By Courtney Potter
Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett: New Character Posters and TV Spot
Earlier this week, Disney+ released cool new character posters of Boba Fett and Fennec Shand for its brand-new, live-action series from Lucasfilm, The Book of Boba Fett! But that’s not all: in addition to premiering a thrilling new TV spot, our pals at the streaming service also announced the series will have seven weekly episodes, starting December 29.
The Book of Boba Fett, a sure-to-be-galactically-memorable Star Wars adventure teased in a surprise end-credit sequence following the season two finale of The Mandalorian, follows legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Disney Legend Ming-Na Wen) as they navigate the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate. Disney Legend Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Robert Rodriguez, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson are the executive producers. Mark those calendars, y’all!
5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend
Oh boy—the holidays are really and truly upon us, and we couldn’t be more jingle-jazzed! So, what kind of merriment can you get into this very weekend from around the worlds of Disney? Disney Channel gets festive as all get out with the premieres of Disney’s Holiday Magic Quest and Christmas… Again?!; FX presents a marathon of The Santa Clause trilogy (Bernard the Elf is a fave ’round here); and so much more.
Production Wraps on Chang Can Dunk for Disney+
More cool news from the good folks at Disney+: Production has just wrapped on Chang Can Dunk—an original, live-action film from Disney slated for release in 2023, exclusively on the streaming service.
Chang Can Dunk tells the story of Chang, a 16-year-old Asian American high school student in the marching band who bets the school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads the 5’ 8” Chang on a quest to find the hops he needs to dunk in order to impress his crush, Kristy, and finally gain the attention and respect of his high school peers. But before he can rise up and truly throw one down, he’ll have to reexamine everything he knows about himself, his friendships, and his family.
Bloom Li plays the lead, Chang. Fun fact: Li was encouraged to audition by a friend and submitted a self-tape on his own, which put him on the path to eventually getting the part! Additionally, Ben Wang, recently seen in Disney’s Launchpad short Dinner Is Served, plays Bo, Chang’s best friend; Dexter Darden, a former pro basketball player and two-time Estonia League MVP, plays Deandre; Chase Liefeld plays Matt, the school’s star athlete; and Zoe Renee plays Kristy. To lend authenticity to the film and properly represent the dunk culture, filmmakers hired one of the foremost dunk experts, Connor Barth, to help the actors train.
In his feature-film debut, Jingyi Shao is writing and directing from a script he wrote that placed second on last year’s Blacklist—a platform for film and TV writers to showcase their screenplays for industry members.
More news on Chang Can Dunk in the coming months…
Limited-Time Festivals Return to the Disneyland Resort in 2022
It’s an early holiday gift we’re quite excited for! Two fan-favorite, ever-so-enjoyable, limited-time festivals are returning Disneyland Resort (specifically, Disney California Adventure Park) next year—namely, the Lunar New Year celebration, taking place from January 21 through February 13; and the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, running from March 4 through April 26.
Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure is a joyous celebration that commemorates traditions of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures. The festival—which celebrates 2022’s Year of the Tiger—is chock full of multicultural performances, special activities, culinary delights, colorful décor, celebratory merchandise, and more. New this year: Tigger will join in on the fun, along with beloved Disney characters including Mulan and Mushu; Mickey and Minnie; the Three Little Pigs and other favorites, all donning festive attire.
Later in the spring, family and friends will come together for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival—and they’ll enjoy a totally delicious taste of what they’ve been missing. The festival allows guests to explore California regions and neighborhoods in several ways, from delicious eats to vibrant entertainment and festival merchandise. During the festival, epicureans will taste their way through a dozen festival marketplaces, savoring mouthwatering bites and beverages; plus, entertainment will fill the festival’s Palisades Stage and Paradise Gardens Bandstand, with live musical performances and visits from Chef Mickey. And as in years past, a Sip and Savor pass will be available for purchase, as well as special signature events including the Carthay Circle Winemaker Receptions, and Wine, Beer and Mixology Education & Tasting Seminars.
Additional details on both festivals will be announced soon!
Coming Soon: Best in Dough to Bring Pizza-rific Fun to Hulu
Fans of delicious flavor, listen up! Hulu has just announced the latest addition to its delectable lineup of unscripted food series: the new original series Best in Dough.
In a world where there seems to be little agreement on anything, there is one great unifier… the universal love of pizza. Best in Dough brings together pizza-obsessed competitors from all walks of life to showcase their pizza slinging skills and battle it out for a cool $10,000. Fire up the oven, because the first ever pizza competition is on!
Best in Dough is hosted by Wells Adams, with head judge Chef Daniele Uditi of Pizzana—and features Chef Millie Peartree, comedian and food influencer Eunji Kim, and baker Bryan Ford serving as judges. Adams is best known from The Bachelor franchise, where he first emerged as a fan favorite on season 12 of ABC’s The Bachelorette and went on to become a semi-permanent fixture on both The Bachelor and The Bacheloretteseries as well as ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise.
The first season of Best in Dough—from Alfred Street Industries, Vox Media Studios, and Majordomo Media—will consist of 10 episodes. Keep your eyes peeled (and your stomach primed) for a premiere date and further info.
ICYMI: New Details on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the 30th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris, and More
Were you on an extended Thanksgiving sojourn and, therefore, missed some of the most amazing announcements from our recent Destination D23 event? Or just want a bit of a refresher on all the incredible things you can expect at Disney Parks and Resorts in the months to come? Fret not: We’ve got you covered with this nifty rundown.
