Preview Pages from Star Wars: The High Republic
One of the most hotly anticipated collaborations in 2021 has to be the forthcoming release of Star Wars: The High Republic from Marvel Comics. With many Star Wars fans housebound in 2020 and playing at casino sites online, The High Republic will present another enjoyable form of escapism.
Earlier in 2020, it was discussed how the next Star Wars Saga of movies could be set in the High Republic era. However, with writing partners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss departing the franchise to work on adapting the Three-Body Problem series from Chinese author Liu Cixin, there has been a creative void in the franchise.
One person who has been eager to fill the void is writer Cavan Scott, who has previously drafted comic book storylines for Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes and Pacific Rim. Now, Scott will have the pleasure of releasing his vision of the High Republic era before it can appear in any cinematic releases from Disney.
Introducing The High Republic
According to StarWars.com, the first High Republic comics and novels shall arrive in January 2021. Ahead of the launch, preview pages and story details have been revealed at a New York Comic-Con panel. From the panel, it has emerged that Keeve Trennis shall feature as a new Jedi.
The challenge for Trennis is to navigate a galaxy that has been rocked by a cataclysmic event known as “The Great Disaster”. Apparently, the disaster will compromise starships’ ability to use hyperspace, which, of course, is integral for travelling quickly across the enormous Star Wars universe. With Trennis, readers will meet the Jedi while she serves at Starlight Beacon, which is a sizeable space station that’s placed to welcome travellers who intend to explore the frontier.
What has also been revealed is that Trennis will meet and interact with famous Jedi of the time. These are heroes whom Trennis never expected to encounter and, not content with a single lightsabre, Trennis shall dual-wield two lightsabres. The prodigious Jedi is also astute at using her mind to control the Force and sees it as a tapestry sprawling across the galaxy. For anyone who enjoys reading about Trennis, they should look forward to Phase 2 in the future.
Video Slot Characters
In the iGaming market, meanwhile, there has been a tremendous appetite for video slots that incorporate characters and storylines. From Top10casinos.com’s research of the best online casinos, it’s believed that people love to bet on the fate of characters. Whether in original stories or a Hollywood-licensed slot, gamers can wager on characters in all kinds of slot games.
One of the earliest slots to explore story-based action was Gonzo’s Quest, which was released by NetEnt in 2011. The protagonist in this particular game is a Spanish conquistador named Gonzo, who has been sent to South America in search of El Dorado, which translates into English as “The Golden City”. Despite nearing a decade since its release, Gonzo’s Quest still looks sharp on even larger screens. With the help of a multiplier trail, players can accumulate ever-larger winning streaks.
Remaining with the exploration vein, Lara Croft: Temples & Tombs was developed by Triple Edge Studios and released in an officially licensed agreement secured by Microgaming. Since launching in May 2019, Lara Croft: Temples & Tombs has given fans another adventure in which to follow this iconic video game heroine. As the action progresses, the player can see if Lara can find the Book of Secrets and unearth the treasure trove of special features.
Following on the heels of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, UK-based software provider Playtech has developed the Kingdoms Rise series to give fantasy fans a worthy range of story-driven slots. Key characters include Talana as the Shadow Queen, Liana as the Green Druid, Wolkar as the Sage of Baltiin and Jax as the Royal Captain. While working through the map, players can target jackpots that are tied into the storyline.
The Meteoric Rise of Marvel Studios
With The Walt Disney Company owning the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, The High Republic has provided an ideal opportunity for a strategic partnership. For Marvel, this is the latest in a hot streak of success stories. Take Marvel Studios, for example, which has produced some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Once Robert Downey Jr. entered the frame as Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008), Marvel Studios never looked back.
When looking back at all of the releases, it’s interesting to see which Marvel movies are the highest-grossing. Based on worldwide gross, the numbers for the top-five are staggering:
- 1. Avengers: Endgame (2019) – $2.790bn
- 2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – $2.048bn
- 3. The Avengers (2012) – $1.518bn
- 4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – $1.405bn
- 5. Black Panther (2018) – $1.346bn
Since launching in 2012 and bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) together, The Avengers held the title of the highest-grossing for six years. After withstanding pressure from Age of Ultron in 2015, the original was finally knocked from its perch when Infinity War debuted in 2018. Following its release, Infinity War was the first Marvel movie to surpass the $2bn mark.
Although successful in its own right, Infinity War was always going to be a placeholder until and Endgame emerged in 2019. Sure enough, audiences all over the globe flocked to their local movie theatres to witness the epic conclusion in the feud between the Avengers and Thanos. By doing so, the gross for Endgame was pushed well above Infinity War to reach $2.790bn.
By the way, a special mention is warranted for the historic success of Black Panther as the highest-grossing Marvel movie that doesn’t feature in the Avengers series. And that success is all the more poignant in the wake of the tragic passing of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August 2020, aged 43.
Moving forward, it will be a considerable challenge for Disney to mastermind the continued success of Marvel and Star Wars. There were already creative pressures on following the conclusion of two enormous series. And now Disney has to contend with writing and producing new movies in a world of COVID-19, where sets can be shut down and movie theatres are struggling to stay open. In the meantime, fans can look forward to Star Wars: The High Republic.
DC Fanboy! Superman is the greatest comic book character of all time. Favorite movies are Man of Steel, Goonies, Back To the Future