Rogue One is first stand alone Star Wars movie and news on Episode 8

ROGUE ONE IS THE FIRST STAR WARS STAND-ALONE FILM, RIAN JOHNSON TO WRITE AND DIRECT STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII

“Always in motion is the future,” Yoda said. The future of the Star Wars cinematic galaxy, however, is taking shape.

This morning at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, across the street from Lucasfilm, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger hosted a shareholder meeting where he announced news regarding the first Star Wars stand-alone movie as well as Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz). The first actress cast is Felicity Jones, who garnered an Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim for her performance in The Theory of Everything. The idea for the story of Rogue One came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. He will executive produce along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) are on board to produce and John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will co-produce. The film starts shooting this summer in London and is due for release on December 16, 2016.

In addition, Iger confirmed that Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII. The film, which continues the saga after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is set for release on May 26, 2017 — forty years and a day after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977. Johnson is widely considered one of cinema’s most gifted young filmmakers, having directed the modern sci-fi classic, Looper, as well as Brick and The Brothers Bloom. He was also behind the camera for three episodes of the critically-acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad, including “Ozymandias,” which series creator Vince Gilligan named as the best installment of the show. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman, producer of Looper, Don Jon, Brick, and The Brothers Bloom, are on board to produce, and J.J. Abrams will serve as executive producer.

StarWars.com. All Star Wars, all the time.

Source: Star Wars.com

My Thoughts:

Wow ! Episode 8 news so soon,     I was not expecting that. I am stunned that so much Star Wars news is being released in one week. 

Nintendo e-shop downloads for 3-12-2015

Wii U games

•  Trine Enchanted Edition

Trine Enchanted Edition is the origin story of the three unlikely heroes of Trine: Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight and Zoya the Thief. Spellbound by the magical object Trine, the heroes must join forces to overcome obstacles and puzzles in an interactive physics-based world, battle the undead and their minions and restore balance to the kingdom. Buy Trine Enchanted Edition and receive 20 percent off of Trine 2: Director’s Cut (and vice versa) in the Trine Series Fan Discount. Click here to view a trailer for the game.

• Don’t Touch Anything Red 

• My Style Studio: Notebook 

Virtual Console on Wii U

• F-Zero – GP Legend 

Get your adrenaline pumping and race plasma-powered machines against the galaxy’s most elite racers in the Game Boy Advance iteration of this classic racing series! Compete in the Grand Prix or Story modes, climb the standings and unlock additional modes and characters.

3DS Games

• Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. 

Command a strike team of unexpected heroes – assembled by Abraham Lincoln himself – to defend Earth against an alien invasion. Harness the power of steam to scout, surprise and annihilate enemies in this star-spangled blend of turn-based strategy and action game play. Only you can outwit and outgun this otherworldly threat. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. will be available on March 13. Click here to view a trailer for the game.

• 3D Out Run

3D Out Run is the much-loved 1986 driving game designed by Yu Suzuki, remastered and enhanced for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Click here to view a trailer for the game.

• 50 PINCH BARRAGE!! 
• Monster Combine TD 
• Music On: Electric Guitar 
• Shanghai Mahjong 

New 3DS Home themes this week include:

• NES: Balloon Fighter
• Pokémon: Mega Rayquaza
• Pokémon Friends
• Pokémon: Hanafuda

Price Reductions and Sales

• Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is reduced to $29.99 (from $39.99) beginning at 9 a.m. PT on March 9. (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
• To celebrate 25 years as an independent game developer, WayForward is discounting fan-favorite games such as Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse (for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS) and Mighty Switch Force 2(for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS) for up to 25 percent off in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS and Wii U until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 19
• ZaciSa’s Last Stand is 50 percent off (reduced from $1.99 to $0.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on April 2.
• Breezeblox is 50 percent off (reduced from $9.99 to $4.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 19.
• Arrow Time U is 50 percent off (reduced from $1.99 to $0.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 25.
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 26.
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies is on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 26.
• Shin Megami Tensei IV is 50 percent off (reduced from $29.99 to $14.99) from 9 a.m. PT on March 16until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 23.
• Code of Princess, Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan and other games from ATLUS are on sale from 9 a.m. PT on March 16 until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 30.
• Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D is 50 percent off (reduced from $9.99 to $4.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 26.
• Classic Games Overload: Card & Puzzle Edition is 33 percent off (reduced from $29.99 to $19.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 30.
• Luv Me Buddies Wonderland is 40 percent off (reduced from $24.99 to $14.90) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 14.
• Soccer Up 3D and Soccer Up Online from EnjoyUp Games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on April 9.

Source: Nintendo Press Release

My Thoughts: 

I am a little sad that Metroid Zero Mission didn't arrive to North America e-shop this week since it came to Europe this week and to Japan months ago , hopefully it will arrive soon. I will be reviewing CODENAME S.T.E.A.M so look for that in the near future. I enjoyed Trine 2 on the Wii U, but never finished it and this looks like another great game if you like 2d side scrolling puzzle adventure games. I never played the original Outrun but this game has tons of buzz around it for being a great game back in the day. Overall seems like a good week for downloads on the e-shop.