Lucasfilm has wanted to create a live-action Star Wars television series ever since 2005. As fans may know, the company spent years toying with an idea called Underworld, but unfortunately, that never saw the light of day.
Now that Disney’s in charge of that galaxy far, far away, though, they’ve tasked Iron Man director Jon Favreau with putting together the first non-animated Star Wars show for their new streaming service, and according to Omega Underground, filming may begin as soon as this fall. An exact date wasn’t given, but that’s only a few months away now and as such, we should start learning more in the not too distant future.
Recently, Favreau revealed his series will be set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This is a period in canon that, thus far, has only been explored in games, novels and comics, so it’ll definitely be interesting to dive into it here. Plot-wise, there aren’t many more details available other than that, but fans can at least take solace in the fact that Lucasfilm’s first live-action Star Wars series is in safe hands – not only has the filmmaker cut his teeth in the blockbuster department, but he’s also well versed in the franchise, having lent his voice to The Clone Wars all those years ago.
Furthermore, this new series also provides an excellent opportunity for diversity behind the scenes. Disney and Lucasfilm stress it on screen, but both companies have been criticized in the past for selecting a white male to helm their new live-action TV venture. With the cast and crew still mostly empty though, there will be many opportunities for women and people of color to help make Star Wars history here and help bring Favreau’s show to life in time for its debut in the Fall of 2019. As always, watch this space for more.
