Star Wars Celebration 2023 kicked off with seven major reveals including news on Ahsoka, Andor, and the next Star Wars trilogy.
Rosario Dawson is Ahsoka Tano in Lucasfilm’s AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Star Wars Celebration Major Reveals | 2023 Day One
Star Wars Celebration kicked off its opening day in London today with a non-stop series of announcements about some of the year’s most highly anticipated projects. From Disney+ originals 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.
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Star Wars: Andor
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.
Andor season 2 will be coming to Disney+ in August of 2024.
Star Wars: The Acolyte
Next, 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.
The Acolyte is set for release in 2024 and will stream on Disney+.
(L-R): Grogu and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian
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 at Star Wars Celebration 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.
It was also announced that Din Djarin and Grogu’s storyline is nearing its end, but instead of doing a Disney+ series send-off, their arc will end via a The Mandalorian movie.
Skeleton Crew
Next up, 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.
“Skeleton Crew” will stream exclusively on Disney+ in 2023.
Ahsoka
Transitioning to this year’s next highly anticipated “Star Wars” series Favreau and Filoni confirmed that “Ahsoka,” starring Rosario Dawson in the title role, will premiere exclusively on Disney+ this August 2023.
Set after the fall of the Empire, “Ahsoka” follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Lucasfilm’s AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Dawson took the stage and unveiled a teaser poster for the series, after which she was joined by co-stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who plays Sabine Wren, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who announced that she will be playing Hera Syndulla.
The Star Wars Celebration Ahsoka presentation concluded with a new teaser trailer for the Disney+ original series, which is written by executive producer by Filoni, alongside executive producers Favreau, Kennedy, Wilson, and Beck. Gilchrist is co-executive producer.
Oscar Isaac is Poe Dameron, Daisy Ridley is Rey and Anthony Daniels is C-3PO in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
The Next Trilogy
Afterward, feature film became the focus of the Star Wars Celebration presentations, with Kennedy paying tribute to the incredible work of Oscar®-winning Creature and Special Makeup Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan as dozens of his most famous creations took the stage. Kennedy then revealed that “Star Wars” will head into the future, with a new feature set 15 years after the last events of the Skywalker Saga.
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will tell the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down; the director then delighted fans by welcoming Daisy Ridley to stage, confirming she will be reprising her beloved role as Rey in the upcoming movie.
Kennedy also announced that James Mangold will take audiences deep into the past, telling the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.
Expanding upon “Star Wars” storytelling in the present, Dave Filoni will orchestrate the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic. Alongside producer Jon Favreau, they will bring together many of the threads of the “Star Wars” original series in a cinematic event.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Finally, the stars and filmmakers of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” dazzled the Star Wars Celebration crowd with a never-before-seen trailer, an extensive look at the film and a brand new poster. Appearing in person were cast members Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen, along with director and co-writer James Mangold and producer Kennedy.
(L-R): Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Lucasfilm’s INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. Jones himself, the inimitable Harrison Ford, appeared in a video greeting.
The film, which will be Harrison Ford’s final Indiana Jones adventure, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18 and opens in theaters on June 30.
NEXT: Andor Season 1 Review: The Star Wars We Need
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for almost ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association, Hollywood Critics Association, and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.