With the global success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens as well as Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars brand, numerous additions to the sci-fi legacy have arrived and continue to arrive on a seemingly daily basis. Expectant fans are sure to be delighted by the expansion of the legendary franchise’s stockpiling of video games, animation, theme parks and of course, films.
Amongst this Star Wars build up, San Diego’s annual Comic-Con expo has typically been the place where fans of franchises such as Star Wars can go to experience a taste of all that’s up and coming, first hand. This year however, Star Wars won’t just be keeping up a presence at Comic-Con, but also for a full three days across the Atlantic in London with Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016.
The event, scheduled to take place the weekend prior to SDCC July 15 – 17, promises to give fans a heavy dose of all things Star Wars and will certainly be the event of the summer for many. With only a matter of weeks to go before Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 kicks off, organizers have now released a sneak peek of the events planned for the Celebration Stage and even this should be enough to get pulses racing. You can see the full sneak peek list of the events planned as well as their daily schedule here.
Among the Star Wars related treats for those lucky enough to be at the event is the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story panel featuring director Gareth Edwards, producer Kathleen Kennedy and some special guests. In addition to this there will be a screening of the first two episodes from the yet to be released third season of Star Wars Rebels, including the appearance of the series’ executive producer and supervising director Dave Filoni as well as more special guests.
Looking to expand on what was teased at the recent E3 Expo, with the collection of the most Star Wars games ever, EA will have a true presence at Celebration Europe 2016, offering a roundtable discussion featuring the creative leaders behind EA’s Star Wars games and their tales of behind-the-scenes work on games past, present and future. Beyond these events, fans can expect to see Star Wars cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Warwick Davis and the man behind Darth Maul, Ray Park.
Star Wars Celebration Europe comes at a time when Disney is expanding the Star Wars franchise like never before and will surely be welcome by fans in Europe who typically don’t get these sorts of opportunities. Disney recognizes the true value in non-stop marketing, especially considering their plan to make a new Star Wars film every year until at least 2020. What’s more, all eyes beyond Europe will be on London while Celebration unfolds, as its conference is certain to reveal new and exciting Star Wars prospects.
For American Star Wars fans, there’s still plenty to be thankful for however, as a separate Star Wars Celebration expo is planned for 2017 in Orlando. Until that time, American fans will have to remain content hearing the latest Star Wars related news as it comes out of London first this upcoming July.
Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 kicks off July 15th, 2016 and runs through July 17th.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens in U.S. theaters on December 16, 2016, followed by Star Wars: Episode VIII on December 15, 2017, the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25, 2018, Star Wars: Episode IX in 2019, and the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
Star Wars Rebels season 3 will premiere on Disney XD in fall 2016.
