The official "Star Wars: The Experience -- A Journey Through the Galaxy" exhibition will make its world premiere in Philadelphia in 2027 as part of the franchise's 50th anniversary celebration.
Opening Feb. 13 at the Franklin Institute, the immersive exhibition will run through Sept. 6 before embarking on a five-year North American tour.
Created by the Franklin Institute in collaboration with Lucasfilm, Disney Consumer Products and MDSX, the 18,000-square-foot exhibition explores the making and lasting legacy of "Star Wars" through immersive galleries, interactive technology and behind-the-scenes displays.
Visitors will see more than 70 artifacts from the Lucasfilm archives, many of them screen-used and on public display for the first time. Featured items include Darth Vader's costume, Darth Maul's lightsaber, Grogu, R2-D2, C-3PO, a speeder bike and original props from Disney+ series "Andor."
The exhibition also highlights the creativity behind the franchise, from costume and sound design to visual effects, fan art and gaming. Guests will take part in an RFID-powered interactive experience designed to personalize their journey through the galaxy.
tarWars'createdaculturallandscapethatspansdecadesanddeliversmassive, undeniableglobalappeal," Larry Dubinski, president and CEO of the Franklin Institute, said in a statement.
More details, including the first gallery renderings, will be unveiled during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 24. The discussion will be moderated by Ashley Eckstein, who voices Ahsoka Tano in several animated "Star Wars" series, and will feature members of the exhibition's creative team.
Tickets for "Star Wars: The Experience" go on sale in November.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News and Lucasfilm.
Iran live updates: Iran fired missiles at vessels in Strait of Hormuz, US officials say
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations last month aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran nonetheless exchanged limited strikes in late June despite the signing of the memorandum and amid the continuation of peace talks.
Iran fired 2 missiles at commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz, US officials say
Iran fired at least two missiles at commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz overnight, two U.S. officials told ABC News on Tuesday.
The statement followed the report by the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre of an "unknown projectile" striking a tanker off the Omani coast Early on Tuesday.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston and Katherine Faulders
'Unknown projectile' strikes tanker off Omani coast, British maritime organization says
An "unknown projectile" struck a commercial tanker off the coast of Oman early on Tuesday, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre said.
The tanker, which was not identified by name, caught fire after the strike, UKMTO said in a warning posted on social media.
The ship had been traveling southbound about 8 nautical miles off the coast of Limah, Oman, the organization said.
"No casualties or environmental impact reported," UKMTO said.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
Khamenei's body arrives in Qom for next stage of funeral procession
The body of slain former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has arrived in Qom, Iran, where his funeral procession is expected to continue Tuesday, according to Iranian state TV.
This comes after thousands of mourners gathered in the streets of the Iranian capital of Tehran Monday to honor Khamenei, who was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28.
Thousands gather in Tehran for Khamenei funeral procession
Photos and videos from Tehran showed thousands of mourners thronging the streets of the Iranian capital as the dayslong funeral for slain former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei continued on Monday.
Khamenei was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran in the opening hours of the conflict with Iran in on Feb. 28.
Khamenei's funeral began on Saturday. His body will be taken to Qom, Najaf and Karbala -- the great Shi'ite centers of Iran and Iraq -- before being laid to rest on Thursday in Mashhad, home to the country's holiest pilgrim shrine.
Allies from both sides of the Atlantic gather in Ankara Tuesday in a key test of theunity of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an alliance that U.S. President Donald Trump has shaken and berated.
The summit arrives against the backdrop of Trump's repeated criticism of allies' defense spending and a Pentagon review of U.S. troops across Europe.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has attempted to temper tensions, declaring that European allies have heeded calls from the U.S. to take on a greater burden. Rutte, on a trip to Washington last month, pointed to increased defense spending of 20% by Europe and Canada in the last year.
The secretary-general has welcomed Trump's wishes for Europeans to take a greater share of the burden, praising the president's ambitions for NATO and calling for a "defense industrial revolution."
This is NATO 3.0," Rutte said. "More European-led, equalizing defense spending, but still with the U.S. firmly rooted in NATO."
European officials say the summit will be focused on the implementation of goals set at last year's summit at The Hague, where allies agreed to set a 10-year goal to increase defense spending as a share of gross domestic product to 5%.
Amid tensions with Europeans over their contributions to NATO -- and the U.S. campaign in Iran -- analysts say the lack of a clear win to celebrate in Ankara, unlike The Hague, leaves a degree of uncertainty at the summit as Trump continues to express displeasure with allies.
"The U.S. spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit," Trump said last week.
The NATO meetings also come amid an escalation in the war in Ukraine. Allies will look to the venue to signal support for Kyiv and Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.
US withdrawal in Europe
The summit comes after Hegseth admonished allies at a June NATO meeting in Brussels for what he called "shameful" defense contributions to the alliance. He announced a six-month review of U.S. troops' footprint in Europe.
