In 2018, the final episode of the final season of the animated canonical series Star Wars Rebels ended with Sabine Wren making a promise to find Ezra Bridger. Five years and a jump to live-action later, fans will finally see Sabine, brought to life by actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo, make good on that promise in the Disney Plus streaming series Ahsoka.
As teased in the epilogue to the final episode of Star Wars Rebels, former Jedi Ahsoka Tano will accompany Sabine on the journey to find out what happened to their friend after they freed Ezra’s home planet of Lothal from looming Imperial presence. While it’s not entirely clear how much time has passed in the galaxy far, far away since the epilogue, Bordizzo says that Sabine’s promise to find Ezra remains at the forefront of the character’s mind.
“She feels an obligation to him,” Bordizzo told Empire. “When they freed Lothal, she was given this hero status. But she doesn’t feel that she’s earned that because she lost her friend in that whole debacle. She’s just focused on the promise she made to him to find him.” And while finding Ezra will fulfill that promise, Sabine and the rest of the crew of the Ghost will have to deal with the fact that their friend won’t be the only familiar face they find. How will she and her friends deal with the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who went missing alongside Ezra? Tune into Ahsoka when it debuts on Disney Plus on August 31st to begin to find the answer to that question.
Now one of two primary creators of the New Republic era stories being told through multiple streaming series on Disney Plus ahead of a theatrical event, Dave Filoni was once the chief creative mind behind Lucasfilm’s canonical animated adventures such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Through Disney Plus streaming series such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Filoni has had the opportunity to shepherd the adaptation of several fan-favorite animated characters into live-action.
Of those characters, none was dearer to Filoni than Ahsoka Tano, who, played by Rosario Dawson, made her live-action debut in the second season of The Mandalorian. Now, three years later, the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker will take center stage in her own streaming series, Ahsoka, and Filoni opened up to Empire about putting his beloved creation at the center of a series to be shared with legions of Star Wars fans, some of whom have not seen the animated adventures that fleshed out her story.
While Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels are considered canon, Filoni is acutely aware that not everyone who will be tuning into Ahsoka will be a Star Wars completist, meaning that not insignificant chunk of the audience won’t be fully familiar with the lead character’s story. According to Filoni, that presented him with a bit of a problem. “The biggest challenge was, there’s a whole bunch of audience that know her, and a whole bunch that don’t,” said Filoni. “She has one foot in the Star Wars that a lot of people know because of her connection to Anakin, and yet she’s all new and can go in her own direction, in her own way.”
As is often the case with creatives, however, Filoni found a way to reframe that challenging aspect of the character. Rather than limit Ahsoka by holding her to what little fans who haven’t seen the animated series do know about her, Filoni has chosen to see the unfamiliarity as door that opens myriad possibilities. “I think that makes her an interesting bridge between what came before and what’s really possible,” said Filoni of Ahsoka’s potential. Given that the character is likely set to play a major role in Filoni’s New Republic era film and his enduring love for her, it sounds like there may be many more stories in Ahsoka’s future.
After making the jump to live-action in The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano her own streaming series this August on Disney Plus. Ahsoka, brought to live action by Rosario Dawson, has had one of the most compelling and emotional arcs of https://www.empireonline.com/tv/news/ahsoka-wanderer-dave-filoni-exclusive-image/any character in the great history of the Star Wars franchise. Once the promising Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka is a Jedi no more and now finds herself in a galaxy again on the brink of another major power struggle. The series, set in the same New Republic era as The Mandalorian, will reunite the character with her friends from the cast of and, according to an Empire interview with creator Dave Filoni, help her find a “new purpose.”
“She’s a wanderer at this point,” says Filoni of Ahsoka’s lifestyle at the beginning of the series, “and is in a lot of ways wary of any organization as such because of the power that comes with it as a group.She walks a path that basically died out a long time ago,” he explains. “And there aren’t many like her left, if any. So that’s a lonely thing.” No longer a Jedi, Ahsoka is more of a ronin, as fans have seen in her appearances in The Mandalorian.
However, as teased in the final episode of Star Wars Rebels, the former Jedi has one very important mission to take care of that will reunite her with her friends, the crew of the Ghost, who she hasn’t seen in years. “If you are a loner, you have a very small circle of friends. What is it like, then, when you try to open back up?” That question seems to be at the heart of what fans can expect in Ahsoka.
