Where does the time go? It seems only yesterday that Celebration Europe 2023 was announced for London but that was way back in May of last year. Since then we’ve had Andor, Tales of the Jedi and so much more to keep us going but now the countdown is well and truly on. Celebration Europe is only a few short months away and with hotels booked, pennies being saved and anticipation growing we thought it would be fun to take a look at what panels we could expect at this year’s event.
While we still have no idea, part of the fun is speculation so I’ve broken down the predictions down into three categories:
‘Sure Fires’, ‘Strong Possibilities’ and ‘Wild Card Wishes.’
Let’s dive in and have some fun.
Part I: The Sure Fires (Surely these are sure fires?)
RETURN OF THE JEDI 40th ANNIVERSARY
I’m basing this off of previous Celebrations when the event has taken place in an anniversary year. Examples being A New Hope 40th in 2017, The Phantom Menace 20th in 2019 and Attack of the Clones 20th at last year’s event. Empire would have received similar treatment in 2020 had the event not been postponed/cancelled. These panels are always a big draw and a crowd-pleaser and sometimes quite emotional with Star Wars 40th drawing in George Lucas, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill but who could we see this year? The Maker himself? How about Lawrence Kasdan? While Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker and Peter Mayhew continue to light up the Heavens and their presence will always be missed there is plenty to look forward too if this panel goes ahead.
ACTOR PANELS
This one I’m judging off of every Celebration/Comic-Con/Event there ever has been in the history of events. We can always enjoy an actor’s company at Celebration and these are often live-streamed too for the folks enjoying at home, but the question always is…who? Mark Hamill hasn’t attended a Celebration since 2017 so he is no longer a given (but with Jedi at 40 could we be in for one last hoorah?) but surely Anthony Daniels will keep us entertained? How about The Emperor himself? The list is excitingly endless…Hayden Christensen, Ray Park, Billy Dee Williams, Ashley Eckstein and Ewan McGregor could all pop up and while I think we all know Harrison Ford won’t sit down for an hour to discuss his time with the Ewoks, I’m not ruling out his attending the event as we’ll find out later.
MANDO AND AHSOKA
By the time we all descend onto London’s ExCeL centre in April, Season 3 of powerhouse-hit The Mandalorian will be nearing the end of its 8-episode run. Last year’s event saw the crowd invited to watch the world premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the big screen with the cast and crew, so could we something like this happen for Mando’s finale? We’ve heard whispers that season 4 is already in the writing stage and with the hype surrounding the show forever at the forefront of pop-culture, surely we’ll see the dream team of Jon and Dave discussing everyone’s favourite adopted child and step-dad.
Speaking of Jon and Dave, they have another project hitting the small screen this year at some point with a certain Ahsoka Tano. I’m predicting that the show will have its own panel along with cast and crew discussions and trailers and all the bells and whistles we can dream of. With rumours surrounding the story potential running rampant and causing excitement to go into overdrive then surely an Ahsoka panel will be a no-brainer and a big hit.
STAR WARS: JEDI – SURVIVOR
There’s no two ways about it…Jedi: Fallen Order was a massive hit on all fronts and this sequel is dominating headlines already. The game itself comes about a month before Celebration, so what better time to allow fans to settle into the great hall and hear about the making of the game. Hearing from the talent who crafted the gameplay, the visuals and how it affects the overall story of the saga itself could be sensational. There’s momentum growing already for the protagonist himself, Cal Kestis, to have his own spin-off show so Lucasfilm will miss a trick if fans and gamers don’t get the chance to learn some secrets about this marvelled addition to the galaxy far, far away.
Part II: The Strong Possibilities
DISNEY+ FUTURE TELEVISION SHOWS
We have a smorgasbord of content coming our way in the years ahead on the streaming service but we don’t know when these shows will air or even how far along in production some of them are. Last year at Celebration we were offered the ‘Lucasfilm Studio Showcase’ which encompassed all the live-action projects from the company under one banner and I’m wondering if we could see something similar here. For example, Andor is currently filming its second season but might not have anything to show us other than an image or two so could we get a recap of season 1 and a few teasers? We also have The Acolyte which is deep into production but Lucasfilm might want to hold off any sort of promotion on that to not overshadow this year’s Ahsoka. Could we get more updates on Skeleton Crew with Jude Law? How about a trailer for Visions Season 2? By putting all these shows in one panel it might appease the appetite of fans whilst not distracting from their main programming for the year.