The U.S. military has already said it would "rightsize" its commitment to the NATO Force Model, a scheme by which allies commit assets in the event of an emergency.
Analysts say changes to the U.S. force posture in Europe, including a canceled rotation of 5,000 soldiers due to deploy to Poland, risk creating short-term gaps.
Trump, who has praised the Poles as allies, later reversed the decision publicly. But the 5,000 troops have not yet deployed
.U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whittaker, in an interview with CNBC on Monday, said the U.S. military would "do less" in Europe because of the demands of other theaters.The target is that Europe takes over the conventional defense of the European continent," Whitaker said. "So what would you expect if they take it over, you would expect the U.S. to do less. We're not going away. We're just doing less because we have global requirements and global challenges."
Cameron McMillan, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former U.S. Army field artillery officer, said there are "some flaws in that logic."
Brigade combat teams, which were withdrawn from Romania and scheduled to be withdrawn from Germany, are"designed basically to fight the Russian army in Europe and to deter the Russians from making a move on the Baltics or Poland or making a move towards Kaliningrad," McMillan said.
"So unless we plan on having a bunch of Abrams tanks swim to Taiwan in a Taiwan contingency, it has much more value in Europe."
Simmering leader tensions
The president's inclination to punish allies for perceived grievances leaves doubts that the summit will be a rosy picture of unity in Ankara -- as Trump lodges complaints over defense contributions and allies' role in the U.S. campaign in Iran.
It will be the first meeting between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni since they traded barbs over Trump's claim that Meloni "begged" him for a photo at a G7 summit last month.
Meloni, a longtime ally of Trump, denied the claim in a scathing social media video in which she said the president "doesn't show the same determination toward the enemies of the West or the enemies of the United States," likely a reference to Russia.
Ukraine on the agenda
Allies are considering a financial commitment to Ukraine, sources told ABC News, as Russia escalates its war there and Kyiv manages to launch successful attacks inside Russia.
Zelenskyy blamed a Russian barrage on Kyiv on the eve of the summit on Russian President Vladimir Putin's desire to divide the alliance.
He wrote on social media that "it is very important" that NATO allies emerge from the summit with a decision to support Ukrainian air defenses.
"As long as the missiles for the Patriots remain in the warehouses of allies, this only encourages Russia to continue destroying residential buildings," the Ukrainian president added, referring to the American-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system which Kyiv often uses to intercept Russian missiles."
LONDON -- At least two explosions were reported in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, as French President Emmanuel Macron was visiting the city to meet with the country's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The Syrian Arab News Agency said that the explosions occurred near the Ministry of Tourism building and that at least 18 people -- including four security personnel -- were injured.
Syrian authorities did not immediately com
Writing on X after the explosions but without explicitly mentioning the blasts, Macron said, "Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic and united Syria. This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage and determination. My visit continues."
Macron is the first major Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Assad was forced to flee the country after government forces collapsed in the face of a surprise offensive launched by a coalition of rebel groups, led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday. "I have come to express France's commitment to the Syrian people. For a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbors. Together, let us open a new chapter of stability and peace," he wrote in a post to X.
Last week, a device exploded in a cafe near the Justice Palace in Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News' Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
George E. Johnson Sr., the pioneering American businessman and entrepreneur who built a Black hair care empire, died at his home in Chicago on Monday, his family confirmed in a statement to ABC News. Johnson was 99.
The family expressed their “profound sadness” after Johnson’s death and celebrated his “extraordinary legacy of entrepreneurship, faith, perseverance, philanthropy, and family.”
Johnson founded his company, Johnson Products Company (JPC), in Chicago’s South Side in 1954 with his late wife, Joan, using a $250 loan and “an unshakable belief that opportunity should exist for everyone,” his family said.
Johnson Products Company manufactured a line of hair care products for Black consumers named Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen, which became staples in homes and salons and “a source of pride throughout Black America,” the Johnson family statement added.
The company gained notoriety as the first national sponsor of Soul Train -- the iconic musical variety TV show -- and in 1971 became the first Black-owned business listed and traded on the American Stock Exchange.
George was a visionary business leader who built a haircare empire, broke barriers on Wall Street, and helped fuel the fight for civil rights,” Johnson’s family said. “Above all, he was a devoted family man whose example inspired generations and whose legacy of entrepreneurship, community leadership, and philanthropy continues through his descendants today.”
Johnson was born in 1927 in Richton, Mississippi, and later moved to Chicago as a child, where he worked at a young age, shining shoes and bussing tables to help support his family.
“Those early experiences shaped the values that guided him throughout his life: humility, determination, personal responsibility, and the golden rule: treating everyone the way he wished to be treated, with dignity and respect,” his family said.
Johnson is survived by his second wife, Madeline Murphy Rabb, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
