Lucasfilm announced today that Jon Favreau, director of the first two Iron Man films and the voice of the Mandalorian Death Watch Commander Pre Vizlsa on The Clone Wars, will be put in charge of a new Star Wars television show. There’s no information about when or where that show will be set in the universe, and no indication that it’s going to be coming anytime in the immediate future.
The only thing we know for sure is that it will be exclusive to Disney’s upcoming direct-to-consumer platform.
“I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe. 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.”
The bolded part of the quote, emphasis mine, gives me a lot of hope for this project. This is the latest in a string of straight white guys being put in charge of Star Wars and if they’re really looking to use Favreau’s expertise to cultivate a more diverse group of filmmakers to create a stable, I’m all for it.
Before this gets going, Favreau will need to complete work on his live-action adaptation of The Lion King, which is slated for release July 19, 2019.