Star Wars: The Bad Batch Is a Clone Wars Spin-Off, Out in 2021 on Disney+ Hotstar

Star Wars is expanding on TV. Disney+ and Lucasfilm have announced Star Wars: The Bad Batch, an animated series that's a spin-off of the recently-concluded Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. The new Star Wars TV show will be about the titular squad of elite and experimental clones who each have a special skill of their own and whose genetic code is different from those in the Clone Army. Set in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War, Star Wars: The Bad Batch will follow them as they take on daring mercenary missions and struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.

Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance) and Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) will serve as executive producers on Star Wars: The Bad Batch, with Carrie Beck (The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels) as co-executive producer, and Josh Rimes as producer (Star Wars Resistance). Corbett is the head writer on the new Star Wars series, alongside Rau as supervising director.

“Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honour at Disney+, and we are overjoyed by the global response to this landmark series,” Disney+ senior vice president for content Agnes Chu said in a prepared statement. “While The Clone Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucasfilm Animation is only beginning. We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni's vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch.”

Though The Bad Batch is the only animated series on the Star Wars roster, it's far from the only series in development. There are two prequel series centred on Rogue One's Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in the works, while Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland is helming a female-centric series that's set in a different timeline than the others. All three are live-action.

On the film side of things, The Last Jedi writer-director Rian Johnson is crafting a new trilogy with no connection to the Skywalker saga. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has an idea he will work on with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi and 1917 writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns are collaborating on another idea.

Shutter Island writer Laeta Kalogridis is reportedly developing a film based on Knights of the Old Republic video games. A film set in the High Republic era is also in the works. And lastly, Sleight director J.D. Dillard and Luke Cage writer Matt Owens are reportedly developing a Star Wars film as well.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch will première on Disney+ Hotstar in 2021.

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