Entertainment

Here’s When You’ll Be Able To Watch The ‘Star Wars’ Live-Action TV Series

Lucasfilm Ltd.

The galaxy far, far away is expanding once again, this time to a TV screen near you. Variety reported that a live-action Star Wars TV series from Jon Favreau is happening. Favreau will executive produce and write the series, which will appear on Disney’s new streaming platform. But, when will the Star Wars TV show premiere? Unfortunately, you might have to wait more than a couple klekkets (that's two months, for non-fans) to see this one.

The truth is, the still untitled new Star Wars TV series doesn't have a premiere date as of now. So, you're not only going to have to wait for the show, you're also going to have to wait for another announcement about when the show will start airing. And as of now, Disney's still unnamed streaming platform is slated to debut in fall 2019, according to Deadline, which means it could be a year or more before anyone gets a peek at this series from Favreau, who is no stranger to Disney. He directed the first Marvel movie, Iron Man, and is currently working on the new live-action The Lion King, in theaters July 19, 2019.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lucasfilm plans to release multiple Star Wars TV shows. Disney CEO Bob Iger teased that there were numerous shows that will take place in the Star Wars universe currently in development. He didn't say whether or not all these upcoming Star Wars shows will be live-action.

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But there will be more non-Star Wars shows to be excited about. Variety reported in November of 2017 that Disney is working on TV series adaptations based on Monsters Inc., the High School Musical franchise, and a new Marvel series.

While some are counting down the days until the live-action Star Wars series premieres, whenever that may be, others are wondering why this Star Wars announcement came on International Women's Day if Lucasfilm and Disney didn't hire a woman to helm the show. As TV and film writer Alanna Bennett tweeted, "Star Wars' commitment to white dude directors is truly impressive. They're wifed up."

With this announcement, though, there are fans hoping this series will have a diverse crew and there are some clues they'll actually get their wish. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement that "this series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”

It's unclear if that means the next Star Wars project will have a female or POC director or showrunner. But, many fans sure hope so, since the Star Wars filmography, which is now nine films deep with two others on the way (Solo: A Star Wars Story and Episode IX), has yet to see a film directed by someone who isn't a white male.

And the franchise won't be any less white or male with its upcoming movies: J.J. Abrams will return to direct Episode IX, while The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is also developing a new Star Wars trilogy. In February 2018, it was announced that Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss on their own set of Star Wars movies as well.

While the Star Wars universe has become more diverse onscreen with new characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), it hasn't made the same strides behind the scenes. Of course, Disney's new streaming service might lead to more inclusion in the Star Wars universe, specifically with these live-action TV shows. But, to quote Yoda, Do. Or do not. There is no try," especially when it comes to becoming more inclusive.

For now, fans will have to wait and see if Lucasfilm holds itself to Kennedy's promise when this new live-action series finally premieres. Whenever that may be.