While yes, we’ve known about several of the upcoming “Star Wars” projects in the works at Disney+, there’s nothing like seeing photos from the great Annie Leibowitz. This morning, Vanity Fair published a piece highlighting the fanboy (and girl) Renaissance of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, and the upcoming entries to the Cosmic Conflict sagas.
We say fanboy with nothing but love, this is not an insult to anyone currently working on building the “Star Wars” universe.
“What’s unique about Star Wars is that we’re one story, basically,” Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy says about the franchise. “George [Lucas] was always dealing with episodes. Ironically, he was serializing his storytelling. He was influenced by Flash Gordon and cliff-hangers on Saturdays at movie theaters. All of that informed what the DNA of Star Wars is, which is why I think it’s just organic that we made the transition into television.”
And what a transition it’s been! It seems like the ‘Wars were destined to be adapted this way. Various larger than life characters getting their solo outings, stories we know pieces of getting more details, and in general, a larger galactic sandbox to play in.
Hayden Christensen, who brought angsty teenage Anakin Skywalker (and iconic villain Darth Vader) to life in the much maligned prequel films, is returning to the role. He’ll be joining Ewan McGregor, back as Obi Wan Kenobi, in the Jedi Master’s solo outing, “Obi Wan Kenobi.” All episodes will be directed by Deborah Chow, who deftly gave us two magnificent entries in “The Mandalorian.” It premieres on Disney+ May 27th, 2022.
“Andor” will tell more of Cassian Andor’s story. One of the heroes we were introduced to in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Diego Luna returns as the rebel captain. We’ll see other classic characters make appearances in this show as well, with Genevieve O’Reilly set to play Mon Mothma. It’s supposed to hit Disney+ later this year. We’re hoping for a set release date to be announced during Star Wars Celebration next week.
Rosario Dawson stars as Jedi Master Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s padawan we first met in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated series. She was introduced in live-action in season two of “The Mandalorian,” and came back for “The Book of Boba Fett.” She’s getting her own spin-off series, “Ahsoka,” which is currently filming now. It currently has a likely release date of sometime in 2023.
Season 3 of “The Mandalorian” is due out sometime in late 2022/early 2023.
There are other projects on the way, too. At least one other television series, “The Acolyte,” is currently in development. We’re expecting more news on other upcoming releases (and of course the movies!) next week, during Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. Keep an eye out for additional coverage.
Check out the behind-the-scenes video from Vanity Fair’s shoot for more details:
