several years, collecting merchandise in the process. Here was a female archaeologist possessing the chutzpah of Indiana Jones.

Tomb Raider is released in theatres in March 2018.

Looking forward to seeing Vikander as Ms Croft? Let me know in the comments below.