April Fools! Did we get you? We hope we got you. While a Grogu series isn't happening, there are 11 Star Wars shows in development.
A Star Wars TV show about Grogu's time at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy is in development, with Mark Hamill returning. Affectionately known as Baby Yoda, Grogu was a surprise addition to The Mandalorian's cast and became an instant sensation. He's currently one of the most popular Star Wars characters and a massive merchandising opportunity for Disney. That's why it was such a bold choice by the creative team to split up Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian season 2 finale, as the infant left with Luke to master his abilities. Din's journey is set to continue in The Mandalorian season 3, seemingly without The Child by his side.
After the initial awe of Luke's surprise Mandalorian cameo wore off, the plot development raised a number of questions. As evidenced by the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it's known Luke's Jedi Academy does not have a happy ending; the training temple was destroyed after Ben Solo turned to the dark side. This caused many to worry about Grogu's future, fearing he could be one of Kylo Ren's earliest victims. Some of these mysteries will likely be resolved in the latest Star Wars TV show.
Lucasfilm announced an untitled series about Luke's Jedi Academy is in development, giving The Mandalorian yet another spinoff show. Hamill, whose likeness was digitally recreated for the Mandalorian season 2 scene, will be involved. Read the full press release below:
Building off the emotional The Mandalorian season 2 finale, this new live-action Star Wars series follows Grogu as he studies the ways of the Force at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni serve as executive producers. Mark Hamill, reprising his role of Luke, will star.
"We are very excited to continue Grogu's story in this new series," said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "Audiences around the world have embraced him. I can't wait to see what Jon and Dave come up with. It's also great to have Mark back, thanks to the hard work of our visual effects team. I thought the Luke Skywalker recreation in The Mandalorian was so impressive."
More details about the untitled Jedi Academy series will be announced soon.
Arguably, The Mandalorian season 3 will benefit from separating Din and Grogu, as it will force the show to enter new territory and mix up the status quo. Still, it isn't surprising to see Lucasfilm is keen on making sure The Child is still a part of Star Wars' future. Grogu was The Mandalorian's breakout star, and clearly his story isn't over. Considering the character's popularity, it would be a missed opportunity if Lucasfilm kept Grogu on the shelf for an extended period of time. Viewers are definitely interested in seeing more of him, and this show will likely tie up any loose ends regarding Grogu's fate. Ideally, the youngster will have a happy ending, but Luke's future failure hangs over the Jedi Academy show. The series' placement in the Star Wars timeline will let audiences know how close its events are to Ben's turn.
As for Luke, it's curious why Lucasfilm is opting to digitally recreate Hamill as opposed to recasting the role. With The Falcon and The Winter Soldier now out, the Sebastian Stan as young Luke fan casting is once again gaining traction. Luke's CGI face worked for the purposes of the Mandalorian season 2 cameo, but it drew criticisms from some circles for falling into uncanny valley trappings. Issues with the technique were most apparent in closeups where Luke was speaking. Hamill is synonymous with Luke, so the studio's reasoning for using his likeness is understandable, but it will be fascinating to see how this turns out. Hopefully, the technology is improved upon, but it's still very difficult to craft a photorealistic human face - even for Star Wars.
Source: Lucasfilm
