Disney Plus, which wrapped up animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars in May, has commissioned animated spinoff Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which is set to debut in 2021.
Much to the delight of hardcore Star Wars faithful, Dave Filoni, who oversaw the well received last leg of the final Clone Wars season, will serve as executive producer of Bad Batch
The first five seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars ran on WarnerMedia’s Cartoon Network from 2008-2013, with season six exclusive to Netflix. Following Disney’s $5 billion purchase of LucasFilm, Disney Plus wrapped up the animated show earlier this year with season seven.
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars served as a useful after-dinner snack for the hungry Disney Plus Star Wars audience, the appetite for which was whetted by the breakout success of live-action/CGI series The Mandalorian late last year.
The four main Bad Batch characters were introduced in Clone Wars during the recent season seven campaign. In the story, they are four genetically altered "Clone Troopers," deemed too different to fit in with the Republic’s standard-issue GIs, but each possessing a special skill. They’re brought in as a kind of A team, deployed to secretive missions that are too dangerous and specialized for regular Clone Troopers.
“Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honor at Disney Plus, and we are overjoyed by the global response to this landmark series,” said Agnes Chu, senior VP of content for Disney Plus. “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.”
