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PRODUCTION BRIEF
NOTE: The quotes in this text were derived from interviews completed in 2022 while “Ahsoka”
was in production. Please indicate this fact whenever using any material in this production brief.
rom Lucasfilm comes “Ahsoka,” the new Star Wars series created exclusively for Disney+.
The series stars Rosario Dawson, reprising her role
as the former Jedi Knight and Padawan to one of the
greatest Jedi of all time, Anakin Skywalker.
Set after the fall of the Empire, “Ahsoka” follows the titular
character as she investigates an emerging threat to a
vulnerable galaxy.
Joining Dawson in the cast are Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary
Elizabeth Winstead, Diana Lee Inosanto, Ray Stevenson,
Ivanna Sakhno, David Tennant, Lars Mikkelsen and Eman
Esfandi.
Dave Filoni is the creator and writer, and also executive
produces along with Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin
Wilson and Carrie Beck. Karen Gilchrist serves as co-
executive producer. The episodes are directed by Dave
Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel and Rick Famuyiwa.
Kevin Kiner is the series composer.
THE STORY: AHSOKA LIVES
Former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano once served as the Padawan learner to Anakin Skywalker during
the Clone Wars. A respected leader and warrior, Ahsoka grew into a formidable fighter before
the Empire’s reign changed the course of galactic history. Although she walked away from the
F
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Jedi Order, she continued to stand up for those fighting for peace and justice in the galaxy long
after the fall of the Republic.
Showrunner and series creator Dave Filoni explains where we find Ahsoka in this series. “She’s a
wandering samurai-like Jedi doing good deeds where she can but always ever watchful of greater
evils that may lurk, that may threaten all that’s good in the New Republic,” he says. In the series
‘Ahsoka,’ she has indeed detected a great threat to the Republic in the form of Grand Admiral
Thrawn—the greatest of the leaders of the Imperial Navy. He had disappeared, heroically
defeated by would-be Jedi Knight Ezra Bridger. Now, there’s the threat of Thrawn’s return. There
are whispers in the galaxy of this evil rising up to
threaten all that’s good. All that really stands in the
way is Ahsoka and her own Padawan in Sabine
Wren.”
Series star Rosario Dawson joined a galaxy far, far
away in 2020, bringing Ahsoka into live action for the
first time in “The Mandalorian.” Her enthusiasm for
the galaxy and this character are palpable. “I love
where Ahsoka is at this point,” says Dawson. “She’s just this samurai warrior out there fighting
and battling and being on the good side of things. In our show we get to explore a little bit more
about the community she’s in and the friends that she’s working with.”
For those who may not be familiar with the character, Filoni explains that prior knowledge of her
story is not necessary. “If you don’t know anything about Star Wars, it doesn’t really matter,”
says Filoni. “You just need to know that this is a teacher, Ahsoka is like a mentor, she’s a samurai
and she is trying to figure out if she is even capable of teaching Sabine. Is she going to be a good
teacher? Is Sabine going to be a good student? The struggle between master and apprentice is
very central to the show.”
SERIES THEME: MASTER AND APPRENTICE
Filoni realized a lifelong dream in 2005 when he was selected by George Lucas to help build
Lucasfilm’s animation studio from the ground up and create the company’s first series, the
Emmy® Award-winning “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
“My job was to create a TV series for George Lucas called ‘The Clone Wars,’” Filoni explains.
“What none of us knew was that the most important character of that series was going to be a
new character named Ahsoka Tano. George said, ‘I want Anakin to learn responsibility. He will
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train a student. This will create a fun dynamic between Anakin and Obi-Wan, having this young
impressionable student between them.’”
Dawson adds, “She was chosen by Master Yoda to be Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan. They saw in
her spirit and her personality, and where he was in his journey, that this would be a really great
learning and growing opportunity for the both of them.”
Both Ahsoka and Anakin eventually left the Jedi Order, choosing very different paths. “Since
Ahsoka is related to one of George’s greatest characters in Anakin Skywalker, she has ties to
Darth Vader. She has been through a lot of Star Wars history,” Filoni explains.
With Ahsoka stepping into the role of master and
taking on Sabine as her apprentice, the series delves
into the impact the past has had on her. “There is a
deep-seated fear that we start to explore with
Ahsoka that has never left her about watching this
person who she loved and considered family turn to
the dark side,” Dawson elaborates. “So, is she is going
to step to that sort of master level where it’s not just
being a master on her own, but being a master who
is going to pass on that richness of experience to a Padawan.”
“When I first met with Jon and Dave, Dave was saying this show is about the relationship between
a master and apprentice, and I was like ‘well, I hope I’m the apprentice because I don’t feel like
I’ve mastered much,’” Natasha Liu Bordizzo laughs. “One thing I love about Sabine’s journey is
that she struggles with her emotions, she’s impulsive. She’s got good intentions but so many
unfair things are happening around her and
to her and she doesn’t always make the
right decisions.”
