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The rumors have become certainties, and months of speculation about the return of Star Wars to the big screen have resulted in a triple announcement before more than 5,000 fans. Dave Filoni and James Mangold will direct two new Star Wars films, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy revealed at the opening event of the Star Wars Celebration in London this weekend. "After jumping between different space-time lines, we want to go back to the past to properly explore the present and future of the galaxy," he explained this morning.

Taking a biblical tone and starting from an idea similar to the first scripts of Game of Thrones, Mangold's film will date back to the dawn of the Jedi Order, 25,000 years before The Phantom Menace. Filoni's project will focus, instead, on the New Republic, and aims to "close" the interconnected stories that address series such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett or the expected Ahsoka.

Lucasfilm presents the new film projects of 'Star Wars'. Disney

The mid-term plans of the franchise also include a feature film about the founding of a new Jedi Order, three decades after the episodes narrated in the sequel trilogy of the saga. This film is, in fact, the one that generates the most expectation after it was revealed that the rebellious Rey, played by Daisy Ridleywill return turned into a Jedi master. The irruption of Ridley on the stage of the Star Wars Celebration has generated the biggest ovation of this Friday.

Directed by six Emmy and two Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, this as-yet-untitled production will mark several milestones in the franchise. Obaid-Chinoy is the first woman and the first person of color to helm a Star Wars movie. Her feminine vision will outline the new facet of a character already known to the public, and will promote an initiatory story signed by Steven Knight, screenwriter of Peaky Blinders and Spencer.

Since 2019, no films had been announced within the Star Wars canon. Despite the success of Episodes VII, VIII and IX, the failure to host the spin-offsHan Solo and Rogue One made a dent in a company that lately bets on fattening its offer of series in order to diversify the public and attract new viewers, not necessarily raised in starwarsmania.

NEW PROJECTS AT DISNEY+

Not only films are glimpsed on the horizon of Star Wars: 2023 and 2024 will be prolific years for the saga in television terms. The creators and producers of Lucasfilm have given fans some unreleased images, as well as the premiere of the trailers of new series that will soon be available on Disney+.

Among the most anticipated is Ahsoka, the production of John Favreau and Dave Filoni on the padawan of Anakin Skywalker. This will jump from the animated universe of Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels to real action, a major challenge assumed by Rosario Dawson. The protagonist thanked her colleagues for helping her "give life to this baby", whose premiere is scheduled for August on the streaming platform.

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Andor, considered by critics the best Star Wars series to date, will have a second season that is still in the process of filming and will see the light in 2024. "After the season finale, we know where we want to go on a plot and emotional level," said director Tony Gilroy. Diego Luna recalled that the first time he set foot in London with Lucasfilm was during the Rogue One presentation tour: "It's incredible to be part of this community and experience again all the love we received with Andor."

Leslie Headland has also presented the first images of The Acolyte, whose approach is essentially reminiscent of Cobra Kai. "It's a kind of Frozen mixed with Kill Bill," summarized the director, laughing. Headland insisted that he has kept the prequels of the saga in mind in the conception of the project: "When I was a teenager, the world of Star Wars changed my life. I grew up watching the magnificent work of George Lucas."

Inspired by Kurosawa's films, the series is premised on "a spiritual war between brothers, between masters and apprentices," immersing itself in the everyday reality of the Jedi Order. The Acolyte will finish filming in May, so it won't be released until 2024, and stars Amandla Stenberg and South Korean star Lee Jung-jae.

A final announcement that has revolutionized fans is that of Skeleton Crew -created by John Watts-, which is already in post-production. The trailer already reveals a striking connection to The Mandalorian. Its protagonist, Jude Law, has received on stage his young co-stars, who immediately connected with the audience: Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter and Robert Timothy Smith. "Like these guys, I was six years old when the galaxy came into my life, and my head blew up. I've been preparing ever since," Law said.

The protagonists of 'Skeleton Crew' at Star Wars Celebration.Disney

The story "about a group of children who live a great adventure" and who will discover "that everything is more dangerous than it seems" follows the same storyline as Stranger Things. Among its creators are Bryce Dallas Howard and the Daniels, the tandem behind the seven-time Oscar-winning All at once everywhere.

As icing on the panel, Lucasfilm has also taken the opportunity to present the trailer of Indiana Jonesand the dial of destiny, which will be released on June 30. James Mangold, Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge have talked about filming and what it's like to work with a legend like Harrison Ford, adored by fans of the archaeologist and Han Solo. Six minutes of film anticipated to the audience a powerful, frantic adventure with a CGI at the level of the last installments of Star Wars and Marvel.

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