At the Star Wars Celebration fan convention in London, Lucasfilm made a major series of announcements on the future of “Star Wars.” Three new features are on the way, recruiting directors Dave Filoni and James Mangold, and four series, including “Ahsoka.” Produced by Jon Favreau and writer Filoni, the series will follow Anakin Skywalker’s beloved Togruta padawan, Ahsoka Tano. The highly anticipated event is set to premiere in August on Disney+.
“Star Wars” viewers ‘were first introduced to Ahsoka in 2008, in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated film. The film was first commissioned as an introductory arc to the TV series of the same name, which follow Ahsoka as she learned from her mentor, Anakin Skywalker, who will become Darth Vader.
Quickly Ahsoka became a “Star Wars” favorite. The character returned six years later in the “Star Wars Rebels” animated series, now a powerful Jedi warrior.
Ahsoka came to live-action “Star Wars” in Season 2 of “The Mandalorian,” with Rosario Dawson debuting in the role. A live-action series starring Dawson was announced soon after.
Canonically, Ahsoka left the Jedi Order before receiving her official rank as knight. Her exact relationship among other Jedi remains largely unexplored in existing “Star Wars” stories.
During the “Ahsoka” panel at “Star Wars” celebration, Dawson reassured “Rebels” fans that the series would “definitely” serve as a continuation of the animated series.
“These characters are in really different places in their lives,” Dawson told Variety. “There is an aspect to the hero’s journey that is very lonely. You sacrifice a lot when you’re out there fighting the good fight. It’s going to be really beautiful and revelatory to see the things that can happen when you work in community, when you find those relationships and the people that you can trust.”
Ahsoka’s mentor Anakin Skywalker is reprised by Hayden Christensen, who played the role in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy directed by George Lucas. Other “Rebels” and “Clone Wars” favorites also make returns — including David Tennant as the voice of the droid Huyang. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is taking over the role of Hera Syndulla, who appeared in “Rebels.”
Winstead revealed at the panel that fans will continue to learn even more about the general. “She commands a lot of respect, which is very cool to get to play on top of being this mother figure who really takes care of her crew and her loved ones and her family. She is very, very similar to what we’ve seen of her on ‘Rebels,’” said Winstead.
Lars Mikkelsen brings the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn to life, reprising his voice role from “Rebels” in a live-action capacity. The blue-skinned villain has emerged as a fan-favorite among the “Star Wars” fanbase after first debuting in novels in the 1990’s. Mikkelsen’s casting reveal was one of the biggest smashes among fans at Star Wars Celebration, as the actor has been long celebrated for his voice performance in the role. Mikkelsen shared that the make-up process for the role usually takes two to three hours ahead of shooting.
Other antagonists include Shin Hati and Baylan, portrayed by Ivanna Sakhno and Ray Stevenson, respectively.
In addition to returning characters and cast members, the series enlisted a few of the franchise’s beloved directors, including Filoni, Steph Green (“The Book of Boba Fett”), Geeta Patel (“The Mandalorian”) and Rick Famuyiwa (“The Mandalorian”). Joining the veteran “Star Wars” directors include Dawson, Peter Ramsey (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”) and Jennifer Getzinger (“Mad Men”).
Filoni, who directed for the franchise’s “Rebels,” “The Clone Wars,” “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Tales of the Jedi,” tells Variety that he has directed more than one episode in the series. But the director is staying quiet on how many episodes are in the new series and whether or not there are plans for a second season.
Franchise favorite composer, Kevin Kiner, who worked on “The Clone Wars,” “Rebels” and “The Bad Batch” animation productions, is returning to “Star Wars” for “Ahsoka.”
Amon Warmann contributed to this report.