Series executive producer Jon Favreau adds,
“The idea of apprenticeship—that’s what
the whole show is about and that’s what
Ahsoka is wrestling with as she’s dealing with Sabine. That inherent need to come together in
order to pass down knowledge and to help save the galaxy.”
Reflecting on Ahsoka’s story thus far, Filoni explains, “She’s not perfect. She’s flawed. She had a
lot to learn. She’s an adult now, but her past gives us a look into her behavior and why she is the
way she is. It has been a long road in evolving her from Anakin’s young Padawan, and she has
grown from there into quite a special character in her own right.”
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ROSARIO DAWSON: AHSOKA COMES TO LIFE
Bringing one of the most popular “Star Wars” characters from animation into live action is no
small feat, and Rosario Dawson’s colleagues agree that there was no one better suited for the
role.
“The person that’s your number one on set, when they arrive in the morning it’s going to set the
tone for the whole day. And you’ll never meet a person with a better attitude in the morning
than Rosario,” Filoni shares enthusiastically. “She is on fire, and she is ready to go. She knows her
stuff, she’s in it, and I appreciate that like you can’t imagine. The way she attacks everything, it’s
just the greatest thing. I think that lifts all of us up and it affects everybody.”
Executive producer Kathleen Kennedy comments, “Rosario Dawson is such an incredibly
powerful actress, and she loves this character. Everything about who Ahsoka is, what she
represents, that interesting tension that exists between good and evil, dark and light, her
previous relationship with Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker)—all of that she has just brought to
life in a way that almost no one else could.”
Natasha Liu Bordizzo portrays Sabine
Wren, a Mandalorian warrior, artist and
Ahsoka’s former apprentice. When asked
what it was like working together, Bordizzo
says “Rosario is so full of energy, I don’t
know how she does it. I was on a very
similar schedule to her, so I’m aware of how tiring it can get and she’s just a ball of joy. She has
so much to give and she’s very harmonious and brings people together. She’s a perfect leader of
the show, both onscreen and off. She’s very similar to Ahsoka. Her energy’s so strong, and she
just exudes this calm and love and cohesion on set that really brings everyone together.”
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays ace pilot General Hera Syndulla in the series, worked with
Rosario Dawson in 2007’s “Grindhouse” by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. “Rosario is
just so cool. I’ve known her for years now, and I always thought she was just the coolest person
in the world, and she still is. She just shows up, she’s on it, she’s having fun, she’s goofing off but
yet when the camera is going, she is just so in the zone. Just being in her presence feels kind of
special, and I think that’s right for Ahsoka. She holds that kind of presence as well, so I think
Rosario is the perfect person for that.”
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“Rosario, it’s simple, she is Ahsoka,” says Ivanna Sakhno, who portrays the menacing Force-
wielder Shin Hati. “She carries the energy with her on set and it bleeds into the environment in
such a light way. She’s amazing.”
DAVE FILONI: MASTER STORYTELLER
Dave Filoni is in the incredibly rare position to have been telling Ahsoka Tano’s story from the
beginning, now almost two decades on. Honoring what he learned from his time working with
George Lucas remains a priority. “George created this galaxy, he created these characters, he
created these dynamics, Jedi, Sith, the Force, the Republic, the Empire, all these things that I play
with are all things that George established,” Filoni says. “I’ve been fortunate that he taught me a
lot of things.”
“When it’s Dave Filoni writing, it’s easy
because he has the download of all of the
history,” Dawson explains. “It was just the
best having him on set every single day
because any question you had about
anything he could give you the short
answer or he could give you the long
answer, but he could give you the answer. That was incredibly important to have that follow
through, to have him and understand why this story and at this time and in this way.”
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have worked together for over a decade, first when he lent his voice
to the Mandalorian character Paz Vizsla in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and then later both as
executive producers on the Emmy® Award-winning series “The Mandalorian.” Favreau reflects
on Dave’s history with Ahsoka, sharing, “This is a character that he’s seen grow up along with his
audience. The appreciation that the audience has for a character that’s so well realized and has
such depth and complexity, to bring that
character to live action made a tremendous
amount of sense. At the end of the day it’s
going be a vision that’s very unique and
personal.”
“Dave is just so amorphous it’s hard to
describe him as a director or a writer or an animator or collaborator,” Bordizzo shares. “He is
somehow the father of it all. He’s the holder of the story. He’s the keeper of the keys but so
welcoming, and I just had the best time ever working with him because there’s just so much
mutual respect.”
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Winstead agrees, saying, “He’s the perfect person to carry on the mantle of creating all of these
incredible Star Wars pieces because he just feels like he lives and breathes it and it’s not at all a
job to him. It’s his life, his love and so that felt like an honor to get to play a character that he’s
created.”
Sakhno adds, “Dave’s aware of the lessons that are being brought to the kids watching it. I’m very
grateful that this part of the world is led by somebody like Dave.”
