Star Wars VIII: Frank Oz spills the beans on Yoda's return in The Last Jedi

The hardcore fans of Star Wars consider Episode VIII: The Last Jedi as more than a sequel to The Force Awakens as they believe the movie will feature some of their favourite characters, such as Yoda. Recently, Frank Oz doubled their expectations during an interview to an entertainment magazine.

Several speculations were doing the rounds on internet about the return of legendary Jedi Master of late and spoilers suggested that he could be The McGuffin of upcoming science fiction film. The 72-year-old actor was prepared to field a question with regard to the ongoing rumours.

Without giving any details about the iconic character or the plot of Rian Johnson's upcoming movie, Oz's dropped a hint about his role.

"I feel like I'm a prisoner at war here, and I can only give you my name, rank and serial number. To be true to the people who asked me, and they are kind of my family, I have to say I've been asked not to talk about it. I love Yoda. I would be happy to talk to you about it at the time they let me," the actor said in an interview with Variety.

There's surely a reason why Disney and Lucasfilm have decided to tightly guard the details of the upcoming movie. The whole situation has further strengthened speculations that Yoda will feature in Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Star Wars theorist Mike Zeroh claims that the first teaser trailer of The Last Jedi, which will be released on April 14, will feature a scene between Rey and Yoda. According to him, the legendary Jedi master will serve one of the protagonist in the movie and it could be Luke Skywalker or Rey.

Meanwhile, the Youtuber also spoke about Captain Phasma's new weapon and the Green Lightsaber of Mark Hamill's character. He stated that Skywalker could have kept the weapon in his exile on Ahch-To.

"If they really wanted to throw in Mara Jade, as a character by keeping her legacy alive - who used to be Luke Skywalker's wife years ago, it would be very interesting if her grave was somewhere on Ahch-To. It would be somewhat symbolic of him guarding her all the time," Zeroh added.

He went on to say that The Last Jedi could feature an epic showdown between Captain Phasma and Finn. Quoting fansite, Making Star Wars, he claimed that an industry insider said: "You are going to love Captain Phasma's spear in The Last Jedi. She looks killer."

Kong: Skull Island review roundup: Here is what critics have to say about Tom Hiddleston-starrer

The reviews for Tom Hiddleston-starrer Kong: Skull Island, starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L Jackson and John C Reilly, are out, and according to critics, the film is high on action scenes, but fails to impresses with its storyline.

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Kong: Skull Island is getting credits for returning to the "roots of the great monster" movies and also for the high-octane action sequences. But critics were also quick to point out that Vogt-Roberts loses "complete sight of what the central appeal of a King Kong movie was in the first place."

Clarisse Loughrey of Independent said: "Skull Island is the second entry into the universe established by Gareth Edwards' 2014 Godzilla; direct references superficially connect the two, but tonally they're worlds apart.

What Godzilla may have lacked in character development - which is arguably only marginally improved upon here - Edwards made up for in bounds through atmospheric direction."

Matt Singer of Screen Crush said: "If Jackson's Kong aspired to poetry, Kong: Skull Island wants to be the downmarket dime-novel version of the same story. And as dime-novel versions of this story go, it's not terrible. This is a creature feature, plain and simple - and, at least on a visceral level, a satisfying one."

Owen Gleiberman of Variety said: "In many ways, "Kong: Skull Island" is a "Jurassic Park" movie - and if viewed that way, it's the best since the first. The characters may be a touch minimal, but that doesn't mean they're boring; the actors fill them in. Hiddleston, while top-billed, never takes over the movie, but he's crisp and hearty (though that accent of his is too posh)."

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said: "All the requisite elements are served up here in ideal proportion, and the time just flies by, which can rarely be said for films of this nature, which, in a trend arguably started by Peter Jackson, have for years now tended to be heavy, lumbering and overlong. A post-end credits bit suggests that Warner Bros already has some famous opponents lined up for Kong's heavyweight belt, beginning perhaps with Rodan."

Jurassic World 2: 4 Things dinosaur-lovers expect to watch in Chris Pratt film

The filming of Jurassic World 2 has already began at the Berkshire industrial town of Slough in the UK and expectations are high among dinosaur-lovers across the globe about the movie starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas.

Jurassic World 2 plot rumours: Zach and Gray to join Owen in Dino-centric movie?

While speculations are rife about militarisation of the raptors and introduction of new hybrid dinosaurs, Colin Trevorrow and his team are tight-lipped about the plot details. So, the followers of the Jurassic Park film series are waiting for Universal Pictures to release the official synopsis to find out if the movie will top its predecessor.

Although Jurassic World was one of the most-talked about movies of 2015-16 bagging the third position in the list of highest-grossing films of all time, it received several criticism. So it will be really challenging for Derek Connolly, JA Bayona and rest of the creative team to meet the expectations of the dinosaur-lovers.

Here are the four things that could make the upcoming Jurassic Park sequel different from its predecessor:

Rare and unique dinosaurs: It has already been hinted through the official website that the upcoming science-fiction film could introduce 130 unique raptors. So the dinosaur-lovers are eagerly waiting to watch Pachycephalosaurus, Megalosaurus, Ornithomimus and others in action on big screens.

More action sequence between dinosaurs and humans: One of the elements in Jurassic Park that kept the viewers glued to the screens were the thrilling adventurous sequences between dinosaurs and humans, but it was missing in Jurassic World. Director J A Bayona has already revealed that his upcoming film will be darker and scarier than the previous film. "There are things that will happen that people are not expecting and they really are shocking," he added.

Return of original Jurassic Park trio: Ever since Universal Pictures announced their plans to make the sequel of Jurassic Park, its followers are looking forward to the casting of Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Laura Dernmight as Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, respectively. However, Colin Trevorrow and team are yet to release an official statement regarding it.

