You’ve felt it. A great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out... in excitement? Because after the pandemic pushed it back for two years, Star Wars Celebration is preparing to descend on Anaheim, California next week, and io9 will be there in person to bring you all the news! As all the details are squared away for the event, here’s what you need to know.
What Is Star Wars Celebration?
The official Lucasfilm/ReedPop convention for the Star Wars movies, TV shows, games, books, and the zillion other Star Wars things that exist, Celebration has been running since 1999. A largely bi-annual gathering across the U.S. and Europe, the convention has been home to major announcements and trailers for upcoming films and TV projects, as well as publishing and gaming news for the galaxy far, far away.
Expect cosplay, ridiculous merchandise (and we want all of it), signings, panels, and, of course, news—and a lot of it, considering that Celebration Anaheim was meant to take place in 2020. It was cancelled when the true extent of the covid-19 pandemic was made clear, and Lucasfilm pushed the convention from 2020 into 2022 to wait out the worst of it. Now with The Rise of Skywalker behind us and a bunch of Star Wars projects in the works for both theatrical releases and Disney+, it’s time to start teasing what’s next.
When Is Star Wars Celebration 2022?
Star Wars Celebration 2022 takes place from May 26 to May 29 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Some tickets for certain days are still available for purchase, but if you’re not planning on going in person, in prior years livestreams of major panels have been available from the Star Wars YouTube channel throughout Celebration.
What News Can We Expect at Star Wars Celebration 2022?
It’s already shaping up to be a banner year for Star Wars. Just as Celebration opens, the Obi-Wan Kenobi prequel series will debut its first two episodes on Disney+. The Mandalorian’s third season is on the way, as is the second of animated series The Bad Batch, and there’s even more in store for Disney’s streaming service in the next few years, including Ahsoka and Andor, as well as the further-out series like Lando and the High Republic era story The Acolyte. And speaking of High Republic, the publishing initiative is set to enter a second phase later this year, with a series of novels and comics that flashes even further back into the past of the Star Wars timeline, pushing itself out 350 years before the events of the movies.
And that’s not even counting the movies! The main Skywalker Saga might be over, but Star Wars is far from done with the silver screen. Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron movie may have had some production delays, but S-Foils are still locked in attack position as far as it happening. Taika Waititi’s mysterious Star Wars project is out there on the horizon, and there could be even more movies yet to come. And hey: they never officially scrapped that Rian Johnson trilogy. A guy can dream, right?
There’ll be plenty of other opportunities for news, too. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones, so we could expect some merchandise or perhaps even books to tie in. A sequel to Respawn’s Rise of the Empire-era video game Jedi: Fallen Order is on the way, and it wouldn’t be too unsurprising to be hearing more at Celebration for that, either. And that’s just what we know so far—there could always be room for surprises!
What Panels Are Happening at Star Wars Celebration 2022?
You can check out a listing of every panel at the event over on the official Celebration website, and see some highlights below.
Thursday, May 26
Lucasfilm Showcase (streaming) - Celebration kicks off with a “must-see showcase” of what’s coming for the galaxy far, far away. The studio’s “current crop of live-action filmmakers,” as well as special guests, will tease what’s ahead, with news from Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and The Mandalorian—and perhaps more.
Lucasfilm Publishing: Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away - Disney Lucasfilm Press, Del Rey, Dark Horse, and more reveal what’s to come in the future of novels and comics in a look at books planned for later this year and beyond.
Ian McDiarmid: An Audience with The Emperor - Somehow, he’s returned! The man behind the most evil force in the galaxy Ian McDiarmid sits in conversation to discuss his time across the entire Skywalker saga.
The High Republic: For Light and Life - The creatives behind the prequelest-prequel era of Star Wars (for now) unite to discuss what’s gone down in the first phase of The High Republic, and tease what’s in store as the next wave of stories goes even further into the past of the galaxy far, far away.
Friday, May 27
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones 20th Anniversary Celebration (streaming) - The second Star Wars prequel turns 20 this year, and Celebration is, well, celebrating with promises of mystery special guests to gather and look back on Attack of the Clones’ legacy.
Light and Magic (streaming) - “Be among the first in the world to get a sneak peek at the recently announced Disney+ documentary series Light & Magic. Join us for an ‘illuminating’ discussion panel featuring Lawrence Kasdan and Ron Howard, joined by VFX titans Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Joe Johnston and Rose Duignan, and Lynwen Brennan, Lucasfilm executive vice president and general manager.”