LIGHTSABER TRAINING: BUILDING ON A LEGACY
“An elegant weapon for a more civilized age” or so Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker in “A
New Hope.” The lightsaber has been an iconic part of Star Wars stories since the beginning with
memorable duels throughout the franchise. Ahsoka builds on that legacy and has numerous
clashes throughout the season that required expert tutelage.
George Lucas took great inspiration from the films of legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa
when making “Star Wars” (1977) and that influence remains in “Ahsoka.” “There are things about
the Jedi that feel like the samurai,” Filoni explains. “For a trained warrior, the sword is the last
thing they’d resort to, not the first. The sword doesn’t make you powerful. Your will, your self-
control and your thoughts are what make you powerful. So these are the ideas that I’ve tried to
put into the story. How Ahsoka trains people and what her own internal philosophy is. To express
this, we needed a real martial artist to work with the actors, so we hired Ming Qiu and her team.”
Favreau adds, “When you see the lightsaber fighting in
this series, you’re going to see a very well-realized,
well-rehearsed battle. A tremendous amount of
training has gone into it to bring these lightsaber
battles to life because Ahsoka Tano has to look like a
top-tier expert with these weapons. With Ming Qiu,
any time we had her on the set it was just elevating
everything. For
Dave to engage with her for our training and fight choreography around the lightsaber battles,
you’re inheriting a whole lifetime of experience around us, and I think all of that shows. I think
that was very important to Dave for the lightsaber fights to feel like these are characters that
have been doing this for a lifetime.”
“I’m playing someone who is an absolute expert, so I really wanted to be able to physicalize that
as much as possible,” Dawson shares. “Her physicality is such a huge part of who she is and her
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capability, so starting to feel that confidence in myself and my own ability really helped me to
connect with her. Ming is a Jedi master. She does not give compliments easily. She is someone
who since she was a child has worked hard, so she doesn’t accept folks not giving their three
hundred percent. I have a photo with her where it looks like someone poured water on me. I’m
sweating so much, and she’s just got this smile on
her face and she’s holding a lightsaber. She loved it.
She’s like ‘if you’re not breaking a sweat, you’re not
even scratching the surface of how hard you need to
be working.’ She is delightful. She is so much fun. I
really enjoy her. She would ask all the time ‘am I too
tough?’ and I’m like ‘no, I love it. I really love it.’”
Bordizzo came to the project with some martial arts
experience, but still found the training to be an exciting challenge. “I’ve been doing martial arts
since I was a kid, but it was Tae Kwon Do which was very different from what we were doing on
the show. I started training with Ming, Jedi Ming, three months before we started filming. It was
intense, the physicality of the role is completely tied in with the identity of the character—they
can’t be separated. I really had been swinging a sword for months every single day, and it just
felt like part of my arm at that point, and I was very used to my blasters. We were all really
committed to the intensity of the action that this show required, and I’m really proud of what we
did.”
“AHSOKA”: A
STAR WARS
ADVENTURE AWAITS
Reflecting on the characters and the
story that Disney + viewers can look
forward to, Dawson says, “These are
people who are formidable,
tenacious, dynamic, capable,
excellent. They are challenged, they
are provoked, they are fighting for
real principles, they have values and
morals, they have flaws—it’s so dynamic and goes in places you can’t imagine. This is provocative,
exciting, fun and funny, and I can’t wait for people to watch it.”
“Ahsoka” starts streaming exclusively on Disney+ with two episodes on August 23.
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ABOUT THE CAST
ROSARIO DAWSON (Ahsoka) has starred in a range of films, including “Unforgettable,” “Top
Five,” “Trance,” “Unstoppable,” “Rent,” “The 25th Hour,” “Men in Black II,” “Kids” and the “Sin
City” franchise. She is the voice of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in “The Lego Batman Movie” and
voices Wonder Woman in several DC Animated films. For her performance in “Seven
Pounds,” Dawson won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Award at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards.
She also starred in “Zombieland: Double Tap” opposite Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse
Eisenberg and Zoey Deutch.
On the small screen, Dawson starred as Allegra Dill in “Briarpatch,” Alma Ortega in HBO Max’s
“DMZ,” Jane Ramos in “Jane the Virgin” and Claire Temple in the Netflix adaptation of the Marvel
comic book series “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “Jessica Jones” and “The Defenders.” Her
latest TV project, Hulu's “Dopesick,” earned critical acclaim with 14 Emmy® nominations and two
Emmys. Most recently, she starred in the latest installment of the fan-favorite franchise “Clerks
III” as beloved character Becky Scott, which released this past September to rave reviews. She
has also recently co-produced and co-starred in the scripted series “Normal Ain’t Normal,” which
also started streaming this past fall.
Dawson is also currently starring in Disney's remake of “Haunted Mansion,” alongside Jamie Lee
Curtis, Owen Wilson and Jared Leto, which is currently in theaters.
