This week features a farewell to a Doctor, Aquaman foes, new Dune film series, and an Empire’s End. Get your Solo cup ready!
Welcome to The Week in Geek! This week it’s all about Doctor Who, more Star Wars news, new Dune film series, Aquaman, plus more.
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The Twelfth Doctor
So long to another Time Lord. Peter Capaldi announced he will be leaving the Doctor Who series this year, with his time finishing up during Christmas. Capaldi had played the doctor since 2013, and although the BBC asked him to renew his contract, he decided against extending his time in the role. “I feel sad, I love ‘Doctor Who,’ it is a fantastic program to work on,” said Mr. Capaldi. “But I don’t know how long I can give it my best, and if I’m not giving it my best, I don’t want to do it.” The new Doctor Who will regenerate during the 2017 Christmas special.
Dune
The Atreides family is coming back to the big screen! Legendary Entertainment has officially signed Denis Villeneuve (director of Arrival, Sicario, and the upcoming Blade Runner 2049) to direct. Brian Herbert confirmed via Twitter that Villeneuve has agreed to sign on for the new Dune film series. This has big potential; with such an exceptional director the film could be huge. The last adaptation of the first novel was in 1984 by David Lynch and a series of TV miniseries in the early 2000s. And while it wasn’t horrible, it wasn’t great either. With today’s technology and a known sci-fi director, this could be the Dune film series fans have been waiting for.
Star Wars
Lots of fun Star Wars news this week. The young Han Solo film has officially started shooting! Check out this awesome picture tweet from director Chris Miller:
Yes, the title of the film during production is Star Wars: Red Cup. Get it? Very cheeky.
Empire’s End
In additional Star Wars news, an exclusive excerpt from Empire’s End, the last book in Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy, was released. The excerpt features none other than Lando Calrissian and his faithful pal, Lobot. Check out the excerpt for yourself for more; the book comes out February 21. And, if you purchase the Exclusive Edition of the book at Barnes and Noble you’ll get a double-sided pull out poster featuring Nora Wexley and Rae Sloane. Fantastic!
Aquaman
There’s now a confirmed villain for the upcoming Aquaman film–Black Manta. To many comic readers this really isn’t a surprise, Manta has been Aquaman’s main foe since pretty much the beginning of the story. The role has been officially cast, with actor Yahya Abdul-Matten II playing Manta. His villain will team up with Patrick Wilson’s evil-doer, Orm, who is Aquaman’s half-brother. The film is set to hit theaters in late 2018.
Star Trek: Discovery
In a short teaser video posted this week production on Star Trek: Discovery has commenced. The video features small glimpses of costumes, ships, and even the captain’s chair. Check out the video here. Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Anthony Rapp, Doug Jones, and James Frain. It is set to debut on CBS for the premiere, then move to CBS All Access, possibly in May of this year. Production on the series has been pushed back, but it seems it has finally started up.
Courtney Martin is a graduate of Indiana University and works in publishing. She’s an avid Star Wars fan and wrote the recipe blog Courtney Cooks Star Wars on suvudu.com. When not enveloped a science fiction or fantasy novel, she is watching television with her husband and son, doing crossword puzzles, or playing with her Shih Tzu, Burt.