Lucasfilm today announced that Jon Favreau will executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars television series.
Favreau has directed popular films such as Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Disney’s live-action The Jungle Book, and Elf, as well as serving as executive producer of Iron Man 3, The Avengers, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. He also is directing the upcoming live-action The Lion King film for Disney (slated for a 2019 release). As an actor, he plays Happy Hogan in the MCU and voiced Pre Vizsla in The Clone Wars, while he also has a part in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story movie.
“I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “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.”
Though there is not yet a release date for the TV series, we do know that Disney and Lucasfilm are aiming to have a live-action Star Wars show in 2019 on Disney’s new streaming platform. So perhaps that’s still the goal, but it’s too early to say for sure – and with The Lion King also coming out in 2019, it remains to be seen how much of Favreau’s current schedule can be dedicated to this new series right away.
We don’t have a story or setting yet, of course, since Favreau is likely just starting to think of the story as he sits down to begin thinking through the writing process. But one thing that has remained obvious to many fans for a while has been the open space to tell stories in the Old Republic era, so that certainly remains a possibility for a show like this.
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