Aside from her acting credits, Dawson has produced several passion projects such as Talia
Lugacy’s “Descent,” “This Is Not a War Film” and “The Need to Grow,” which highlights innovators
healing our broken food systems and the need for soil regeneration to capture carbon and
reverse climate change. She was a co-host, editor and producer of “The Assembly” for Free
Speech television on the subjects of hate, protest and the future, featuring scholars, activists and
artists in 2018. Recently, Dawson directed her first short film, “Boundless,” for the Power/On
Series as part of the Straight Up Films anthology to encourage girls in S.T.E.A.M. in partnership
with YouTube and Google.
In 2013, Dawson founded Studio One Eighty Nine (Studio 189) with Abrima Erwiah, a fashion and
media lifestyle brand made in Africa that produces African and African-inspired content and
clothing. Studio 189 was recently the recipient of the prestigious CFDA Lexus Sustainable Fashion
Initiative prize and of various other awards including the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice
award from UPenn in 2015, the MOCADA Social Justice award in 2016, the Design Miami
Visionary award in 2017, the Filming On Italy Social Justice award in 2018 and more.
Dawson is an activist lending her time to a range of influential organizations, most notably Voto
Latino, which she co-founded in 2004 to help empower Latino millennials to vote and influence
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change in government. Dawson is an active board member of V-Day, The Lower East Side Girls
Club, Operation USA and the Environmental Media Association. She was also honored with the
President’s Volunteer Service Award for her valuable contributions to the community.
Australian actress NATASHA LIU BORDIZZO (Sabine Wren) has appeared in such films as “The
Voyeurs” and “Day Shift” and for television in “The Society” and “Most Dangerous Game,” among
others.
MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD (Hera Syndulla) is a talented actress with a gift for taking on
challenging roles and bringing dynamic characters to life on screen. As she fearlessly evolves her
body of work with each new project, Winstead is fast becoming one of today's leading talents
across both independent and mainstream platforms.
Currently, Winstead is filming for the Showtime & Paramount+ production of “A Gentleman In
Moscow,” opposite Ewan McGregor. This is an adaptation of the Amor Towles novel about Count
Alexander Rostov, played by McGregor, being banished to a hotel attic by a Soviet tribunal after
the Russian Revolution. Winstead plays Anna Urbanova, a self-made actress who is Rostov’s love
interest.
In 2021, Winstead was seen in Netflix’s assassin thriller “Kate,” opposite Woody Harrelson. In
2020, she was seen in the Warner Bros. film “Birds of Prey,” directed by Cathy Yan. Starring as
The Huntress, also known as Helena Rosa Bertinelli, opposite Margot Robbie. In 2019, Winstead
was seen in Paramount’s “Gemini Man” opposite Will Smith and directed by Ang Lee.
She made her theater debut in the off-Broadway psychodrama “Dying City,” in which she starred
opposite Colin Woodell. The play, which received its world premiere at London's Royal Court in
2006, is the story of a young widow who receives an unexpected visit from the twin brother of
her deceased husband.
Winstead’s other credits and award nominations include J.J. Abram’s psychological thriller “10
Cloverfield Lane” for Paramount, in which she was the female lead opposite John Goodman and
John Gallagher Jr.; “All About Nina,” which was nominated for Best Narrative Feature at the 2018
Tribeca Film Festival; her role reprised as Lucy Gennaro McClane in John Moore’s action thriller
“A Good Day to Die Hard,” “The Spectacular Now” alongside Shailene Woodley; Timur
Bekmambetov’s film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter”; James Ponsoldt’s critically acclaimed “Smashed,” for which she received a 2013 Indie
Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead; Universal’s “The Thing” opposite Joel Edgerton;
Edgar Wright’s comic-to-film adaptation of “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” alongside Michael Cera
and Anna Kendrick; Emilio Estevez’s drama “Bobby” alongside William H. Macy, Sharon Stone
and Anthony Hopkins (the film received two Golden Globe® nominations in addition to a Screen
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Actors Guild® nomination for Best Ensemble Cast); Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Hollars”; A24’s
“Swiss Amy Man”; Focus Feature’s “Kill The Messenger”; A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles
Swan III”; and Twentieth Century Fox’s “Live Free or Die Hard.”
Her television credits include the critically acclaimed FX show “Fargo” alongside Allison Tolman,
Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Hanks, and more; a starring role in the TBS miniseries “Mercy Street,”
produced by Ridley Scott, alongside Josh Radnor and Gary Cole; CBS’s “Braindead” with Aaron
Tveit and Tony Shalboub; and A&E’s “The Returned.”
The late RAY STEVENSON (Baylan Skoll) appeared in many film and television shows. He is known
for his portrayal of Volstagg in Marvel Studios’ “Thor” franchise; “The Three Musketeers,” “Kill
the Irishman;” “Black Sails,” and “Rome,” among others.
