Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase

The biggest panel on the slate of the entirety of Celebration, hopes were high for what was to come in Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase And it certainly didn't disappoint! Hosted by Ali Plumb of BBC Radio 1, alongside Kathleen Kennedy, and with 4,500 people in attendance, the panel covered everything from Andor to Skeleton Crew to Indiana Jones and beyond. We've got a breakdown of the events as they happened. Want to view our live tweet thread? You can find it here.

Andor Season 2

Tony Gilroy kicked the party off by announcing that season 2 of Andor is halfway done with filming. He also brought a clip with him to show exclusively to the audience. From our sources at the panel, the footage showcased the Rebellion with protests and chaos. Filming will end in August.

The Acolyte

The first words from this section about The Acolyte were familiar ones to fans of The High Republic - "For Light and Life!" Creator Leslye Headland described the show as "Frozen meets Kill Bill," which is a fascinating combination if we do say so ourselves! All of the actors joined Headland on stage, including Amandla Stenberg in an incredible Padmé Amidala cosplay. Joonas Suotamo, who played Chewbacca in the Sequel Trilogy, is playing a Wookiee Jedi in the show.

The audience was shown an exclusive clip from The Acolyte in which a group of Padawans are being taught by Masters. There is a voiceover featuring many Jedi. Force powers are on display, including martial arts. The show is still filming, but they have their sights on 2024 for a release date.

The Mandalorian Season 3

Executive producers of The Mandalorian Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Rick Famuyiwa joined the stage alongside actors Giancarlo Esposito, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, and Emily Swallow. They showed the audience eight minutes of Chapter 23, briefly mentioning Grand Admiral Thrawn's name in the process. Is this going to come to fruition, or is it a tease for something else? Only time will tell.

The audience will get the chance to view Chapter 23 in a special advance screening. There is no word yet on whether or not it will be released to the public early as well, so be very cautious of spoilers!

Skeleton Crew

Mostly an unknown entity until now, Skeleton Crew got its fair share of news in this panel. The heavyweight slate of directors for the show was announced: Jon Watts, David Lowery, The Daniels, Jake Scherier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung. An exclusive trailer was shown to the audience that depicted several children, some of whom were on stage.

Our sources at the panel tell us that the following line was spoken: "Who else to save your children but a Jedi?" Could it be that Jude Law, long known as the star of the show, is playing said Jedi? We shall find out at some point in 2023 when the show is scheduled to release.

Ahsoka

Perhaps the most surprising segment of the television news, given that it has its very own panel on Day 2, Ahsoka was discussed with quite a few revelations accompanying it. Joining Dave Filoni on stage were Rosario Dawson, Natashia Liu Bordizzo, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Winstead was announced as portraying the fan-favorite Twi'lek captain Hera Syndulla. On Twitter, actor Eman Esfandi announced that he'd be portraying Ezra Bridger. Bordizzo was announced as Mandalorian Sabine Wren at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2022.

They revealed a new poster for the show, prominently featuring the titular character of Ahsoka herself. The poster revealed the show's release date of August 2023. But, that wasn't the only surprise they gave us! Defying all expectations for this specific panel, they released a teaser trailer to the public. You can view it for yourself here.

Star Wars Films

What felt like the big elephant in the room going into the weekend was the state of Star Wars films. Luckily, this panel more than clarified the intended direction of this subset of content. The first big announcement was that the movies are going to span all eras, including ones new to Canon: Dawn of the Jedi, the Old Republic, and the New Jedi Order. Dawn of the Jedi and the Old Republic both take place prior to The High Republic, and the New Jedi Order takes place after The Rise of Skywalker. See the image below for the timeline they put on screen to help visualize the placement of the eras:

The next step in the process of clarifying the state of Star Wars movies was to discuss specific films. Three movies were added to the slate: a film from Dave Filoni during the time of the New Republic with the purpose of tying together all the stories in the Mandoverse, a film from James Mangold exploring the Dawn of the Jedi, and a film from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker during the New Jedi Order era.

Perhaps the biggest news, though? Daisy Ridley will be reprising her role as Rey Skywalker in Obaid-Chinoy's film! She was even present at the panel to mark the occasion.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

With the panel being called Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase, it only makes sense for the panel to also feature other Lucasfilm properties: the next installment in the Indiana Jones series! In the style of Ahsoka, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny showed off both a new poster and a new trailer! You can view the new trailer for yourself here.

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That does it for the news from Day 1 of Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023! And wow, did they kick off the convention in style! What do you think of all this news? Interact with us on our socials @youtini_us, and be sure to join our Discord community, where you can chat in real time with fellow Star Wars fans! Keep your eyes on this space and our Twitter for more breaking news coming out of the convention.