8 Years Ago Today, Star Wars Changed Forever and Fans Didn't Realize It

Eight years ago today, on March 8, 2018, a Star Wars announcement slipped under the radar because it seemed unremarkable at the time. Yet, that news wound up reshaping the franchise in a way that is still being felt today and will continue to have influence for years to come. Here's why looking back reveals that moment to be a turning point that redefined the beloved saga.

Lucasfilm Announced Jon Favreau Would Lead the Show That Became ‘The Mandalorian’ 8 Years Ago Today

On March 8, 2018, Star Wars' official website announced that Jon Favreau would be executive producing and writing a new live-action series in a galaxy far, far away. Before that, Favreau had worked with Disney as the director of movies like Iron Man and the live-action version of The Jungle Book. He'd also voiced Pre Vizsla in The Clone Wars and had a small voice role in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Still, it was the first time he was taking the helm of a major Star Wars project.

Despite Favreau's previous Hollywood successes, nobody could have predicted that announcement would have such a massive impact. After all, details were sparse as the only things that were revealed at the time were that a live-action series was in the works and Favreau was excited. “If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.”

How Jon Favreau Creating 'The Mandalorian' Changed 'Star Wars'

When The Mandalorian was released, it became a massive hit on Disney+ and sparked a merchandising frenzy around "Baby Yoda," the character later revealed to be named Grogu. Ultimately, the show Favreau created and ran with Dave Filoni has been a runaway success. However, Star Wars has had plenty of hits before, as a glance at the series' box office history shows. The reason that Favreau shepherding The Mandalorian into becoming a mammoth success was transformative for the franchise is because it became a massive hit in a new way for the saga.

In 1978, Star Wars content was produced for television for the first time with the filming of The Star Wars Holiday Special. In the decades since then, the franchise has had a television presence on and off. For example, during the 1980s, series like Star Wars: Ewoks and Star Wars: Droids aired. More recently, The Clone Wars became a beloved show that has legions of dedicated fans.

Still, it was The Mandalorian premiering on Disney+ that proved the franchise could deliver live-action and ambitious stories at a scaled-down, but similar, level to the movies. Since then, Star Wars has arguably become more of a television franchise than anything else, as it has mostly gone missing from movie theaters. The Mandalorian's influence also led directly to arguably the best Star Wars project in decades, Andor. Now, that quiet announcement from eight years ago will soon bring the saga back to movie theaters when The Mandalorian and Grogu will be released on May 22, 2026.

Looking back at that game-changing announcement in retrospect makes its watershed status obvious.