While Marvel dominated Hall H with its blockbuster movie announcements, Star Wars fans weren’t exactly left hungry at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Lucasfilm largely steered clear of making major film or television reveals, instead putting the spotlight on its publishing programme with a host of new comics, novels and audiobooks that continue to flesh out the galaxy far, far away.
For longtime Star Wars fans, that’s no bad thing. Some of the franchise’s best storytelling has come through books and comics over the last few years, and Comic-Con demonstrated that Lucasfilm Publishing has no intention of slowing down.
Luke and Leia Take Centre Stage
One of the biggest reveals from the Lucasfilm Publishing panel was a brand-new novel centred on Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. While the Skywalker Saga may have concluded on the big screen, there’s still plenty of unexplored territory between the original trilogy films, and this latest adventure promises to delve further into the relationship between the twins as they continue to grow into the leaders fans know they’ll eventually become.
It’s exactly the sort of story many readers have been asking for, particularly as Lucasfilm continues to explore the gaps between the films rather than simply revisiting familiar battles.
A Big Year for Star Wars Comics
Marvel’s Star Wars comic line also received plenty of attention, with several upcoming series and collected editions announced during the panel.
Among the highlights was more information on Star Wars: Shadow of Maul, a series that expands upon Darth Maul’s criminal empire and helps establish the groundwork for an upcoming animated project featuring the fan-favourite Sith Lord. For anyone who enjoyed The Clone Wars and Solo: A Star Wars Story, this looks set to be one to watch.
Lucasfilm also confirmed additional trade collections and special editions celebrating fifty years of Star Wars ahead of the franchise’s golden anniversary celebrations in 2027.
New Audiobooks Join the Galaxy
Audiobook fans also had something to celebrate as Lucasfilm announced three new Star Wars audio productions.
The format has become increasingly popular over the last decade thanks to cinematic sound design, music and full-cast style performances that blur the line between audiobook and audio drama. It’s a part of Star Wars publishing that’s often overlooked but continues to attract a loyal audience.
Looking Towards Star Wars’ 50th Anniversary
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Lucasfilm’s panel wasn’t any single announcement but the clear sense that the company is beginning to prepare for Star Wars’ fiftieth anniversary in 2027.
Several upcoming publishing projects have been designed with that milestone in mind, suggesting the next eighteen months will celebrate not only new stories but also the incredible legacy George Lucas began back in 1977.
Whether those celebrations eventually spill over into film and television announcements remains to be seen, but Lucasfilm certainly appears to be laying the groundwork.
Where Were the TV and Movie Announcements?
If there was one slight disappointment, it was the absence of major news regarding Lucasfilm’s live-action slate.
There were no surprise trailers, no new casting announcements and no fresh details on upcoming films such as Starfighter. Given that Disney’s D23 Expo is only a few weeks away, that’s perhaps understandable. Lucasfilm has increasingly used D23 as its stage for major announcements, leaving Comic-Con to shine a spotlight on publishing and fan engagement instead.
For Star Wars fans hoping for a first look at the next big Disney+ series or another theatrical project, patience may be required for just a little longer.
Final Thoughts
While Star Wars may not have generated the same headlines as Marvel this year, Comic-Con still proved that the franchise remains alive and well across multiple mediums. New novels, expanding comic series and ambitious audiobook projects continue to enrich the galaxy beyond the films, giving fans plenty to look forward to while they wait for Lucasfilm’s next big screen adventure.
Sometimes the biggest announcements aren’t measured by explosions on a Hall H screen, but by the promise of new stories waiting to be told. Judging by this year’s publishing panel, Star Wars has no shortage of those.
Not to be a broken record but I’d still like to see a live action film about young Dooku as a Jedi played by Benedict Cumberbatch. And a film set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens about Ben Solo’s fall to the dark side.
And a live action Doctor Aphra film starring Chloe Bennet as Doctor Aphra.
They’d better hurry up with that. I mean, they need to do something in the next two or three years at most. Chloe’s 34 now, which is actually just about the perfect age for Aphra because I’ve never really seen Aphra as a naïve twenty-something.
The trouble is Hollywood has a habit of deciding leading ladies have an expiry date once they hit 40. Unless Chloe can borrow one of Ra’s al Ghul’s Lazarus Pits, they might decide to look elsewhere, which would be a real shame.
Truth be told, right now is exactly the right time to cast her. She’d still have a couple of sequels in her if the first film was successful, which obviously isn’t guaranteed.
That said, if they went with an Aphra animated series instead, I’d be all for it. Honestly, I think Star Wars animation has been consistently better written than a lot of the recent live action projects. Chloe could voice Aphra for as long as she wants, and she’d absolutely nail the role.
However they did it, I think she’d make a damn good Doctor Aphra.
I think Samantha Shannon once asked what if we lived in a society where signs of aging were seen as attractive and desirable? Just my opinion but if Harrison Ford could play Indiana Jones at 80 Hollywood can cast actresses over 40 in films.
I think we’re actually on the same page here.
My point wasn’t that actresses should be younger. I was saying that, historically, Hollywood has tended to skew towards casting younger actresses in leading roles. That’s been a long-standing trend, not my personal view.
In fact, I said Chloe Bennet is probably the right age for the role now. I also think things have improved over the last 10 to 15 years. Rebecca Romijn, for example, is 53 and plays Una Chin-Riley (Number One) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She looks fantastic and is carrying a major role. I could point to quite a few other actresses in their 40s and 50s who are still landing prominent leading parts, which wasn’t nearly as common a couple of decades ago.
As for Harrison Ford, I’d actually use him as an example of why age alone isn’t the issue. I don’t think Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny really did either Ford or the character justice. Personally, I’d love to see Disney eventually recast Indy with a younger actor and adapt some of the best stories from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Seeing Indy’s First World War adventures with a modern budget could be a lot of fun.