IVANNA SAKHNO (Shin Hati), who hails from Ukraine, where she is one of their top actresses,
embarked on her Hollywood journey at 15 when she left her country for America to pursue her
acting career. Since being here, she has become an American citizen.
Sakhno rose to prominence in films such as “Pacific Rim: Uprising” and “The Spy Who Dumped
Me,” where she captivated audiences alongside co-star Mila Kunis and the lead role in the
Lionsgate film “Let It Snow.”
In television she performed opposite Zoe Kravitz in HULU’s “High Fidelity” and a lead role in the
French, MGM International TV limited series “The Reunion,” which was shown at the Cannes TV
Festival.
Furthermore, beyond her acting career, Ivanna Sakhno has been outspoken about the war in her
homeland since 2014 and actively serves as an ambassador for United 24 and the President
Zelensky Fund, wholeheartedly supporting Ukraine in any way she can.
For DIANA LEE INOSANTO (Morgan Elsbeth), joining the cast of “Ahsoka” and becoming part of
the iconic Star Wars franchise may seem like a dream, but it is very much the real-life culmination
of 30 years of dedication and hard work. Originally, Inosanto was featured in “The Mandalorian”
for the show's second season as the Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth.
Diana Lee Inosanto is the daughter of martial arts legend, Dan Inosanto and his wife Sue Inosanto.
She is also known as the goddaughter of global icon, the late Bruce Lee (hence, Diana Lee).
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Inosanto studied with famed Broadway casting director and acting teacher, the late Michael
Shurtleff, (author of the renowned book “Audition,” a bible for aspiring actors.) Years later, she
would go on to study with Asian American character actor, Tzi Ma through East West Players'
workshops and joined the Lodestone Theater Ensemble. She furthered her training in the Michael
Chekhov method with Lisa Dalton and got the basics of Improv at Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB)
Training Center under Johnny Ray Meeks.
Inosanto was also a fight and stunt choreographer for several stage productions. This would pave
a road for years to come with her becoming a “Sensei to the Stars,” preparing the who's who in
Hollywood for their action roles. Stars like Melissa McCarthy (“Spy”), Rosa Salazar (“Alita: Battle
Angel”), Lesley-Ann Brandt (“Lucifer”), Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”) and Aaron
Eckhart and Socratis Otto (“I, Frankenstein”) were some of the performers under her tutelage.
Inosanto met her future husband, Ron Balicki, a former deputy sheriff and renowned martial
artist turned stuntman, action coordinator and choreographer in Hollywood. Throughout their
years together, they formed MARS Action Group and would teach martial arts across the country
and internationally.
After being spotted demonstrating a fight scene with Ron Balicki, the producers of the movie
“Barb Wire” asked Inosanto to take on a role originally cast for a man. The scene, featuring New
Zealand actor Temuera Morrison gave Inosanto her first break as a stunt woman. She became
the martial arts double for actress Sarah Michelle Gellar for the presentation to pitch “Buffy the
Vampire Slayer” as a TV Show, directed by Joss Whedon. This would be the beginning of
Inosanto’s years as a stunt woman in Hollywood where she found tremendous success working
on popular films and TV shows.
Taking inspiration from notable indie filmmakers she got to know over time, Inosanto decided to
seize control to create her own film project. By 2010, Inosanto’s first Indie film, “The Sensei,” a
film she wrote, directed, and starred in, would be one of the earliest digitally released films
distributed on Netflix and I-Tunes. The film went on to win awards and accolades at many film
festivals. “The Sensei,” supported by the Matthew Shepard Foundation, earned her the Asian
American Justice Center, 2011 American Courage Award. Shortly thereafter, Inosanto became
the first woman to receive the Maverick Award at the AOF International Film Festival.
Inosanto has participated as an activist for several causes, including the recent participation in
the nationwide Wash-the-Hate PSA, a campaign that would address the growing hate incidents
against Asian Americans since the outbreak of Covid-19. She was asked to speak with other
prominent Asian Americans in the film and fashion industry, speaking in front of a virtual panel
for NIKE 's employees worldwide. In 2016, during President Obama's administration, Inosanto
was also a guest at the White House, joining Asian American leaders and Influencers for the
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Filipino History Month, championing the Congressional Gold Medal Bill for WWII Filipino
American Veterans.
As a woman of many interests, Inosanto has now released a children's book, teaming up with her
adult autistic son S.G Inosanto, an illustrator, and telling their story in “The Curious Mind of
Sebastian,” an amusing tale about Inosanto as a young mom, curiously trying to understand the
mysteries of autism through her four-year-old son's quirky behavior. Sebastian's inability to
verbally express his love led Inosanto on an incredible journey to find out that love will always
find a way to speak.
