Star Wars is one of the biggest franchises in entertainment history, with projects including movie trilogies, standalone anthology features, a web series, and a couple of acclaimed animated TV shows. Fans were thrilled to learn back in November 2017 that a live-action Star Wars show is finally happening and set to debut on the Disney streaming service. Now, Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed some very exciting news about the future of Star Wars TV, and it points toward the TV corner of the franchise becoming way bigger than we thought. Iger had this to say:
We are developing not just one, but a few Star Wars series specifically for the Disney direct to consumer app.
As it turns out, we'll be getting more than just the one new Star Wars show on the Disney streaming service! Few details were available about the series announced last year other than the fact that it will be live-action, with no clue of when in the Star Wars saga it would be set or what kind of characters would be featured. News of multiple Star Wars TV shows means that we could get multiple eras covered at once, which is not something that has happened in the franchise at this point. The Clone Wars (obviously set during the Clone Wars) ended before Star Wars Rebels (set in the final years before the original trilogy) premiered.
Bob Iger revealed that Disney is developing more than one Star Wars series at an earnings call on February 6 (via THR), but he didn't elaborate on whether or not all the new series will be live-action. While Star Wars fans have obviously been excited at the prospect of a live-action series, the two shows thus far gained loyal fanbases and proved that Star Wars canon can develop perfectly well in animation. Perhaps another animated show will premiere on the Disney streaming service in addition to the live-action project.
The announcement of the multiple series comes at the perfect time given that Star Wars Rebels will air its series finale in March. There will soon be a shortage of Star Wars on television; confirmation of a few shows on the Disney streaming service means that we'll have an abundance of Star Wars TV, although not until 2019 at the earliest. The streaming service isn't set to go live until next year, and there's no guarantee of when exactly the Star Wars shows will be slated for debut. The good news is that subscribing to the Disney streaming service likely won't break the bank, as Bob Iger has already stated that the price will be lower than that of Netflix.
All things considered, this is an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. We just learned that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are developing multiple films for the franchise, and Solo: A Star Wars Story will premiere in theaters in May. There's still plenty to debate about The Last Jedi, and the final run of Star Wars Rebels episodes promise to be as thrilling as they are heartbreaking. Even Forces of Destiny will deliver more content with new web episodes at some point this year.
What kinds of TV shows do you think should happen for the Disney streaming service? Let us know in the comments! For new Star Wars content sooner rather than later, check out the midseason premiere of Star Wars Rebels on Monday, February 19 at 9 p.m. ET on Disney XD. For some non-Star Wars viewing options, take a look at our midseason TV premiere guide.
