This year’s iteration of Star Wars Celebration, an event held every 1-2 years to promote new Star Wars material and gather fans, took place April 7-10 in London, keeping fans undoubtedly satisfied in terms of news for upcoming projects. Several new projects, including films, were announced, as well as updates on new seasons of fan-favorite shows like “The Bad Batch” and “Andor.” With that said, let’s dive into everything from Celebration that got fans buzzing last weekend:
Three new movies are in development, including a “Mandalorian” tie-in directed by Dave Filoni and another with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey
The first Star Wars movie since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” was announced last weekend, with some really exciting involvement behind them. These movies will not be connected in trilogy format or at all, seemingly having the only similarity of taking place in the Star Wars Universe. One of the films is to be directed by James Mangold, who also directed the upcoming “Indiana Jones” film, which will hit theaters this summer.
Also included in the film run is a “Mandalorian” tie-in directed by Star Wars juggernaut and fan-favorite Dave Filoni. Filoni, known for his heavy involvement in “The Clone Wars” and “The Mandalorian,” has yet to be involved with any of the Star Wars film projects, so this debut has many fans incredibly excited. His movie will connect “The Mandalorian” with the upcoming “Ahsoka,” finally bringing these beloved characters to the big screen (ok, fine, Ahsoka was technically on the big screen with 2008’s “Clone Wars” movie, but we like to pretend that didn’t happen).
Most shockingly of the movie news comes the announcement of a Rey-centered film, ushering in the return of Daisy Ridley. Set 15 years after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker,” the film will follow Rey as she attempts to foster a new generation of Jedi. After Rey’s bittersweet (and for many fans, bewildering) end to her sequel character arc, hopefully, this film will provide some closure for Rey’s biggest fans (and, who are we kidding, it will be nice to see her again if you enjoyed her presence in the sequel trilogy).
Andor Season 2 has a teaser trailer
“Andor,” one of the best-received of the Disney+ Star Wars shows, isn’t set to premiere its second season until 2024, but Celebration attendees were treated to an exclusive look. The show, an origin story of “Rogue One’s” Cassian Andor and his rebellious journey, premiered its first season in September of last year, and received glowing reviews from fans and critics alike, despite an apparent lack of viewership.
Footage of this year’s “Skeleton Crew” was revealed
“Skeleton Crew,” a "Goonies”-inspired coming-of-age Disney+ series starring Jude Law, takes place around the same time as “The Mandalorian” and is set to be released later this year, although no footage has been released to the public. Fans present at Celebration, however, were given a first look at the new show. The series will center around a ragtag group of teenagers exploring the galaxy after the reign of the Empire has fallen.
Fans learned more about the upcoming “The Acolyte”
“The Acolyte,” a Disney+ series taking place before the prequel era, will explore a rarely seen era of Star Wars in which the Jedi have the upper hand. Celebration attendees were given a first look at the series, and a few hints about the cast’s characters were dropped. Joonas Suotano, who has played Chewbacca in the most recent films, will be returning as a Wookiee Jedi, Jodie Turner-Smith revealed that her character is a neither Jedi nor Sith Force-user and Rebecca Henderson will portray the popular book character Vernestra Rwoh, who is appearing on screen for the first time. Amandla Stenberg and Manny Jacinto, known for their roles in *The Hate U Give” and The Good Place,” respectively, are also part of the cast and appeared at Celebration.
A trailer for “Ahsoka” dropped
The long-awaited “Ahsoka,” a series centering around Rosario Dawson’s portrayal of the fan-favorite character, is finally coming to Disney+ this August, and the worldwide premiere of the trailer has “Clone Wars,” “Rebels” and “Mandalorian” fans alike incredibly excited. Lars Mikkelson, who voiced another fan-favorite, Thrawn, in “Rebels,” will be reprising his role in this series, brought to live-action for the first time. The plot seems to be mainly a follow-up to “Rebels,” introducing live-action versions of Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla, the latter of which will be played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Plot points from the book “Heir to the Empire” will also be present.
“The Bad Batch” will return for a third and final season
After delighting fans of the animated shows with the story of a ragtag group of clones, “The Bad Batch” will end with its third and final season. An exclusive trailer was shown to fans at Celebration, teasing what’s to come after the surprising Season 2 finale, including the return of Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand.
Animated shows “Tales of the Jedi” and “Visions” will be getting second seasons
Finally, an announcement came for a second season of the animated anthology series “Tales of the Jedi,” and a trailer was released for the second season of “Visions.” “Tales of the Jedi” premiered its first season in October of last year, and was well-received by fans. “Visions,” which exists outside of canon, allowing other international animation studios their own creative liberties, will start its second season on Disney+ on May 4, Star Wars Day.
