Hey, kids, do you like Star Wars? If you do, get ready to joy puke your face off!
Last Thursday, Mouse House held an event called Disney Investor Day. In a year without Star Wars Celebration, what was essentially a stockholder meeting turned into a spectacle as Disney executives presented a barrage of upcoming, corporate-branded content for consumer consumption.
Take Star Wars, for example. Disney announced almost a dozen new projects taking place in a galaxy far, far away. Two of them are Mandalorian spinoffs. Ahsoka will follow the adventures of fan-favorite Jedi Ahsoka Tano. Played in the series by Rosario Dawson (Marvel’s Daredevil), Ahsoka first appeared over a decade ago in the cartoon show Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The information about the second series called Rangers of the New Republic is scarce. We do know there are plans for future crossovers between all three shows.
Justin Simien — the writer, producer, and director of the satirical TV series Dear White People — will create Star Wars: Lando, an “event series” (whatever that means) about a Lando Calrissian. Leslye Headland – showrunner of the Netflix show Russian Doll – will helm the production of The Acolyte – a Star Wars series set millennia ago during the time of the High Republic. Additionally, there are at least two animated Star Wars shows in the works: The Bad Batch (about a group of soldiers from the Clone Wars), and the anime series Star Wars: Visions. Live-action Star Wars series starring Rogue One’s Diego Luna will premiere sometime in 2022. And then there’s a project titled A Droid Story featuring R2-D2 and C-3PO.
Disney is also developing at least two Star Wars movies. Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) will direct a feature film about Rogue Squadron, a Rebel Alliance starfighter squadron founded by Luke Skywalker. There’s also a currently untitled Star Wars movie by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok). Oh, and Hayden Christensen will return as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Feeling exhausted from all this news? That’s understandable. Come back tomorrow and find out Disney’s plans for Marvel.
