Jon Favreau is to write and produce a new live-action Star Wars series for Disney’s forthcoming streaming service.
No stranger to a galaxy, far far away, the actor and film maker has a role in upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story and previously starred in The Clone Wars animated series.
Favreau said it was a childhood dream to be able to tell stories within the Star Wars universe, which comes as Disney ended its distribution agreement with Netflix as they plan their own streaming service to launch next year.
Lucasfilm is excited to announce that Jon Favreau has signed on to executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars series. https://t.co/x6gP7zv0iW pic.twitter.com/yHJHhZheum
— Star Wars (@starwars) March 8, 2018
He said: “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.”
LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy added: “I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform.
“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 directed Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and served as executive producer of the Iron Man and Avengers films which Disney gained when taking over Marvel Entertainment.
He also directed and produced the Oscar-winning The Jungle Book and is working on the highly-anticipated reimagining of The Lion King which is set for release in 2019.
The untitled Star Wars live-action series does not yet have a release date.