He’s come a long way from playing Gutter in the cult-classic, PCU, and now Jon Favreau is firing-up the hyperdrive and heading toward a galaxy far, far away. This morning, Lucasfilm announced that the Emmy-nominated producer and actor has signed on to executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars series for Disney’s new direct-to-consumer platform. Favreau has played roles in both the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and has a role in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story.
From the Official Announcement on StarWars.com:
“I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” said 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.”
Favreau is thrilled to be returning to the Star Wars galaxy: “If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.”
Disney’s collaborations with Favreau extend back a decade, when he helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe as director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2 and as an executive producer of the Iron Man and Avengers films for Marvel Studios. For Disney, he directed and produced the massively successful The Jungle Book, which won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects. He is currently in production on Disney’s highly anticipated reimagining of The Lion King, set for release in 2019.
On a personal note, I’m a massive fan of Jon Favreau going back to the beginning. I’ve always found his work both in front of and behind the camera to be top-notch, and with that I was grateful to have a chance to interview him ahead of The Jungle Book back in 2016 (I also attended the premiere of that film), and to have seen his test footage from The Lion King at the D23 Expo last summer. To paraphrase The Emperor… “I’ll be watching this with great interest.” Stay tuned!