In 2018, she joined Oscar®-winning producer Mark Gordon (“Saving Private Ryan”) and Matt
Jackson (“Molly’s Game”) in developing the story on her father Dan Inosanto's work creating a
secret training program for the 1977 Dallas Cowboys that helped them to win Super Bowl XII.
Inosanto feels that her personal philosophy of life is best expressed by Dr. Mae Jemison, the first
African American female astronaut: "Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations."
BAFTA-winning DAVID TENNANT (Huyang) has many credits to his name, including “Dr. Who,”
“Broadchurch,” “Fright Night,” “Good Omens,” “There She Goes” “The Escape Artist” and
“Jessica Jones.”
LARS MIKKELSEN (Grand Admiral Thrawn) is a highly respected and critically acclaimed actor
within the film and television industry, as well as a gifted award-winning stage actor. Before
applying to The National School of Theatre, Lars attended Circus School, where he was taught
both juggling and fire breathing, after which he spent five years performing on the streets of
Europe.
His professional debut was in the play “Dracula” at the Aalborg Theatre. Since then he’s enjoyed
great success having played many challenging and demanding parts such as the title role in
"Tartuffe", Valère in David Hirson's “La Bête,” and Diderot in “The Libertine.” Other stage credits
include “Address Unknown,” “The Misanthrope,” “Tales From the Vienna Woods,” “P.I.S.,” the
lead in Ludvig Holberg’s “Erasmus Montanus,” “Don Juan,” “Measure for Measure,” “Much Ado
About Nothing,” “Kasimir and Karoline,” The Good Person of Szechwan” and “The Caucasian
Chalk Circle.”
In 2011 Mikkelsen was awarded the most prestigious honorary stage award in Denmark, The
Reumert Award for his unique contribution to the development of theatre art in Denmark.
Film credits include “Winter Brothers,” “The Day Will Come,” for which he received both a Robert
and a Bodil Award, “Montata,” “The Caretaker,” “What Richard Did,” “Flame and Citron,” “Angels
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in Fast Motion” and “Kira’s Reason: A Love Story.” For his performance as the notorious
journalist, Martin Vinge, in “Headhunter,” he received the Danish Film Academy Robert Award.
In 2007 he received international attention and recognition as Troels Hartmann in the hugely
popular, Emmy®-nominated, Danish crime drama “The Killing.”
Mikkelsen is best known to international audiences for his portrayal of Russian President Viktor
Petrov in Netflix's “House of Cards.” He also played the villainous Charles Magnussen opposite
Benedict Cumberbatch in “Sherlock” for the BBC. Other television credits include “1864,” “The
Team,” “Borgen” and “Those Who Kill.” His most recent credits include “Rides Upon the Storm,”
for which he received an International Emmy® Award for Best Performance by an Actor, “Devils”
and the Netflix original “The Witcher,” which has been met with critical acclaim.
EMAN ESFANDI’s (Ezra Bridger) credits include “King Richard” and the shorts “120, ”“Pepito,
“The Inspection” and “Day Trip,” among others. He also directed “120” and “Pepito.”
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
DAVE FILONI (Writer/Director-Episodes 101, 105/Executive Producer), in addition to being the
creator, writer and executive producer on “Ahsoka,” is an executive producer, episodic director
and writer on the Emmy® award-winning series “The Mandalorian” (2019-) and executive
producer on its spin-off series “The Book of Boba Fett” (2021). Filoni is the creator and executive
producer of the animated series “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” (2021-) and “Tales of the Jedi”
(2022-). He is also executive producing the upcoming Star Wars series, “Skeleton Crew.”
Filoni realized a lifelong dream in 2005 when he was selected by George Lucas to help build
Lucasfilm’s animation studio from the ground up and create the company’s first series, “Star
Wars: The Clone Wars.”
Over a span of seven seasons, and more than 100 episodes, “The Clone Wars” (2008-2020)
pushed the boundaries of television animation, receiving acclaim not only for its technical
achievements, but its complex and compelling storylines. The series won four Emmy® Awards,
including Outstanding Special Class Animated Program two years in a row, and introduced
countless fan favorite characters to the Star Wars saga.
Filoni’s follow-up series, the Emmy® nominated “Star Wars Rebels” (2014-2018), similarly
received universal praise for building upon the Star Wars saga and expanding on the lore and
mythology first introduced in 1977. His third animated series, “Star Wars Resistance,” received
Emmy® nominations two years in a row in the category of Outstanding Children’s Program (2019,
2020).
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STEPH GREEN (Director-Episodes 102, 103) is an Oscar® and Emmy®-nominated film and TV
director, whose cinematic projects range from independent features to award-winning
television. Green was nominated for an Academy Award® in 2009 for her short film “New Boy,”
which she wrote and directed in Ireland. She has directed top TV shows such as “The Americans,”
“The Deuce,” “Man in the High Castle,” “American Crime,” “Bates Motel,” “You're the Worst,”
“Billions,” “Preacher,” “Luke Cage” and “Scandal.” Green went on to direct and executive
produce the pilot of USA's “Dare Me,” as well as direct and executive produce Showtime's “The
L Word: Generation Q.”
