2022 promises to be quite the year for Star Wars with The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, The Mandalorian season three, Droid Tales and Bad Batch season two either airing or filming as we enter a new era of multi-project Star Wars TV.
We already know that work continues at Lucasfilm Animation on Droid Tales and Bad Batch season two, that The Book of Boba Fett begins to air December 29th, that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor have completed filming and are now in post-production, and that filming continues on The Mandalorian season three.
But we can exclusively reveal that another Star Wars project is ALREADY filming in the UK at Pinewood Studios, and has been since at least November.
Existing rumours have suggested that The Acolyte would begin filming in February, although some say May 2022; and that Ahsoka would film in March 2022.
Whilst it is thought that The Acolyte will film in the UK, most schools of thought believe Ahsoka will film in Manhattan Beach, California.
We are holding our hands up straight away and telling you, we don’t know what project this is. What we do know is that the existing rumoured production slate of Star Wars is incorrect, and so it begs the question what project is this…
With that in mind, let’s do some old school information digging and speculating.
The Acolyte?
The documented evidence we have seen suggests a significant spend, and full large scale physical sets with an “unfamiliar fresh look.” Logic would tend to lead us to suggest that the production is The Acolyte, but there is nothing in the evidence we have seen that allows us to confirm that. Could this filming be purely to allow the likes of ILM to get footage of the physical sets to begin CGI work, or is full cast shoots underway? We can only at this speculate at this juncture as what we have seen does not answer that question.
We know that Leslye Headland is the show-runner on this series, with Rayne Roberts helping develop it. We know that casting is underway with Amanda Stenberg rumoured to be the lead. The Illuminerdi has also suggested that the lead character is called Aura, and the production is using the code name Paradox. We have not seen the name Paradox used in the documented evidence we have seen. Nor have we seen a director attached to the project.
It would make sense that in a new to screen era such as The High Republic, that sets would have “an unfamiliar fresh look,” and that filming could be conducted for ILM benefit to secure assets of these new sets – but for a production to be filming I would have thought the director(s) of the eight episode run would at least be rumoured if not confirmed.
This all makes The Acolyte a strong contender, but doesn’t allow us to confirm it.
Ahsoka?
On a recent Fatman Beyond show, co-host Marc Bernardin revealed that he tried to hire Rosario Dawson but couldn’t as she was filming a “Star Wars show” in December. Watch that episode below from the 32nd minute.
That obviously falls into our timeframe. But Bernardin also said the filming was in Manhattan Beach, California. That is home to the original Volume (Pinewood is now also equipped with one), and home to season three of The Mandalorian. Could Dawson purely be filming for The Mandalorian, or has Ahsoka filming began?
It certainly makes sense that the third show in the Favreau / Filoni verse be filmed in California alongside their other productions. None of The Mandalorian, or The Book of Boba Fett has shot in the UK. Whilst the other Lucasfilm TV productions all shot at least partly in the UK. Andor was shot in England and Scotland, Willow in Wales, and Obi-Wan Kenobi whilst mainly shot in the USA, also filmed in part in the UK.
We have more of a cast in place for Ahsoka in Rosario Dawson as the lead, Hayden Christensen as Vader, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ivanna Sakhno both connected.
So with Bernardin’s comments we can’t rule out Ahoska, but the UK connection just doesn’t seem to fit. But more on that later…
Tales of the Jedi
Out of left field this week came a new candidate, as a Lucasfilm employee holidays gift set revealed the name Tales of the Jedi as a production. We don’t know whether that is a TV or film production, or whether it is live action or animated for that matter. Historical rumours have suggested that a Tales of the Jedi script for a movie has been on the shelf for some time, and with Rogue Squadron pushed from its December 2023 slot – rumours resurfaced that this script could take its place. However, more recent rumours have pointed towards an animated series with this title. Let’s also not forget that Dark Horse Comics returns to Star Wars publishing in the Spring of 2022 and this title and logo stems from their original run of Star Wars comics.
There is no cast, show runner, directors, nothing rumoured for this project. If this is the mystery project it will come straight out of the left field, but so did this weeks logo….