With the series set to see Grand Admiral Thrawn return to the galaxy far, far away, it is expected to play a major role in the ongoing New Republic era of stories. While it’s not been confirmed, it’s widely believed that the character will play a large role in Filoni’s untitled and undated Star Wars “Heir to the Empire” film. If that’s the case, that makes Ahsoka a ca n’t-miss for fans when it starts streaming on Disney Plus on August 31st.
Secret Invasion looks to stand apart from the usual MCU fare by shifting the focus away from its powered heroes and toward the shadowy world of spies. While that means that Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury is at the center, he’s not alone which means that this Ultimate List is quite a bit busier than most. If you want to get your homework done before Secret Invasion‘s June 21st premiere, you better get started.
Tier One
Tier One projects are non-negotiable essentials to be watched/re-watched before streaming Secret Invasion. If you want to understand what’s happening, these six projects–listed in chronological order– lay the foundation.
Captain Marvel
While the next chapter in Carol Danvers’ story will be told in The Marvels, which hits theaters in November, Secret Invasion is every bit of a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel as well. The film introduced Talos and his refugee Skrulls–including his daughter, G’iah– to the MCU and set the stage for Fury’s relationship with them. As explained by Emilia Clarke, the faction of Skrulls looking to take over the Earth are sick and tired of waiting for Fury and Talos to make good on the promise of finding them a home world which is essentially what’s going on in Captain Marvel making that one a must on the rewatch.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Who do you trust? If you’re Nick Fury, you don’t trust too many folks at all. The Winter Soldier tore Fury’s life to shreds but he escaped and rose from the ashes like the fiery phoenix with an eye on taking down Hydra. Though she’s not featured in it, The Winter Soldier goes a long way in revealing just how much Fury trusts Maria Hill, who is set to play a big role in Secret Invasion. It also provides all sorts of opportunities for Fury to have been simmed and replaced by a Skrull, so if you’re rewatching it, try it through that lense and see how it might change the film for you.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Though Fury doesn’t play a pivotal role in the Avengers’ defeat of Ultron, the second Avengers film goes a long way in revealing just how little anyone really knows about Fury and just how capable he is of pulling off major surprises. If he helped hide the Bartons from the world and can happen to full a Hellicarrier out of thin air, what other surprises does Fury have up his sleeve? Or is that even Fury’s sleeve?
Captain America: Civil War
James Rhodes’ MCU story has truly been fascinating but the events of Civil War altered the trajectory of the character’s arc more than any project to date. After joining the New Avengers following the events of Age of Ultron, Rhodey found himself on the wrong end of a tragic accident that certainly made him rethink which type of suit he’d like to spend the rest of his life in. Obviously, he went on to help save the world because that’s what heroes do, but by the time Secret Invasion rolls around it seems as though he’s looking to step out of the armor for good. Or is he? Or is it even him?
Spider-Man: Far From Home
The post-credit scene to Far From Home is quite possibly more important to the ongoing narrative of the MCU than the entire body of the film. The revelation that Talos and his wife, Soren, had been simming Fury and Hill while Nick was on space vacation–meaning an entire movie’s worth of Fury events didn’t include Fury–should make us all question whatever we think it is we know about the MCU. This certainly wasn’t the first time Talos posed as Nick…and it certainly won’t be the last.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
All we know so far about Everett Ross’ role in Secret Invasion is that he’s sneaking around in the shadows as one of Fury’s allies. And while you might think all you’d need to know is how he escaped government custody at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the additional backstory that film provides for him is worth the watch.
Tier Two
Once you’ve seen the Tier One projects, you’d be just fine settling in for Secret Invasion without feeling lost. That said, if you’ve got the time to dig deeper and get a little more context on the not-quite-necessary-but-still-important events in the main characters’ lives, the Ultimate List will point you in the right direction.
Avengers: Infinity War
The beginning of a two-film arc in which audiences really got to see Cheadle elevate the role of Rhodey, Infinity War comes close to a Tier One project but falls a tad short. Rhodes’ dismissal of General Ross’ order should have cost him his USAF career but it didn’t seem to derail it at all given where he is as Secret Invasion begins.
Avengers: Endgame
The Russos carved out a pretty meaty role for War Machine here and it’s by far one of Cheadle’s most enjoyable performances in the role. From tossing around the idea of killing baby Thanos to helping retrieve the Power Stone during the Time Heist, Endgame gives Rhodey a ton to do even if none of it seems to really be impactful in setting the stage for Secret Invasion.
Tier Three
If the completist in you is telling you to watch them all, then we encourage you to do so.
