Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau has been tapped to write and produce an upcoming live-action Star Wars show, which will debut on Disney’s still-unnamed streaming video platform, Lucasfilm announced today.
In November, Disney announced two projects: a new trilogy of films written by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, and a live-action show for the company’s upcoming streaming service, which is expected to launch sometime next year. Disney also announced last month that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are developing their own series of films. In addition to a Star Wars show, Disney has also said that the streaming service will have other original content from its various holdings, including a live-action Marvel show.
Favreau is no stranger to Disney. He directed the live-action version of The Jungle Book in 2016 and is presently filming a live-action adaptation of The Lion King, which is slated to be released in 2019. He also directed the original Iron Man movies, before Disney acquired Marvel. Favreau has been involved with the Star Wars franchise as a voice actor, voicing Pre Vizsla in the Clone Wars animated series, and an alien in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy says, “This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.” The company did not announce any further details about Favreau’s series, nor a release date.
A live-action show set in the Star Wars universe has been a long-simmering project for Lucasfilm. While the company has set up two enormously successful animated shows, The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels (which just finished its run), George Lucas said in 2005 that he was working on a series set in the galactic capital of Coruscant, but that project was abandoned years later due to its enormous budget. Now that Disney owns the company, setting up an original series for its streaming service makes sense. Favreau is a writer, director, and actor with a solid resume, which should help provide Disney with a show that has widespread appeal to attract customers as it works its way into an already-crowded field of streaming video companies.
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