The daughter of director-producer Ron Howard and former summer camp bestie with “Phantom Menace” star Natalie Portman, Howard even shocked herself with how much “Star Wars” lore she accumulated just by knowing George Lucas as a family friend. “Every single year for Christmas, we would get ‘Star Wars’ figurines,” Howard recalled to Romper. “Before I was even old enough to know who the characters were and what the stories were, I was getting these little figurines, and I was very curious about it, and I was really into it. I learned about ‘Star Wars’ first through the toys.” Howard went on to helm episodes of Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” and joked that she “didn’t realize” how familiar she was with “Star Wars,” though she points out her knowledge can never rival that of Dave Filoni, who has been part of the “Star Wars” franchise as a writer, director, producer, and actor for decades.
“He knows ‘Star Wars’ better than anyone other than George, and he was taught by George when he was doing all of the ‘Clone Wars’ because they did that together,” Howard, who also collaborated with Filoni on “The Mandalorian,” said. Filoni is set to write and produce upcoming Disney+ series “Ahsoka,” with Rosario Dawson reprising her live action version of the Togruta ex-Jedi. Hayden Christensen is slated to appear as Anakin Skywalker for an “Obi-Wan” crossover, and Ray Stevenson will play a mysterious villain admiral, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ivanna Sakhno, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who also star. Jon Favreau will serve as showrunner. “Without giving anything away, you are going to love the ‘Ahsoka’ show that’s coming up,” Howard hinted. “I cannot tell you anything, but what I can say is that you being a fan of the ‘Clone Wars’ will be greatly rewarded.” The series is set within the timeline of “The Mandalorian,” although the plot has been kept under wraps. “Ahsoka” is just one of the many “Star Wars” limited series installments poised for premiere on Disney+, with “Rangers of the New Republic,” “The Acolyte,” and “Lando” shows also in development. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
