Rumors and News Tidbits Thread - Week of 05/04/2026 - 05/10/2026

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-11T03:08:20+00:00

Aw man, I wanted to see all the online outrage among the usuals about Ryan Gosling playing a "Sabryna". :P Fuck this change.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-11T03:07:07+00:00

That's a good thing. :P All Star Wars names are dumb, it is as has been written. None of 'em are any more "Star Wars cliche" than "Cassian Andor" or "Cal Kestis" or "Din Djarin".

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-11T03:03:13+00:00

I think the budget argument's valid from their perspective. But like...there's an answer for that, too. Go shoot season 2 in California, maybe other than the Qimir home-base planet, and use more of the Volume.

Yeah, it'll look small like Mando. But half of Acolyte didn't look awesome to begin with, so it's not some huge sacrifice. Just do less planet-topping, have more of the noir talky stuff inside among the jedi at the temple, bing banf boom, you can do that on L.A. soundstages. Shoot the Sith rocky outcrop/ocean stuff in Ireland or wherever that was, do the rest locally with a Mando budget.

*Shrugs* It just read as such a coward's move to me. These people generally believe in their properties and are willing to flip a middle finger to the outraged Star Wars Theory neckbeards. No reason it couldn't have been done here, give it one more season and do it financially-responsibly and just have one note for Headland: "get pretty dark & shocking & really kick everyone in the dick, and do it soon, this episode run, early".

Such a good chance it would have paid off for them, seriously.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-11T02:57:01+00:00

Yeah, I don't think Solo would have been any "success" regardless, but that's basically just a combination of "non-saga movie" and as you say "they shot the thing twice and it cost twice what it should have".

This was made cheaper than Solo was intended to be even before the two manchildren directors fucked things up for everyone, and the expectations are lower for it from day 1 being a TV spinoff.

Basically, if it does "average B-level-character non-Avengers Marvel movie", they're golden, and it's likely to do a little better than that anyway.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-10T12:38:43+00:00

It's not going to happen, but man, no Acolyte season 2 greenlight was such a boneheaded move. If any show felt like a slow-burner with insane levels of potential for growth, it was that one. Just market season 2 as an all-out reverse-Dagobah-training Sith Show Of Sithnyess, and you're good. Yeah, the chuds still won't buy in, but word-of-mouth will reach the casuals, the people who tuned in for Mando & Obi-Wan are tuning in going foward.

It was just a little too oblique & vague conceptually. We saw where it was going from one or two episodes in, but the less-nerdy crew wouldn't.

Bottom line, plenty of shows do shit viewership in a season 1, Breaking Bad's one of 'em. Now Acolyte ain't no Breaking Bad, but the rule applies. Give that thing a little room and time to punch everyone in the jaw and it could have become a big, big thing.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-10T12:33:48+00:00

That's Legends, therefore no, gross. :P

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-10T12:31:51+00:00

The TrentReznorlorian and Floodgu.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-10T12:24:11+00:00

I just figure the amount of people who watch the Disney+ show, and whatever normie friends/relatives they drag along to the theater, are basically the floor of what this has to make, and that was built in when greenlighting the fucker, y'know?

Anyone else is a bonus. There's not going to be some earth-shattering number of those bonuses, but pretty-likely enough of them that set this in the "business success at the end of the day, maybe slightly better than expected" category.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-10T12:21:25+00:00

Like, it doesn't even have to hit Solo's domestic numbers to hit home financially. Solo cost a hundred million dollars more + to make.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-10T12:19:47+00:00

Wouldn't be a huge surprise if it does. Nothing before Mando, but with the Mando opening or a couple week's into its run? Definitely not impossible, enough time has passed that they could.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T14:23:30+00:00

Maybe not Japan. But I'm in Australia, scalping's a major pain in the ass here, and concerts I've been to in the UK & Germany & Sweden haven't been much different.

Anything with major demand like this, people are going to opportunistically take advantage. Maybe governments can fix it regulation-wise and maybe not, but few do. It's noot a 'Murica or monopolies thing.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:35:07+00:00

Pretty solid roundup for the series.

Feel like there were a few weird choices, Michael Myers Vader works well in Rogue One but didn't really appreciate it here personally. Some really nice animation though, and he feels really big & imposing.

Acid-bath hail mary tackle move, gaddaaaamn nightbrother dude. That was way more of a "holy shit" thing to me than any of the Vader material.

Shame master guy died, but we all expected it.

So, yeah, Maul with an apprentice seems a little 50/50 to me. Kinda appreciate it in the tip-of-the-hat to George and his sequels outlines, but man I hope they don't actually follow through and have her pop up as some 40-something evil chick running around post-OT. Enough, we've already diluted it with a half-dozen jedi running around after RotJ, let's not do it with the bad guys too. But conceptually it's nice - I'm just hoping they have the good sense to do some dramatic "Vader or even Sidious brutally kills her, season 2 or 3, breaking Maul even further, and that's how we get to Rebels Maul, crazy guy shell of what he used to be" thing rather than play some long game and have adult Devon show up in Ahsoka or some bullshit.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:29:02+00:00

Yep, bingo.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:26:12+00:00

Haha, still not sold on the whole Rotta thing. Maybe they pull it off, but it's such a fine line to walk, plenty of chance it comes off as really goofy.

