STAR WARS REBELS Animated Sequel Series Reportedly Scrapped In Favor Of AHSOKA Spinoff

Don't worry, though, because while the original plan was to continue the Star Wars Rebels story in animated form, that's now expected to play out in live-action in Ahsoka instead. Check it out...

By JoshWilding - Jan 12, 2021 05:01 AM EST

Filed Under: Star Wars

We've been hearing for a while that Lucasfilm has plans for a Star Wars Rebels follow-up, with it being widely reported that it'll take the form of another animated series. Things have changed since then, of course, and after the successful debut of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, Kessel Run Transmissions is reporting on different plans to continue that story.

After conversations between Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, a decision is said to have been made for the Rebels sequel to play out in Ahsoka - no great surprise after that Grand Admiral Thrawn mention!

"This is not the end for Ahsoka in animation," the site reports. "From what we've heard, Jon has successfully convinced Filoni to tell the next chapter of Ahsoka's journey specifically in a tie-in with Rebels in live-action. The next part of the journey is going to be told that way."

Surprisingly, that animated series was quite far along when Lucasfilm chose to change things up.

"Basically, the Rebels sequel was already in production, even eyeing a November 2020 release date; Taylor Gray even recorded lines for Ezra Bridger, but after the success of The Mandalorian, that's where Jon was like 'Okay, we can bring these characters into live-action and tell the story this way.'"

It's certainly not a bad thing for the stories of characters like Ahsoka, Ezra Bridger, and Sabine Wren to continue in live-action, though it seems likely this series will primarily focus on the Jedi's hunt for Thrawn before future stories delve into Ezra's whereabouts. Either way, this probably means we can start getting excited about some casting news for a fair few familiar (animated) faces.

What are you hoping for from Ahsoka?

Click on the "Next" button below for our ranking of
every episode in The Mandalorian season two!

8. The Passenger (Chapter 9)

Peyton Reed's debut episode was by no means bad, but it still felt like a real comedown after that stellar premiere. The Child's insatiable desire to eat those eggs was in equal parts disturbing and funny, but "The Passenger" proved that Grogu getting so much screentime can be too much of a good thing (some of the not-so-convincing elements of the puppet were easier to see).

The horror aspects worked really well, though, and seeing those X-Wing pilots in action was a real feel-good moment. Little did we know it was seemingly setting up the Rangers of the New Republic!

What we said in our review: "Even the worst episode of The Mandalorian to date makes for good television, but this average instalment highlight's the shows flaws and is redeemed only by The Child, solid action, and a stellar, horror-inspired final act."

7. The Siege (Chapter 12)

Putting Carl Weather's episode so low on this list feels like a disservice to the actor, as he really knocked it out the park as a filmmaker (even if a blooper with "Jeans Guy" made headlines). Mostly an extended action sequence, "The Siege" retread old ground to some extent, but made up for that with some huge reveals, including an apparent Supreme Leader Snoke tease.

There were some big hints about why Moff Gideon wants The Child too, and if you didn't jump out of your seat in excitement when the Razor Crest returned, we don't know what to tell you.

What we said in our review: "Carl Weathers needs to return to the director's chair in a Galaxy Far, Far Away as soon as possible because this week's episode of The Mandalorian really is the show at its best."

6. The Believer (Chapter 15)

A great episode to lay the groundwork for the finale, "The Believer" saw Rick Famuyiwa return to The Mandalorian to give Bill Burr's Mayfeld some depth and push Din Djarin to his absolute limit. Forced to remove his helmet in order to do what it takes to save Grogu, this was a huge shift in the bounty hunter's story, and one we're confident will continue to have ramifications.

Despite the story being a relatively simple one, the character moments more than made up for that, and it helped that Boba Fett - in his cleaned up armour - was once again an absolute badass.

What we said in our review: "The stage is set for an epic finale with "Chapter 15," and this nail-biting penultimate episode gives Pedro Pascal and Bill Burr the chance to shine, while Rick Famuyiwa continues to prove he's perfect for Star Wars."

5. The Tragedy (Chapter 14)

It's fair to say that we didn't really have high expectations for Robert Rodriguez's episode of The Mandalorian, and while it was essentially an extended action sequence, the filmmaker proved himself a perfect fit for this corner of the Star Wars Universe. Honestly, it's not remotely difficult to see why Rodriguez has now been enlisted for the upcoming series The Book of Boba Fett.

Playing into Jedi mythology, while also justifying our love for Fett after his minor role in the original trilogy, "The Tragedy" was a great episode which also introduced us to the Dark Troopers.

What we said in our review: "Robert Rodriguez and Star Wars prove to be a dream match in this action-packed episode of The Mandalorian which will leave longtime fans squealing with excitement."

4. The Heiress (Chapter 11)

While Katee Sackhoff's live-action debut as Bo-Katan Kryze had been rumoured before The Mandalorian returned to Disney+, it was still an incredible surprise seeing her come face-to-helmet with Din Djarin. The four Mandalorians blasting their way through one of Moff Gideon's ships made for awesome viewing, while that Ahsoka Tano name-drop...well, it left all our jaws on the floor.

Bryce Dallas Howard delivered some stellar visuals with "The Heiress," while also teasing us with a lot of big hints about where this story could go next (bring on that return to Mandalore, eh?).

