Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Disney CEO Steps In To Help Dying 'Star Wars' Fan See The New Film Before Its Release

Disney CEO Steps In To Help Dying 'Star Wars' Fan See The New Film Before Its Release
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The CEO of Disney came through after responding to a tweet from a Hampshire hospice looking to secure a viewing of the new Star Wars film for a dying fan.


The final installment of the nine-part saga – The Rise Of Skywalker – is due for release in UK cinemas on December 19, but for one Rowans Hospice patient time is of the essence.

“Can you help? We have a patient who's a HUGE #StarWars fan. Sadly, time is not on his side for the 20th Dec," @RowansHospice tweeted.

“His wish is to see the final Star Wars film #RiseOfSkywalker with his young son. If you know ANYBODY who might be able to make it happen, please share with them. Thank you."

Social media users offered help, suggesting email addresses and Twitter handles to get in touch with, before Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker originally, responded.

“Contact @Disney. They are the only ones who can make this happen. Good luck!" he wrote.

The next day, chief executive of the Walt Disney Company Bob Iger got in touch, replying: “Please provide me with the necessary details and we will certainly try."

The hospice responded to Iger by thanking him “for trying to help with this when time is absolutely of the essence" and passed on an email address.

One Twitter user wrote, “Awesome … A real class act", while another tweeted, “Thank you for trying Robert."

A few days later the screening took place.

“On this Thanksgiving, we @Disney are grateful to be able to share #TheRiseOfSkywalker with a patient and his family @RowansHospice. May the force be with you and with us all!" he posted.

The Rowans Hospice posted a picture of a Disney representative on that day. His job was to deliver the laptop with the movie. And, the screening seemed to be a success.

“I am utterly speechless. We cannot thank Disney enough for confirming that they will be able share the film to fulfill our patient's wish," Lisa Davies, the healthcare support worker who brought the patient's wish to the attention of the rest of the staff at Rowans, said.

“We totally appreciate that they have had to move mountains to make this happen," she continued. “The response from everyone, including the Star Wars community, has been absolutely phenomenal over the last few days. So a massive thank you to every single person that has shared our post and given their time to help make this possible."

They even threw a Star Wars-themed party.

The success of the appeal was welcomed by many people on Twitter, including Michael Eisner – the owner of Portsmouth FC who is a former Disney chief executive.

“Very happy to see that this is happening! The whole community of Portsmouth on the south coast of England appreciates what @Disney has done," he posted.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Tom Holland and Zendaya
James Devaney/GC Images

Tom Holland Swiftly Corrects Reporter Who Called Zendaya His 'Girlfriend'—And Fans Are Obsessed

Some love is quiet and unassuming, known mostly to those in love and few else.

Actors Tom Holland and Zendaya have been largely quiet about their engagement, but when the Spider-Man actor appeared recently at a press event, he was more forthcoming about his relationship status.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel on each other's shows
@jimmykimmel/Threads

Jimmy Kimmel And Stephen Colbert Unload On Trump In Rare Crossover Event As Guests On Each Other's Shows

Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert were each other's guests in a special crossover event on Tuesday and took the opportunity to call out "son of a b*tch" President Donald Trump, who has used his influence in attempts to silence them for criticizing him and his MAGA movement on the air.

Last week, ABC announced it would end its suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! just a week after Trump pushed to get host Jimmy Kimmel off the air following comments Kimmel made about the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. ABC had had internal discussions with Disney, which saw a wave of subscriber cancellations in the wake of Kimmel's suspension.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tina Turner
Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images

A Massive Sculpture Of Tina Turner Was Just Unveiled—And It's Going Viral For All The Wrong Reasons

When it comes to entertainment legends, the late singer Tina Turner is right at the top of the pantheon.

And fittingly, the songstress' hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee, wanted to pay tribute to her legacy with giant statue of the icon.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Marjorie Taylor Greene
(L-R) Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Ted Cruz Clashes With 'Crazy' MTG Over Her Cryptic Post Alluding That 'The Jews' Are Trying To Kill Her

Texas MAGA Republican Senator Rafael "Ted" Cruz raised eyebrows when he attacked Georgia QAnon/MAGA Republican Representative and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) for being antisemitic.

MTG has promoted some antisemitic conspiracy theories in the past, like Jewish space lasers that control the weather or start wildfires, but this time people are calling Cruz out for reaching in an attempt to discredit the Georgia Republican and protect Trump from what's being concealed in FBI, Department of Justice, and court records relating to the indictment of Jeffrey Epstein on charges of sex trafficking of minors.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Screenshot of Zohran Mamdani; Donald Trump
CNN; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Zohran Mamdani Claps Back After Trump Threatens To Withhold Federal Funding To NYC If He Becomes Mayor

Zohran Mamdani—the Democratic Socialist New York City mayoral candidate who stunned the establishment with a seismic win for progressives that has reverberated across the country—criticized President Donald Trump's threats to withhold federal funds if Mamdani wins November's election.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Mamdani a "New York City Communist" and said he "will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party."

Keep ReadingShow less