Most recently, Green was nominated for an Emmy® in 2020 for Outstanding Directing in a Limited
Series for her work on the highly acclaimed HBO series “Watchmen.”
PETER RAMSEY (Director-Episode 104) began his career as a storyboard artist on a number of
feature films such as “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Boyz n the Hood,” “Minority Report” and “Fight
Club.” Entering the world of feature animation, he directed Dreamworks Animation’s “Rise of the
Guardians” in 2012 and was a director on Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Into the
Spiderverse” in 2018, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Currently Ramsey is developing and producing both live action and animated projects. His latest
as director is the Netflix miniseries “Lost Ollie.”
JENNIFER GETZINGER (Director-Episode 106) is known for her work in television on shows such
as “Mad Men,” “Westworld,” “Outlander,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Outer Range” and
“The Nevers,” among many others.
GEETA VASANT PATEL (Director-Episode 107) is an Emmy®-nominated director, writer and
producer. She recently completed directing the pilot for the upcoming Hulu series “Under the
Bridge,” starring Riley Keough, and is currently working on the current season of the HBO series
“House of the Dragon,” where her work on Season 1 included directing the acclaimed episode 8,
“Lord of the Tides.”
Patel made her directorial debut with the award-winning Sundance/ITVS documentary war
thriller “Project Kashmir,” which led to directing fellowships at both the Sundance and Tribeca
Institutes. Patel and her brother, Ravi, wrote, directed and edited the comedy “Meet the Patels,”
which won numerous awards in the film festival circuit. Patel also served as cinematographer
for the film, which was executive produced by Academy Award® winner Geralyn Dreyfous. In
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2018, Patel and Ravi signed a development deal to write and direct a narrative version for Fox
Searchlight.
Beyond her current slate, Patel’s extensive body of work in television includes multiple episodes
of “The Great” for Hulu/MRC, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, including the acclaimed
Season 2 finale, as well as episodes of “The Magicians” for Syfy, “Runaways” for Marvel TV,
“Dead to Me” for Netflix, “Sweetbitter” and “P-Valley” for Starz and “Chambers” for Netflix.
Other episodic credits include, “Atypical,” “Santa Clarita Diet,” “Champions,” “Superstore,”
“Survivor’s Remorse,” “The Mick,” “The Mindy Project,” “Fresh Off The Boat” and “Speechless.”
RICK FAMUYIWA (Director-Episode 108) made his feature debut as writer/director on “The
Wood” (Paramount). The sleeper hit starring Taye Diggs, Omar Epps, and Richard T. Jones grew
out of Famuyiwa’s original screenplay which was developed and workshopped at Sundance’s
Writers and Directors Lab. Next Famuyiwa directed and co-wrote the popular film,” Brown Sugar”
(Fox Searchlight), starring Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Queen Latifah, and Mos Def.
Then in 2007, Famuyiwa received an NAACP Image Award for his screenplay of the critically
lauded film “Talk to Me” (Focus Features) starring Don Cheadle. In 2010 he cowrote and directed
“Our Family Wedding” (Fox Searchlight) starring Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera and Regina
King. He then wrote and directed “Dope,” which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival
and won the Special Jury Prize for Editing. Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori (“Grand Budapest
Hotel”) and Kiersey Clemons starred along with Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky, Chanel Iman and Blake
Anderson.
In 2016, Famuyiwa directed “Confirmation” for HBO, starring Kerry Washington as Anita Hill in
the biopic about Clarence Thomas’ Senate Hearings to become a Supreme Court Judge. Susannah
Grant wrote the script and executive produced with Washington, Michael London and Janice
Williams. ABC Signature Studios also produced with Groundswell Productions.
He directed the pilot for Showtime’s “The Chi” and also serves as an executive producer on the
series. Famuyiwa joined the Emmy-award winning series “The Mandalorian” in 2019, directing
multiple episodes across all three seasons of the series. He now serves as an executive producer
on the hit series as well.
A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Famuyiwa double-majored in Cinema/Television
Production and Critical Studies. During his senior year, he wrote and directed a thesis film,
“Blacktop Lingo.” The short brought him acclaim and industry attention, and was one of 29 films
selected to screen at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, making Famuyiwa the first undergraduate
from USC to have a film shown at the festival.
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JON FAVREAU (Executive Producer) began his career as an actor in the 1990s, landing a role in
the film “Rudy.” Favreau then established himself as a writer with the independent comedy
“Swingers.” Since then, he has continued to challenge himself as a filmmaker and innovator,
pioneering cutting-edge technology and production techniques.