No more theme parks: The fans of Jurassic Park film series are tired of watching the tried and tested formula of theme parks. They are looking forward to something new and different in Jurassic World 2. However, the plot details that appeared on My Entertainment World suggests that the movie will continue to feature resorts and theme parks.

Jurassic World 2 plot rumours: Spinosaurus to attack Indominus Rex?

There is no doubt that Jurassic World 2 will take its viewers through an adventurous ride with more bigger and scarier dinosaurs. Speculations suggest that the movie will feature the biggest fights of dinosaur history and it will be between Indominus Rex and Spinosaurus.

Jurassic World 2: 4 Things dinosaur-lovers expect to watch in Chris Pratt film

Along with the return of original casting trio -- Sam Neill as leading paleontologist Dr Alan Grant, Laura Dern as paleobotanist Dr Ellie Sattler, and Jeff Goldblum as a mathematician cum chaos theorist Dr Ian Malcolm -- dinosaur lovers are also expecting some of their favourite raptors in the untitled sequel of Jurassic World.

Since production of the upcoming movie has already begun in Slough, England, the followers of the Jurassic Park film series are looking forward to new updates on it. But apart from a possibly leaked plot summary that hints at militarisation of dinosaurs with more adventures at the theme park, there is no new information available about it.

Fan theories suggest that Jurassic World 2 will take back dinosaur lovers to Isla Sorna, mainly because it is probably the island where the second and third part of the original trilogy took place and it could be the place where Spinosaurus is located.

One of the popular theories is that Isla Sorna is the place where InGen set up their weaponised dinosaur base. According to You Tube channel The Stupendous Wave, it is a place where dinosaurs are readily accessible for Dr Henry Wu and other companies to train.

So there is a possibility to see the original Spinosaurus and T-Rex family in Jurassic World 2. The movie could also feature a fight between the two and the Indominus Rex, which could be the biggest fights of dinosaur history.

The upcoming sequel of Jurassic World, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in lead roles, is scheduled to hit big screens in 2018.

Jurassic World 2: Cast member Bryce Dallas Howard hints at bigger and scarier dinosaurs

Dinosaur lovers have a new reason to wait for Jurassic World 2 after cast member Bryce Dallas Howard increased their excitement through a series of tweets. Apart from sharing some on location stills, she also spilled a few details about her upcoming science fiction film.

The 36-year-old actress, who will be reprising her role as Claire Dearing in the movie, recently uploaded a set photo and captioned it, "my, but that's some tall scaffolding -- whatever is on that stage must be giant."

The image immediately captured the attention of several social media users and they started speculating about the huge structure.

While many of them claimed that it could be a giant dinosaur, some stated that it could be a big building that Howard or her co-star Chris Pratt will have to climb in the movie.

However, the followers of Jurassic Park film series will have to wait for her next update to find out whether the image features a huge structure or a giant dinosaur.

Last week, the actress dropped another hint about the movie with her fans. When she managed to take some time out of her busy schedule on Saturday, she invited her Twitter followers for a question and answer segment.

During the interaction, fans asked her several questions about personal and professional lives. Among the queries, there was a question about the upcoming sequel of Jurassic World by Mail Online reporter Andrew Bullock, who asked her to give a tiny bit of details about the film and she replied, "it's gonna be good!"

Meanwhile, English actor Rafe Spall also shared his excitement about being part of Jurassic World 2. "It's a great part and Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt are extremely talented and charming people so I'm really enjoying it," he said while interacting with a representative of BT.com.

AirAsia announces discount on domestic, foreign travel

Malaysian no-frills carrier AirAsia today announced discounted fares, starting as low as Rs 899 for travel within India and Rs 4,999 for international flights for a limited period. The special low fare offer is applicable for all the flights operated by AirAsia, including AirAsia India, AirAsia Berhad, Thai AirAsia and AirAsia X.

The tickets under the offer can be booked from March 13 to March 19, for travel between September 1, 2017 and June 5, 2018, the AirAsia said in a release. The promotional all-inclusive fares start from Rs 899 on domestic destinations such as Bengaluru, Kochi, Goa, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Pune, New Delhi, Guwahati, Imphal, Vizag, Hyderabad, Srinagar and Bagdogra connected by AirAsia India, it said.

For international travel, customers can choose from destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Bali, Melbourne and many more for an all-in return fare starting at as low as Rs 4,999, the airline said. The recently launched Bhubaneswar-Kuala Lumpur route, which is being operated by AirAsia Berhad, is also a part of the sale offer, the release said. AirAsia group's services network connects over 120 destinations across Asia and Australia, the release said.

SI Swimsuit 2017: Serena Williams, Eugenie Bouchard bare all; Simone Biles sheds her cute image

Sports fans around the world wait with bated breath with the start of every calendar year for the release of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Published annually, the American magazine features the models in their hottest avatars ever known to human eye -- in the tiniest of swimsuits or even body paints.

Actors and sports persons have been an integral part of the magazine over the years. It launched in January 1964.

UFC star Ronda Rousey almost killed everyone with her drop-dead avatar in the previous edition of the SI Swimsuit Issue, where she flaunted her perfectly-carved and toned MMA body in body paint.

The 30-year-old also featured on the cover of the magazine for SI Swimsuit 2016.

Kate Upton features in the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2017, but that's not all. Glam-queens from the world of sports have also done the most risque photoshoots ever to enthral the readers (or, let's say, the viewers).

Let's check out the photos straightaway

Eugenie Bouchard

Whoooosh! The 22-year-old Canadian tennis star, with looks to melt any heart, has not only shed her cute image but has also taken her image to a level we can't even imagine! Plenty of reasons why we HAVE to envy the lucky Twitter user John Goehrke, who will be rewarded with a second date by Genie.