Star Wars: Clone Wars and Detours TV series cancelled
Lucasfilm has called time on two Star Wars TV spin-offs ahead of the release of Episode VII
One unexpected result of Disney taking control of Lucasfilm and Star Wars has been the demise of the animated TV series Star Wars: the Clone Wars, which is being wound down after five series.
However, Lucasfilm is planning on putting new small-screen series animated series into production at a later date, which will explore “a whole new Star Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming.”
“As we enter into an exciting new era focused on the next Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm has decided to pursue a new direction in animated programming,” said a statement from Lucasfilm.
“We are exploring a whole new Star Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming. You can expect more details in the months to come.
“As part of this shift, we have also made some key decisions affecting Star Wars: The Clone Wars. After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series.”
Clone Wars Supervising Director Dave Filoni has since released a video about the announcement, which details the show’s history and reveals what’s left to come in episodes still to air:
Another planned Star Wars spin-off, a comedy series by Seth Green called Star Wars Detours, has also been shelved for the foreseeable future. In its statement, Lucasfilm said that premiering an off-the-wall comedy so close to the release of Star Wars: Episode VII just wouldn’t make much sense.
“At Star Wars Celebration VI last year, George Lucas gave fans a glimpse at the animated comedy series Star Wars Detours from Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, and Todd Grimes,” said the statement.
“Detours was conceived and produced before we decided to move forward with the new Star Wars trilogy, and in the wake of that decision, Lucasfilm has reconsidered whether launching an animated comedy prior to the launch of Episode VII makes sense. As a result, we’ve decided to postpone the release of Detours until a later date.
“We are incredibly proud of the teams at Lucasfilm Animation for creating some of the most amazing animation ever produced for TV.”
