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Lucasfilm has announced that Star Wars will return to the small screen: The franchise’s next animated series is Star Wars Resistance, and it’s already in production.
With the finale of Star Wars Rebels last month, it was only a matter of time before Lucasfilm’s animation department geared up for a new project. Resistance is just that, coming from many of the same people who worked on Rebels, including the same executive producers, art director, and, of course, Dave Filoni, the creative mind behind Star Wars Rebels and many episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
”The idea for ‘Star Wars Resistance’ came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots,” Filoni said in a Lucasfilm press release. “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.”
But it’s really the voice cast that makes Resistance so tantalizing for fans. The new show will focus on a young pilot, Kazuda Xiono, who is recruited into General Organa’s Resistance organization to spy on the First Order. That means that the show is set quite close to The Force Awakens, and it will be leaning into all the possibilities that offers.
“Star Wars Resistance will feature the beloved droid BB-8,” says Lucasfilm’s press release, “alongside ace pilots, colorful new characters and appearances by fan favorites, including Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, voiced by actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, respectively.”
The chance to see more of characters who were made famous in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi will undoubtedly be a big draw for lore-loving Star Wars fans.
Star Wars Resistance will premiere this fall on Disney Channel in the U.S. and later on Disney XD. The voice cast will also include Scott Lawrence (Legion), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), Donald Faison (Scrubs), Bobby Moynihan (DuckTales) and Jim Rash (Community).
