Star Wars

Rian Johnson is now one of a few lucky directors to get behind the camera for a 'Star Wars' flick ... and he spent some time telling us how he's dealing with the fame ... and BONUS -- he tells us his favorite character.

Johnson is suddenly famous ... swarmed by fans seeking autographs.

Then he tells us how he's dealing with all the attention and the honor of joining the likes of George Lucas and J.J. Abrams. Hint -- he gives a shout-out to one of them.

Gary Fisher -- aka Gary the Dog, aka Carrie Fisher's beloved French Bulldog -- came in for a soft landing at LAX Saturday, under the watchful eye of his new owner.

Corby McCoin, Carrie's assistant, is now Gary's caretaker. As we reported, initially Carrie's family said Billie would care for Carey, but ultimately it made more sense for Corby to do the honors since the dog had more of a connection to her.

Gary was flying back from The Last Jedi panel in Orlando, where he was a big hit.

FYI ... Gary should have been on a leash at LAX per City ordinance, but he's been through a lot so everyone cut him a break.

'The Last Jedi' trailer should do more than pump you up for the movie -- 'Star Wars' faithful should also get ready for the Oscars ... or at least that's the way Kevin Smith sees it.

Superfan Kev was still amped about the trailer debut when we saw him Friday in Bev Hills. He gave us a 30 second review, and then moved on to even bigger matters: Mark Hamill and the elusive little gold dude.

Our guy suggests Luke might finally get the Academy's attention with this flick, and it sounds like Kevin's on board.

Fun fact: The only 'Star Wars' acting Oscar nom was Best Supporting for Sir Alec Guinness in the first flick. Obi-Wan Kenobi ... he really was the "only hope."

HE'S BACK!!!

The brand new "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" trailer just dropped featuring the return of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker ... and it looks awesome!!!!

Lucasfilm screened it during the 'Star Wars' Celebration in Orlando, Florida, on Friday -- and the Internet is already on fire.

There's R2D2, Rey, lightsabers, the Millennium Falcon and so much more!!!

The movie doesn't hit theaters until December -- but there's enough in this trailer to keep you busy trying to figure out the plot for a couple of weeks.

May the Force be with you ...

Mark Hamill had a moment -- an emotional one -- at the 'Star Wars' Celebration in Orlando.

Mark and Harrison Ford took this shot backstage with Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher's daughter. As Luke put it ... "So much like her mother in so many ways- it was almost as if we were cuddling our Princess again."

Billie was in 'The Force Awakens' and will be back in the same role, Lieutenant Connix, for 'The Last Jedi' next year. She paid tribute to her late mom during Thursday's celebration. Not a dry eye.

The Force is with her.

Harrison Ford's broken the seal -- it's NOT too soon to make fun of his landing skills ... or lack thereof, because that's exactly what he did with some help from George Lucas.

Han and George were at Thursday's Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, discussing why he was chosen for the iconic role. You gotta see how George lobs a softball, and Harrison hits it outta the park!

No shocker he's being such a good sport about it -- remember, Harrison called himself the "schmuck" who landed on a taxiway at John Wayne Airport.

The force was not strong with the Lakers Tuesday night ... they got straight-up murdered by the Clippers -- but it all went down in front of a ton of huge stars including 'The Force Awakens' star Daisy Ridley!

The 24-year-old British actress (who played Rey in the flick) sat right on the court -- in a celeb-packed crowd that included Michael Phelps, Gucci Mane and Meghan Trainor.

Harrison Ford is taking to the skies again by himself ... and he's double-checking everything before liftoff.

Harrison flew out of Santa Monica Airport Saturday in a helicopter ... and the video is movie-worthy.

'Star Wars' fans can rest easy ... Lucasfilm says they have no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance as Princess or Gen. Leia Organa in upcoming films.

The company issued the statement to assure fans they will always strive to honor her legacy, and that does not include using digital effects. They add ... "Carrie Fisher was, is and will always be a part of the Lucasfilm family ... We are still hurting from her loss."

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher have been laid to rest ... right next to each other as planned.

