New Star Wars TV show will be a planet-hopping martial arts thriller

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

The galaxy far, far away is set to expand again with a new Disney Plus Star Wars series headed our way from Leslye Healand, the co-creator of Russian Doll. While the project is still largely mysterious, the writer has offered a few interesting bits of information about the show.

It’s previously been revealed that the series is "believed to be a female-driven action thriller with martial arts elements and set in an alternate timeline from the usual Star Wars universe." Now, speaking to Fantastic Frankey – and reported by Comic Book – Healand explained more about the creative process.

It seems Healand has done everything she can to make the series rooted in existing Star Wars lore, saying that "every pitch starts here” in reference to Star Wars: The Essential Atlas. She added: "It starts with 'Where are we?' because I think that is how I always anchor myself within this particular world. You can't just start with 'I have a cool emotional idea,' or 'I have a cool concept I'd like to explore.'"

Healand also talked about the geographical planning that went into her Star Wars show: "It's an actual world with actual places. Where are you? Who's there? How much do we know about who's there and how much do we not know? Based on what we know about who's there, what can we infer from the political economic structure of that place and then, how does that dovetail into the story you want to tell?"

She then hinted at a story that would take us planet-hopping: "For me, it's less about going through the Star Wars universe cinematically or artistically, I'm actually kind of combing through it geographically and literally going on a literal journey. When we were pitching I had my designer create literally that Indiana Jones-like 'then we go here and then we go here,' with the little dotted red line like this is our journey, this is where we're going."

Plus, it seems the series will follow in The Mandalorian’s footsteps with a weekly release schedule, as Healand revealed: "When I first pitched to Lucasfilm, I didn't pitch necessarily as a television [show] or a feature film, I just kind of pitched character or story and all the things that are dear to my heart as a playwright...I'm just pitching on that level.” She went on to say, "Ultimately when I settled on television and specifically streaming, it felt right because I think that there's a different type of storytelling when you come from TV, especially episodic TV, meaning not bingeable TV, meaning you are waiting each week to see something.”

It sounds like we’re in for an action-packed treat that will take us across the galaxy, and we can’t wait to find out more. For now, check out our Star Wars timeline with every major event in chronological order so you can get caught up.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.