Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man and the live-action The Jungle Book film, has been selected by Disney to executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars TV series for Disney’s upcoming streaming video service, according to a blog post on the Star Wars website.
Disney announced a live-action Star Wars series for its streaming service alongside its announcement of Rian Johnson’s new Star Wars movie trilogy in November of 2017, but no details were included then. It’s not the only big project coming to that platform; Disney also plans a live-action Marvel TV series and a reboot of The Muppets.
Disney hasn’t said exactly when the new streaming service will launch, but CEO Bob Iger said on an earnings call last year that the Star Wars series would likely premiere after 2020—though the announcement posted today specifically says the “series does not yet have a release date.” In the meantime, Disney has made plans to pull content like other Marvel and Star Wars movies from Netflix in 2019 to pave the way for this new service.
We don’t know much about this TV series beyond Favreau’s role and the time frame. Star Wars fans will likely try to closely examine the words of the announcement for clues, but they won’t find much to work from. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy offered this press-release-style statement with the announcement:
I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform… Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe. 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.
Favreau’s statement simply said:
If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.
Favreau is arguably best known as a movie director and producer, but he brings TV experience to the series as well. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series for Dinner for Five, and he’s directed episodes of The Orville and The Office. Favreau has also appeared in the Star Wars franchise as an actor: he voiced Pre Vizsla in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, and he will have a cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Beyond Star Wars, Favreau wrote the critically acclaimed films Swingers and Chef.
To date, Favreau has been heavily involved in other Disney projects. He’s slated to direct The Jungle Book 2 and has been working on a live-action take on The Lion King. He was also an executive producer on Avengers: Age of Ultron and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.
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