Family and friends met at Hollywood's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Friday morning to bury the mother and daughter duo ... who died one day apart. Carrie was cremated earlier this week, but some of her ashes were buried in a coffin next to Debbie's.

Some of those in attendance ... Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd, Taylor Lautner, and Todd Fisher -- who was seen carrying Carrie's ashes in an urn ... shaped like a giant Prozac pill.

The funeral came after a private memorial held at Debbie and Carrie's family compound in Bev Hills, where Meryl Streep reportedly sang a song for Carrie. She's also been tapped to give the eulogy at the public memorial.

#RIP

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds had very different ideas for their burial, and the family has already taken steps to carry out Fisher's wishes.

We've confirmed Carrie's body has already been cremated and we're told the action was taken at the behest of the actress when she was still alive. Her will states she wanted to be cremated.

As for Debbie, she wanted her body buried ... she specifically did not want to be cremated.

We're told a portion of Carrie's ashes will be placed in a coffin and buried alongside Debbie's coffin at Forest Lawn in Burbank.

The family of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds is planning a public memorial which will become a grand Hollywood event, and we're told they've reached out to Meryl Streep for the keynote eulogy.

Family sources tell us there will be a private service and burial Thursday for both Carrie and Debbie. The service will take place at Forest Lawn in Burbank, where mother/daughter will be buried side by side.

We're told there will be no celebrities delivering eulogies at the private service. If Billie Lourd feels up to speaking she will, but there are no concrete plans.

As for the public memorial, no date has been set. Billie is spearheading the service, and she wants to get through the funeral before she goes full bore.

We're told as of late Tuesday, Meryl Streep was not a firm lock but they fully expect her to be the principal speaker. As you know, Streep played Carrie in "Postcards from the Edge" and was very close to Debbie. Meryl presented Debbie with a humanitarian award a couple years back.

We're told the family will also reach out to 'Star Wars' actors to speak, including Mark Hamill. They expect George Lucas to attend but not to speak.

The public memorial will be a Hollywood event. We're told Debbie's costumes from "Singin' in the Rain" and other movies will be on display. Carrie's 'Star Wars' outfits likewise will be featured.

"Rogue One" star Ben Mendelsohn barely had time to enjoy his movie's big premiere -- his wife filed for divorce just 7 days after it opened.

Emma Nadine Forrest filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, which has all the makings of an uphill battle for Ben. Emma's asking for physical custody of their 3-year-old daughter.

According to the docs ... Emma -- who's a British author -- and Ben officially separated December 1 because of irreconcilable differences. They got married back in June 2012.

She's also asking for spousal support.

Ben played the role of Orson Krennic in the blockbuster film.

Carrie Fisher's fans fired up their lightsabers one last time to honor one of the galaxy's greatest heroes.

Fans gathered at Downtown Disney Wednesday night in Anaheim, CA and paid a touching tribute to Princess Leia.

Carrie Fisher's name -- and her Princess Leia mug -- will be worth light years more in death than life.

Mike Gutierrez, who helps run Heritage Auctions, tells TMZ Carrie's death has boosted 'Star Wars' merch sales related to the late actress by as much as 3 times what it was just last week.

Gutierrez says 'Star Wars' merch prices will skyrocket even higher in the next 30 days. The same phenomena occurred when the last actors from "The Wizard of Oz" passed away.

The impact is already apparent. A signed photo of Leia and Luke Skywalker just sold for $1,500 Tuesday ... the day Carrie died. A signed pic of Leia, Han Solo and Luke sold for $156 in '02.

According to eBay ... 1,280 Carrie fisher memorabilia items have been sold since Tuesday ... a huge jump from the couple dozen or so that were selling before her death.

#MayTheSalesBeWithYou

Carrie Fisher and Garry Shandling shared a stage together on late-night once upon a time ... and we got a clip of the rerun that's re-airing this week.

Antenna TV will be running an old episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" Wednesday night, with Carrie and Garry as his guests in '83. It's as classic a Hollywood moment as they come.

As we reported ... the 2 stars both passed away unexpectedly this year -- Carrie from cardiac arrest and Garry from a blood clot. Here's to better times.