ILMxLAB at Star Wars Celebration Chicago: Everything You Need to Know

There’s just a week left before Star Wars Celebration Chicago kicks off and fans can learn about our latest immersive innovations firsthand. We’re hosting not one, but two panels this year — and it’s time to pull back the curtain on who will be taking the stage.

On Friday, April 12th at 1:30PM CDT join us at the Celebration Stage for our in-depth discussion of Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series, moderated by Amy Ratcliffe (Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy). Writer and executive producer David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy) will join director Ben Snow and narrative designer Mohen Leo to discuss the creation of the first installment, while Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive Matt Martin will explore how the project ties into the broader Star Wars canon. Oculus Head of Media for AR/VR Experiences — and Lucasfilm alum in his own right — Colum Slevin will also be there to dive into how the project leverages the breakthroughs of the new Oculus Quest VR headset, particularly when it comes to lightsaber battle. If you can’t make it in person, the panel will be streamed live at StarWars.com and YouTube.com/StarWars.

We’ll be at the Twin Suns Stage on Saturday, April 13th at 4:15PM CDT for Step Into Our Star Wars Stories, a wide-ranging discussion on the ways ILMxLAB enables fans to become the heroes of their own personal Star Wars adventures using virtual and mixed reality. Mohen Leo will be back, alongside executive creative producer Mark Miller, senior experience designer Jose Perez III, senior manager of talent and production Julie Peng, and production coordinator Sarah Barrick. Moderated by our own Bryan Bishop, it will be a look at the incredible new ways immersive entertainment is allowing fans to connect with stories — and where it’s going next.

If that wasn’t enough, those at Celebration will also be able to see what we’ve been working on with an exclusive demo of Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I. Hosted by ILMxLAB and Oculus, fans will be able to strap on the new Oculus Quest headset and step onto the planet Mustafar, where they’ll meet the Sith Lord himself — along with a few other surprises. The demo will run from Friday afternoon until the end of Celebration, so be sure to stop by and check it out!

Star Wars Celebration Chicago will take place April 11-15 at McCormick Place. Visit StarWarsCelebration.com for tickets and more info!