CLONE WARS AT 20 AND 15
2023 is a special year indeed for fans as it sees the 20th Anniversary of Clone Wars, the Genndy Tartakovsky 2D Cartoon Network series, and the 15th Anniversary of The Clone Wars by George Lucas and Dave Filoni which saw its theatrical release in August 2008. What better time to celebrate these phenomenal shows than THIS YEAR!!! Hasbro have already started a campaign with their toy line showcasing the best of this era and what better way to party than sitting down with the cast and crew of both shows and revelling in the triumph of The Clone Wars and all the beauty that this era has given us.
HASBRO/THEME PARKS/BOOKS AND MORE
Each year, no matter your interest, we’re always treated to something for everyone. Celebration is wonderfully inclusive that way and hopefully this year will be no different. If you love Theme Parks, for example, then maybe we’ll see a panel on Galaxy’s Edge or if you love the novels then maybe a panel looking towards future releases will have you cheering and if you’re a collector then maybe Hasbro will announce their next Vintage Collection Haslab project. No matter your field, Celebration will surely have it.
PART III: THE WILDCARDS
NEW MOVIE/FUTURE FILM SLATE ANNOUNCEMENT
I’ve put this one in the Wild Card section as we simply don’t know where Lucasfilm is at with their film projects. I can only be blunt… a panel on a new film is entirely dependent on their being a new film. We’ve heard rumours for sure but these are only rumours. IF THERE IS A NEW FILM to announce, however, then you can bet your bottom dollar that Celebration will be the place to announce it or even give us a glimpse at that the next five years might look like as we await Star Wars’ return to the big screen. Maybe with this one we should expect nothing and then expect the unexpected at the same time. Time will tell.
SOLO – FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
Okay, I admit, this one is purely for me and my fellow Solo devotees. 5-year anniversaries don’t really get a look in when it comes to celebrating but lately we’ve heard chatter from the likes of Jonathan Kasdan and Ron Howard that they’re aware of the campaign for a continuation of the stories established in the stand-alone film first released in May 2018. A panel to acknowledge the love that surrounds the film would be brilliant with cast and crew returning to talk about everyone’s favourite smuggler and his co-pilot and ponder where the story could go next. Failing a panel…how about a fifth anniversary screening one night in the one of the halls where we can all enjoy the ride together? I know every time I watch the film I’m left with the same goofy grin on my face that I had when I first saw the midnight showing. A feeling of good-old fashioned Star Wars fun.
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY
Yes, yes, yes, I know. This isn’t Star Wars and we’ll be at Star Wars Celebration. Having that said…this is Lucasfilm’s first theatrical release since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. It’s one of the most anticipated films of 2023. It’s the swan song of one of cinema’s most beloved characters. It sees George Lucas returning to the role of Executive Producer. And… what am I missing? Oh yes, a certain global Hollywood superstar turned smuggler turned archaeologist named Mr. Harrison Ford. Lucasfilm will want to sell Indiana Jones 5 to the cinema-going public and what better way of getting essentially ‘free’ advertising than showcasing the film at their own convention. And let’s face it…who of us would really mind an hour out of the weekend going to Indy? If Harrison came to London to attend a panel like this then perhaps his arm could be twisted for an appearance at the Jedi 40th panel too! Showcasing a theatrical trailer would also be a no-brainer as the film is only a couple of months away when Celebration happens. Could this panel actually be a possibility? Stranger things have happened.
And finally if there’s one thing we should expect at Celebration then its surprises! Lots of surprises, lots of fun and few new friends made along the way.
Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 runs at the ExCel Centre in London from 7th – 10th April. At the time of writing, Monday tickets are still available.
Stay tuned to Fantha Tracks for more information as it becomes announced and let us know in the comments section below what panels you’re expecting or what you hope to see.
- Hardcover Book
- Horton, Cole (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 160 Pages - 03/21/2023 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)