Tales of the Jedi (TV series)
Tales of the Jedi | |
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File:Tales of the Jedi (TV series) logo.jpeg | |
Genre | |
Created by |
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Based on | Star Wars by George Lucas |
Voices of | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
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Executive producers |
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Running time | 15 minutes |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | Disney+ |
Tales of the Jedi is an upcoming American animated anthology series created by Dave Filoni and Charles Murray for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise, exploring different Jedi characters from the prequel trilogy era. The series is produced by Lucasfilm Animation.
Filoni began writing the series while working on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, and revealed the first official details about it in May 2022. It consists of six episodes split into two "paths", one following the character Ahsoka Tano and the other depicting the character Count Dooku. Liam Neeson, Micheál Richardson, Janina Gavankar, and Matt Lanter provide voices for the series, which uses the same animation style as Filoni's previous series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Tales of the Jedi is set to premiere in late 2022.
Premise
Each episode of Tales of the Jedi tells a short story featuring Jedi from the Star Wars prequel trilogy era.[1] The six episodes are split into two "paths": the first following Ahsoka Tano across various points in her life, and the other depicting a young Count Dooku before his fall to the dark side of the Force.[2][3]
Cast and characters
- Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn[4]
- Micheál Richardson as a young Qui-Gon Jinn[4]
- Janina Gavankar as Pav-ti: Ahsoka Tano's mother[3]
- Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker[2]
The characters Ahsoka Tano, Bail Organa, Mace Windu, Count Dooku, Yaddle,[2] and Ponda Baba will appear.[1]
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
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1 | "Life and Death"[3] | TBD | TBD | 2022[2] | |
Production
Development
While traveling to work on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, Dave Filoni began writing short stories about different Jedi characters from the franchise's prequel trilogy era. Carrie Beck, senior vice president of development and production at Lucasfilm, asked if Filoni wanted to turn these into a series, which he compared to her "find[ing] the money" for a revival of his animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars on the streaming service Disney+.[5] In December 2021, the logo for Tales of the Jedi was included on holiday gifts for Lucasfilm employees alongside logos for upcoming film and television projects at the studio. This was also the name of an unrelated comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics in the 1990s.[6] Lucasfilm confirmed the project in April 2022 when the company announced the schedule for Star Wars Celebration, with Filoni set to discuss the animated anthology series in a dedicated panel.[7] This was held at the end of May, and revealed that the series consists of six episodes written by Filoni and The Clone Wars writer Charles Murray,[2] with each being approximately 15 minutes long.[8]
Writing
Filoni described the series as exploring "two paths and two choices", with one following the character Ahsoka Tano and the other focusing on Count Dooku. Each character is explored in three different eras of their lives.[3] Comparing the series to The Clone Wars, Filoni noted that Tales of the Jedi was slower paced and like "a series of tone poems" with less dialogue and more visual storytelling. This was inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki as well as Filoni's mentor, Star Wars creator George Lucas.[1][3] Filoni's first idea for the series was to show how Ahsoka was brought to the Jedi Order by Plo Koon, but he changed this to a story about Ahsoka's first hunting trip with her mother because there had not been many stories about "moms being moms" in Star Wars.[1][9] He felt it was important that "Ahsoka's first experience with someone telling her, 'Don't be afraid,' is her mother." Beyond the first episode, which has a happy ending and features the "adorable baby Ahsoka",[3] Filoni warned that "these aren't just fun, happy stories. It gets rough at times." He particularly felt that Dooku's life was "surprisingly tragic", and attributed some of the series' darker episodes to them being written during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] An aspect of Dooku that Filoni wanted to explore was the relationship with his padawan learner, Qui-Gon Jinn, who Filoni described as "one of the best and, in some ways, most interesting Jedi, because of his philosophy, which is different from the Jedi Council. And where did he learn that, if not from his mentor, Count Dooku?"[3]
Casting
With the series' announcement in May 2022, it was revealed that Liam Neeson would reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn, while his son Micheál Richardson would voice a younger version of the character.[4] Matt Lanter reprises his role as Anakin Skywalker from The Clone Wars,[2] while Janina Gavankar was cast as Ahsoka Tano's mother, Pav-ti.[3]
Animation
The series uses the same animation style as The Clone Wars.[1]
Marketing
Filoni revealed the first details about the series at a Star Wars Celebration panel in May 2022, where a teaser was shown and the full first episode screened.[1]
Release
Tales of the Jedi will be released in late 2022 on Disney+ and consist of six episodes.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Schimkowitz, Matt (May 28, 2022). "Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi animated anthology series announced". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Whitbrook, James (May 29, 2022). "Tales of the Jedi's First Footage Teases Two Very Different Star Wars Stories". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Diehl, Daniel (May 29, 2022). "SWCA 2022: 5 Things We Learned From the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Panel". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Villei, Matt (May 29, 2022). "'Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi' Images Tease the Origins of Ahsoka Tano". Collider. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Goldman, Eric [@TheEricGoldman] (May 28, 2022). "Dave began writing Tales of the Jedi on a whim flying back and forth to make Mando. Carrie Beck said "Do you want to make this?" and he said "If you can find the money!" Noted she had already proven she could do that to come back and finish The Clone Wars. #StarWarsCelebration" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Arvedon, Jon (December 24, 2021). "Star Wars Employee Christmas Gift Hints at New Tales of the Jedi Project". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Whitbrook, James (April 27, 2022). "Tales of the Jedi, Whatever It Is, Is Star Wars' Next Animated Adventure". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Boccella, Maggie (May 28, 2022). "'Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi': Liam Neeson to Return as the Voice of Qui-Gon Jinn". Collider. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Goldman, Eric [@TheEricGoldman] (May 28, 2022). "Dave's first idea was to show Plo Koon coming to being Ahsoka to the Jedi but then he realized he wanted to focus more on Ahsoka and her mother, noting we haven't had a lot of stories about moms being moms in Star Wars. #StarWarsCelebration #TalesoftheJedi" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
External links
- Tales of the Jedi at IMDb
- Tales of the Jedi on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
- 2020s American animated television series
- 2020s American science fiction television series
- American animated action television series
- American animated science fiction television series
- American animation anthology series
- American computer-animated television series
- Animated television series about extraterrestrial life
- Animated television shows based on films
- Disney+ original programming
- Star Wars animated television series
- Television series by Lucasfilm
- Upcoming animated television series