New Star Wars show leaks reveal a shocking rebuttal to The Mandalorian
Stranger Things meets Star Wars.
Star Wars is creating a new universe. After dominating the cinematic world with nine blockbuster movies, Lucasfilm has shifted its focus to streaming television. While TV has long been part of the franchise, the television side used to focus on animated series for children like Clone Wars and Rebels. That all changed when Disney+ launched.
But will the trend of live action shows for adults continue? A rumor swirling around the Star Wars community suggests that the medium is set for yet another sea change, and a much welcome one at that.
According to a rumor reported by Cinelinx, Lucasfilm is developing a High Republic series focused on a group of children. The report claims that two different sources referred to the series as “Stranger Things in Space.” While these rumors are unconfirmed, they seem to be coming from all angles, with The Illuminerdi even claiming to have details on the roles looking to be cast.
If this is true, it’s a huge deal for Star Wars fans. In the past, the Star Wars animated shows have shifted from kid-focused storylines (remember when Jar-Jar pretended to be a Jedi?) to dark tales depicting the fall of Anakin and Ahsoka’s response to this tragedy.
Could Star Wars benefit from the Stranger Things formula?
The Mandalorian followed a similar path. While it began as a fun-filled series of side quests and adorable shots of Grogu, by the end of Season 2 it was the story of a man having to choose between the religion that raised him and the young child he adopted.
This new series could recalibrate how Star Wars television is considered. Instead of being a show focused on adult fans that children can also enjoy, this could be a much needed live-action show that’s made specifically for kids.
“The Gathering” was supposed to set up a spin-off following a group of young padawans, but it never materialized.
This isn’t the first time Star Wars has attempted a kids-centric show. A backdoor pilot for a youngling focused series was included in The Clone Wars episode “The Gathering.” However, the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney left this series to fall between the cracks. Beyond that, the closest Star Wars has come recently is the oft-forgotten Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge game show hosted by Ahmed Best on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel.
But now that the Star Wars live-action series have reached a new level of acclaim, shifting the focus to a new generation of Star Wars fans with characters who look and act just like children could be the refresh the franchise needs to keep it from becoming a mere nostalgia machine.
