Looks like Jon Favreau’s Solo cameo (Rio Durant?) is merely the entry point to Lucasfilm’s wider Star Wars universe, as The Lion King filmmaker has officially signed on to executive produce and write the first live-action TV series set within that galaxy far, far away.
Per Lucasfilm, Favreau’s nascent project will premiere on Disney’s direct-to-consumer platform when it goes live in 2019, which will also feature TV spinoffs of Monsters, Inc. and High School Musical.
When it comes to Jon Favreau’s Star Wars project, in particular, details are naturally scarce. However, as Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy says in the following statement, Favreau is no stranger to that far-away galaxy, having lent his voice to The Clone Wars all those years ago.
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 is equally thrilled, and admitted that being responsible for a Star Wars story is something that he’s been dreaming about ever since he was 11 years old.
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.
This top-secret TV series is seemingly one of “a few” shows percolating in development over at Disney, and it’s fair to say that today’s announcement comes in good time, as Star Wars Rebels reached its poignant finale earlier in the week.
Elsewhere, we know David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, creators and long-time showrunners of a little-known HBO drama called Game of Thrones, have agreed to spearhead a new Star Wars movie trilogy for Lucasfilm, which will seemingly exist parallel to Rian Johnson’s own series of movies. One thing’s for sure: that galaxy far, far away is about to become a crowded one.