Todd Vaziri: The Genius Craft of an ILM Visual Effects Artist

October 7, 2025

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Vanity Fair focus on the work of Todd Vaziri and the fantastic projects he’s been involved with, which includes Star Trek, Transformers, D&D and Star Wars. Be sure to check out Todd on the ILM Lighter Darker podcast.

From the breathtaking innovations in the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy to the astonishing imagery in ‘Transformers,’ Industrial Light & Magic has truly revolutionized visual effects in TV and movies. ILM’s compositing supervisor Todd Vaziri breaks down the methodical approach to the groundbreaking creations that have redefined the limits of our imagination.

00:00 Todd Vaziri
00:57 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
05:15 Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
09:00 Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
14:07 Star Trek Into Darkness
19:03 Transformers
23:02 Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

SourceVanity Fair

Mark Newbold

Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to Star Wars Insider, ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Starburst Magazine, having previously written for StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.

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March 2026

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May 2026

fri22may12:01 AM11:59 PMThe Mandalorian & GroguThe Mandalorian & Grogu arrives

Event Details

The Mandalorian and Grogu, announced as The Mandalorian & Grogu, is a Star Wars movie that started production in 2024. Directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, it takes place between the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens, focuses on the adventures of Din Djarin and Din Grogu, and will be a spinoff to the TV series Star Wars: The Mandalorian. The film was announced on January 9 that year on StarWars.com with a conceptual sketch by veteran illustrator Ryan Church, along with an announcement of a second season of the television series Star Wars: Ahsoka. A fourth season of The Mandalorian is also still in development.

On May 7, 2019, Disney revealed their future movie release schedule, including a set of three untitled new Star Wars films, one of which had a scheduled release date of December 20, 2024. The Star Wars Show also reported on the news on May 15. On July 23, 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was delayed to December 19, 2025. After the start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Disney shifted their theatrical film release slate, with the film being pushed to its current release date of May 22, 2026. A film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy occupied this release slot until The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced.

Star Wars Insider 224 revealed the initial film logo was the same as the one for The Mandalorian Season Three. In August 2024, during D23 2024, it was revealed that the film had entered production, and a new logo was revealed, in addition to a teaser that was shown to the audience. In August 2024, Sigourney Weaver revealed that she had joined the cast of The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Alongside the release of the movie, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will be updated to include a new mission featuring Djarin, Grogu, Tatooine, Endor and Cloud City, which takes place off camera from the film.

Time

May 22, 2026 12:01 AM - 11:59 PM(GMT+01:00)

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Interviews News

Todd Vaziri: The Genius Craft of an ILM Visual Effects Artist

By Mark Newbold

October 7, 2025

- Advertisement -

From the breathtaking innovations in the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy to the astonishing imagery in ‘Transformers,’ Industrial Light & Magic has truly revolutionized visual effects in TV and movies. ILM’s compositing supervisor Todd Vaziri breaks down the methodical approach to the groundbreaking creations that have redefined the limits of our imagination.

00:00 Todd Vaziri
00:57 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
05:15 Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
09:00 Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
14:07 Star Trek Into Darkness
19:03 Transformers
23:02 Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens