'Star Wars' Stand-Alone Obi-Wan Movie Near-Immediate 'New Hope' Prequel

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The next movie in the 'Star Wars Story' franchise will feature Obi-Wan Kenobi -- but it ain't an origin story ... far from it actually.

According to a newly released production bulletin -- obtained by TMZ -- Disney's next foray into their spin-off series appears to be called "Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story," with a working title of "Joshua Tree." "Return of the Jedi" also used a code name ... "Blue Harvest."

The synopsis reads as follows ... Obi-Wan is on Tatooine being an elusive hermit and stuff, but secretly watches over an infant Luke Skywalker, whom he delivered to his uncle, Owen. Tensions between the local farmers and a tribe of Sand People -- headed by a ruthless war chief -- eventually brings Obi outta hiding ... and into Jedi kickass mode. Scene.

The bulletin lists Stephen Daldry as the director -- he'd been rumored to be in talks for the film, and now it looks like he's attached. The movie's shooting in London at a well-known 'Star Wars' studio, recently used for 'The Last Jedi.' Production is set to begin next spring.

Here's the kicker (maybe) ... fans have been clamoring online for Ewan McGregor to reprise the role of (then-young, now-older) Obi, and he recently said he'd be open to it, but hadn't heard a peep from Lucasfilm ... yet. *These aren't the theories you're looking for.*

T.I. Arrest That Guard Cursed Out My Wife!!! But I Didn't Try to Fight Him

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T.I. says the security guard who called cops on him went off on Tiny over the phone, and escalated an already tense situation by refusing to give up his name.

T.I. tells TMZ ... the guard at his gated community in Henry County, GA left out a lot of details when police arrived -- like the fact he was sleeping at his post, and T.I. had to wake him up Wednesday around 4 AM. Although the police report says T.I. yelled, "Hook me up" to the guard, the rap mogul tells us he actually said, "Look me up."

He says the guard claimed he couldn't find T.I. on the resident directory, so T.I. had his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Harris, call. He says Tiny asked why the hold-up and said, "Just let him in." T.I. claims the guard barked back at Tiny, "Who the f*** do you think you is talking to me like this?"

T.I. says he was livid about that, and admits yelling obscenities. He says he reminded the guard, "I pay you" ... and then demanded entry again. He says the guard relented, but when T.I. demanded his name in order to report him to a supervisor, he says the guard only stared with a "blank face."

T.I. says he went home, cooled down and then decided to walk back to get the guy's name -- but only got more of the silent treatment. He admits, at this point, saying, "You can step outside the booth into the street, so we can talk."

Elton John Will Perform at The Royal Wedding

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Elton John will take the stage at the royal wedding ... a fitting choice given the singer's history with Prince Harry, Princess Diana and the Royal Family.

Sources close to Elton tell TMZ the singer is set to perform during Saturday's event ... it's still unclear whether he'll get behind his piano at the church ceremony or at the reception later in the night.

Elton's been tight with the Royal Family for years ... he was an extremely close friend of Princess Diana. The two worked together to raise money for AIDS research and awareness of the disease.

The singer was also a tremendous source of support for Prince Harry and Prince William when Diana died in 1997. Elton famously performed "Candle in the Wind" as a tribute for Diana at her funeral.

Elton had originally booked shows in Vegas for this weekend, but they were rescheduled months ago due to a "scheduling conflict" ... guess now we know the conflict.

'Survivor' Contestant Punished for Breaking NDA ... Just the Dude, Though

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'Survivor' producers have dropped the hammer after a couple contestants broke their NDAs by posing together for a photo -- but only punished one of them ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us Alec Merlino got the short end of the stick in the discipline department after posting a photo with fellow contestant Kara Kay and captioning their pic with a defiant "F*** it." We're told there's no decision yet on punishing Kara.

As for Alec ... sources say showrunners are withholding his appearance fee -- not prize money -- for the show, which comes out to about $10,000. He's also been disinvited to the finale episode broadcast, in which cast members come together and reflect on the season.

We're also told an email was sent to the rest of the cast addressing Merlino and Kay, explaining Alec had been punished ... and that others shouldn't follow suit.

All in all, we suppose Alec should consider himself lucky that he wasn't taken to court for violating his $5 million NDA. BTW ... Alec has since removed the photo from IG.

'Jeopardy!' Star Austin Rogers Vroom Vroom ... He's Gettin' His Own Show!!!

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Answer -- This charismatic bartender became a "Jeopardy!" sensation last Fall after winning $411k during a 12-show win streak ... and could be starring in a new TV car show.

Who is Austin Rogers?

CORRECT!

