This Fall, a galaxy far, far away is going animé.
Disney announced on Thursday the newest entry into the ever-expanding “Star Wars” universe, a new animé-inspired series called “Star Wars Resistance.” The Disney Channel show — which takes place before 2015’s “The Force Awakens” — will follow Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited into the Resistance to keep tabs on the increasingly dangerous First Order.
“The idea for ‘Star Wars Resistance’ came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots” said creator Dave Filoni, who also brought the popular “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” animated series to life. “My grandfather was a pilot and my uncle flew and restored planes, so that’s been a big influence on me. There’s a long history of high-speed racing in Star Wars, and I think we’ve captured that sense of excitement in an anime-inspired style, which is something the entire team has been wanting to do for a long time.”
The highflying series will also feature franchise favorites like Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, voiced by original actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie. BB-8, the beloved, scene-stealing ball droid who quickly became this generation’s R2-D2, is also confirmed to appear alongside completely original characters.
Rounding out the cast is “Scrubs” star Donald Faison, former “Saturday Night Live” alum Bobby Moynihan and “Legion” actor Scott Lawrence, who has notably voiced Darth Vader across several “Star Wars” video games.
