It’s been almost four years since a Star Wars film has been released in theaters, but the long-running franchise has been making its mark on television.
Fans of tales from a galaxy far, far away learned more about Disney’s plans for the franchise during the company’s D23 Expo on Saturday.
Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm, took the stage at the D23 Expo to share new details about Lucasfilm’s Star Wars projects as well as other franchises under its umbrella, including Willow and Indiana Jones.
Here’s a breakdown of what audiences can expect from Lucasfilm in the coming years:
Star Wars
Kennedy introduced several members of the cast of “Andor,” which arrives on Disney+ Sept. 21. Diego Luna stars as Cassian Andor, reprising his role from 2016’s “Rogue One,” and is an executive producer on the project. Genevieve O’Reilly also returns as Mon Mothma.
The series, which Kennedy described as a spy thriller, takes place five years before the events of “Rogue One.”
Additional cast members include Adria Arjona as Bix, an on-and-off again love interest of Cassian, and Kyle Soller as Syril, a villainous member of the Galactic Empire.
Dave Filoni, who ushered in a new age of Star Wars animation with “Clone Wars,” revealed a trailer for “Tales of the Jedi,” a series of six animated shorts, three focused on Ahsoka Tano and three on Count Dooku. Each short takes place at a different point in each charaters’ life, bringing back characters like Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu.
Jon Favreau, Filoni’s partner on “The Mandalorian” series, arrived to discuss the live-action “Ahsoka” series starring Rosario Dawson in the title role and share details on other projects the Lucasfilm team is working on.
Favreau announced that Jon Watts, who directed “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” is helming “Skeleton Crew,” an upcoming Disney+ show set in the New Republic, along side Chris Ford. The series stars Jude Law and follows a group of four kids as they try to make their way home. Little else was shared about the project, which is currently in production.
To celebrate the third season of “The Mandalorian,” Filoni and Favreau brought out fellow executive producer Rick Famuyiwa alongside the cast, including Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, Amy Sedaris and Giancarlo Esposito. Lucasfilm provided a teaser for the new season, which promises even more armored Mandalorians, high-octane action and lots of the child known as Grogu.
The next season arrives on Disney+ in 2023.
Indiana Jones
James Mangold the director of the fifth “Indiana Jones” showed footage of the next installment in the franchise, which features Harrison Ford in the title role. The action-packed clips showcased epic car chases and Ford racing through a subway on horseback.
Ford, who was visibly emotional while on stage, received a standing ovation and said the new “Indiana Jones” is “a movie that will kick your a–.”
He also noted that this will be he last turn as the archeologist adventurer saying, with a laugh, “I will not fall down for you again.”
The film, which also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, arrives in cinemas on June 30, 2023.
Willow
Warwick Davis, reprising his role as Willow, took the stage alongside Christian Slater and other members of the cast of “Willow” to share a trailer for the new Disney+ series. The new show is a sequel to the 1988 cult classic of the same name.