Iron Man
The beginning of James Rhodes’ MCU journey, Iron Man introduces the character as one of Tony Stark’s best buddies. Played here by Terrence Howard, Rhodey is constantly frustrated with Tony but can’t seem to say no to the guy. The film also marks the MCU debut of Nicholas J. Fury as he begins the work of assembling his Avengers by sneaking into Tony Stark’s Malibu mansion.
Iron Man 2
Don Cheadle stepped in as Rhodey in the 2010 sequel which is only really worth watching to track the character’s work with the U.S. Government, which is a major plot point in Secret Invasion.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Part of Nick Fury’s MCU story, Captain America: The First Avenger gave a very fair impression of the lengths The Spy would go to in order to sell a lie.
The Avengers
One of the best MCU films to date, The Avengers is worth watching at any point in time; however, it paints a very murky picture of Fury and just how willing he is to keep secrets from anyone and everyone. The project also marks the MCU debut of Fury’s right hand, Maria Hill, who looks primed to play her biggest part yet in Secret Invasion.
Iron Man 3
While he gets relegated to a bit of a sidekick role in his adventures with Stark, Rhodey’s political career is advanced here when President Matthew Ellis upgrades him to the Iron Patriot and puts him front and center in the battle against The Mandarin.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
In his last appearance before we see him in Secret Invasion, Colonel Rhodes and Sam Wilson have a discussion about Sam’s decision to place the Captain America shield in the Smithsonian.
According to CanWeGetSomeToast, a scooper who is hiding in the Multiverse, Vision’s synthezoid children, Vin and Viv, who were created by Vision so he might enjoy the human experience of having a family, are both set to appear in Vision Quest.
While Viv has gone on to join the Young Avengers and have some wild adventures, the cookie crumbled a little differently for Vin who died within the same 12-issue series in which he was introduced. While any news or rumors about Marvel Studios projects are welcome at this point, it’s also a sobering reminder that Vision Quest, which was once on track to head into production in early 2024 will almost certainly be delayed by the ongoing WGA strike and the potential pending strikes of Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America. Though Disney was looking for a way to spread out its streaming content, this probably wasn’t what they had in mind.
Marvel Studios first streaming series of 2023, Secret Invasion, will debut on Disney Plus in just over three weeks and the hype for the project has begun to build. The series will see Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury uncover an ongoing plot hatched years ago by a faction of Skrulls who seek to take over the Earth. The promotional footage and material from the show has leaned heavily into the paranoid aspects of the spy thriller though one character who is rumored to play a heavy role in that has been notably absent.
It seems McDonald’s character will go by the name of Chris Stearn, a name not associated with any Marvel Comics character though it could be a reference to legendary shock jock Howard Stern. The idea of a talking head who fans the flames of paranoia–and who could himself be a Skrull for that matter–is a great touch that provides some interesting commentary on the state of modern media. As originally reported, McDonald’s Stearn could end up finding himself included in other projects down the road after appearing in a fairly regular supporting role in Secret Invasion.
Who do you trust? Marvel Studios Secret Invasion begins streaming on June 21st.
As the WGA strike continues, multiple Marvel Studios productions have been halted or delayed. After kicking off in April, Destin Daniel Cretton‘s Wonder Man has been delayed indefinitely in Los Angeles and both Blade and Thunderbolts, which were slated to begin production in and around Atlanta, have been postponed. Marvel’s most ambitious project, Daredevil: Born Again, an 18-episode streaming series starring Charlie Cox, VincentD’Onofrio and Jon Bernthal, kicked off production in New York City earlier this year and its current status has been a source of confusion among some fans. Now, D’Onofrio has cleared up where it stands amid the strike.
Though production on the project was shut down for a day earlier this month, D’Onofrio told Comic Book that while it’s not “business as usual”, the streaming series is still filming. “I wouldn’t call business as usual because we want to… Well, I’ll speak for myself. I want to be loyal to the writers and to the teamsters,” D’Onofrio explained. “We’ve been told that the company is going to work through. Our writers are on strike, so we have no writers at the moment, but we have our scripts, so that’s good.“
Cox and D’Onofrio reportedly spent quite a bit of time ahead of the start of production making sure the scripts were in tip-top shape which is good news for fans as there are surely not two stars more invested in their Marvel Studios characters than them. And while they have those scripts to work from and they plan to move forward filming the series, that doesn’t mean that their won’t be more production delays along the way. “As long as we’re doing it in a gracious way and everybody’s in agreement that we can work when we’re allowed to work and we’ll shut down when we should shut down,” said D’Onofrio. “Out of respect for the teamsters and the writers and such, then that’s what we’re going to do. And so far, so good. It’s been going well.“
In summary, Daredevil: Born Again will face some challenges during its production but Disney has, at least for the time being, made the decision to push ahead. The streaming series is reportedly set to hit Disney Plus beginning in 2024.
