Tuesday, August 27, 2019

GAMES360VIEW


For a short time in 2018, it looked like Star Wars fans would have a long wait before they had any new on-screen adventures to watch. The commercial disappointment of the spin-of movie Solo: A Star Wars Story led Disney boss Bob Iger to admit that the studio had released too many films too quickly, and that the whole franchise would be taking a break after the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019 to reassess its priorities. Thankfully for fans, this hiatus didn't last long.

The impending launch of Disney+ has changed the future of the long-running franchise. While expensive standalone spin-off movies such as Rogue One and Solo are seemingly off the cards for the time being, Lucasfilm has clearly realised that the small screen is the perfect place for them. To date, three shows have been announced for the service, two of them based on existing characters from the movies. There's animated Star Wars content on the way too, including the long-awaited final season of The Clone Wars.

And while we'll no longer be getting a new Star Wars movie every year, there is, of course, plenty of big screen action on the way. There are two separate movie trilogies in the works; the first film from these will arrive in 2022, with the current schedule has set up a rate of a new movie every two years. It's still a great time to be a fan--so here's everything we know so far about all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows...


Star Wars: Resistance, Season 2


October 6, Disney Channel

Star Wars: Resistance is the latest show from Dave Filoni, who has created earlier animated franchise hits The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. The second season arrives on the Disney Channel in October--sadly, it's set tobe the last one too. The show focuses a young pilot named Kaz, who is recruited by the Resistance in their fight against the First Order. While Season 1 was set before the movie The Force Awakens, Season 2 takes place during the events of The Last Jedi and will lead up to the upcoming Rise of Skywalker. Season 1 included Poe Dameron amongst the characters, and this one is set to feature an iconic movie villain--Kylo Ren.


The Mandalorian


November 12, Disney+

The first ever live-action Star Wars show arrives in November. It's one of the big new titles that will available of the launch day of Disney+, and anticipation couldn't be higher. The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) as a mysterious lone gunman, who wears the same distinctive armor worn by Boba and Jango Fett in the movies. It's set five years after Return of the Jedi in the lawless outer reaches of the galaxy, and the superb recent trailer suggests a gritty, Western-inspired series. The cast also includes Gina Carano (Deadpool), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Emily Swallow (Supernatural), Carl Weathers (Predator), Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man), and Nick Nolte (Affliction). The showrunner is Lion King director Jon Favreau, and the line-up of directors for individual episodes includes Dave Filoni, Thor Ragnarok's Taika Waititi, and Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard.


Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker


December 20

The Skywalker saga reaches its ninth and final movie in December. The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams returns to helm The Rise of Skywalker, replacing Colin Terverrow, who left the movie early in pre-production. As with any Star Wars movie several months away, specific plot details are unknown, but the first trailer and footage revealed at the recent D23 convention suggests an absolutely spectacular and fitting to the end of an incredible 42 year saga. All of the main cast from the previous two movies are back, including Daisy Ridley as Rey, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, and Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux. New cast members include Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell. The late Carrie Fisher will appear as Leia, via unused footage shot for 2018's The Last Jedi, while Ian McDiarmond will make his return as the evil Emperor Palpatine. Roll on December


The Clone Wars: Season 7


Disney+, February 2020

Filoni’s The Clone Wars first appeared back in 2008, and ran for six seasons and 108 episodes. As the title suggests, it tells the story of the epic war that took place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and was a consistently entertaining and highly praised animated adventure. The show's cancellation in 2013 left a variety of plot strands hanging--but thanks to Disney+, fans will finally be able to see a proper end for the series. The Clone Wars Season 7 was first announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2018, and we got a more recent update at this month's D23 convention. It's set to hit Disney+ in February 2020, and will focus on the Siege of Mandalore, one of the last major events in the Clone Wars before its end. Many of the classic cast return, including Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka), Matt Lanter (Anakin), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan), Dee Bradley Baker (Rex), and Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan).


Cassian Andor Show


Disney+, 2021

A live-action show based on the Rogue One character of Cassian Andor was first announced in 2018. It's set to star Diego Luna once more, plus Alan Tyduck, who plays Andor's sardonic droid K-2SO, and will start shooting in London next year ahead of a 2021 release. We know it will be set before the events of Rogue One, and will focus on Cassian's work as a rebel spy. According to Lucasfilm it will be a "rousing spy thriller that will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire."


David Benioff and D.B. Weiss movie trilogy


December 16, 2022

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were announced as directors of a new trilogy of Star Wars movies back in February 2018. Unlike the movie series being directed by Rian Johnson, we have a release date for the first of these films--December 16, 2022. As for what Benioff and Weiss's trilogy will be about, it's been rumored that it will be set in the days of the Old Republic, thousands of years before the events of the Saga movies.


Obi-Wan Kenobi Show


Disney+, TBC

One of the reported casualties of the commercial disappointment of Solo: A Star Wars Story was an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie. While the film had never been officially announced, Ewan McGregor was reportedly set to return to the role he last played in 2005's Revenge of the Sith--until Solo's failure put a stop to further standalone Star Wars spin-offs. But in early August this year, it was reported that McGregor was in talks to reprise the character for a Disney+ Obi-Wan TV show. This was subsequently confirmed by the actor's appearance at D23, where it was also announced that scripts had been written and it will begin shooting next year.


Rian Johnson movie trilogy


TBC

The other high-profile filmmaker to be given a new Star Wars trilogy was Rian Johnson. The Last Jedi might have divided fans, but it made more than $1.32 billion worldwide, so it's little surprise Lucasfilm want to keep him on board. Very little is known about Johnson's plans for his movies--he's been working on his upcoming murder mystery Knives Out since the announcement. But according to Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy it will feature "new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored." This was backed up more recently by Johnson himself, who stated that he was "doing something that steps beyond the legacy characters." So don't expect a Lobot cameo.




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