WIRE Buzz Star Wars edition: New The Rise of Skywalker spot; Cara Dune's The Mandalorian future; more

We still aren’t sure exactly what to make of a key moment in the newest TV spot for Star Wars Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, but at least it gives us a new glimpse at the much-buzzed scene when Rey and Kylo Ren appear together in front of some kind of altar honoring Kylo’s late, black-caped grandfather.

The new clip, which merges some by-now familiar moments (like Rey’s TIE fighter flip) with fresh footage at a lightning-fast pace, serves up a new above-the-shoulder look at the all-white room where the pair of Force wielders square off next to a pedestal adorned by what indeed appears to be Darth Vader’s shattered helmet. Check it out below and start updating those fan theories:

We also get some new looks at Rey and Finn in action, as well as a squadron of TIE fighters coming in hot toward a monolithic mountain of ice — but fast-edit clips like these have a delicious tendency to introduce as many questions as answers. With only two weeks (and change) to go before the Skywalker saga comes to an end for good, though, a little bit of mystery is just what the Emperor ordered. The Rise of Skywalker warps into theaters on Dec. 20.

Cara Dune may have made a big entrance with her first appearance on Episode 4 of The Mandalorian, but actor Gina Carano says we’ll know much more about her still-mysterious character by the time the curtain falls on Season 1. Speaking recently with The Hollywood Reporter, Carano said Cara Dune definitely has a backstory, and that it’ll come to light as fans follow her growing role in the Mandalorian’s bounty-dodging race across the galaxy.

“Before I did the introductory scene, [showrunner] Jon [Favreau] told me a secret about my character, and it added so much depth to what her life has been like,” she said, later adding that, “[a]fter The Mandalorian season finale, I hope people have seen the growth in my work and the hard work I’ve put into acting.”

That’s definitely far from spoiler territory, but at least it makes Cara Dune sound like an ongoing part of the tale. And the show itself has reportedly become a beacon for big-name directors curious about what Favreau and Disney are up to: “It’s really interesting because [Steven] Spielberg, the Coen brothers and Seth Rogen have visited to check out the set,” Carano said. Add that to Rian Johnson’s enthusiastic “hell, yeah!” when recently asked whether he’d direct a future episode if scheduling allows, and it appears the Force is strong with The Mandalorian.

Via Collider, episode 7 of The Mandalorian will also come with one additional treat: A Disney+ exclusive sneak peek at The Rise of Skywalker. In order to make the timing work ahead of the movie’s Dec. 20 release, that means the 7th (and next-to-last) episode of Season 1 will debut on Wednesday, Dec. 18, rather than the show’s usual Friday slot. You can catch all four episodes (and all those sweet, sweet baby Yoda scene-stealers) in The Mandalorian’s unfolding first season now at Disney+.  

Awards season hasn’t quite begun heating up in earnest, but already the field of potential nominees in the visual effects category appears to be dominated by genre movies. With a small handful of exceptions, this year’s early batch of 20 eligible candidates for the VFX statue veer heavily toward science fiction — including The Rise of Skywalker, which hasn’t even been released yet.

Via THR, this year’s visual effects contenders include a ton of movies under the Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm umbrella, including Aladdin, The Lion King, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Dumbo, and more. Terminator: Dark Fate makes the early running too, alongside some other movies that similarly didn’t light up the box office but nevertheless impressed with spectacular effects like Alita: Battle Angel and Gemini Man. 

With the Academy Awards set for Feb. 9 of next year, you’ve got all the time in the world to go back and stream everything you missed in theaters this past year. So pop some popcorn and let the VFX homework begin!