During the 2020 Walt Disney Company Investor Day presentation a massive galaxy-sized set of announcements were made about the upcoming releases coming from Disney’s massive media empire. From theatrical and digital releases on Disney+ and beyond there was a lot to uncover.
STAR WARS (Lucasfilm) is one of the main divisions under Disney’s umbrella and there was a lot of news to share.
FEATURE FILMS
Indiana Jones
Lucasfilm is currently in pre-production on the next installment of Indiana Jones. At the helm is James Mangold, director of the Academy Award®-winning “Ford v Ferrari,” and Indy himself, Harrison Ford, will be back to continue his iconic character’s journey. Indy will arrive July 2022.
Children of Blood & Bone
The Lucasfilm catalog is expanding further with a story that will introduce a new hero and explore an original world that feels perfectly paired with Lucasfilm storytelling: Tomi Adeyemi’s New York Times bestselling novel Children of Blood & Bone. The story will center on a young African girl’s heart-racing quest to restore magic to her forsaken people, the Maji. Lucasfilm will partner with 20th Century Studios on this coming-of age adventure.
New Star Wars Feature
A brand-new Star Wars feature with acclaimed filmmaker and Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi is in development. “Taika’s approach to Star Wars will be fresh, unexpected, and…unique,” said Kathleen Kennedy. “His enormous talent and sense of humor will ensure that audiences are in for an unforgettable ride.”
Rogue Squadron
The next Star Wars feature film to hit the big screen will be Rogue Squadron, directed by Patty Jenkins. The story 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. Rogue Squadron arrives in theaters Christmas 2023.
DISNEY+
Ahsoka
After making her long-awaited, live-action debut in “The Mandalorian,” Ahsoka Tano’s story, written by Dave Filoni, will continue in a limited series, Ahsoka, starring Rosario Dawson and executive produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.
Rangers of the New Republic
Set within the timeline of “The Mandalorian,” Rangers of the New Republic is a new live-action series from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni that will intersect with future stories and culminate into a climactic story event.
Andor
Andor, a tense nail-biting spy thriller created by Tony Gilroy, is set to arrive on Disney+ in 2022. Diego Luna, reprising the role of rebel spy Cassian Andor from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” will be joined by a fantastic new cast that includes Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor returns in the iconic role of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for a special event series on Disney+. Officially titled Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series begins 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where he faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. The series is directed by Deborah Chow, who helmed memorable episodes of “The Mandalorian,” Season 1, and features the return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader.
The Bad Batch
The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in “The Clone Wars”) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch—a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army—each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose. This animated series will arrive exclusively on Disney+.
Star Wars: Visions
Presenting all-new, creative takes on the galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: Visions will be a series of animated short films celebrating Star Wars through the lens of the world’s best anime creators. The anthology collection will bring 10 fantastic visions from several of the leading Japanese anime studios, offering a fresh and diverse cultural perspective to Star Wars.
Lando
The galaxy’s favorite scoundrel, Lando Calrissian, will return in Lando, a brand-new event series for Disney+. Justin Simien, creator of the critically-acclaimed “Dear White People” and a huge Star Wars fan, is in the early stages of developing the project.
The Acolyte
Leslye Headland, Emmy Award®-nominated creator of the mind-bending series “Russian Doll,” brings a new Star Wars series to Disney+ with The Acolyte. The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.
A Droid Story
As Lucasfilm continues to develop new stories, the intersection of animation and visual effects offers new opportunities to explore. Lucasfilm Animation is teaming up with Lucasfilm’s visual effects team, Industrial Light & Magic, to develop a special Star Wars adventure film for Disney+, A Droid Story. This epic journey will introduce us to a new hero, guided by legendary duo R2-D2 and C-3PO.
Willow
Willow, set decades after Ron Howard’s 1988 movie, continues the spirit of adventure, heroics and humor of the original film in this new series debuting on Disney+ in 2022. Warwick Davis will return in the role of the great sorcerer, Willow Ufgood, with Jon Chu (director of the groundbreaking “Crazy Rich Asians”) directing the pilot.
But Wait, There’s More!
Check out some of our other coverage from the 2020 Walt Disney Company Investor Day presentation.
- A FULL LOOK: Disney drops more than 100 series and film announcements
- WATCH: Scope ALL the sneak peeks made available from Disney’s upcoming slate!
