MUMBAI: Disney and its subsidiary LucasFilm have announced that production has begun on ?Star Wars Rebels?, an animated television series. Scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

Disney Channels Worldwide president and chief creative officer Gary Marsh said, "The entire team at Lucasfilm has provided extraordinary creativity and innovation for over three decades, and we?re thrilled to be bringing the expansive and imaginative world of Star Wars to Disney XD?s viewers."

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, "I couldn?t be more excited to explore new corners of the Star Wars universe. I think ?Star Wars Rebels? will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about Star Wars."

The series is set between the events of Episode III and IV -- an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. ?Star Wars Rebels? takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape. Details about the show are a closely guarded secret at this point adds Disney.

?Star Wars Rebels? will be produced by Lucasfilm Animation, featuring many of the key talents that made the earlier show ?Star Wars: The Clone Wars?.

As far as the big screen is concerned Disney plans to make three Star Wars films. The first one releases in 2015.

MUMBAI: LucasFilm, which was acquired by Disney, has entered into a new era focussed on the next Star Wars trilogy. A whole new Star Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming is in the pipeline.

In a statement Lucasfilm said, "After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series. While the studio is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network, we?re continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen. Stay tuned for more information on where fans can soon find this bonus content. In the video below, Supervising Director Dave Filoni offers a peek of what is to come in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
 
At Star Wars Celebration VI last year, George Lucas gave fans a glimpse at the animated comedy series Star Wars Detours from Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, and Todd Grimes. "Detours was conceived and produced before we decided to move forward with the new Star Wars trilogy, and in the wake of that decision, Lucasfilm has reconsidered whether launching an animated comedy prior to the launch of Episode VII makes sense. As a result, we?ve decided to postpone the release of Detours until a later date," Lucasfilm said.