George Lucas turns up on The Mandalorian set

Jon Favreau had a birthday visit (and some wine!) from George Lucas on the set of The Mandalorian today.

A later post shows the two with Dave Filoni, who worked with Lucas on The Clone Wars and is directing the first episode of The Mandalorian:

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Meanwhile, Making Star Wars has had their view altered… . At least briefly.

Report: What The Mandalorian directors are directing

We know who The Mandalorian directors are, but Making Star Wars has learned what episodes they’ll be actual directing. The official release only specified that Dave Filoni was doing the first, but MSW has him, Deborah Chow, and Rick Famuyiwa each directing two episodes, with Bryce Dallas Howard on the fourth and Taika Waititi taking on the (season?) finale. The eight-episode number comes from MSW’s earlier reporting; an earlier report has it at 10, but shortening the load is one way to get the most out of a rumored $100M budget.

MSW has been killing it on this show – in addition to all their recent scoops, they were the first to report that Mandalorians were involved back in August. We don’t have much reason to doubt them when it comes to the show.

First image for The Mandalorian, directors announced

We get our first official look at Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian, plus a director list. The first episode will be directed by Dave Filoni, and other directors will include Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones), Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), Bryce Dallas Howard (Solemates), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok).

The series is being written and executive produced by Favreau. Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson and Karen Gilchrist are also producing.

Still nothing official on the cast (who’s in the armor, Lucasfilm?), but Making Star Wars has some evidence (though probably not for the armor-wearer, though who knows) as they continue their set reporting.

Meet Resistance’s team of Aces

We met Team Fireball, part of the Star Wars Resistance cast a few weeks ago: Now it’s time for some details on “the Aces,” pilots who protect the show’s main setting, the Colossus platform.

They include Myrna Velasco’s Torra Doza, Donald Faison’s Hype Fazon, Stephen Stanton’s Griff Halloran, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn’s Freya Fenris and the mysterious Bo Keevil. (Their ships, Blue Ace, Green Ace, Black Ace, Red Ace and Yellow Ace, plus the Fireball, all now have Databank entries.)

The video debuted on USA Today, who also talked to Dave Filoni.

The show will debut on October 7 on the Disney Channel and DisneyNOW.

Meet Resistance’s Team Fireball

Meet the cast of Resistance – or at least the “Team Fireball” portion: Kazuda Xiono (Christopher Sean), Jarek Yeager (Scott Lawrence), Tam Ryvora (Suzie McGrath), and Neeku Vozo (Josh Brener).

The characters now have entries on the Databank as well: Kazuda, Jarek, Tam, Neeku and droid Bucket.

Still nothing on the frog, though. And I assume we’ll get some more details on the last key figure on the poster, Myrna Velasco’s Torra Doza, in another video, since she must have her own team.

First Star Wars Resistance trailer drops

Well, that was quick. As rumored, Resistance is coming on Sunday, October 7 to the Disney Channel, and we have a trailer!

We see Poe Dameron, BB-8 and even a glimpse of Phasma. Here’s some more details from StarWars.com:

We’re also thrilled to bring you intel on the first episode! In the one-hour premiere “The Recruit,” Poe and BB-8 assign Kaz to the Colossus, where he meets a cast of colorful new aliens, droids and creatures. While undercover to spy on the growing threat of the First Order, Kaz works as a mechanic and lives with Poe’s old friend Yeager — a veteran pilot who operates a starship repair shop run by his crew: Tam, Neeku and a battered old astromech called Bucket.

“Can you imagine what it’s like to be an ace pilot?” Kaz asks.

Lucasfilm has also sent out the cast list with who’s playing who:

– Christopher Sean as Kazuda Xiono
– Suzie McGrath as Tam Ryvora
– Scott Lawrence as Jarek Yeager
– Myrna Velasco as Torra Doza
– Josh Brener as Neeku Vozo
– Donald Faison as Hype Fazon
– Jim Rash and Bobby Moynihan as Flix and Orka, respectively
– Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
– Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma
– Rachel Butera as General Leia Organa

The series was created by Lucasfilm Animation’s Dave Filoni. The Clone Wars/Rebels vets Athena Portillo, Justin Ridge and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ Brandon Auman are the executive producers, with another LFL vet, Amy Beth Christenson, as art director.

The Clone Wars returning for one last run

The Clone Wars is coming back for a twelve episode final run, Dave Filoni announced this afternoon at San Diego Comic-Con. The new episodes will air on Disney’s upcoming streaming service.

“I honestly didn’t think we would ever have the opportunity to return to The Clone Wars,” says Filoni in a statement. “Thanks to the relentless fan support and the team behind Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, we will now get to tell more of those stories. We feel a tremendous responsibility to make something that lives up to the legacy that George Lucas created with the original series and I think our team, many of whom worked on the show from the beginning, has risen to the challenge.”

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Celebrating The Clone Wars’ 10th birthday at SDCC

Dave Filoni and “special guests” will celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Lucasfilm Animation’s The Clone Wars with a panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, July 19th. Star Wars isn’t expected to have a huge panel presence at the con this year – at least not in the Hall H sense – but this is our first announcement re: SDCC so far. Writer Amy Ratcliffe (Women of the Galaxy) will be moderating the panel.

With Episode IX more than a year out, will there be a panel on this fall’s Resistance – Lucasfilm Animation’s third show – as well? Per usual, we wait and see.