This week saw the end of the animated series Star Wars Rebels and with it, the end of any current Star Wars series on television… for now. We know that Lucasfilm has some projects in mind for the future with the new direct-to-consumer platform Disney has planned for the near future. Today, the studio announced that they’ve found a writer and producer for one of those prospective live-action series for the upcoming subscriber-based network. Jon Favreau has signed on to executive produce and write the new series and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy can’t wait for him to begin:
“I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform. Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe. This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”
Favreau has collaborated with Disney several times over the last decade – he launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe as director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2. He’s also directed and produced The Jungle Book and currently working on The Lion King (2019). He’s also no stranger to the Star Wars universe, he’s provided his voice to Star Wars: The Clone Wars as Pre Vizsla and will appear as an alien in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story. Obviously, Favreau is excited to begin working within the Star Wars universe, having this to say about the news:
“If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.”
While Favreau hasn’t exactly had much TV experience, he has directed several episodes here and there of series like Revolution, The Office, The Orville, and the pilot episode of Young Sheldon. His history with Disney gives him some stability with the Mouse as they know what they’re getting with Favreau, and he knows what they’re expecting and likely won’t cause any “creative differences” like we’ve seen with directors working with Disney in the past. He’s a skilled director and actor so I think the Star Wars series is safe in his hands, but at the same time, we likely won’t see much risk tasking with his series as we saw with director Rian Johnson’s vision of the franchise in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
No additional information was released regarding release date or plot or even setting of the series, but it is still very early in the production of this new series.
