It was just announced at the D23 Expo that Ewan McGregor will reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new original series coming to the Disney+ streaming service. The Series Producer, Kathleen Kennedy, states, “We have all the scripts written we’re ready to start shooting next year.”
Ewan McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi in all three of the Star Wars prequels “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith.”
The first public trailer for Jon Favreau’s highly anticipated Star Wars series The Mandalorian has arrived, and it looks fantastic.
Although a similar trailer was shown at Star Wars Celebration, it was never made available to the public. The trailer opens with helmets on stakes, and ominous shots of people hanging out in the desert. Then it moves into Star Wars action — fighting spaceships, battling droids, and face-to-face confrontations. It certainly feels freakier than a traditional Star Wars movie, but it also feels extremely Star Wars.
The Mandalorian is one of the biggest launch titles coming to the new streaming service Disney+. It’s heavily inspired by fan-favorite character Boba Fett and his father, Jango. The new Mandalorian character, played by Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) will also help fill in the gap between Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi, just after the fall of the Empire, and the rise of the First Order.
The goal is to bring a “darker, freakier side of Star Wars,” executive producer Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Lion King) told The Hollywood Reporter. He wants to use the show’s aesthetic to answer questions about what it’s like to be on Tatooine during the era between trilogies. The original Star Wars trilogy, especially the first film, used Tatooine as a significant setting, and Favreau wants to use that area to tell new stories.
The Mandalorian gives Favreau the “opportunity to tell a story that’s bigger than television, but you don’t have the same expectations that a big holiday release has, which to me isn’t that type of Star Wars that comes out of me,” he told the Reporter.
“The type of Star Wars that I’m inspired to tell is a smaller thing with new characters,” Favreau said.
The Mandalorian is also the first Star Wars live-action TV series, and a major play to bring subscribers to Disney+. The company is hoping to build up a significant subscriber base — around 10 million subscribers by the end of 2020 — and having shows like The Mandalorian to bring people in is important to hitting that goal.
The Mandalorian will be available to stream when Disney+ launches on November 12th. The service will cost $6.99 a month or can be purchased as a bundle with ad-supported Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month.
The sixth D23 Expo kicks off today and runs through August 25, 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
D23 is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, the D23 Expo. The name D23 refers to D for Disney and 23 for 1923—the year Walt Disney founded the company.
This is where Disney make some of its biggest announcements for future plans for its Disney Parks, Walt Disney Studio productions and much more. Stay tuned all weekend as we attempt to bring you all of the breaking news from D23 2019.
Via the Disney Parks Blog;
“Cal Ripken Jr., one of the most accomplished professional baseball players ever to put on a uniform, is coming to Walt Disney World Resort and he is bringing his successful youth baseball academy with him.
That means young baseball players (ages 6-18) can come to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex next year to compete in high-level youth baseball tournaments.
In addition to being on their field of dreams at Disney, these young players will get a chance to have a whole lot of fun. For instance, the players will be treated to a dazzling opening ceremony and have free time in the parks to experience new and popular attractions, such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opens Aug. 29.
Ripken played 21 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles and was a 19-time All-Star shortstop. He earned the nickname “The Iron Man” after setting the professional baseball record for most consecutive games played (2,632). “
Mickey’s Boo To You Halloween Parade has some updates for 2019, including the spectral bride who glides among the waltzing spirits, and a new Tomorrowland unit starring The Incredibles and Buzz Lightyear.
Thanks to wdwmagic.com for the video from the opening night.