With Star Wars: Rebels having ended earlier this year, Lucasfilm has announced a new animated series that will explore another “untold moment” of the Star Wars universe: Star Wars Resistance, the “anime-inspired” prequel of sorts to The Force Awakens.
Dave Filoni, who wrote for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and created Star Wars: Rebels, will helm the new series. According to Lucasfilm’s description, the series follows “Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.” But there will also be familiar faces (and, er, shapes) in the form of BB-8, Poe Dameron (voiced by Oscar Isaac), and Captain Phasma (ditto Gwendoline Christie)! Not to mention the ace pilots recruited alongside Kazuda to join the ranks of General Leia’s growing Resistance.
“The idea for Star Wars Resistance came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots,” Filoni said in a statement. “My grandfather was a pilot and my uncle flew and restored planes, so that’s been a big influence on me. There’s a long history of high-speed racing in Star Wars, and I think we’ve captured that sense of excitement in an anime-inspired style, which is something the entire team has been wanting to do for a long time.”
Marc Buhaj, senior VP of programming and general manager at Disney XD, added, “Our colleagues at Lucasfilm have created a compelling narrative for an untold moment in the Star Wars galaxy, and we are excited to partner with them again on this new original series. Star Wars Resistance will bring viewers across generations an engaging story with heart, humor and both new and familiar characters.”
Those characters will be voiced by a cast including Christopher Sean (Days of Our Lives), Suzie McGrath (East Enders), Scott Lawrence (Legion), Myrna Velasco (Elena of Avalor), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), Donald Faison (Scrubs), Bobby Moynihan (DuckTales), Jim Rash (Community), and Rachel Butera (Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time).
Star Wars Resistance will premiere in fall 2018 on Disney Channel, then on Disney XD and around the world. And let’s not forget that Jon Favreau also has a Star Wars TV series in the works, albeit a live-action one.
What (or who) do you want to see in Star Wars Resistance?
