DIE hard Star Wars fans gathered at this weekend’s Star Wars Celebration Europe (SWCE) in London went in expecting some news and surprises, and left with a lot to be excited for.
Despite the popularity and success of Star Wars shows on Disney+ like The Mandalorian, Andor, and Obi Wan Kenobi, the popular franchise has been missing in action from the big screen since 2019’s less than enthusiastically received The Rise of Skywalker.
At this year’s event, three new movies were announced: a story set 15 years after the events of that movie, featuring Rey, the heroine of the last trilogy; a story set thousands of years in the distant past about the origins of the Jedi; and the final movie will be a culmination of the stories being explored on the Disney+ shows.
The first project will be the first film in the cinematic universe to be directed by a woman, Pakistan-born Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy – though to give credit where it’s due, the Obi Wan show was entirely directed by a woman as well, Deborah Chow.
Obaid-Chinoy will direct Daisy Ridley as she returns to the role of Rey, who is now tasked with rebuilding the Jedi Order that has been left decimated over the course of the series, falling from its height during the prequels.
Obaid-Chinoy, who has two Oscars for documentaries denouncing violence against women, said she was "drawn to the hero's journey" in the Star Wars universe.
"I spent the better part of my lifetime meeting real heroes who are overcoming oppressive regimes and battling impossible odds and I think that's the heart of Star Wars," she said.
Obaid-Chinoy had directed episodes of last year's Ms. Marvel television series on Disney+, which features a Muslim superhero.
James Mangold, most famous for directing the superhero epic Logan, featuring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, is working on the film about the origins of the Jedi. In an interview he mentions being inspired by biblical epics.
It’s a bit of a lateral move for him, as he is currently shepherding the much anticipated Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, due for release this June – and whose trailer was also released in time with SWCE.
The third film announced will be directed by Dave Filoni, a veteran in the Star Wars universe, responsible for building up the popular animated properties The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, before transitioning to live action with the wildly successful The Mandalorian, now in its third season.
Building on that, Filoni is the showrunner for the upcoming Disney+ show Ashoka, featuring Rosario Dawson as the female Jedi warrior who first appeared in an animated series, and that he created.
A new epic trailer for the show played at the SWCE event and was made available online. It serves as a sequel of sorts to Star Wars: Rebels and will likely connect with the other ongoing shows before culminating in the movie Filoni will be directing.
Other projects in the works include the second season of Andor, which is currently in production and is eyeing an August 2024 release date. A teaser for another Disney+ show, The Acolyte was shown to fans at SWCE, but probably won’t make it online. However, series stars Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae of Squid Game met with fans.
The one note of hesitation for fans is since Rise of Skywalker, plenty of Star Wars projects were announced to much fanfare, only to be quietly cancelled.
Rian Johnson, who directed 2017’s contentious The Last Jedi was supposed to create a trilogy, but that went nowhere. David Benioff and DB Weiss, the showrunners of Game of Thrones, also had a trilogy in the works. Marvel boss Kevin Feige had a script commissioned, but that fizzled. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins made an announcement video for a Rogue Squadron film, but nothing came out of that.
On top of that, fans will have to wait until at least 2025 for any of the films to be released. – The Vibes, April 8, 2023
