Star Wars Celebration 2023 is coming to a close, and it’s fair to say we have much to discuss. From movie announcements to exclusive trailers shown only to the lucky attendees. Lucasfilm is not slowing down when it comes to their content on Disney+, and hopefully, the future is bright for Star Wars on the big screen. Let’s dive into some of the big moments at Star Wars Celebration 2023 this year.
Ahsoka First Teaser Trailer
One of the most anticipated series coming to Disney+ is Ahsoka, and we now have our first look at the series. The teaser shows many fan-favorite characters from Star Wars: Rebels in live-action for the first time. Rosario Dawson stars in her series after first appearing in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Dawson is starring alongside Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who is playing Sabine Wren, a co-lead from the animated series Rebels. Bordizzo was announced to be playing her during Celebration last year, and now fans can see her portrayal in the series’ first look. Lucasfilm confirmed a rumor that lasted for a while, and usually, where there is smoke, there is fire when it comes to this. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is playing Hera Syndulla.
We also get glimpses of some new Sith-type characters in the teaser and a hint of the big bad of the series, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn was created during a low point in Star Wars when nothing new was coming out from Lucasfilm. After much speculation, Lars Mikkelsen was confirmed to be the giant threat for the series. Mikkelsen was cast back during Rebels season 3 as Thrawn, and many fans are thrilled he has returned. Celebration fans saw an exclusive extended trailer highlighting more lightsaber action and building anticipation for Ahsoka, which will drop on Disney+ in August.
The Acolyte Exclusive First Look
Lucasfilm is looking to expand the Star Wars world, and another way they are accomplishing this is with The Acolyte. The new series, set to release in 2024 for Disney+, takes place 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. This is also the first TV series set during a new era in the Star Wars timeline called The High Republic. This new era was announced in early 2020 and expanded from roughly 350 to 50 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga. The show is run by Leslye Headland, who previously worked on Russian Doll for Netflix. Headland has been in development for the series for several years, and fans attending Star Wars Celebration got a first look at what the series will be.
Fans who witnessed the footage described seeing many of the cast and a balance of Coruscant and other planets the characters will travel to in the season during the presentation during the opening of Star Wars Celebration. Joonas Suotamo, who played Chewbacca for several Star Wars projects, is confirmed to be playing a Jedi Wookie named Kelnacca. Other cast members, including Amanda Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, and more, talked about their experience and anticipation for the upcoming series.
3 New Star Wars Films Announced
Closing out the Lucasfilm showcase panel that opened Star Wars Celebration 2023 on Friday. The president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, took the time to bring on stage three directors who will helm upcoming Star Wars films for the big screen. James Mangold will be directing a film set in the distant past, following the first force user and exploring the force’s origins in the universe. Mangold also mentioned he is simultaneously working on the script for this film and DC’s Swamp Thing for the new DCU. Dave Filoni, who needs no introduction to Star Wars fans, was announced to be directing a film described as the culmination of the stories being told under his & Jon Favreau’s guidance on Disney+. Filoni was vague on what his film meant for the future of The Mandalorian or Ahsoka, but he also made it clear this film isn’t necessarily the end of them either.
A significant announcement came when Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was announced to be directing a film set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. Obaid-Chinoy got the crowd excited by teasing who would be the Jedi to form a new Jedi order, and with that cue, Daisy Ridley took the stage to applause from the crowd. Ridley, who we haven’t seen in the franchise since 2019, was seen being happy and excited to work on this new project with Obaid-Chinoy. Many speculated we wouldn’t see Rey return for a while now, but Lucasfilm doesn’t want audiences to wait to see Ridley return to the role.
Tales Of The Jedi Season 2 Announcement
In October 2022, Lucasfilm released six short Star Wars stories under the series Tales Of The Jedi. Fans of The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch gravitated to the animation style, and fans responded well to the short stories. During the Clone Wars 15th anniversary panel, Filoni, who worked closely with George Lucas on the series, announced that Season 2 is happening. He also made a point to let the crowd attending the panel, and the live viewers at home know he isn’t the only one contributing the stories to the season.
Filoni is allowing others in the animation department of Lucasfilm to step up to write and direct for the series. No other information was given, but the speculation on what characters we will focus on has already started online. With Season 1 primarily focusing on Ahsoka and Count Dooku, it’s presumed that Season 2 will follow two different characters.
For more information from Celebration, make sure to visit Star Wars official website. Star Wars Celebration isn’t expected to happen again until 2025, but there will be plenty of Star Wars news to discuss from now till then.