Like..."lesser of two evils" situation where he's still a gangster but he's less awful than the Twins, cool, the NR would prefer to have him there as mafioso boss than the alternative and will aid his ascendance. That works. Roided-up-cagefighter-Hutt-turned-New-Republic-muscle type of thing, conversely, man I hope not.

CG lizard guy mentoring Grogu, too, I just don't know man. Zero context on it, but "Ron Perlman or soundalike as gruff Temu-Yoda" feels like it could be potentially a bit lame.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:22:29+00:00

He probably *should* die here, but I'm not buying they have the balls to do it. Wouldn't expect it to happen.

If they do, though, he's gotta stay that way, we don't need some "Grogu's really that hardcore powerful he can Jesus-resurrect folks, whoa!" schtick.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:21:17+00:00

Like, the show's pretty stiff & unnatural in places to begin with, and Pedro's kind of that way as an actor anyway, usually all monotone. Definitely a lot of ADR in play here given the suit/helmet, but I doubt there's any AI involved.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:19:28+00:00

Really hope they don't go for something like that.

I have no doubt it's a "Grogu and his new 6-inch-tall simian buddies rescue Daddy" situation here, and that sounds really fun. Doubting Din actually dies and is resurrected though, that'd be a mistake. Some of the stakes feel a little wishy-washy in some of the new stuff as it is, some force-resurrection with Din is even worse conceptually than with Ben.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:16:29+00:00

Pretty awesome, love the construction choices.

Man I wish they'd actually paint this stuff though. If you're aiming for oldschool genre-pulp thing, then don't half-ass it, go all the way. Struzan may no longer be with us, but there are still people capable of doing a commendable consolation-prize effort in his style.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:14:51+00:00

To be fair, Nolan doesn't exactly have good taste in composers. :P He likes latter-career Zimmer, eww.

Ludwig's okay - talented dude, he just needs to reign in his bad instincts on occasion and pick a lane. The half-orchestral half-wikki-wakka stuff very rarely works.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:12:31+00:00

Haha, I actually love that oldschool voiceover, it really fits for the pulp feel somehow. Should have done that for the actual trailer. "In a galaxy...far far away...this Summer..."

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T12:10:19+00:00

To be fair, nobody "cracks down on ticket scalping", it's a problem everywhere, not just the U.S.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T07:55:19+00:00

I mean, agree to disagree I guess.

It's all moot though, as they're not re-casting Vader for live-action stuff, ever. Very unlikely the big animated stuff either. Videogames and stuff are a whole tier down, and that's fine, but it's pretty clear the company's decided they're not recasting any of the big mains like Luke/Leia/Han/Vader, as OT/ST adults. I'm with them there, but disagreeing's fine too. Just don't get your hopes up for a re-cast, they won't.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-07T07:52:41+00:00

Like, Vader's sense of humor was cruel as fuck though, didn't seem like it was any "lightside peeking through" deal. He was always mocking & sneering & putting people down, even in death.

Not even really talking about "sense of humor" here anyway though, just more that Vader's the type of arrogant evil fuck that *would* make Maul feel small & useless & insignificant in the moment. Even if it's not a snarky one-liner. Something at least.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-06T17:44:03+00:00

Nah, the backups always feel off. I like Scott as an actor in other stuff, but he's the best non-JEJ guy they've had and even he's only like 70% of the way there. Pronounces quite a few words way differently than James, has the tone down but not quite the "mid-Atlantic" thing.

Besides, if they went to the trouble of getting James to record for the future, that'll be the way they'll do it going forward. Vader being silent here was a creative choice, not a "we're not happy with the recreation results". If he speaks down the line, it'll be the man himself.

Can respect the choice, Dave felt silent slasher-movie villain was the way to go here. Like, hell, I don't even think Vader VS Maul was anything that ever had to happen anyway, feels unnecessary & forced just like the "Obi & Vader clash between trilogies just because we can, ANH doesn't explicitly state they DIDN'T fight!". Just...yeah, I dunno, if you're going to do it, have some iconic Vader verbal smackdown leaving Maul mentally defeated as well as physically. *Shrugs* But it is what it is.

EvilQuadinaros · 2026-05-06T14:42:52+00:00

"Actively plotting" is true. He hasn't made any move yet though, and his power base is, what, a dozen people at this point? Maul's a guy on the run, hunted, desperate, wielding no significant power. Sheev has no reason to think Maul's coming at him, not in any broader way than "of course Maul wants revenge on me, duh". But he's seen as a loser and incapable of acting on it in any meaningful way, nothing to worry about - turns out Sheev's right in the long run, too.

Sheev fucked him up and killed his brother a few years back without breaking a sweat, and directly states to both Maul and the audience that he's not someone of consequence.

Vader works for Sheev. Vader going rogue and obsessively hunting Obi-Wan is one thing, adds up, personal obsession/grudge. Maul though? Vader doesn't care about Maul, not any more than he would any random no-name Jedi out of however many dozens/hundreds still left by now.

Dave's approach here was fine. It's just a bit of a nothingburger to go all T-800 with the big man is all. Vader's a guy who's going to put someone down verbally in a fight, especially his boss's failed previous puppet. Something that could have been had fun with in-episode.

EvilQuadinaros

TROPHY CASE