Sources familiar with the project tell TMZ ... Austin's currently in high-level talks with a major cable TV network ... developing his idea for a car show for the "every man."

The series will showcase cars that didn't resonate with the public, but were the precursors to whips that were wildly successful. We're told Austin pitched the 1968 Honda CVCC, which was supper buggy and noisy but became a blueprint for the successful Honda line. He also talks about the Subaru Brat Pickup, which quickly fizzled.

He'll travel the country looking for rare but inexpensive cars, and when he finds the right one he'll go on a road trip, exploring the city where the owner lives.

There will be no $400,000 Ferraris or tricked-out Rolls-Royces ... just cars that have been long ago rejected by the public but have a great story.

We're told Austin came up with his idea -- which couples his love for cars with American history -- after his 'Jeopardy' run ended in October and, after pitching it with a production team ... a major network caught wind and has now partnered up.

The show's described as "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" meets "Top Gear" ... and we're told the project is in the funding stage now, but a big announcement is expected soon.

Looks like Austin wasn't lying about Hollywood calling.

Bond Girl Izabella Scorupco Buys New $6.4M Crib Trespasser Totally Included!

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Izabella Scorupco -- the main Bond chick in "GoldenEye" -- got way more than she bargained for when she bought a multi-million dollar crib ... a freakin' trespasser.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Izabella recently bought a sick 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom pad in the L.A. area for a whopping $6.478 million. It includes picturesque views of downtown L.A.'s skyline, the Hollywood sign, as well as an incredible pool deck.

Oh, and apparently a trespasser.

Sources tell us Izabella hasn't moved into the house yet but, after reviewing security footage, she noticed a woman had made herself at home ... eating there and hanging out. We're told Izabella called cops who checked out the pad but didn't find the woman.

Cops are on the hunt.

Shaq Me And Barkley Are Just Like Our Moms They Were Frenemies Too!!

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JUST LIKE BROTHERS

Shaq and Charles Barkley's love/hate relationship is actually in it's second generation ... that's according to The Diesel, who says their mamas were friends and used to fight the exact same way.

Chuck and Shaq get into HEATED arguments on "Inside The NBA" -- like, really bad ones -- leading some people to speculate whether the guys really like each other when the cameras are off.

Adam Glyn got Shaq out in NYC and asked if there was actual bad blood between the two men, and not only did O'Neal say it was all love, he said the way they treat each other was learned.

"His mom and my mom were best friends, and they used to have the same type of relationship. Funniest thing ever."

Barkley's mom, Charcey, sadly passed away back in 2015, but we're guessing all her arguments with O'Neal's mom never got as bad as it did for the guys back in the day.

But we can't be sure.

TMZ Live Meghan Markle Royal Wedding Family Crisis

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HERE'S THE RUNDOWN
  • T.I.: Arrested For Drunken Assault
  • Marvel's First Muslim Superhero
  • John Travolta Parties With 50 Cent
  • Stan Lee: The $1 Billion Lawsuit

T.I. Butts Heads With Cop in Jailhouse Vid

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DEMANDING ANSWERS

T.I. was adamant he didn't deserve to be arrested for an incident with the security guard at his gated community, because he was just trying to ask the guy some questions ... according to security footage from the jail.

In the vid -- obtained by TMZ -- the rapper's pretty calm and collected while going through the booking process at the Henry County Jail in Georgia early Wednesday morning ... until he tries to get an explanation from the cop who arrested him.

That's when the officer tells Tip he was "acting like a fool" ... which he strongly denies. T.I. claims it's his right as a homeowner in the community to question the security guard working the gate, but as you can see ... the cop disagrees.

Eventually the cop and T.I. do come to an agreement, though ... to settle matters in court.

As we reported ... T.I. was arrested for simple assault, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness after getting into it with the security guard. According to the police report, the guard felt threatened and called cops, and when they arrived they could smell alcohol on the rapper's breath.

He was released without bail.

Stormy Daniels' Lawyer Accused of Pulling a Trump ... Ex-Law Partner Sues

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Stormy Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, is making a name for himself by going after President Trump, but now he's facing his own lawsuit ... and he's accused of doing something very Trumpian.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Avenatti's being sued by Jason Frank, a former partner at Egan Avenatti ... Michael's law firm, because he claims Avenatti stiffed him out of a couple mil.

Frank alleges Avenatti pulled a Trump in 2016 by refusing to hand over his firm's tax returns. Frank says he needed that data to figure out how much money he was owed under their deal when he left the company ... which he says is 25 percent of firm profits, plus a cut of client fees.

According to the docs, filed by attorney Eric George ... Frank and Avenatti's firm eventually duked it out in arbitration, and the firm settled with him for $4.85 million.