Following The Paper Trail
Historically following the business paper trail has allowed me to break the news of every Star Wars production company name in the Disney era first with Jedi News, and since 2017 with Fantha Tracks. Currently LFL Productions Ltd in the UK is the significant controller to thirteen UK businesses connected with motion picture production activities.
Below follows the production company names we have broken, followed by the films working title and the production it eventually became.
1) FOODLES PRODUCTION (UK) LIMITED / Working Title: AVCO – The Force Awakens
Foodles was the name of the cafe in San Rafael, California right next to the old Kerner Optical location, whilst The Avco was one of the four cinemas that adopted the THX sound system for the release of Star Wars, and it was the cinema that the young JJ Abrams first saw the movie. My fellow Fantha conspirator in breaking that story, Matt Booker joined me for lunch at the cafe in November 2016.
2) LUNAK HEAVY INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED / Working Title: Los Alamos – Rogue One
Los Alamos was of course the birth place of the atomic bomb, and in Rogue One we see the Star Wars equivalent – the birth of the Death Star. Lunak was an original member of Rogue One alongside the character of Senna in an early draft of Rogue One, but they would be replaced in the crew by Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe for the final script.
3) SPACE BEAR INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED / Working Title: Space Bear – The Last Jedi
Explained by story group: “We were talking about how Luke had retreated and just taken himself out of the world and for some reason [it felt like] Legends of the Fall,when Tristan goes into the woods in the end,” Rayne Roberts shared. “But then we were like, ‘And then he gets mauled by a bear.’ And then someone said, ‘So Luke’s like a space bear.’”
4) STANNUM 50 LABS (UK) LIMITED / Working Title: Red Cup – Solo
As in the iconic American party SOLO red cups. But this is where things start to get messy: The Stannum 50 Labs name derives from the atomic number 50 which is the metal Stannum, more commonly referred to as Tin – because this production company was originally intended for the cancelled Josh Trank movie of Boba Fett, the tin man.
5) CARBONADO INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED – Working Title: trIXie / Black Diamond
– The Rise of Skywalker
Originally intended for Solo, thus the carbon name, before the Boba Fett movie got canned and everything moved forward a bit. A Black Diamond is also known as a Carbonado. They are known for their luminescence, but aren’t we all just luminous beings…
The working title was later updated to trIXie, a play on Episode 9, but also in latin it is a girls name that meaning “she who brings happiness” – let the comments on whether Rey brings you happiness roll in!!!
6) PLT PRODUCTIONS UK (LIMITED) – Indiana Jones 5
Originally intended for use for the Obi-Wan Kenobi movie before that was shelved, and later revived as a Disney+ TV show. PLT Productions meaning has never been learnt, and ended up being used on Indiana Jones 5.
7) E & E INDUSTRIES UK (LIMITED) / Working Title: Pilgrim / Trolley – Andor
E & E was created for use by D & D – David Benioff and D. B. Weiss which obviously went the way of many Star Wars productions. The company name was later adopted by the Andor Disney+ show, with the code name Pilgrim – presumably as Cassian Andor was a traveller to the Jedi religious world of Jedha.
Why trolley? – answers on a postcard please….. that one has us stumped.
With shoots across the UK, some EE location signage was also found after Andor’s production moved on.
8) BARKING LION PRODUCTIONS (UK) LIMITED / Working Title: Trapper Keeper – Willow
Lucasfilm were to be the primary tenant in a new studio in the London borough of Barking & Dagenham, East Brook Studios. The Studio remains unbuilt, and long behind schedule. Production of Willow ended up in Wales.
A trapper keeper is of course a Mead brand of a loose leaf folder, and back in the day you could get lots of Willow trapper keepers, as below.
So eight of the thirteen companies we can 100% identify and connect to established productions. So that leaves us with four companies to speculate with…
9) THIS IS FINE (UK) LTD / Working Title: Joshua Tree – Obi-Wan Kenobi
At August 2020, £6.75 million had already been spent on this production. In our eyes the only production that could have spent that kind of monies is the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series. Production had began in January 2020, a new writer was hired in April, and by the Autumn production was pushed into 2021 due to the ongoing Covid pandemic.
The below extract from the business accounts support that timeline.
