After being delayed by COVID-19 for two years, the latest Star Wars Celebration convention was held this weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Here’s a day-by-day rundown of all the big reveals from the convention, including Disney+ shows, comic books, video games, and much, much more:
Thursday, May 26:
– Lucasfilm’s Studio Showcase revealed the trailer for the Andor series, set to hit Disney+ on August 31. The series explores the early beginnings of the Rebellion, with Diego Luna reprising his role as Cassian Andor from Rogue One, alongside Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma. It will also star Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller. Rogue One co-writer Tony Gilroy created the series and serves as showrunner, while Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, Succession) will compose the score.
– Lucasfilm then announced that The Mandalorian will return for its third season in February 2023, and that Ahsoka will premiere later next year. Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Jon Favreau, and Dave Filoni’s reportedly Amblin-esque Disney+ series was revealed as being titled Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Set during The Mandalorian‘s time frame, it “will center around a group of children lost in space,” as they try to find their way home, and co-star Jude Law. It will also hit the streamer in 2023.
– After the showcase, Kathleen Kennedy spoke to various outlets, and confirmed to Total Film that Taika Waititi’s project has progressed ahead of Patty Jenkins’s Rogue Squadron, meaning it will be the Star Wars film releasing later next year. Additionally, she told Empire magazine to expect the movies to progress the timeline, stating “The sequel era is what we talk a lot about in terms of where we’re going with our movies, and just how far out from that we’ll go. That’s very much the space we’re concentrating on.”
– Marvel announced a relaunch of the ongoing “Star Wars: The High Republic” comic, and a new limited series. “Star Wars: The High Republic” will bring back writer Cavan Scott and artist Ario Anindito for a new story set 150 years before the first volume, set on the Force-rich planet of Jedha. Issue #1 is due out this October. Meanwhile, writer Charles Soule and artist Marco Castiello will team up for the four-issue miniseries “Star Wars: The High Republic – The Blade,” focused on Jedi-turned-cook Porter Engle, otherwise known as the Blade of Bardotta. “The Blade” #1 is due out in November.
– It was revealed Dark Horse’s first all-ages comic in The High Republic series will be “The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror,” written by George Mann with art by Eduardo Mello and Ornella Savarese. It was not stated when it would be released, or what exactly it would be about. Various new novels, an audio story also penned by Mann, and excerpts from the upcoming Art of the High Republic were additionally unveiled at The High Republic panel.
Friday, May 27:
– Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts released the trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to 2019’s video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The game, due out on current-gen consoles next year, will continue the story of Cameron Monaghan’s Cal Kestis in 9 BBY, five years after the events of the first game. It was also announced 2004’s Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords will be released on the Nintendo Switch on June 8, 2022.
– Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, the first Star Wars series for preschoolers, was announced. The show, which will air on Disney+ and Disney Junior in Spring 2023, will be a full-length animated series that follows a group of Jedi younglings during the High Republic era. Executive producer James Waugh, showrunner Michael Olson, supervising director Elliot Bour, and consulting producer Lamont Magee discussed the show during the Celebration livestream, where they were keen to stress adults won’t be bored by the show, and cited Akira Kurosawa as an influence on the artwork.
– Another LEGO Star Wars special, LEGO Star Wars: Summer Vacation, will be released on Disney+ on Friday, August 5. Set after Episode IX, the cartoon will see the surviving heroes go on a vacation, which goes predictably awry. It will feature characters from the whole saga, but Finn will be “front and center.” Yvette Nicole Brown will reprise her role as the New Republic’s starfighter pilot Lt. Valeria, who she previously voiced in LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures.
Continued belowSaturday, May 28:
– Marvel will publish “Star Wars: Yoda,” a ten-issue maxiseries starring the Jedi Grand Master. Set shortly before The Empire Strikes Back, the comic will see him reflect on three different eras of his life. The first arc, by writer Cavan Scott and artist Nico Leon, will be set during the High Republic, while the second, by Jody Houser and Luke Ross, will feature a young Count Dooku. Marc Guggenheim and Alessandro Miracolo will helm the final arc of the series, which begins October 2022.
– Dave Filoni unveiled Tales of the Jedi, an animated anthology of short films, spotlighting various members of the prequel trilogy era Jedi. Ahsoka and Count Dooku will be the subject of three films each. Confirmed cast members include Janina Gavankar as Ahsoka’s mother; Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn; and Neeson’s son Micheál Richardson as a younger version of his father’s character. The series will premiere on Disney+ this fall.
– An extended sizzle reel for The Mandalorian season 3 was shown, revealing several Anzellans — possibly including The Rise of Skywalker‘s Babu Frik — will appear. The footage also revealed Din Djarin will be banished from the Tribe; he and Grogu are getting an astromech droid; the return of several supporting characters like Greef Karga, Captain Carson Teva, and Doctor Pershing; and finally, a confrontation with Bo-Katan Kryze, who is bitter about Din gaining the Darksaber. He informs her, “I am going to Mandalore so that I may be forgiven for my transgressions.”
– At the panel for the live-action Ahsoka series, it was confirmed the show will function as a continuation of Star Wars Rebels, with Natasha Liu Bordizzo appearing to discuss her role as Sabine Wren, while lead actress Rosario Dawson brought Chopper to the stage to announce his inclusion. In the series finale of Rebels, Ahsoka and Sabine set off to find lead protagonist Ezra Bridger, who had disappeared into hyperspace with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Footage revealed Hera Syndulla will make an appearance, although it did not show who is playing her.
Sunday, May 29:
The trailer for Star Wars: The Bad Batch season two, continuing the story of Clone Force 99 and Omega, was released. It reveals Wookiee Jedi youngling Gungi, who was introduced in The Clone Wars, will make a return, as will the Emperor himself. Season two will premiere sometime in Fall 2022. It was also announced a second volume of the animated anthology Star Wars: Visions will be released in Spring 2023, and that this time, it will feature work from studios around the world, instead of just Japan.
Finally, it was announced Celebration will return next year at the ExCeL Center in London, England, during the weekend of April 7-10. Stay tuned for a Force Ghost Coast to Coast bonus podcast discussing all the news, which will go live tomorrow at 9am Eastern Time. In the meantime, head to StarWars.com’s news page and the saga’s official YouTube channel for anything else you might have missed from the event.
