Disney+ releases teasers for TV series Andor and Willow at Star Wars Celebration

Disney+ unveiled two teaser trailers for upcoming series during the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase Panel war of stars Celebration on Thursday in Anaheim, California. The first was for Andora 12-episode prequel series set five years before the events of Villain One, starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor. The other was for pasturea new series intended as a sequel to the cult classic 1988 fantasy film of the same name, set decades after the events of the original film.

The streaming platform also confirmed that the highly anticipated Star Wars series Ahsoka will premiere in 2023, along with a new kid-centric series called Star Wars: Skeleton Crewset during The Mandalorian‘s timeline and starring Jude Law. Also the third season of The Mandalorian will premiere in February 2023 and will feature the bounty hunter’s return to Mandalore with Grogu as well as Katee Sackhoff reprising her S2 role as Bo-Katan Kryze. (Probably wanting to retrieve the darksaber that Mando won.)

Andor

We didn’t see or hear much Andor after revealing a behind-the-scenes teaser in December 2020 during Disney’s investor day. Andor was described, along with Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote it, as a “suspenseful, nerve-wracking spy thriller”. Villain One, acts as showrunner. It begins with the Empire’s destruction of Cassian Andor’s homeworld and depicts the birth of the Rebellion. According to Deadline Hollywood described Luna Andor as “the journey of a migrant. This feeling of having to move is behind this story – it shapes you as a person. It defines you in many ways and what you are willing to do.”

According to the official summary:

That Andor series will explore a new perspective of the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover what he can make a difference. The series advances the story of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how humans and planets became involved. It is an era of peril, deceit and intrigue that Cassian will embark on the path destined to transform him into a rebellious hero.

The ensemble cast also includes Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, a Republic Senator who helped found the Rebel Alliance, and Forest Whitaker, who reprises his Villain One Role as Clone Wars veteran Saw Gerrera. Stellan Skarsgård and Adria Arjona play the two resistance fighters that Andor recruits to the cause. Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Fiona Shaw, Robert Emms and David Hayman were all cast in undisclosed roles. Alan Tudyk was supposed to return as a reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO, but his appearance was sunk during rewrites. The droid could meet up with Cassian in the second season, which is already in development and will reportedly lead directly into the events of Villain One.

pasture

We know a lot less about them pasture TV series, although fans of the film will be excited to hear Warwick Davis returns as the Nelwyn dwarf witch Willow Ufgood. The original film was directed by Ron Howard and told the story of a child with a runic birthmark who was prophesied to bring about the downfall of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda. The child is launched on a grass raft and found by a village of little people (the Nelwyn). Willow leads a group to find a community of Daikini (tall people) to raise the baby. Many magical adventures followed.

The Oscar-nominated 1988 film debuted to mixed critical reviews but did decently at the box office and grossed $137.6 million worldwide — though it never became the blockbuster hit producer George Lucas hoped it would . Lucas and Davis had discussed the possibility of a sequel to the series back in 2005, but Disney+ didn’t greenlight the project until October 2020, with Howard on board as executive producer.

The official synopsis describes the series as “an epic fantasy series with a modern sensibility set in an enchanted land of breathtaking beauty” – true to the spirit of the original film. It goes on:

The story began with an aspiring mage from a Nelwyn village and a little girl destined to unite the realms, who together helped destroy an evil queen and banish the forces of darkness. Now, in a magical world where brownies, wizards, trolls and other mystical creatures thrive, the adventure continues as an unlikely band of heroes embark on a perilous quest to places far beyond their homeland, where they will face their inner demons must come together to save their world.

In addition to Davis, the case includes Erin Kellyman as a servant named Jade who is training to be a warrior; Ruby Cruz as Jade’s friend Kit, a princess who throws a party together to save her twin brother; Ellie Bamber as the kitchen maid named Dove; and Amar Chadha-Patel as a thief named Boorman, who is promised his freedom in exchange for helping the party. Dempsey Bryk, Talisa Garcia, Ralph Ineson and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers were cast in undisclosed roles.

The first two episodes of Andor will debut on Disney+ on August 31, 2022, with new episodes airing weekly thereafter. pasture Premiered on Disney+ on November 30, 2022.

Listing image from YouTube/Disney+