Get ready for a whole lot of Star Wars, folks.  Disney took the stage today for its presentation at CinemaCon—a convention for theater owners—in Las Vegas, and the studio made the bold announcement that it is planning on releasing a new Star Wars film into theaters every summer starting with 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII.  The studio will alternate every other year with an “Episode” film and a standalone film, and based on previous rumors there certainly won’t be a lack of characters for them to mine.  Hit the jump for more.

With screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg set to consult on Star Wars: Episode VII and penning the new standalone films, there’s a good chance the writing duo already has some points of continuity in mind.  Speaking of continuity, if Yoda is to be involved in either the sequel trilogy (doubtful, unless he’s in hologram form) or even a possible spin-off, Frank Oz has pledged his interest in returning to voice the fan-favorite Jedi master.  All three creative types recently spoke about their work on the upcoming films.  Hit the jump to see what they had to say.

Well that was fast.  Just yesterday Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that the studio is developing standalone Star Wars films that will exist outside of the new trilogy, with a rumor surfacing that one such film could focus on Yoda.  Though Star Wars: Episode VII will be the first new movie out of the gate, with J.J. Abrams at the helm, fans have now started to speculate on the nature of these new standalone Star Wars films.  We know that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) are working on the spinoff movies, and the larger question has been whether they would focus on new characters in other parts of the Star Wars universe or whether Disney and Lucasfilm would instead focus on existing favorites.

It appears that the answer is the latter, as word now comes that two of the standalone Star Wars films in development center on the separate adventures of Boba Fett and a young Han Solo.  Hit the jump for much more.

We’ve got some Star Wars news to report on today.  We recently (and finally) learned that J.J. Abrams will be helming Star Wars: Episode VII, and today Disney CEO Bob Iger took part in a television appearance where he provided some updates on the studio’s Star Wars franchise.  It was previously reported that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg had been brought into the fold not only to work on this new trilogy, but also possibly on some standalone films centered around other characters in the Star Wars universe.  Iger confirmed today that that is indeed the case, as Disney is working on Star Wars films that are not a part of the overall saga.  Hit the jump for more.

Disney and Lucasfilm have now confirmed what we already knew: J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII.  The press release was sent out this evening, announcing that Abrams will not only helm the new sequel, but he’ll also produce through Bad Robot with Bryan Burk.  The announcement includes quotes from both producer and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and Mr. George Lucas himself, and here’s what Lucas had to say about the decision:

“I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.  He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

Also of note, the press release adds that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) will be consulting on the project.  We previously learned that the two would have a hand in the scripts for further sequels/spinoffs, but it appears they’re also collaborating on Episode VII.  Michael Arndt is writing the screenplay.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Earlier this month, we reported that Lawrence Kasdan (Return of the Jedi) and Simon Kinberg (This Means War) were attached to write screenplays for Star Wars Episode VIII and IX, respectively (Toy Story 3 scribe Michard Arndt is writing Episode VII).  However, it turns out that this news may have jumped the blaster on what Kasdan and Kinberg are working on for Lucasfilm.

Hit the jump for how Kasdan and Kinberg could be involved in Star Wars spin-offs.  Star Wars: Episode VII is due out in 2015.

As people are busy readying for uncomfortable family interactions Thanksgiving, there’s not exactly a plethora of breaking movie news today.  As such, a couple of old videos have surfaced online that we thought readers might find interesting.  The first video is quite relevant, as it features screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan talking about Return of the Jedi in a television interview in 1983.  Just yesterday we learned that Kasdan will be returning to the Star Wars franchise to pen episodes 8 and 9 alongside Simon Kinberg.

The video is a tad spotty as the interview was recorded on VHS (remember those?), but it’s a fun watch if only to see fans discussing what they hope to learn in the original trilogy closer before the film had opened.  In the interview, Kasdan discusses what it’s like to craft a film that ultimately serves George Lucas’ vision.  Hit the jump to watch the video, which also includes a strapping Harrison Ford, algonside another video of Steven Spielberg defending the ending to A.I. Artificial Intelligence. 

If you thought we’d be heading into the Thanksgiving holiday without one more Star Wars rumor for the road, you’d be wrong.  Michael Arndt was recently confirmed as the screenwriter for Star Wars: Episode VII, and while everyone is busy speculating over who will or won’t direct the next installment in the franchise, it appears that Disney already has its sights set on Episodes VIII and IX.  Word on the street is that the Mouse House is looking at Empire Strikes Back screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and X-Men: First Class scribe Simon Kinberg to possibly get to work on the next two installments in the new trilogy right away.  Hit the jump for more.

[Update: Kasdan and Kinberg's involvement has been confirmed along with the news that the two will also produce.  More after the jump.]

