A Droid Story: Story Info & Everything We Know So Far (original) (raw)
After it was announced that R2-D2 and C-3PO would be getting their own Star Wars project, here's everything Lucasfilm has released on A Droid Story. This move was a long time coming given the significance the two robot friends have had in the franchise, with the pair starring in nearly all movies and shows. Anthony Daniels and the late Kenny Baker, actors who donned the costumes of the droids for most of the franchise, are as iconic as the other actors in George Lucas’ universe. Even when Star Wars ventured into the live-action streaming space, R2-D2 and C-3PO managed to make guest appearances in episodes of The Mandalorian and its spinoff The Book of Boba Fett.
A Droid Story is obviously not the first experiment to focus on the two droids as 1985 witnessed the debut of the short-lived animated series Star Wars: Droids. The ABC cartoon which featured R2-D2 and C-3PO encountering new masters in every episode was so poorly-received that after over a decade,Star Wars: Droids stopped being canon. Produced by Canadian animation studio Nelvana, the 13-episode series intended to catch up on the hype of Return of the Jedi but failed to make a mark. Still, the timeless charm of the characters is still relevant for a new venture like A Droid Story that is expected to be a considerable improvement.
A Droid Story Recent News
Not much has been revealed by Lucasfilm in regard to A Droid Story. However, what is certain is that it will be a one-off adventure for the iconic duo of R2-D2 and C-3PO. As per a 2020 tweet on the official Twitter handle of Star Wars: A Droid Story will be an animated film that will drop directly on Disney Plus. There are also chances that Star Wars might go down the same route as the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its 8 releases of 2022 including hour-long Disney+ specials like Werewolf By Night and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
A Droid Story Confirmed
A solo droid-centric story was announced by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy back in 2020 as a part of the Disney Investors Day Announcement. A Droid Story was just one of the several new titles that were announced including Ahsoka, and Andor. The official announcement on the Star Wars website mentioned A Droid Story would be one of the saga’s animated adventures. The production details weren’t offered but much like every current Star Wars property, it is obvious that Kennedy would be one of the producers on it. Despite the announcement also including the now-canceled Star Wars movie Rogue Squadron, A Droid Story is very much in the works.
Unlike Star Wars: Droids which was animated by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm, A Droid Story would be fully animated by Lucasfilm Animation in collaboration with Lucasfilm’s visual effects division Industrial Light & Magic. To quote the Investors Day announcement, “As Lucasfilm continues to develop new stories, the intersection of animation and visual effects offers new opportunities to explore.” Even though the showrunners might switch to 2D animation style if they are going for a vintage look, there are high chances that A Droid Story will stick to a 3D computer-animated style reminiscent of the post-2000s Star Wars animated shows like The Clone Wars, Rebels, and more recently The Bad Batch.
A Droid Story Release Date
Despite being announced in 2020, A Droid Story still does not have a release date. Four of the ten projects announced have already debuted up to 2022, with even 2023 being a content-heavy year for new Star Wars chapters. With _The Bad Batch_’s season 2 and _The Mandalorian_’s season 3 starting 2023, May 4 (Star Wars day) will mark the release of two more animated shows: season 2 of _Star Wars: Visions_’ and the first Star Wars animated series solely intended for children, Young Jedi Adventures. The year will also give way to Skeleton Crew and Star Wars fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano will also be making her standalone TV debut.
It is uncertain if A Droid Story will be dropping in late 2023 or the year after it. With no Star Wars films or TV specials slated for a 2023 release, A Droid Story might be directly released on Disney+ as a surprise offering in the latter part of the year. As the storyboards and casting details are still kept under wraps, it is also possible that A Droid Story is still in its pre-production stage. Lucasfilm prioritizing Visions makes sense given the scope of its animation styles. Not only are the characters of Star Wars: Visions diverse but even the animation studio involved in each episode is also different.
A Droid Story Cast
The voice cast details have not been revealed yet, but it is easy to speculate that Anthony Daniels will be a highly-probable choice to voice C-3PO. Not only has the veteran actor appeared as the protocol droid in 10 _Star War_s films, but he also reprised the role in the franchise’s other properties like video games, radio serials, and TV shows (both animated and live-action). In fact, Daniels even posted a photo of himself in a motion-capture suit on his Instagram account in January 2022. There are high chances that Daniels might be playing the iconic Star Wars droid again in perhaps a mo-cap performance for A Droid Story.
As for R2-D2, sound designer Ben Burrt is the man behind the droid’s language of “beeps”. So, Burrt too might join A Droid Story to play around the beeps in more innovative ways. With A Droid Story featuring an all-new “hero”, it is highly possible that a new star will make their Star Wars debut, leading the cast along with the two droids. Whether this hero will be played by a veteran actor or a newer face, Lucasfilm is keeping it a secret for now. If this protagonist ends up being like one of the English-speaking droids in The Mandalorian , then a proper voice actor is bound to be cast.
A Droid Story - Story Info
_A Droid Story_’s earliest announcement found Lucasfilm dubbing the animated film as an “epic journey that will introduce us to a new hero, guided by legendary duo R2-D2 and C-3PO”. Judging by the project’s title and the characters, it is highly possible that the story will focus on a new droid who takes its new mentors’ legacy forward. While both the droids have had their moments of comic relief, the duo have proved to be essential in several missions. So, A Droid Story might offer them the perfect opportunity to train this new droid just like how the Jedi masters have been training their Padawans for generations.
MORE: Star Wars Hints At How C-3PO Knew The Ewok Language In ROTJ