I don’t have definitive proof that this is Kenobi, but all the evidence lines up and I am 99% certain.
The majority of the filming for Kenobi occurred in the USA, but at least one episode filmed in the UK and production was originally intended to be here.
Some other news sites have connected the working title of “Pilgrim” to Obi-Wan but we are confident that is in fact Andor.
10) SERIES III PRODUCTIONS (UK) LIMITED
As we have already established further up the lists the names are out of sync as production plans changed. It feels a safe bet that Series III productions was intended for Obi-Wan at some point as the last time we saw Ewan and Hayden work together was on Episode III…
As at October 2020 not a penny had been spent through this company, and as established above Kenobi entered production in January 2020.
This is thus, likely the production company title of the mystery project currently being filmed….
Does that make it more or less likely that it is The Acolyte given the next three company names can be easily connected to other shows. The straight answer is no. As we have seen previously in this list, the company names are used in order of creation and allocated to the film / tv series as they enter production.
So well thought out names end up being on the wrong project, Carbonado on The Rise of Skywalker instead of Solo (due to Boba Fett being cancelled) is the easiest example of this.
11) GHOST TRUCK 6 (UK) LIMITED / Ahsoka ?
Created in February 2021, following the announcement of Ahsoka, the Ghost ship obviously connects Ahsoka to Star Wars Rebels. This lends some credence to the idea that Ahsoka may have been planned to shoot in the UK, at least at some point…
12) BLUE STOCKINGS (UK) LIMITED / Rangers of the New Republic ?
Created in March 2021, following the announcement of Rangers of the New Republic, the character of Cara Dune of course wore turquoise blue tights. Since this show is now confirmed as not happening, this business will be used for something else.
13) ACE OF HEARTS (UK) LIMITED / Lando ?
Also created in March 201, following the announcement of a Lando TV series being in development – Ace of Hearts connects to gambling and through to Lando.
What about…
So what have we not considered in the speculation so far?
The Mandalorian / Working Title: Huckleberry
As it is not filmed in the UK, we would not see a UK production company name
The Book of Boba Fett / Working Title: Buccaneer
Like Mando, as it is not filmed in the UK, we would not see a UK production company name
So what does that leave us with…
Patty Jenkin’s Rogue Squadron movie which we know it can’t be as it has been shelved.
Taika Waititi’s movie which we know it can’t be as he is in Australia at the moment with his partner Rita Ora.
Kevin Feige’s intended Star Wars production had Chloe Zhao rumoured to be attached to direct, but this was quickly debunked by The Hollywood Reporter so this project does not seem to be ready to film. So though little is known about it so we can’t completely dismiss it, but it seems unlikely.
And of course there is the promise of a Rian Johnson trilogy that has seen little to no news on its development. He wrapped Knifes Out 2 for Netflix in September and has spent much of this year creating that movie so it seems an impossibility.
Last on our list is Children of Blood and Bone, scheduled to be directed by Rick Famuyiwa and being made alongside Disney’s Fox studios. This we can completely discount as we know the mystery production is a Star Wars production.
In Conclusion…
For me the good money is on The Acolyte, Ahsoka cannot be completely dismissed however, and my gut tells me Tales of the Jedi will be an animation. I feel we can safely rule out all the other contenders.
There are four as yet undetermined production companies created in the UK in Series III Productions, Ghost Truck 6, Blue Stockings, and Ace of Hearts that we will be keeping our eyes on. Acolyte, Ahsoka, Lando and Rangers of the New Republic would have filled these slots. But Rangers is already cancelled, and we don’t know for certain where those shows will land in terms of the production company name moving forward, even if we can state with confidence the original plan.
We also need to factor in the movies. There remains that empty Christmas 2023 slot, will it be filled. Will a movie script be dusted off, from those rumoured to be on the shelf. Will Lucasfilm surprise us? Kathleen Kennedy has already stated that a lot more productions, as yet unannounced are in the pipeline.
As this juncture your guess is as good as ours, as to what has been getting filmed so let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Whatever this production is, 2022 is shaping up to be an unparalleled year for Star Wars productions. Fantha Tracks will be there covering it all.