Problem is, according to Frank, when it came time to fork over the first $2 mil payment ... the firm stiffed him. Now he's suing to get Stormy's lawyer to pay up.

Avenatti tells us, "Jason Frank is trying to get attention for himself. His allegations are baseless and fraudulent."

Meghan Markle's Half Sister Hospitalized with Possible Broken Ankle After Paparazzi Run-In

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Meghan Markle's half sister, Samantha, is in the hospital after suffering what appears to be a broken ankle and a fractured knee after a confrontation with the paparazzi ... TMZ has learned.

Samantha's boyfriend, Mark, tells TMZ, they were driving in Florida near a toll booth when they had a "paparazzi confrontation." He says the photog veered in front of them, trying to get a clear shot. Her boyfriend says he swerved to the left in an attempt to avoid him and hit a concrete barrier.

He says Samantha hit the windshield and fell to the floor mat. Samantha, who has MS, was unable to lift herself up.

He says her foot was twisted backward.

He drove Samantha to the E.R. where doctors are treating her.

As we reported, Samantha's father just got out of surgery to repair his heart after a serious heart attack.

He says the paparazzo fled the scene.

Lil Pump Shouts Out J. Cole ... What Beef?

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ALL LOVE

If you thought there was beef between Lil Pump and J. Cole, think again, because Lil Pump just squashed it for our camera.

J. Cole had to stop the crowd at Rolling Loud Festival in Florida over the weekend from chanting "f*** Lil Pump" when he performed his track "1985 (Intro to 'The Fall Off')." So we asked Pump Wednesday at LAX, how he felt about Cole's gesture.

Pump didn't use many words ... but made it clear he's got love for Cole.

On '1985' ... Cole calls out mumble rappers on the track and many fans believe the song is about Pump, although he's never mentioned by name in the lyrics.

Pump didn't take the diss too seriously. He was spotted dancing beside the stage during Cole's set at Rolling Loud. Pump also performed at the festival.

He also gave himself a shout-out ... with a very Pump-esque plug for his upcoming album.

Meghan Markle's Dad Alert and Out of Surgery

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3:05 PM PT -- Thomas says, "I'm ok. It will take a long time to heal. Staying in the hospital a few more days. Not allowed to get excited."

Meghan Markle's dad, Thomas, appears to have successfully undergone heart surgery ... TMZ has learned.

We spoke with Thomas a few minutes ago and he seemed alert and coherent, telling us doctors implanted stents in his blood vessels ... he said he believes surgeons implanted 3 stents, but he wasn't sure.

He was scheduled to go into the OR at 7:30 AM.

As we reported, the surgery was necessary after Thomas experienced significant damage to his heart ... the result of a heart attack 8 days ago. Thomas told us Tuesday, "They [doctors] will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed."

Thomas told TMZ Tuesday ... he had a change of heart and wanted to walk Meghan down the aisle, but realized it was not going to happen because of the surgery.

He's still in the hospital, and no word when he'll be released.

T.I. Arrest He Came Looking for a Fight ... According to Police Report

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T.I. was ready to fight the security guard who gave him grief when he tried to enter his own gated community ... this according to the police report.

According to the report, the security guard said T.I. pulled up at around 4 AM Wednesday. The guard asked who he was and where he was going and T.I. replied, "Harris, hook me up."

The security guard told cops he did not recognize T.I., so he didn't let him pass. The guard says that's when T.I. began hurling profanities, yelling at him to open the gate. The guard eventually relented, and opened the gate.

T.I. went in but then walked back to the gate, and the guard told cops that's when T.I. began threatening him, saying, "Come outside so we can deal with this man to man. Let go in the street."

The guard told cops he felt threatened and called police. According to the police report, dispatch heard T.I. yelling in the background.

Cops say when they arrived they could smell alcohol on T.I.'s breath.

T.I. was arrested for simple assault, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

Waffle House Hero Appreciates Prez Trump But, Phone Call Was 'Lackluster'

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President Trump's call to Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr. left a lot to be desired ... according to James.

We talked to him Wednesday on the heels of his $241k donation to the Waffle House shooting victims and their families ... and his Monday phone call from the White House. While James was quick to thank the Prez for reaching out, he also described the conversation as "lackluster."

It's worth noting, the call came 22 days after James heroically wrestled an AR-15 from a gunman ... saving countless lives. He acknowledged, Trump's a busy guy.

James also revealed he's having trouble at his job due to one giant misperception about him. Still, he says he's focused on his mission -- he just started a community service group in Nashville.

Long-term goals include winning a Nobel Peace Prize, and a sit-down with Oprah or the Obamas. Who's gonna say no to this guy?