What we said in our review: "Director Bryce Dallas Howard knocks it out of the park with an epic episode that features plenty of world-building and finally drops some hints about what fans can expect from this second season."

3. The Jedi (Chapter 13)

The Mandalorian wasted no time introducing us to "The Jedi" that Din Djarin was seeking to reunite The Child with, but Dave Filoni's stellar, samurai-inspired Chapter 13 did Ahsoka Tano justice in a way we could have never imagined. Rosario Dawson proved to be the perfect choice to play this live-action take on the character, and we even learned The Child's name: Grogu.

Lucasfilm carefully dropped a few other hints about his past, but it was Ahsoka who ultimately stole the show. Now, we're counting down the days until her series also arrives on Disney+.

What we said in our review: "Quite easily one of the best episodes of The Mandalorian to date, Chapter 13 delivers a classic Star Wars adventure combined with an exciting samurai-inspired tale which perfectly introduces a fan-favourite character and expands the mythology."

2. The Marshal (Chapter 9)

Season two of The Mandalorian kicked off with its most cinematic episode to date, though we probably shouldn't be surprise when it was Jon Favreau at the helm! It felt a lot like the original plan was for this to be screened in theaters, but putting that to one side, and we have to talk about Timothy Olyphant's Cobb Vanth. What an incredible character to add to this world.

It goes without saying that we're hoping he returns in The Book of Boba Fett, because there's clearly more story to tell there. Regardless, this was a perfect opener with a killer tease at the end.

What we said in our review: "The Mandalorian has returned to save 2020 with a stellar opening episode helmed by Jon Favreau, a wonderful performance from an unexpected co-star, and plenty of Baby Yoda cuteness."

1. The Rescue (Chapter 16)

If Peyton Reed disappointed us with "The Passenger," he exceeded all expectations and knocked our socks off with "The Rescue." The stakes were high heading into the finale, and there was nothing about this episode that left us anything other than satisfied. Of course, we have to talk about Luke Skywalker's cameo because that...well, that was really something special.

It was overshadowed in some respects by that perfect, emotional ending, though, as Din Djarin bid farewell to Grogu, and Pedro Pascal proved why he's one of the most talented stars working today.

What we said in our review: "An emotional ending and the right kind of fan-service leaves us desperate to return to the world of The Mandalorian, but this perfect finale cements the Disney+ series as one of the greatest TV shows of all-time."

STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE Image Features Rebecca Henderson As High Republic Jedi Vernestra Rwoh

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18 Comments

Doomsday8888 - 1/12/2021, 5:30 AM

People who have worked on it must be pissed off.
I wonder how Ashley Eckstein feels, for example.
She was very supportive of Rosario but you could see she was also a lil heartbroken.

MrDandy - 1/12/2021, 7:44 AM

@Doomsday8888 - I think it is a bittersweet thing for her. She’s probably thrilled she got to play/create one of the most popular Star Wars movies of all time and the legacy is continuing but she will be reserved to animation instead of live action. However she is retired from live action acting and probably wouldn’t have even taken a live action role if offered.

captainireland - 1/12/2021, 8:16 AM

@MrDandy - I recall reading a quote from Ashley Eckstein that it would be her dream to play Ahsoka in live action. I can't remember where I read it, whether it was in an interview or something she posted on Instagram, but I do remember her saying it. So, as good as I thought Dawson was, it really sucks that Eckstein didn't get the chance to play her on Mando, in my opinion anyway.

GhostDog - 1/12/2021, 5:33 AM

Let the Ezra fan casting begin

globaltravels - 1/12/2021, 6:58 AM

@BlackBeltJones - hey that’s my picture I made like a year ago! Nice! 👍🏼

AC1 - 1/12/2021, 7:06 AM

It's awesome that we're getting all of this in live action, but I do feel bad about the voice cast probably losing out on jobs they probably thought were pretty much set in stone - especially if they'd even started recording lines as the report says

InfinitePunches - 1/12/2021, 7:21 AM

If it could look like Bad Batch, I may actually prefer this story be told in animation.

THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 1/12/2021, 7:55 AM

Dick move.

TheMapleSyrup - 1/12/2021, 8:00 AM

Im not a huge fan of rebels, but I actually enjoyed all the characters. I think bringing them into live action would be great

NoAssemblyReqd - 1/12/2021, 8:45 AM

Sucks for the voice actors who may be out of a potential job now.

RokoVII - 1/12/2021, 9:26 AM

Im glad they decided to go with the Ahsoka spinoff, Rosario was dope!

Batman5 - 1/12/2021, 10:10 AM

This is gonna be awesome, can’t wait!
And yes plz give us Henwick as Sabine, I mean that Is just perfect!

DarthNihilus - 1/13/2021, 9:58 AM

The FeloniVerse is the way to go.

High Republic can go in the trash can.

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STAR WARS REBELS Animated Sequel Series Reportedly Scrapped In Favor Of AHSOKA Spinoff

Don't worry, though, because while the original plan was to continue the Star Wars Rebels story in animated form, that's now expected to play out in live-action in Ahsoka instead. Check it out...

8. The Passenger (Chapter 9)

7. The Siege (Chapter 12)

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