It's a thrilling time to be a Star Wars fan. Sure, the franchise has had some ups and downs in recent years as Lucasfilm figured out how to bring it back to the big screen, but it has found a balance between its newfound success on streaming and recapturing the momentum of the Skywalker Saga on the silver screen.
That common ground will come in The Mandalorian and Grogu, the live-action movie that will bring characters from the beloved Disney Plus show The Mandalorian to the movie theaters for the first time. It's an interesting choice that could very well prove to be a massive success story, for the show that originated these characters is one of the franchise's - and Disney Plus' - most successful projects ever.
It's unclear if The Mandalorian will return for a fourth season now that a movie is in development, but it has already launched multiple spinoffs, including The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. The latter is set to return for a second season next year, and it has now been revealed that a major Star Wars legend will return to help bring it to life.
Bryce Dallas Howard returns to Star Wars to direct Ahsoka season 2 episode
Bryce Dallas Howard is returning to the world of Star Wars, it seems. As reported by StarWarsNews.net, a new agency listing reveals that the acclaimed actress and director will be among four directors for the upcoming Ahsoka season 2. The others listed are Dave Filoni, Jennifer Getzinger, and Anders Engström.
Although this marks Howard's first time directing an episode of Ahsoka, it's far from her first foray into that galaxy so far, far away as she has also directed episodes of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Skeleton Crew. This makes her the first person to have helmed episodes of all four of these respective shows, and it's a major indication of just how much faith Disney and Lucasfilm have in her as a director.
It's earned faith too, for Howard has proven herself to be an incredible director over the past six years, producing some of the most stunning episodes in the entire Star Wars canon. And fans were quick to celebrate her return, with multiple pointing out that they'd love to see her direct a Star Wars movie one day. Honestly, it's long overdue at this point!
Howard is also a fantastic actress, with a four-decade career to her name thus far, and a career that includes iconic roles such as Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3, Katherine Brewster in Terminator Salvation, and Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. She achieved new heights when she portrayed Claire Dearing in Jurassic World, fronting the iconic dinosaur-franchise for two more movies after that.
She's also played a role in the Star Wars franchise, voicing the character of Yaddle in Disney Plus animated series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. How awesome would it be to see her get the chance to play a role on-screen in the franchise at some point in the future?! Honestly, make it happen Lucasfilm!
Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson as the titular Jedi in what has been one of Star Wars' most successful Disney Plus shows. A spinoff of The Mandalorian, it brought to life one of the long-awaited fan-castings in Dawson's portrayal of the character. Ahsoka Tano made her debut in animated form in long-running series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and audiences have been fan-casting Dawson in the role for years. When she finally played the character in an episode of The Mandalorian, it was clear that the fans - and, indeed, Lucasfilm - had picked the right actor for the job.
The next chapter of her story is heavily-anticipated, especially as it's one of the few Disney Plus shows that is confirmed to be returning for another outing. Now that we know Bryce Dallas Howard will be directing an episode, we're even more excited for what's in store.
Ahsoka season 2 premieres on Disney Plus in 2026.
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