Disney and Lucasfilms had a field day at the D23 Expo in Anaheim last weekend by revealing a bunch of Star Wars related announcements. I’m going to take a moment to catch you all up on the coolest and most crucial points:
Firstly, there are going to be renovations to Disneyland and Disney World, as the company plans include a Star Wars Land to the map. Yep, that’s right.
“We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single themed land expansion ever. These new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.”
As mentioned above, the expansions are planned to be the biggest ones yet, clocking in at over 14 acres each (that’s well above 50,000 square metres for easier measurements). It has been said to include two major attractions, with one being a mission within the Millennium Falcon. There will also be seasonal changes to the park to include more Star Wars fun, with the classic “Space Mountain” attraction turning into “Hyperspace Mountain”, where riders will fly alongside an X-Wing using special effects and projections. More info can be found at the D23 page here.
We also got movie updates, first for “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”, with an alternative art poster for the film, as well as several interviews with cast and crew. There were also many props and costumes at the Expo which attendees were able to view, and Harrison Ford made an appearance to promote the film. We got a lot more new information however about the film “Star Wars: Rogue One” which is slated for release at the end of 2016. A full cast list was released for the first ever standalone Star Wars instalment, alongside the first photo from the film. Rogue One “tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star,” situated story-wise between Episodes III and IV.
Alongside all the other things, Disney has also announced a special edition PlayStation 4 for the release of Star Wars Battlefront, due to come out November 17 alongside the game. The console features a pop art-esque Darth Vader decal and matching controller, which can be bought in a bundle with either SW:B or Disney Infinity 3.0 (as they’ve also added characters from “The Force Awakens” to the figures and are adding a “Twilight of the Republic” playset). Either way, you’ll still get four other classic Star Wars games for free: Super Star Wars; Racers Revenge; Bounty Hunter; and Jedi Starfighter.
Lastly, the Battle of Jakku DLC for SW:B was given a preview with concept art, and has been scheduled for a release on December 8th (whilst anyone with pre-orders of the game get access a week early).