STAR WARS Celebration kicked off its opening day in London with a non-stop series of announcements about some of the year’s most highly anticipated productions—from Disney+ original series including “Star Wars: Ahsoka” and “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” to upcoming feature films including “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Throughout the day, surprises kept fans’ spirits high as a parade of actors and Lucasfilm luminaries took to the stage to reveal exciting new information about landmark productions.
Taking place at the ExCel London Convention Center, Friday’s activities on the Celebration Stage began with host Ali Plumb welcoming Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy to reflect on the success of the highly acclaimed Disney+ original series “Star Wars: Andor.”
They were joined by the series’ director/creator/showrunner Tony Gilroy and stars Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Genevieve O’Reilly, Andy Serkis, Muhannad Bahair, and Joplin Sibtain, who was accompanied by droid B2EMO. Fans were treated to an exclusive first look at the second and final season, which is currently in production and chronicles the next steps in Andor’s journey as he fights to assemble a fledgling resistance. Kennedy, Tony Gilroy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Diego Luna, and Luke Hull are executive producing the upcoming season exclusively for Disney+.
Leslye Headland, creator and showrunner of “Star Wars: The Acolyte” joined Kennedy on stage. Headland entered, escorted by Kelnacca, a Wookiee Jedi from the series, and offered an overview of the new mystery-thriller. “The Acolyte” will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
Joining Headland and Kennedy on stage were the series’ stars—Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, and “Star Wars” veteran Joonas Suotamo, who plays Kelnacca. Headland wowed the crowd with a sneak peek at the upcoming show, which also stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Margarita Levieva and is currently in production. In addition to writing and directing, Headland serves as an executive producer with Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson produce. “The Acolyte” will stream exclusively on Disney+ in 2024.
The focus then shifted to “Star Wars: The Mandalorian” as Kennedy invited the series’ executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni to the stage. The duo, along with fellow executive producer Rick Famuyiwa, were on hand for a discussion of the third season of the hit show, now streaming, exclusively on Disney+. Following a special video greeting from star Pedro Pascal, fans were treated to a clip from next week’s episode. Afterward, stars Giancarlo Esposito, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, and Emily Swallow joined the stage and announced a special sneak-peek screening of the upcoming episode for those in attendance later that evening.
In “The Mandalorian” Season 3, Din Djarin (Pascal), once a lone bounty hunter, has reunited with Grogu. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian crosses paths with old allies and makes new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together. Directors for the series include Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Favreau is the head writer and executive produces along with Filoni, Famuyiwa, Kennedy, and Colin Wilson. Co-executive producers are Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck.
Jude Law, star of the upcoming Disney+ original series “Skeleton Crew,” took to the stage to officially introduce his young co-stars, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, and Robert Timothy Smith; the series also stars Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who was unable to attend Celebration. The team shared insights about the series, their characters, and to the delight of all, a sneak peak of the series, which is currently in production. “Skeleton Crew” follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
The series stars Law, Cabot-Conyers, Armstrong, Kratter, Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, and Kerry Condon. Jon Watts and Christopher Ford are showrunners and executive produce along with Favreau, Filoni, Kennedy, and Wilson. Gilchrist and Beck serve as co-executive producers. John Bartnicki and Susan McNamara are producers. Directors include Watts, Ford, David Lowery, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung. “Skeleton Crew” will stream exclusively on Disney+ in 2023.