From a Galaxy Far, Far Away to a Disney Park Near You - Walt Disney Imagineers hope down the street from Disneyland to the Anaheim Convention Center to take a look back at Star Wars’ long history with the Disney parks, from the days of Star Tours’ debut all the way up to Galactic Starcruiser, and perhaps beyond.
Saturday, May 28
Mando+: A Conversation with Jon Favreau & Dave Filoni (streaming) - Join executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni for the first official The Mandalorian panel since the show actually premiered in late 2019, as they (and even more special guests) look back at the show so far, and tease what’s next for Din Djarin and his young foundling Grogu in season three.
Tales of the Jedi (streaming) - We might not know what it is yet exactly, but Lucasfilm has confirmed that a brand new animated anthology series will make its debut at Celebration, with Clone Wars and Rebels’ Dave Filoni on hand for the reveal. Please join us in wild speculation here.
I am C-3PO with Anthony Daniels - The master of human-cyborg relations looks back on his Star Wars adventure, as one of the rare actors to have made appearances in every entry of the Skywalker Saga, and a good chunk of the rest of Star Wars while he’s at it, too.
Sunday, May 29
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 (streaming) - Bad Batch executive producers Brad Rau and Jen Corbett, story editor Matt Michnovetz, as well as clone voice actors Dee Bradley Baker (basically every clone in the show, of course) and Michelle Ang (the exception to that, young star Omega) talk about the show’s arrival, and offer a glimpse of what to expect for the Batch in season two.
A Look Back at Star Wars: Visions - Lucasfilm and Qubic Pictures employees reminisce over the process of creating the excellent anime anthology Star Wars: Visions.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars “The Siege of Mandalore” Screening - The four-part finale to The Clone Wars finally gets the cinematic screening sendoff it deserves, with special guests Dave Filoni, Carrie Beck and Athena Portillo attending just to watch you cry. In public! With your fellow fans!
What Guests Are Signing at Star Wars Celebration 2022?
Although not every guest has been revealed yet, several actors and creative talent from across the Star Wars universe have been confirmed for appearances, as well as autographs and photo opportunities. Here’s everyone confirmed so far:
Autographs/Photo Sessions
- Amy Allen (Aayla Secura, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith)
- Anthony Daniels (C-3PO in, well, a whole lot of Star Wars)
- Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano, The Clone Wars and Rebels)
- Billie Lourd (Lt. Connix, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker)
- Carey Jones (Krrsantan, The Book of Boba Fett)
- Carl Weathers (Greef Carga, The Mandalorian)
- Daniel Logan (Boba Fett, Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars)
- Dee-Bradley Baker (Captain Rex, the Bad Batch, and many, many more Clone Troopers, The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch)
- Dickey Beer (Boba Fett, Return of the Jedi)
- Emily Swallow (The Armorer, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett)
- Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi)
- Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon, The Mandalorian)
- Ian McDiarmid (Sheev Palpatine, the Star Wars prequels, the original trilogy, and, somehow returned, in The Rise of Skywalker)
- Jett Lucas (Zett Jukassa, Revenge of the Sith)
- Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker)
- Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze, The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian)
- Katy O’Brian (Imperial comms officer, The Mandalorian)
- Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker)
- Kevin Thompson (Chubbray the Ewok, Return of the Jedi)
- Margo Apostolos (Tokkat the Ewok, Return of the Jedi)
- Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker, The Clone Wars)
- Michelle Ang (Omega, The Bad Batch)
- Omid Abtahi (Dr. Pershing, The Mandalorian)
- Orli Shoshan (Shaak Ti, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith)
- Rupert Friend (The Grand Inquisitor, Obi-Wan Kenobi)
- Sam Witwer (Darth Maul, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Clone Wars, and Rebels)
- Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett and Clone Troopers, Attack of the Clones, Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett)
- Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi)
Featured Guests
- Cavan Scott (Author, Star Wars: The High Republic, Dooku: Jedi Lost, and more)
- Charles Soule (Author, Star Wars: The High Republic, Marvel’s Darth Vader, and more)
- Claudia Gray (Author, Star Wars: The High Republic, Bloodline, and more)
- Daniel Jose Older (Author, Star Wars: The High Republic, Last Shot, and more)
- Doug Chiang (Lucasfilm VP, Executive Creative Director)
- Justina Ireland (Author, Star Wars: The High Republic, Lando’s Luck, and more)
- Steve Sansweet (Executive Chairman and founder, Rancho Obi-Wan)
Sessions for autographs and photos are available to pre-order for attendees now. And good news: if you’re unavailable to attend in-person, some will offer the chance to either mail-in items to be autographed or for you to buy an autograph to be mailed to you through Official Pix.
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