Colby J Smith
Opinion over the direction of the Star Wars franchise has been widely divided since Disney’s $4billion takeover in October 2012.
Some outings such as the 2016 feature film Rogue One received acclaim from critics and fans alike, with the most recent cinema release The Rise of Skywalker not faring quite so well.
But no matter which side of the gulf you stand on this divisive topic, it’s impossible not to be blown away like Womp Rat on Tatooine by the huge swath of releases revealed at the Disney Investor Day event earlier this week.
Whether it’s Rosario Dawson taking her celebrated performance in The Mandalorian as Ahsoka Tano into its own series, or the news that Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role as Darth Vader in a whole new series of adventures in the highly anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the new roster truly has something to please even the wariest fanboys and girls.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy’s revelations take the number of Star Wars series under Disney’s guidance (including The Mandalorian) up to a staggering ten, something that could only be dreamt of a few years ago.
With ratings of The Mando up as high as 92% on critic site Rotten Tomato, and the new series being littered with easter eggs, huge character reveals and a plot that has viewers on the edge of their seats, Disney seems to be riding the wave of success with this recent bumper announcement.
One project that sticks out from the rest is the feature film ‘Rogue Squadron’. Wonder Woman writer and director Patty Jenkins is taking the helm here and has revealed that she is drawing inspiration from the games and books to create an all-new story around the legendary squadron of X-wing fighter pilots.
With so many new shows spread across the Star Wars universe and time-line, all seemingly taking a different tone and direction, the eternal fight between Dark and Light is showing no signs of slowing any time soon.
