The Biggest News We Expect From Star Wars Celebration

The Biggest News We Expect From Star Wars Celebration

The week is finally upon us. After two years of delays, Star Wars fans are ready to celebrate yet again. The official Star Wars convention, Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, is happening this week, and with it comes four days of non-stop Star Wars news, merchandise, stories, and all manner of general excitement.

How long has it been since there was a Star Wars Celebration? Well, at the last one Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni screened the first footage from The Mandalorian. We’re now two-plus seasons into that series. That was also the event where the first trailer (and title) for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was revealed. And we all know how that turned out.

Basically, so much has happened (and is happening) in the world of Star Wars that Celebration is bound to be epic. Plus, the event lines up with the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones, the 45th anniversary of A New Hope, and debut episodes of the latest Disney+ show, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Basically, there’s almost too much stuff happening in just a few short days.

So, what can you expect? Click through for some predictions of what we’ll be learning over the course of Star Wars Celebration Anaheim.

What is the next Star Wars movie?

Taika Waititi, seen here voicing IG-11, is likely to direct the next Star Wars film. (Image: Lucasfilm)
Taika Waititi, seen here voicing IG-11, is likely to direct the next Star Wars film. (Image: Lucasfilm)

At the moment, Disney officially still lists Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron as the next Star Wars movie, scheduled for theatres in December of 2023. The president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, has other ideas though and those are expected to be made official Thursday morning at Celebration.

Our prediction: we’ll find out the title and short idea behind director Taika Waititi and writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns’ mystery film, as well as its release date.

A Full Andor Trailer

Time for your moment, Cassian. (Image: Lucasfilm)
Time for your moment, Cassian. (Image: Lucasfilm)

Recently, news broke that Andor is very likely to be the next Star Wars series, coming out “late summer.” Well, if it’s coming out in late summer, there’s little doubt that there will be a new trailer for the show as well maybe an official release date. Keep your eyes peeled on Thursday morning.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Info

The Mandalorian on Book of Boba Fett season one. (Image: Lucasfilm)
The Mandalorian on Book of Boba Fett season one. (Image: Lucasfilm)

The third season of The Mandalorian has already completed filming. It’ll be out either late this year or early next year, but since there’s a panel called “Mando+” happening Saturday morning, odds are we will get a few small teases at what’s next for Din Djarin and his trusty sidekick, Grogu. A full trailer? Doubtful, but anything could happen.

Real Ahsoka Info

Image: Lucasfilm
Image: Lucasfilm

Currently filming maybe 30 minutes from where Celebration is taking place (field trip?), Ahsoka is almost certainly going to be part of Star Wars Celebration. That “Plus” in the “Mando+” panel Saturday has to mean something. However, with filming having just started we don’t expect any footage. Maybe, we’ll finally get confirmation that Sabine and Thrawn are in the series? (Though, to be fair, some of that has already made it out.)

New Star Wars Shows!

Screenshot: Twitter
Screenshot: Twitter

Will we hear about any new Star Wars shows? Forseen this, we have. There probably won’t be anything about new live-action narrative shows (though who knows?), but there are at least two panels on new Star Wars-themed shows. There’s Light + Magic, an upcoming documentary about the legendary VFX house Industrial Light and Magic (that panel is Friday morning), as well as Tales of the Jedi, which has long been known to exist but we aren’t quite sure exactly what it is yet (Saturday morning). Most likely, it’s a new animated anthology series, a la Star Wars Visions. Speaking of that…

Second Animated Seasons

The Bad Batch is Back. (Image: Lucasfilm)
The Bad Batch is Back. (Image: Lucasfilm)

Speaking of Visions, it’s likely Star Wars Celebration will be the place Lucasfilm confirms that the second season of that series is on the way. There will also, with 100% certainty, be a new trailer and release date for The Bad Batch season two, especially since it’s got its own panel on Sunday.

All the Star Wars That’s Fit to Print

The High Republic is still going strong. (Image: Lucasfilm)
The High Republic is still going strong. (Image: Lucasfilm)

Star Wars doesn’t just happen in theatres and on Disney+. Panels on the future of Star Wars books and comics are happening at Celebration, so we’re very likely to find out about upcoming titles from the comics and publishing sides.

Attack of the Clones nostalgia

Oh this guy. (Image: Lucasfilm)
Oh this guy. (Image: Lucasfilm)

One of the biggest tie-ins at Celebration this year is the 20th anniversary of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. A Friday afternoon panel at the event will reunite some of its stars and there are sure to be some fun, never-before-heard stories.

What We (Probably) Won’t See

Obi Wan Kenobi won't play a huge role at Celebration... because it will already be out. (Screenshot: YouTube/Lucasfilm)
Obi Wan Kenobi won’t play a huge role at Celebration… because it will already be out. (Screenshot: YouTube/Lucasfilm)

So that’s what we think you will see. What won’t we see? Well, much from Obi-Wan Kenobi for starters. Since Celebration is happening simultaneously with the global launch of the show, besides attendees watching the show in their hotel rooms and lots of gossip on the floor, it would be odd for Lucasfilm to spoil anything coming so soon.

Oddly, there’s also not a panel where it would make sense to find news on a sequel to EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order or any other of the big, upcoming Star Wars games like Eclipse (with the exception of Star Wars: Hunters, which does have a panel). That could change, but as of now there’s no obvious place for those kinds of announcements to happen.

And also, don’t expect to get too much news on the future of Star Wars movies as a whole. News on one film, sure, but new trilogies? Return of Rey? Episode X? Probably not.

Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.


Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.


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