The Force is with everyone's favorite big-eyed green alien with a unique syntax structure.
Although still considered merely a "rumor" - regardless of how galaxy-sized the alleged news might be - "Star Wars" fanboys can delight in the knowledge that - yes - there may be a Yoda spinoff film in the works.
FACT: The Hollywood Reporter announced Tuesday that Bob Iger, CEO of Disney (which acquired "Star Wars"' original production company, LucasFilm, last October) has confirmed to his investors that a series of "stand-alone" films based on "Star Wars" characters is in the earliest stages of pre-production.
FACT: Iger has already tapped the filmmakers behind the launching of said spinoff features, Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan, any "Star Wars" fanatic worth his space salt will remember, wrote the last two installments of the original franchise ("The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi"). Whereas the young Kinberg's oeuvre includes scripts for such recent popcorn poppers: "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), "Jumper," "X-Men: The Last Stand," and Brangelina starrer "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
FACT: The spinoff films, that are definitely happening (or at least underway; best not to get too excited in the fickle realm of Hollywood), will have no affect over the previously confirmed forthcoming series of new "Star Wars" installments, whose first episode will be helmed by mega-director JJ Abrams and penned by "Little Miss Sunshine"/"Toy Story 3" writer Michael Arndt.
RUMOR: Monday night, Ain't It Cool News' own "head geek" Harry Knowles posted on his (occasionally apocryphal) rumor mill cine-site that, "There's a whole bunch of movement happening at the Magic Kingdom these days," going on to extrapolate on the "Star Wars" spinoff news. With no source indicated - aside from the implication of its possibly being producer Kathleen Kennedy - Knowles proudly proclaims, "The first Stand Alone film is going to center upon YODA. "
RUMOR: "I've also heard tale of a Jabba story that Lucas has floated to some of his buddies," continued Knowles in his posting that has already lit up the Web and has been aggregated by "actual" news outlets such as The Guardian since publication. "But word is Yoda is first."
Granted, anyone who has followed Knowles and his Ain't It Cool team since its 1996 inception knows better than to believe every single announcement they (or any selfsame sewing circle) might make.
Especially in the particularly gossipy galaxy far, far away of "Star Wars," one should recall there has already been one quashed "hot tip" about "Man of Steel"/"300" helmer Zack Snyder directing his own "Star Wars" installment (which turned out to be total space bunk).
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