I’m a life-long Star Wars fan, having seen Empire Strikes Back in the theaters as a boy. I’m dispositioned to enjoy the Mandalorian, is what I’m saying.
But what makes my heart swell is how much my wife and daughters enjoy the show. They love it! We watch it as a family every Friday night and they talk about it the rest of the week, anticipating the next episode. It’s a gift.
The gifts keep coming. Disney recently had their investor report and they outlined all the upcoming shows that will be appearing on Disney+. You might say that it’s a bounty of gifts. Read on.
Mandalorian (Season 3)
Fall 2020 brought us Season 2 of The Mandalorian, a new episode dropping every Friday, providing a moment of joy in a bleak 2020. But season 2 was already being written by Jon Favreau when the first season of the Disney+ series began airing, so it was able to start production before COVID could fully monkey with the plans.
So what of season 3? Lucasfilm announced that it will be released at Christmas 2021, so a bit more of a wait. The good news is there will be Baby Yoda toys in the meantime.
We’ll update this as details come available. For now, we’re assuming Favreau will again do the bulk of the writing with Dave Filoni providing support.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
We knew there was an Obi-Wan Kenobi series and that Ewan McGregor would play the lead. What we recently learned at the Disney investor report was that Hayden Christensen would make a return to the Star Wars franchise in the new series.
It takes place 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, yet prior to A New Hope. Christensen’s return to Star Wars is an unexpected surprise, especially with McGregor hinting that the two will face off again over the course of the series.
It starts filming in early 2021, with what we assume is a 2022 release.
- Showrunner: Joby Harold | Writing: Joby Harold
- Cast: Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen
- Release Date: TBD
Ahsoka Tano
Following her amazing live-action debut in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka will get a standalone limited series, helmed by The Clone Wars and Rebels creator Dave Filoni and Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau.
Again starring Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka, it takes place during the same timeline as The Mandalorian, so we can assume we’ll follow Ahsoka on her hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn.
This is amazing news, nerds. Absolutely amazing.
- Showrunner: Filoni / Favreau | Writing: Filoni / Favreau
- Cast: Rosario Dawson
- Release Date: TBD
Rangers of the New Republic
Wait, there’s more! Filoni and Favreau will develop a second show set during the same timeline as The Mandalorian. This one will be called Rangers of the New Republic and Disney hinted that all three series by Favreau/Filoni will be interconnected. Will there be a crossover event?
We’re guessing the story will revolve around the Sector Rangers, a sort of intergalactic police force that was established by the Galactic Republic.
- Showrunner: Filoni / Favreau | Writing: Filoni / Favreau
- Cast: Unknown
- Release Date: TBD
Andor
We’ve known since 2018 that Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk would return to the Star Wars universe in Andor, a prequel series to Rogue One that follows Cassian Andor and K-2SO.
The 12 episode series is described as a “rousing spy thriller.” Tony Gilroy—who famously took over Rogue One in reshoots—joined the series as writer and showrunner.
- Showrunner: Tony Gilroy | Writing: Tony Gilroy
- Cast: Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Stellan Skarsgard, Kyle Soller, Genevieve O’Reilly, Fiona Shaw, and Denise Gough.
- Release Date: 2022
Lando
Disney announced the smooth-talking smuggler will return to the small screen on Disney+, though little more is known beyond that. Most significantly, no mention was made of Donald Glover, who played Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story, so it’s unclear if the role will be recast.
No Glover? Fans will riot.
- Showrunner: Justin Simien | Writing: Justin Simien
- Cast: Unknown…
- Release Date: TBD
The Acolyte
The High Republic takes place hundreds of years before the Phantom Menace. The Acolyte will mark the era’s live-action debut.
Disney reported that The Acolyte will be a mystery-thriller that takes place near the end of the High Republic and the story takes viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers. It will be led by a female character.
- Showrunner: Leslye Headland | Writing: Leslye Headland
- Cast: Unknown
- Release Date: TBD
The Bad Batch (Animated)
Lucasfilm announced a new animated series called Star Wars: The Bad Batch that will be a reappearance of characters from the beloved animated series The Clone Wars. The team of rogue Clone Troopers will return for adventures that take place following the events of Revenge of the Sith.
- Executive Producer: Dave Filoni
- Release Date: TBD
Rogue Squadron (Film)
Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins joins Star Wars as the first woman to direct a film in the franchise. It is set to release on Christmas 2023. Little more is known but we can speculate based upon the title.
Untitled Taika Waititi Project (Film)
Fan-fav director Taika Waititi will take on a new untitled Star Wars film. Waititi played IG-11 in The Mandalorian and directed the final episode of its first season, but he’s a little busy with Thor: Love and Thunder right now.
The Book of Boba Fett
We placed this one at the bottom so as not to spoil the ending of season 2 of The Mandalorian. But by now everyone has either seen the after-credits scene or have heard the chatter about it.
Yes, Star Wars fans are getting a show that featured Boba Fett. Little 9-year-old me is still in disbelief, as I never would have imagined those decades ago that all the things above would ever come to pass.
The Book of Boba Fett will be set within the timeline of The Mandalorian and star Temuera Morrison as Fett, along with Ming-Na Wen as sharpshooter Fennec Shand. Robert Rodriguez — who directed Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian, the kick-butt episode that fully reintroduced Boba Fett to the Star Wars galaxy — joins Favreau and Dave Filoni as executive producer.
- Showrunner: Jon Favreau | Executive Producer: Dave Filoni and Robert Rodriguez
- Cast: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen
- Release Date: December 2021
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