Los Angeles (AFP)
A new film set in the Star Wars universe, titled "Rogue Squadron," is slated for release in late 2023 with director Patty Jenkins ("Wonder Woman") in charge, Disney announced Thursday.
This story will take place in the "future of the galaxy" and will follow "a new generation of space pilots, who will earn their badges and risk their lives", revealed Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, the company behind the legendary saga launched in 1977 and acquired by the world's number one entertainment company.
Patty Jenkins, whose "Wonder Woman 1984" will be released by the end of the month, will be the first woman to direct a feature film in the Star Wars franchise, which "will hit theaters for Christmas 2023," Kennedy said.
She was speaking during a virtual presentation for Disney group investors.
She also announced several new Star Wars series, including two derived from "The Mandalorian" and one dedicated to the return of the famous Lando Calrissian.
Actress Rosario Dawson will play the jedi Ahsoka Tano, who has just appeared in season 2 of "The Mandalorian", and will therefore lead her own adventures on Disney +, the group's streaming platform.
The other series developed by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, the creators of the "Mandalorian", will be "Rangers of the New Republic" and will also take place during the same period.
"These interconnected series, as well as future stories, will ignite new audiences and delight the most passionate of our fans," said Kathleen Kennedy, indicating that all these intrigues would come together for a final "breathtaking" bouquet.
"Lando", which will develop the adventures of the playful and talkative character made famous by the first "Star Wars" trilogy, will be piloted by Justin Simien, creator of the "Dear White People" series.
As for the spinoff series of the film "Rogue One", it will be called "Andor" and its production has just started in London, announced for Disney the actor Diego Luna, who plays the title role there.
He will star alongside Stellan Skarsgard and Fiona Shaw for a spy thriller written by Tony Gilroy (the Jason Bourne saga).
Hayden Christensen, who played the young Anakin Skywalker in the second trilogy, will return alongside Ewan McGregor as Darth Vader in the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series, which is due to begin production in March.
The list continues with a space investigation titled "The Acolyte", which will be conducted by "Russian Doll" co-creator Leslye Headland, and will take place "during the last days of the Republic".
The specialists will meet there.
Earlier, Kareem Daniel, head of distribution for Disney, announced that the entertainment giant had scheduled ten "Star Wars" series, ten series set in the universe of Marvel superheroes, not to mention 15 Disney series and as many feature films "in the next few years".
© 2020 AFP