Hey buddy. How ya holdin' up? Looking forward to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and feeling like December will never come? Everyone gets that way sometimes; it's OK. What have you been doing to pass the time? Reading Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View maybe? Or just constantly refreshing YouTube hoping the new Last Jedi trailer shows up? That's gotta help. (Also, fret not, that trailer will be here very soon.) As for us, we just like whiling away the hours scouring the internet for all the news, rumors, and speculation from the Star Wars universe and then reporting it back to you. Think of us as a bunch of eager-to-please Bothans. It's easier that way.
Source: A pre-release glimpse at a Last Jedi tie-in book
Probability of Accuracy: Presuming the preview isn't fake, it seems pretty definitive.
The Real Deal: Apparently, a tie-in book for The Last Jedi might have accidentally spoiled a plot point from the movie. A preview for the IncrediBuilds: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi—A-Wing Deluxe Book and Model Set, shared on the Making Star Wars fan site, reveals that the film may feature an attack on the Resistance base following the events in the climax of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. "After Poe Dameron's squadrons destroyed Starkiller Base, the First Order sought out the Resistance headquarters on the planet of D'Qar to enact their revenge," it reveals. "A-wings flew guard around the Resistance fleet and the transports fleeing the base. When three First Order warships emerged from hyperspace to attack, a squadron of A-wings, commanded by Tallie Lintra, assisted Poe Dameron and the Resistance’s assault bombers in taking on an enemy dreadnought." Welp, guess that explains some of those space battles and exploding X-wings in the first teaser, huh?
Source: Han Solo director Ron Howard
Probability of Accuracy: As with all speculation, take this with a grain of salt.
The Real Deal: Ron Howard is at it again, dropping yet another tease for the untitled Han Solo movie on social media. In this case, though, the tease was more involved than it first seemed. On the face of it, Howard was simply sharing that Thandie Newton was involved in the reshoots for the movie on Twitter:
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…But, as /Film noticed, that's not all he was revealing: If you look at where his hand is on Newton's shoulder, he appears to be covering up an Imperial insignia, seemingly revealing that Newton is part of the Galactic Empire in the movie. (And, in the process, that the Empire plays a part in the movie at all.) Fans are already wondering if she could be playing Rae Sloane, one of the leads of the Aftermath series of novels, but there's also the possibility that she could be Sane Starros, Han's "wife" from Marvel's recent Star Wars comics. As with almost everything surrounding this project—including the title!—all will remain under wraps for quite some time, it seems.
Source: Disney CEO Bob Iger, of all people
Probability of Accuracy: If the man who runs Disney doesn't know what he's talking about then there are bigger problems out there than false rumors.
The Real Deal: How seriously was the death of Han Solo in The Force Awakens taken? Apparently seriously enough that the CEO of Lucasfilm's parent company Disney was consulted on the topic. Said CEO, Bob Iger, revealed in a recent public appearance that, although the ultimate decision was left to Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy and Force Awakens co-writer and director J.J. Abrams, "I got involved." It was, he said, "a big debate." Just imagine what could have happened if things had gone the other way…
Source: Speculation based upon second-hand sources
Probability of Accuracy: This one could go either way, to be honest.
The Real Deal: Just how long is Star Wars: The Last Jedi? ScreenRant has noticed that advance ticket sale sites are listing a surprisingly long runtime of 150 minutes—15 minutes longer than The Force Awakens, and the longest Star Wars movie yet, if true. (Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones has been the longest heretofore, but let's not read too much into that.) Lucasfilm has yet to confirm this length, however, so it's possible that everyone is using a placeholder runtime. Otherwise, prepare for two-and-a-half hours of Han Solo-less Star Wars. It feels a little less exciting when it's put that way, doesn't it? (On the other hand, "two-and-a-half-hours of Star Wars" is a pretty exciting concept, when you think about it.)
Source: Someone with a lot of time on their hands and a Blu-ray copy of The Force Awakens
Probability of Accuracy: It all depends on whether or not you think it's an Easter egg or a hint of things to come.
The Real Deal: Speaking of The Force Awakens, there might have been an Easter egg of sorts in that movie that no one noticed until now. Apparently, the film's star chart MacGuffin—the map with the location of Ahch-To and the Jedi Temple, where Luke Skywalker was hiding out—had icons that could be translated into English. And, when translated, those icons revealed that the other planets surrounding the Jedi Temple were pretty familiar to fans of the franchise: Hoth, Sullust, Naboo, and Degobah. Had Luke been on everyone's doorstep all along? Also, was this an in-joke, or something that was intentionally layered in to be discovered later? Expect these questions to be answered in some form by The Last Jedi on December 15, even if it's only a line of dialogue about how close Ahch-To really is.
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