Marvel Studios took quite a step back during 2023 with their Disney+ ventures. While we still have three live-action series set to release, it’s been a while since She-Hulk, Attorney at Law found its way into the service back in August. We’re still some weeks away until Secret Invasion will release, but it seems their latest animated venture might take just a tad bit longer than initially expected. Originally set for a Fall 2023 release during last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, it seems we might have to wait until January of next year.
It seems that the US Copyright Office may be the leaker this time around. First discovered by @ScarletWitchUpd on Twitter, the series is seemingly scheduled to release on January 3rd, 2024. There’s a chance that it might just be a placeholder release date set by the copyright office for the pilot episode, as it supposedly is a pre-registration. Still, it wouldn’t be too surprising given that Echo is now set to release in November as a binge release.
Marvel Studios’ animated ventures have been showcased as something separate from the rest of their projects with the exception of What If…?. We’re still waiting for the second season of that series to release, but they generally have gone quiet on the various entries. We’ll have to wait just a bit longer but perhaps a trailer will arrive sometime in the fourth quarter that confirms the release date.
Many believed that The Witcher would not live long with the upcoming third season being the final one of Henry Cavill in the role of Gerald of Rivia. His departure was heavy considering Cavill was extremely passionate about playing the character and loved the source material. While he’s not set to spearhead his own project with a Warhammer 40K adaptation for Amazon, there have been various discussions behind the scenes on why he left the project.
Supposedly, he didn’t quite see eye to eye with the franchise’s direction, which was deviating more and more from the original novel series. While it’s not uncommon that changes are made in adaptations, it started heading into more original content than an adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s work, as he even went on to sneak book moments in himself into the series.
With him leaving, Liam Hemsworth is set to take over as Gerald and will take over starting Season 4. Surprisingly, it seems that we’re going to see a lot more of his Witcher with casting director Sophie Holland confirming they will be jumping straight into a fifth season once they finish the fourth one with him in the role.
We’re just about to start filming on season four with Liam Hemsworth and there will be a short gap then we go straight into season five.
Sophie Holland
It’s surprising that the usual reserved Netflix isn’t going to wait and see what their audience size looks like once a new actor takes over. Perhaps, they fully believe in this project and the fifth season could be mapped out as a finale. They could run for quite some time and Netflix seems quite desperate to find a franchise that can carry momentum for a long time, but they keep floundering any chance by swiftly canceling projects that don’t perform to their high standards. We’ll have to see what they have in store beyond Cavill’s run with the character.
Who do you trust? Unless it’s Patti LuPone, it’s probably not any actor or actress rumored to be part of a Marvel Studios project. Over the years, the lying and dissembling has grown farcical as the talent attached to projects roll out the same tired denials. Of course, every now and then, someone rumored to be boarding a project actually isn’t; however, given the growing number of denials, it’s often hard for fans to discern who they can trust…especially when it’s someone they’d like to see in their favorite franchise. Now it looks like fans are facing another decision as Secret Invasion’s debut approaches.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress Chloe Bennet, who has been rumored to appear in Marvel Studios next big streaming series denied that she’ll be appearing in any Marvel Studios projects. In fact, Bennet said that while she would love to reprise her role as Quake, she’s never been contacted by the studio for a role in any of their projects.
“Of course. Of course, I would be open to it,” said Bennet of the opportunity to return to the role she filled on the ABC series. “Listen, there’s a lot of stuff around that. I so deeply love S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fans because it’s this tenacity that got the show on air to begin with.”
Despite her willingness to suit back up, however, it seems the studio just hasn’t found the right project for her return. “I have not once been approached or asked or involved in anything after I wrapped S.H.I.E.L.D.,” claimed Bennet. “And I am not involved in anything that is coming out. I’ve not been asked, but I would be more than excited to put on the suit again. And, of course, of course, Daisy is a big part of who I am. So I would love to, but I have not been communicated [with] about it.“
For fans who have been around the denial block a time or two, most of what Bennet had to say sounds awfully familiar. Over the past few years, Charlie Cox, Andrew Garfield, Jonathan Majors and Tatiana Maslanyjoined the prestigious list of actors forced to lie to fans despite their involvement in projects being fairly well-known. Has Bennet joined them? Or are all the rumors, hints and teases of her role in Secret Invasion all false? Who do you trust?
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
