Names and faces
Harrison Ford’s unexpected appearance Thursday at the kick-off of the fourday fan event marking the 40th anniversary of the Star Wars saga drew the most enthusiastic response from the thousands attending the Star Wars Celebration at the convention center in Orlando, Fla. “I can’t believe we managed to keep it a secret considering you landed your plane” on Interstate 4, actor Warwick Davis joked when the applause died down. “It was a good landing,” Ford said, smiling. The actor has historically had a tenuous relationship with the fandom around his character Han Solo, but he appeared genuinely happy to reminisce Thursday about the lasting legacy of George Lucas’ creation. Davis moderated the sprawling look back at the four-decade legacy, featuring appearances by Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Hayden Christensen. The 90-minute event included a tribute to Carrie Fisher, who died late last year and a fair number of jokes about Lucas’ dialogue. Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd, who acted alongside her mother in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, appeared onstage decked in Princess Leia white to remember her mother and grandmother Debbie Reynolds. Star Wars composer John Williams closed out the session, conducting the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of his score.
Actor Christian Bale said Wednesday that he will play Dick Cheney in Adam McKay’s biopic of the former vice president. Last week, reports surfaced that Bale was in talks to join the film that will re-team him with McKay after 2015’s Oscar-nominated The Big Short. The Oscar winner confirmed that he has signed up to star in the untitled film. “In the same way as it was a journey of discovery with The Big Short, Adam was able to take a story that most people would go comatose listening to,” said Bale of the script penned by McKay. “His ability to make it startling and entertaining and intelligent without compromising anything — he’s masterful at doing that.” The film is also to star Steve Carell (who also co-starred in The Big Short) as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Amy Adams is set to play Lynne Cheney, the vice president’s wife. McKay will direct the film, which is to be produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. Shooting is planned to begin in September. Bale, who won a best-supporting-actor Oscar for his performance in The Fighter, was nominated for best supporting actor for his work in The Big Short. McKay and screenwriter Charles Randolph won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for The Big Short.