The next Star Wars cartoon is officially announced, and it’s Resistance, set sometime before The Force Awakens. The “anime-inspired” series will star a character named Kazuda Xiono.
Xiono is “a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.” The series will also feature BB-8 and appearances by Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, with Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie reprising their roles.
The show will debut on the Disney Channel in the fall (at least for the U.S.) and then move on to Disney XD. A similar tact was taken with Rebels when it began back in 2014.
The new show was created by Dave Filoni and will be executive produced by Rebels and The Clone Wars vets Athena Portillo and Justin Ridge, plus Brandon Auman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Amy Beth Christenson will art direct.
“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.”
Also in the voice cast are 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 (Saturday Night Live), Jim
Rash (Community) and Rachel Butera (Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time).