The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars TV show, has been a rousing success, becoming bigger than Lucasfilm and Disney could have dreamed off, mostly on the back of Baby Yoda. On the flip side, it’s fair to say that the mixed reaction to the last two Star Wars movies, Solo and The Rise Of Skywalker, has somewhat halted future film plans. Taika Waititi is scheduled to do one and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins will helm Rogue Squadron. Beyond that? Not a lot is known.
The studios seem to have decided that the future of Star Wars is on television with the announcement of a space cruiser load of shows at the December 2020 Disney Investors Day event. The shows are at various stages of development, with more news on some than others. If scheduled correctly there might always be a Star Wars show on Disney+, guaranteeing you’ll never think of cancelling that subscription. So what’s coming up? FinalBoss takes a look.
This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian, you should go watch that before reading on!
Live-Action Star Wars TV Shows
The Book Of Boba Fett
This seems to be the next Star Wars TV show we’ll see. Given that he was thought to be dead, having been swallowed by a sarlacc in Return of the Jedi, it was something of a surprise when it was revealed that Boba Fett would appear in The Mandalorian. He still has Slave 1 and is in partnership with assassin Fennec Shand, and they were a great help to Mando in the later episodes of season 2. If you stayed through the credits of that shows finale you would have seen the tease for Boba Fett’s own series.
Fennec infiltrated the palace that was previously home to Jabba the Hutt and took out a few goons. Boba then arrived to despatch Bib Fortuna (also assumed, by me at least, to be dead already). He then took his seat on the throne, suggesting he wants to settle down? It certainly doesn’t seem in keeping with the roving life of a bounty hunter. The Book of Boba Fett will stream on Disney+ in December 2021. The creative behind The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, will helm this one alongside Robert Rodriguez.
The Mandalorian Season 3
Presumably rolling on from The Book Of Boba Fett will be the third season of Mando. A lot happened in the season 2 finale and there are many questions about the direction the show will now take. In particular, it’s hard to see how Baby Yoda will feature. The emphasis seemed to be on setting up a storyline revolving around Bo-Katan, the darksaber and the return to Mandalore.
Ahsoka
Ahsoka Tano, former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, arrived on screen in Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, The Jedi, to a great reception. The general feeling seems to be that they did a great job of continuing the character introduced in The Clone Wars animated series and the episode acted as a backdoor pilot. Now it’s confirmed that Rosario Dawson will return as Ahsoka in her own Star Wars TV show.
It will be set at the same time as The Mandalorian and The Rangers Of The New Republic, with the promise of interconnected storylines leading to a climactic story event. The most interesting thing here is how much crossover there will be. I’m also intrigued by the idea that, given the events of the Mandolorian season 2 finale, she could run into Luke. I’d love to see some awkward conversations “Hey, your father was my master!” and “Your master was my master’s master”. Once more, Favreau and Filoni are behind this one.
The Rangers Of The New Republic
Again set alongside The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, but no further details other than it is being developed by Favreau and Filoni. There is speculation that Cara Dune might feature given her role as a Marshall. Maybe an opportunity to see more of those x-wing pilots who were out patrolling the space lanes and hounding Mando in season 2.
Andor
This 12 episode series is likely to hit Disney in 2022. Diego Luna will reprise his role from the brilliant Rogue One as Cassian Andor. Set 5 years before the events of that movie, it has been described as a rousing spy thriller. That makes sense given we know Andor is a rebel spy. The show will see Genevieve O’Reilly and Alan Tudyk return as Mon Mothma and K-2SO respectively. The great Stellan Skarsgard is also in the cast. Tony Gilroy, who was involved with Rogue One, will act as showrunner.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Star Wars TV show featuring Ewan McGregor returning as Obi-Wan has long been rumoured and is now confirmed. It seems like it’s a limited series of 6 episodes, set 8 years after Revenge Of The Sith. That means Obi-Wan should be well settled into life in his hut on Tatooine. The most interesting and exciting news was that Hayden Christenson would be back as Darth Vader. Given Obi-Wan is basically in exile that leads to the question of how/if they will come into contact or whether they will be separate elements of the show. Also brings up the possibility of seeing Luke in childhood as Obi-Wan, or ‘old Ben’, keeps an eye on him. The series will be directed by Deborah Chow, who worked on The Mandalorian, and written by Hossein Amini. Filming is due to begin in early 2021.
Lando
Basically, all that has been announced is the title and that Justin Simien is the showrunner. No cast, no setting. Hard to imagine though that Donald Glover and/or Billy Dee Williams won’t be involved.
The Acolyte
A show that seems likely to focus on all-new characters and settings, taking place in the era of the High Republic. That places it some 200 years before The Phantom Menace, when the Jedi were at the peak of their powers. Leslye Headland is the showrunner for a series that is said to be a female-centric action thriller with martial arts elements.
Animated Star Wars TV Shows
The Bad Batch
This new Star Wars TV show was announced in 2020 and will hit Disney+ in 2021. The Bad Batch, also known as Clone Force 99, are a squad of mercenaries first seen in The Clone Wars. This series will be set after that show and follow the characters as they take on missions across the galaxy.
Visions
An anthology series comprised of 10 short films made by Japanese anime creators.
A Droid Story
C-3PO and R2-D2 have been mainstays of the Star Wars universe since the beginning. This new animated Star Wars TV series will see them guide a new, as yet unknown hero.
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