The future of Star Wars: A complete guide to upcoming projects
New Star Wars shows in the works
The Mandalorian Season 2
This is the way. The hit Disney+ show that became a global phenomenon last year is set to premiere its second season in October. Season 2 of The Mandalorian is highly anticipated after Season 1’s incredible finale that set up tons of new possibilities.
Helping generate hype for The Mandalorian Season 2 is its reported cast additions: Bo-Katan, Boba Fett, and even Ahsoka Tano are all expected to make cameos, adding a dash of familiar faces to this new story. How easily the Disney+ show weaves in these characters will be crucial to progressing the central story of Mando and The Child.
And Season 2 is far from the end for The Mandalorian, as Variety reports that Season 3 is already in the works. Also, former Disney CEO Bob Iger teased that spinoffs from The Mandalorian universe could be a possibility, giving another way for fans to spend more time with these characters.
The return of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Prequel star Ewan McGregor will reprise his iconic performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new spinoff show. What we know is that the show follows the character after going into hiding on Tatooine following Order 66. This spinoff will be set eight years after Revenge of the Sith. Deborah Chow, who directed two standout episodes of The Mandalorian in Season 1, will helm the Obi-Wan show.
Production on the Disney+ project was supposed to start in August 2020, but after switching writers, the series will begin filming in January 2021.
Cassian Andor’s spinoff
Rogue One co-star Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, will be the focus of his own Disney+ show that explores his background. While we know how Andor’s story ends given Rogue One‘s final moments, his character alluded to a painful past that we will now get to see.
While a release date for the show is unknown, a recent announcement outlined that Rogue One co-writer Tony Gilroy will write, direct, and serve as showrunner for the project. The series will take place five years before the events of Rogue One.
Leslye Headland’s “female-centric” series
Leslye Headland, co-creator of Netflix hit Russian Doll, is developing a “female-centric“ Star Wars series, according to Variety. The show will reportedly take place in a different timeline from other projects. Headland will serve as writer and showrunner for the series.
The Bad Batch
(Editor’s Note: The Bad Batch animated series was announced after publication of this article. You can read more about The Bad Batch series coming in 2021 here.)
Rumors galore
The Star Wars universe is full of rumors about possible projects. It’s usually best to wait for an official announcement — or at least a report from a credible source — before getting excited about something that might not ever come to fruition. Regardless, rumors have been plenty in recent months.
One outlet says Dave Filoni will be the overseer of a plan to release a Star Wars show “every quarter” by mid-2021. Another rumor from a YouTube channel claims a Clone Wars sequel is in “early development.”
Then there’s rumors involving characters from Rebels. Two separate articles noted that Disney is looking for actors to play live-action versions of both Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Again, take these whispers as just that. They could possibly indicate which direction Disney is headed next, but it’s also worth waiting for any kind of official confirmation before believing these projects will come to life.