We were treated to a lot of huge announcements during Disney's Investor Day, but Lucasfilm gave Marvel Studios a run for their money with some major Star Wars reveals. Among the biggest was the news that Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins is taking the helm of a Rogue Squadron movie.
It's clearly a passion project for the filmmaker, and during a recent interview with IGN, Jenkins confirmed that this adventure will feature an original story rather than being based on the games.
Despite that, it will still be take some cues from those and the many novels featuring these pilots.
"[In the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie] we're doing something original with great influence from the games and the books. There's a lot of things being acknowledged and understood about the greatness of all of those things, but yes, it's an original story and I'm so psyched to do it."
Rogue Squadron was recently given a December 2023 release date, and while it's likely to be a while before we hear anything more about the next Star Wars movie - which we're guessing won't have the "A Star Wars Story"-style title after Solo flopped - it's great to see the franchise getting back on track.
Which characters are you hoping to see when Jenkins heads to a Galaxy Far, Far Away?
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biggest Star Wars reveals from Disney's Investor Day!
5. The Acolyte
We've known for a while that Leslye Headland, the Emmy Award-nominated creator of Netflix's Russian Doll, is developing a Star Wars TV series for Disney+. For a time, it looked like she's be tasked with bringing Ahsoka Tano back to the streaming service, but it's actually something very different!
The Acolyte is described as "a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era."
The High Republic era is one we know Lucasfilm is prioritising in terms of novels and comic books, so the fact that we're now getting a TV show is a definite surprise. Here's hoping we get to see a younger Yoda in action because it's already been confirmed that he'll be part of the upcoming comic books.
4. Lando Calrissian Is Getting His Own "Event" Series
This was one of the biggest announcements to come out of Lucasfilm's presentation, but also frustratingly vague. Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that everyone’s favourite scoundrel Lando Calrissian will return in a brand-new "event series" on Disney+.
The creator of the critically-acclaimed Dear White People, Justin Simien, is developing the show, and...well, that's all we know. We're assuming it's going to be a live-action project, but there's no word on whether Donald Glover will be returning to the role after playing Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story or if it's going to put the spotlight on Billy Dee Williams' older version of the hero.
Either way, it's impossible not to be excited about what this series could ultimately entail.
3. A Droid Story In The Works From ILM
The Bad Batch got an action-packed sizzle reel during Disney's Investor Day, but it wasn't the only animated series to receive the spotlight. Star Wars: Visions is billed as a series of animated short films celebrating Star Wars through the lens of the world’s best anime creators.
However, the show that really jumped out at us is A Droid Story. Developed by Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light & Magic, it's going to introduce us to a new hero, guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO.
We're assuming that will make use of state-of-the-art effects, possibly with photorealistic visuals. Either way, it sounds like it's going to be something really special, and we can't wait for this one.
2. The World Of The Mandalorian Expands
We're one week away from the season finale of The Mandalorian, and it became clear last night that Lucasfilm has bigger plans for this corner of the Galaxy Far, Far Away than we may have suspected.
Two spinoffs have been announced, starting with Ahsoka. Written by Dave Filoni and executive produced by him and Jon Favreau, it will see Rosario Dawson reprise the role of the Jedi Knight. Rangers of the New Republic, meanwhile, comes from the same creative team and will "intersect with future stories and culminate into a climactic story event."
This is clearly all building to some sort of massive crossover event, likely featuring everything from the battle to retake Mandalore to the long awaited return of Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
1. Patty Jenkins Is Directing Rogue Squadron
Taikia Waititi remains hard at work on a Star Wars movie Kathleen Kennedy describes as "fresh, unexpected, and...unique." However, the big announcement is Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron.
The Wonder Woman helmer will "introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy." It sounds awesome, and it's clearly a passion project for the filmmaker.
The movie is set to be released Christmas 2023, and Kennedy would go on to describe Jenkins as "a visionary who knows how to strike the balance between action and heart, and I can’t wait to see what she does in the Star Wars galaxy."