WookieeLeaks: Marvel Announces ‘Star Wars’ Comics, and Luke Skywalker Travels to Ireland

ScreenCrush’s WookieeLeaks is a weekly roundup of everything 'Star Wars'! From 'Episode 7,' to the upcoming spinoffs and the TV shows, if it pertains to that long ago, far away galaxy, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, three new 'Star Wars' comics are on the way, Luke Skywalker journeys to Ireland, and cool new plot rumors emerge!

Marvel Announces Three New 'Star Wars' Comics

When Disney acquired Marvel and Lucasfilm, it was only a matter of time before Dark Horse lost the 'Star Wars' comic license ... and here we are. Marvel has now announced three new comic series that will take place between the original 'Star Wars' and 'The Empire Strikes Back,' and they all sound pretty great! Especially exciting is the talent involved -- Marvel has recruited some of the best writers and artists in their regular talent pool.

The flagship series, which will simply be titled 'Star Wars,' will be written by Jason Aaaron and penciled by John Cassaday. 'Star Wars: Darth Vader' will be written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Salvador Larroca. 'Star Wars: Princess Leia' (which will be a miniseries, not an ongoing one) will be brought to life by writer Mark Waid and artist Terry Dodson.

If you're a comic book fan, you already know what a big deal some of those guys are. If not, just know that the 'Star Wars' comics appear to be in really, really good hands. We're especially interested in Gillen's Vader series, since it's been a long time since we've seen a truly great "villain" comic.

New (Possibly Made Up) 'Episode 7' Plot Details Emerge

The first 'Star Wars: Episode 7' plot details took the internet by storm a few weeks ago, blindsiding the fans and opening all kinds of debates about what constitutes an acceptable amount of fantasy in one of these movies.

Although Badass Digest has the track record to make us believe their plot scoop is legit, we're not as familiar with This Is Infamous, who posted additional plot details that add a little shading to the original reports. So please take all of these new details with the appropriate salt. We're probably entering the disinformation phase of the production very soon:

'Episode 7' will open with the traditional crawl, spelling out where we are and giving us some indication as to where that familiar galaxy far, far away rests all these years later since 'Return of the Jedi.' Then once it fades off-screen, we will indeed get this floating hand with lightsaber floating through space… well, sorta. My sources indicate that the hand is a bit too gruesome of an image to kick off the new trilogy of films with, but Luke’s lightsaber that would have been set free from Cloud City as he was released into dangling from its weather vain will be there front and center.

From there, it will be discovered in the desert – most certainly NOT Tattoine as I was told – by some sort of non-human, alien creature, much like the Jawas came across a pair of droids back at the front end of 'A New Hope.' From there, it will quickly come into the hands of John Boyega, who will in fact be a Stormtrooper… or at least WAS a Stormtrooper before the defeat of the Empire… and Daisy Ridley’ character, who still remains mysterious in nature. That will set in motion some events that will bring about a search for Luke Skywalker, who has essentially fallen off the grid, unseen by all, since the Rebel Aliance’s victory, but the lightsaber is by no means the main piece of 'Star Wars: Episode 7' that drives the story. As it was explained to me, it is more of a through-line of the Skywalker legacy that connects the prequels to the Original Trilogy to this new trilogy. Imagine you would saw the prequels first. When Obi-Wan presents Anakin’s lightsaber to his son, that’s some pretty cool connective tissue. That’s the spirit in which this detail exists, so those of you crying over 'Episode 7' being the return of Luke’s hand, take a deep breath and calm down. That’s not the case.

However, soon after you will quickly learn what is at the heart of 'Episode 7’s story, as there will be a large-scale battle sequence involving Adam Driver, who I can confirm with my sources will be the main villain (no Jedi hunters involved). It is this battle sequence that will really set things in motion for what lies ahead.

Also true is this massive weapon capable of destroying more than just planets like Alderaan… whole galaxies are in danger of being wiped out. This threat will be in the hands of a new villainous entity, although there is some question about whether or not the Empire may have some sort of involvement before this new trilogy is complete. It certainly won’t be full-scale as it was before in the original trilogy, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have some sort of residual presence. It won’t be with the Emperor in any way though; that’s a certainty… but think more along the lines of neo-Nazis than the full Nazi regime, and you’ll get a clearer picture.

And while we're discussing new potential plot details, this Latino Review report mentions that John Boyega was asked to select a lightsaber hilt for his character ... a character who is supposedly a former Stormtrooper. Is it possible that we'll get to see lightsaber-wielding Stormtroopers this time around, fulfilling that famous early Ralph McQuarrie concept art? Well, we do know that Gwendoline Christie is supposedly playing an Imperial officer of some kind and she has been training with a lightsaber. Hmm...