In the drama Darling Companion, from director/co-writer/producer Lawrence Kasdan (Body Heat, The Big Chill, Silverado), Beth (Diane Keaton) and her daughter (Elisabeth Moss) take home a dog that they find on the side of the freeway, much to the ire of her husband, Joseph (Kevin Kline).  Before long, the dog, aptly named Freeway, becomes a beloved member of the family.  But, when the dog bounds away into the woods after a deer, everything is thrown into crisis mode and a search party forms that ultimately ends up bringing the entire family closer together.

At the film’s press day, filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan talked about what made him decide to to this as an independent film, assembling a cast of this caliber that was willing to work for scale, how limiting and liberating the process of making an indie can be, and what he loves about working with Kevin Kline.  He also talked about writing and producing The Bodyguard and working with Whitney Houston, how he feels about both of his sons (Jon and Jake) going into the business, and what still keeps him making movies.  Check out what he had to say after the jump:

We’re happy to debut the first poster for the drama Darling Companion.  The film stars Diane Keaton as woman who saves a lost dog and quickly forms a bond with the debraggled animal.  When her self-involved husband, played by Kevin Kline, loses the dog, they form a search party with a few remaining guests at their house and set out to find the animal.  The crux of the plot comes from how the members of the search party are affected by the rescue adventure, and the impressive cast includes Mark Duplass, Richard Jenkins, Elizabeth Moss, Dianne Wiest, and Sam Shepard.  Given that The Big Chill director Lawrence Kasdan is behind the pic, I think we can safely assume we’re in for an ensemble film that’s equal parts drama and comedy.

Hit the jump to check out the poster debut.  Darling Companion opens in limited release on April 20th.

The first trailer for director Lawrence Kasdan’s (The Big Chill) latest feature Darling Companion has gone online. The story centers on a woman (Diane Keaton) who saves an abandoned dog on the side of the highway. She brings the dog back to her home, where her husband (Kevin Kline) proceeds to lose it. The two round up a few remaining guests staying at their home and set out on a search. This is one of the strangest and most perplexing trailers I’ve come across in quite some time. The tone is all over the place, and I can’t pin down what the story is really about. Is it more in the vein of Marley and Me, Something’s Gotta Give, or Homeward Bound? I genuinely don’t know. The cast is fantastic, which gives me hope, but I’m a bit baffled by this trailer.

Hit the jump to check it out for yourself. The film also stars Mark Duplass, Richard Jenkins, Elizabeth Moss, Dianne Wiest, and Sam Shepard. Darling Companion opens in limited release April 20th.

File this one under rumor for now, but apparently Warner Bros. is happy with what they’re seeing from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and is already on the hunt for a screenwriter to tackle a sequel. Think McFly Think (via The Film Stage) reports that WB has put together wishlist of scribes that includes Steve Kloves (all the Harry Potter movies except Order of the Phoenix), Travis Beacham (Clash of the Titans), and Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark). While it wouldn’t at all be surprising that WB is getting a move on with a sequel (they’re contractually obligated to keep making Superman movies lest they lose the character rights), the report at this time is unfounded.

We’ve yet to see even a teaser trailer from Man of Steel and they’ve only released one official image thus far, so we’re pretty in the dark on the pic. We know that Christopher Nolan shepherded the film into production with a script by David S. Goyer, and we’ve got Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Supes. I like Michael Shannon as General Zod, and the rest of the cast filled out nicely (Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, etc.) so I’m hoping for the best. Man of Steel opens June 14th, 2013.

We have two bits of casting news to bring you this morning.  First, Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, Richard Jenkins, and Elisabeth Moss have all joined Darling Companion.  The film was co-written, along with his wife Meg, by four time Oscar-nominee Lawrence Kasdan.  Companion is meant to be the third installment in a trilogy which includes 1983′s The Big Chill and 1991′s Grand Canyon.  From Risky Business, the film “follows a woman (Keaton) who takes in a stray dog as a companion to fill the void left by her distracted husband (Kline), only to see him lose the mutt after a wedding at their vacation home in the Rockies. A search for the animal includes several guests and a mysterious young woman.”  The report fails to disclose exactly what Jenkins and Moss’ roles may entail thus we are to assume Jenkins will be one of “several guests” with Moss perhaps filling the role of “mysterious young woman.”  Production on Companion is scheduled to begin within the next week in Utah.

To read about Stephen Root’s latest gigs, hit the jump.

Kevin Kline is misunderstood.  His performances on stage and screen over the past four decades are so seamless that audiences often attribute his characters’ traits to him.  That is, of course, a tricky proposition that he observes with a healthy dose of humor.

Kline mused on the topic and several more in an interview leading up to the release of The Extra Man, which opened in several major markets this weekend as part of its continued national rollout.  Hit the jump for the audio and transcript, along with tales of his love for Ricky Gervais, why he’d never run for President and John Cleese’s humorous take on Kline’s performance in The Big Chill.