The future of Star Wars is on the small screen. At least for now.
While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wrapped up the nine-film Skywalker Saga in a divisive fashion, Lucasfilm is “taking a breath” between Star Wars movies at the moment as they work to sort out what the future of Star Wars films looks like. Development is ongoing on a feature to be directed by Taika Waititi, and three upcoming films were just announced today at this year's Star Wars Celebration in London, but in truth, there’s plenty of action happening on the small screen right now in the Star Wars universe.
The Mandalorian, the first-ever live-action Star Wars TV series, premiered on Disney+ in Fall 2019 to rave reviews from fans and critics alike, and indeed that lit a fire under Lucasfilm’s tail to move forward on more serialized Star Wars stories on the Disney+ streaming service. With high-profile shows in the works and more yet to be announced, we figured we’d round everything up in one handy article so you can take a gander at what’s to come in Star Wars land. Check out our rundown of all the upcoming Star Wars shows currently in the works for Disney+.
The Mandalorian Season 3
Showrunner: Jon Favreau
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Carl Weathers, Omid Abtahi, Emily Swallow, Katy M. O'Brian, Amy Sedaris, Giancarlo Esposito
Release Date: March 1, 2023
Season 2 of The Mandalorian debuted in Fall 2020, but it was already being written when the first season of the Disney+ series began airing and started production shortly thereafter. Per this year's Star Wars Celebration, it was confirmed that the new season will be released in February 2023 on Disney+, after being pushed back from its initial December 2021 release date. The series was eventually released on March 1, 2023 on Disney+ and is set to conclude on April 19 with a total of 8 episodes.
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
Showrunner: Michael Olson
Voice Cast: Jamaal Avery Jr., Emma Berman, Juliet Donenfeld, Dee Bradley Baker, Jonathan Lipow, Piotr Michael
Release Date: May 4, 2023
As Star Wars looks to expand more of its stories into the animated realm, a new children's television series was announced in May 2022. Titled Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, the Disney+ show follows a group of younglings as they train to become Jedi Knights during the era of the High Republic, which is set hundreds of years before the main timeline of Star Wars films. The full-length animated series was announced with Michael Olson and Elliot Bour attached as showrunner and supervising director, with the show's leads, Jamaal Avery Jr. and Emma Berman, confirmed at September 2022's D23 Expo. Six animated shorts introducing the series and its characters are set to premiere on Disney+ on April 26, 2023 and the first two episodes will make their global premiere at this year's Star Wars Celebration before later premiering on Disney+ and Disney Junior on May 4, 2023.
Ahsoka
Developed by: Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau
Cast: Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christensen, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Ivanna Sakhno, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eman Esfandi, Ray Stevenson
Release Window: August 2023
One of two spinoffs of The Mandalorian, the live-action series Ahsoka will star Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano and will take place within the timeline of The Mandalorian as it follows this beloved character in the live-action Star Wars realm. In October 2021, it was confirmed that Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in the series, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo was later cast as Sabine Wren, a character first introduced in the animated show Star Wars Rebels. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Eman Esfandi were also later cast as fan-favorite Rebels characters Hera Syndulla and Ezra Bridger, respectively. Ivanna Sakhno has joined the cast in an undisclosed role, but based on the trailer released at this year's Celebration, she'll likely be on the same side as Ray Stevenson's villainous Baylan, a character of unknown origins. Eagle-eyed fans may have also spotted brief appearances of the characters of Chopper and Grand Admiral Thrawn making their live-action debuts in Ahsoka. Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are attached to develop the series, with Filoni directing multiple episodes including the premiere. A planned release date is set for August 2023.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Creators: Jon Watts and Chris Ford
Cast: Jude Law, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith
Release Window: 2023
In 2022, Lucasfilm announced that Spider-Man Homecoming director Jon Watts and writer Chris Ford were attached to create and executive produce an upcoming Star Wars series, the title of which has since been revealed as Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. The series, which is currently set to take place after Return of the Jedi and during the era of the reconstructive period that follows the Empire's defeat, has been described by Lucasfilm insiders as the galaxy's version of an Amblin Studios-like coming-of-age story, following four kids lost on a planet trying to find their way home. At last year's Star Wars Celebration, it was confirmed that the series is officially in pre-production. Filming began in September 2022, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is currently slated for a 2023 release date.
Andor Season 2
Showrunner: Tony Gilroy
Cast: Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller
Release Date: August 2024
In November 2018, it was announced that Lucasfilm was developing a Rogue One prequel series that would revolve around Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, which would be a “rousing spy thriller.” Stephen Schiff (The Americans) was set as head writer and showrunner, but in April 2020 it was revealed that Tony Gilroy—who famously took over Rogue One in reshoots and basically wrote and directed an entire new third act—was not only joining the series as a director and writer but would also serve as the new showrunner. Schiff remains on the writing staff alongside Gilroy’s brother Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler) and former House of Cards showrunner Beau Willimon. Filming began in 2021, and the series was initially confirmed for two seasons consisting of 12 episodes apiece, with Season 1 premiering on August 31. Season 2 will be set over a span of four years, leading right into the events of Rogue One.
The Acolyte
Showrunner: Leslye Headland
Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva, Joonas Suotamo
Release Window: 2024
In April 2020, Lucasfilm confirmed that Russian Doll creator/showrunner and Sleeping with Other People filmmaker Leslye Headland had been hired to write, direct, and showrun a new series that takes place in a different part of the Star Wars timeline than other projects. The series, described as a mystery-thriller, is called The Acolyte, and will be led by a female character. Set in the final days of the High Republic era and roughly 100 years before The Phantom Menace, the story takes viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers. According to the series' official synopsis, a former Jedi padawan, played by Amandla Stenberg, reunites with her Jedi master, played by Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae, to "investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated." Filming began in October 2022, and the eight-episode series will premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2024.
Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic
The second live-action Mandalorian spinoff to be announced was Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic. This series is also set within the timeline of The Mandalorian, and while no concrete details have been revealed, we're guessing the story will revolve around the Sector Rangers, a sort of intergalactic police force that was established by the Galactic Republic. The show was rumored to revolve around Gina Carano's Cara Dune character, and after Carano was fired off of The Mandalorian, it was announced that Rangers of the New Republic is no longer in active development.
Lando
Showrunner: Justin Simien
In December 2020, Lucasfilm announced that Dear White People creator Justin Simien was in the early stages of developing a limited series about Lando Calrissian aptly named Lando. No mention was made of Donald Glover, who played Lando in the film Solo: A Star Wars Story, so it's unclear if the role will be recast.