And now time for the wackiest rumor of the week: according to some sources, WWE performer Sheamus will be playing Darth Vader in 'Star Wars: Episode 7.' But Darth Vader is dead, right? Right?! This could be a flashback situation (a first for a 'Star Wars' movie) and it would make sense. Sheamus is already the go-to guy whenever Lucasfilm needs someone to stand in for Vader on a publicity tour. And as we've written about before, the man behind the original Vader helmet is working on the film and ended up deleting a bunch of Facebook posts regarding his involvement.

Hmm... Hmm!

What is Luke Skywalker Doing in Ireland?

Last week, we talked about how 'Star Wars: Episode 7' was going to film in Skellig Michael Island in Ireland. This week, seemingly every single person who lives in the vicinity of that gorgeous location was interviewed by desperate press looking for any kind of 'Star Wars' rumor.

Yes, this is the slowest week for 'Star Wars' news in quite some time. We're all desperate and we're all hungry. Here's what we do know:

First off, Skellig Michael is gorgeous, like, "Oh My God Crazy Wow" gorgeous. It looks like a tranquil alien planet. Well, a tranquil alien planet that will soon be host to lightsaber duels.

Second of all, we know that Mark Hamill was filming scenes here, which leads us to believe that this may be the place that the vanished Luke Skywalker has retreated to (if you believe those original plot rumors).

Third, people started obsessively tracking what was going on with this shoot. Seriously. Flight plans. Schedules. Family members in attendance. If you want a beat-for-beat rundown of the entire production on Skellig Michael, this link has you covered.

Fourth: Mark Hamill didn't say anything incriminating on Twitter, but he did confirm the fact that he's in Ireland.

Fifth and finally, it appears that Daisy Ridley was also on hand for this particular shoot. If we knew anything about her character, we could guess what her and Luke Skywalker would talk about, but alas!

Oh, and while we're here, Harrison Ford was recently seen moving around without using a crutch or a leg brace. Yep, it turns out the worst rumors to come out of "Anklegate" were wildly exaggerated.

'Episode 8' Talk Has Already Begun!

'Star Wars: Episode 7' hasn't even finished filming, but 'Episode 8' talk has begun. Whether this is exciting or exhausting for you says a lot about your brand of fandom. Director Rian Johnson was a guest on the 500th episode of Filmspotting (a movie podcast you really should be listening to, by the way) and he talked and joked about his work on the new trilogy. Well, he mostly joked. Here are the relevant quotes (via The Hollywood Reporter):

On getting hired: “I can only assume it was a clerical error, like in the movie Brazil. There’s a Brian Johnson out there who is really mad."

He is “really excited about all the things [he] can’t tell you.”

“With these films, I am trying to harken back to the original 'Star Wars' ... Christmas Special,” he joked.

He admitted some fondness for the prequels and suggested a watching order for future generations: “I would do [Episodes] 4-6 then 1-3 ... storytelling-wise, 4-6 were constructed without the knowledge of the past.”

Is Simon Pegg in 'Episode 7' or Not?

It all began when MTV asked Benedict Cumberbatch if he was going to appear in 'Star Wars: Episode 7,' which was one of the first big rumors attached to this movie. He responded with:

J.J. and I are friends, so yeah, possibly, but I think J.J. is very good at creating something original out of something known, and I think apart from his continuing use of Simon Pegg — and who can blame him, frankly — it made sense not to do it.

Way to deflect, Cumberbatch! Way to focus all of the attention on another actor!

We knew that Simon Pegg visited the set of 'Star Wars: Episode 7,' but it's still unknown whether or not he actually filmed a role. Of course, this statement started another maelstrom of "Is Pegg in it or not?" So when Vulture got the chance to ask Pegg about his involvement directly, they got this quote:

Well, J.J. uses me in different roles, and we're good friends. I feel like my face in 'Star Wars' would pop people out of the movie. Look, I love 'Star Wars,' and I don't want people to watch and go, "Oh, there's Simon Pegg's face." The film is cleverly cast with these amazing, unknown actors. Of course I visited the set. It's amazing, and I love 'Star Wars.' I want to see everything happening. It looks wonderful, and you need to believe those characters. Any type of stunt casting might just pop you out of the movie.

Like with Cumberbatch, it's a masterful deflection. This is the kind of thing you learn to do when you're an actor: give great answers while completely avoiding the question!

The Random Grab Bag

First of all, the official 'Star Wars' site is now doing their own videos and their first entry is a countdown of the 10 best droids. Yes, you can now go to the official source to help you win arguments with you friends about this stuff.

Elsewhere, it was revealed that a soundtrack box set for all six seasons of 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' is on the way. Prepare appropriately.

But forget about droids and soundtracks -- you're only allowed to be obsessed with this Darth Vader grill at the moment: