By George Bate
The surprising Vanity Fair article, detailing more of Star Wars‘ grand plan moving forward, features a lot of information to break down. Interviews with people in front of and behind the camera revealed plot details, release dates, casting, and what went into some of the big decisions of the franchise. The following is a concise run-through of all the Star Wars news revealed this week.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
The series will explore the “love-story dynamic” of Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Hayden Christensen wanted to convey “strength” and “imprisonment” with Vader.
Andor
The series focusing on Cassian Andor will premiere on Disney+ in late summer 2022.
Andor is described as a “refugee story, with desperate people fleeing the Empire at the full force of its power.”
The series will explore how Cassian changed from a “revolution-averse” and “cynical” man to the hero who sacrificed himself in Rogue One.
Andor will begin by showing the destruction of Cassian’s home world and then follow him through adulthood. His adopted home will serve as the base for the first season.
Andor is described as a “first season,” hinting that we will see more of the rebel hero in the future.
The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian Season 3 will premiere on Disney+ in late 2022 or early 2023.
Jon Favreau started working on The Mandalorian before even signing a contract. He went as far to write the first four episodes before being formally hired.
Dave Filoni was developing a follow-up series to The Clone Wars about Mandalorians when he joined Jon Favreau to develop The Mandalorian with Kathleen Kennedy’s encouragement.
Filoni had reservations about the inclusion of Baby Yoda. It was a decision that required a lot of “measuring” and “effort.”
Ahsoka
Ahsoka will premiere on Disney+ in 2023. The series recently began production.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is confirmed to play a character in the Ahsoka series.
It is hinted at that the series will feature Grand Admiral Thrawn in his live-action debut.
The Acolyte
Leslye Headland’s Disney+ series will be set in the High Republic era approximately 100 years before The Phantom Menace.
The series will explore how things go to the point of a Sith lord infiltrating the Senate unbeknownst to the Jedi.
The series is described as a mystery thriller set in a prosperous and seemingly peaceful era.
The era in which the show is set is referred to as the Renaissance or the Age of Enlightenment.
Jedi uniforms in the show are gold and white as if “they would never get dirty.”
Other news
A new series codenamed Grammar Rodeo is in development. Created by Jon Favreau and Jon Watts (Spider-Man Homecoming trilogy), the show takes place after Return of the Jedi and is described as a “galactic version of classic Amblin coming-of-age adventure films of the ’80s.”
Rian Johnson’s trilogy is apparently still in development, but is on the back-burner due to Johnson’s other commitments.
Speaking of commitments, Kathleen Kennedy spoke of working on Star Wars projects being more than coming in for a year, shooting something, and leaving. She spoke of wanting creatives, like Jon Favreau, who are willing to dedicate several years to a project.
Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film is likely to be the next theatrically released Star Wars film. It is hinted at that, although the film won’t kick off a trilogy, it will set the stage for where Star Wars on the big screen is heading.
Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron film is further off and unlikely to arrive soon.
Kathleen Kennedy spoke about learning lessons from the struggles of Solo: A Star Wars Story. She acknowledges that some think the movie would have worked better as a TV series, but feels, nonetheless, that recasting the iconic role that is so associated with Harrison Ford may have been a misstep.
A Boba Fett film directed by James Mangold (Logan, Ford vs. Ferrari) was in development prior to Jon Favreau creating The Mandalorian.
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni did not want to make Boba Fett in The Book of Boba Fett too villainous. Instead, they drew inspiration from more calculated and stable characters, like Vito Corleone, trying to build their empire in an even-tempered way.
Kathleen Kennedy stated that the future of Star Wars, at least for the short-term, is largely on Disney+ television shows. Theatrically, the series will move away from trilogies and toward “persistent storytelling.”