At the Solo: A Star Wars Story premiere in Los Angeles last night, Iron Man director Jon Favreau revealed that his new live-action Star Wars series—the first of its kind for the franchise—will take place between the events of 1983's Return of the Jedi and 2015's The Force Awakens. While this is currently one of the only details we have about Favreau’s entry into the galaxy far, far away, it actually tells us a lot.
According to ScreenRant, Disney and Lucasfilm aren’t putting all their eggs into Favreau’s basket, as the studios do have another show lined up for the fall, Star Wars Resistance. However, it's tremendous enough news on its own that the man who so expertly blended practical effects and seamless CGI to kick off the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man and its sequel is crafting the first live-action SW show.
If you can wade through the recent slew of Star Wars films, animated series, and video games and light-speed it back to the original trilogy, you’ll recall that the Battle of Endor saw our band of Rebel heroes celebrate their victory over the evil Empire with a pretty dope cookout and jam session. Favreau’s show is set seven years after this, and will reportedly have completely new characters in store. (The Force Awakens begins 30 years after Jedi.)
Perhaps most exciting is the director’s mention of the highly sophisticated technology he employed on The Jungle Book (and is now using on The Lion King) coming into play. While motion-capture and virtual cameras often lead to uncanny valley effects and a resulting detachment from the story, Favreau is up there with James Cameron in his gentle implementation. The man understands subtlety, in terms of CGI effects, and that you should never wholly rely on them—but blend them with a tangible, practical component, first and foremost.
While there are still bigger questions that loom large over this project like a Death Star, such as a release date and casting info, we do know Favreau is still writing scripts and that the show will serve as connective tissue between the two good trilogies. In terms of the final product, we’ll have to wait until Disney’s streaming service is finalized—which is still a ways off. Ultimately, in a world where Star Wars is on the verge of oversaturation for some, a live-action TV show by Favreau isn’t something to wave away, but a project that brings a new hope to the landscape.
