Star Wars Celebration 2025: Day 1 News Roundup
This Thursday, April 17th, Star Wars Celebration Japan kicked off with several announcements spanning TV, film, books, and more. Have you been wanting to know more about Ryan Gosling’s upcoming film? What does Lucasfilm Animation have cooking? We’ve got the answers for you right here if, like me, you can’t drop everything and fly to Japan. Let’s get to it
Film Announcements and Updates
Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Favreau and a few special friends came together to celebrate The Mandalorian and Grogu during Star Wars Celebration Japan.
The Mandalorian and Grogu comes to theaters May 22, 2026. pic.twitter.com/DjJrV8laMw
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 18, 2025
Director Shawn Levy and surprise guest Ryan Gosling announced the title of their film, Star Wars: Starfighter. You can also see a 20-second title reveal clip here:
Ryan Gosling, star of the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, makes his Star Wars Celebration debut. pic.twitter.com/CeZtI36QhO
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 18, 2025
Jon Favreau, Pedro Pascal, and Sigourney Weaver took to the stage in celebration of next year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Favreau and a few special friends came together to celebrate The Mandalorian and Grogu during Star Wars Celebration Japan.
The Mandalorian and Grogu comes to theaters May 22, 2026. pic.twitter.com/DjJrV8laMw
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 18, 2025
Television/Disney+
Lucasfilm Animation celebrates its 20th anniversary and unveils its next project: Maul: Shadow Lord. Check out a featurette on the studio’s legacy here, and below, a title card for Maul:
Sam Witwer appeared to talk about his return for Maul as well.
A third season of Young Jedi Adventures is on the way:
A trailer was shared for season 2 of Light and Magic, a documentary series about George Lucas’ effects studio Industrial Light and Magic, now streaming on Disney+:
Publishing
Manga, art books, and more were announced, including adaptations of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn (2017) and Jedi: Fallen Order.
Toys and Games
Hasbro unveiled new Cal Kestis, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Dash Rendar figures.
Kay and Nix embark on a new adventure with Hondo Ohnaka in story pack Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune.
Monopoly GO! Star Wars launches on May 1st.
K-2SO Lego Set
Meta Quest debuted a trailer for Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset.
Okay, so let’s get into it. I don’t feel strongly about Starfighter because I don’t love Ryan Gosling, and I don’t know anything about the movie. I’ve talked a lot about The Mandalorian and Grogu and my expectations for it; in short, I’m nervous about the whole Mandalorian franchise after that third season. Before that, I would have been excited for a movie; now, I’m very cautious and trying not to get too excited.
I don’t watch Young Jedi Adventures, so I don’t care that there’s a new season. I hope kids enjoy it since that’s clearly who it’s for. The Maul-starring series could be great, or it could be ridiculous. With such little information, who can say? I love what Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm Animation have done with Maul, but I didn’t love him in Solo, and you could argue they did a little too much with him in Rebels. His ending was perfect, but I have mixed feelings about what led to it. The only Star Wars TV project I’m fully pumped for is Andor season 2. That comes out on the 22nd, and there is a new 30-second teaser:
I don’t read the books, so I have nothing to offer there. I hope they’re good for fans of the publishing side. I also don’t play Star Wars games because I don’t play many video games in general. The Hasbro figures look good except for the Cal Kestis with the mullet; what’s that about?
But what do you think about any of the announcements? It’s hard to judge when we get so little footage or information, at least at home. I wonder how much more the attendees got, if anything. Sound off in the comments!
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Comments (2)
A lot of it doesn’t appeal to me, either. I’m only excited for Andor and Visions season 3. I haven’t seen the ILM series, so I can’t offer any insight on its quality, unfortunately.
I never followed rhe publishing side, so I only know Thrawn from Rebels where he was awesome, and Ahsoka where he sucked and came off as an idiot.
Scrolling thru with a stink face at stuff I have no interest in, but I’d like to check out Light and Magic season 2. First time I’ve heard of it, so did you see Light and Magic first season? One of the most innovative companies ever founded. An effects company.
I like Thrawn as a character a lot. He was written well in novels. He’s an ultimate tactician and strategist and planner, but my favorite thing about him is he is a master propagandist who takes the cultural art of a people’s planet and uses it to his benefit.