Favreau served as showrunner and executive producer of “The Mandalorian” for Disney+ and
executive producer for “The Book of Boba Fett,” as well as the upcoming Star Wars series
“Ahsoka” and “Skeleton Crew.” Favreau has always been a fan of Star Wars and has acted in both
the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated series and in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
Favreau acted as the executive producer both seasons of the on the docu-series “Prehistoric
Planet” for Apple TV and the BBC. The series, narrated by broadcaster and natural historian David
Attenborough, has been nominated for a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding
Achievement in News and Information.
As an integral part of the formation and expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Favreau
directed the blockbuster hits “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2,” which grossed a combined $1.3 billion
at the worldwide box office. He served as executive producer on “The Avengers” and “Avengers:
Age of Ultron,” which grossed a combined $2.9 billion worldwide before serving as executive
producer on 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” followed by “Avengers: Endgame,” which became
the highest grossing film of all time at the world worldwide box office. On screen, Favreau
portrays Happy Hogan, a character that appears in both the “Iron Man” and “Spider-Man” entries
in the MCU.
For Disney, Favreau directed and produced 2016's adaptation of Walt Disney’s “The Jungle Book,”
as well as 2019’s “The Lion King,” which grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide.
After writing, directing, producing, and starring in the 2014 indie hit “Chef,” Favreau executive
produced and directed “The Chef Show” for Netflix. The series follows Favreau and chef Roy Choi
as they explore food in and out of the kitchen with other accomplished chefs and friends.
Favreau’s additional directing credits include “Cowboys & Aliens,” starring Daniel Craig and
Harrison Ford; “Zathura: A Space Adventure,” starring Josh Hutcherson, Tim Robbins and Dax
Shepard; the crime comedy “Made,” which he starred in opposite Vince Vaughn; and the
acclaimed perennial holiday family-favorite, “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell.
In front of the camera, Favreau has acted in scores of projects, including Martin Scorsese’s “The
Wolf of Wall Street,” He portrayed legendary heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, in the
biopic “Rocky Marciano.” His television credits include “Seinfeld,” a recurring role on “Friends”
and a special appearance on HBO’s “The Sopranos,” playing himself.
Among his many honors, Favreau was inducted into Variety's Home Entertainment & Digital Hall
of Fame in 2016. He received the Visual Effects Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018,
was named a Disney Legend in 2019, and was honored with the 2021 Commitment to California
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Award. Favreau received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023, marking his contribution
to television.
Recipient of the Academy’s prestigious 2018 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Producers
Guild of America Milestone Award, and an eight-time Academy Award®-nominee, KATHLEEN
KENNEDY (Executive Producer) is one of the most successful and respected producers in the film
industry today. As President of Lucasfilm, she oversees the company’s three divisions: Lucasfilm,
Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. Kennedy was the producer of “Star Wars: The
Force Awakens” (2015), which broke the record for the biggest domestic opening of all time that
year, and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” the number one grossing movie in 2016. She went on
to produce “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017), the highest grossing movie worldwide in 2017, as
well as “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018) and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019).
Kennedy has recently executive produced the Emmy® Award-winning “The Mandalorian” series
(2019-present) as well as “The Book of Boba Fett” (2021), “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (2022), “Willow”
(2022), “Andor” (2022) and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023). She is currently
producing all of Lucasfilm’s live action titles in production, including “Andor” Season 2, “The
Acolyte,” “Skeleton Crew” and multiple Star Wars features.
Kennedy has produced or executive produced more than 70 feature films, which have collectively
garnered 120 Academy Award® nominations and 25 wins. Among her credits: “Jurassic Park,”
“E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” “The Sixth Sense,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Who Framed
Roger Rabbit,” “Gremlins,” “The Goonies,” “Poltergeist,” “Empire of the Sun,” “Lincoln,” “War
Horse,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” “Schindler’s
List,” “The Color Purple” and “The Adventures of Tintin.”
Kennedy has produced the films of such directors as Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Martin
Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, J.J. Abrams, Julian Schnabel, Marjane Satrapi, M.
Night Shyamalan, Frank Oz, Peter Bogdanovich, and Richard Donner.
Kennedy recently received the Fellowship Award, the highest honor that the British Academy of
Film and Television Arts can bestow. She is also the recipient of the distinguished CBE award
(Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and was elected Chair of the AFI
Board of Trustees. Aside from her executive and producer roles, she was one of the founding
Council Members of Hollywood Commission to Eliminate Sexual Harassment and Advance
Equality and is currently on the board of the LA Promise Fund, Library of America, and USC’s
School of Cinematic Arts.
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Prior to joining Lucasfilm in 2012, Kennedy headed The Kennedy/Marshall Company, which she
founded in 1992 with director/producer Frank Marshall. In 1981 she co-founded the
phenomenally successful Amblin Entertainment with Marshall and Steven Spielberg.
COLIN WILSON's (Executive Producer) recent credits include the upcoming series “Skeleton
Crew,” the Emmy Award-winning “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” the 2018 sci-
fi/horror blockbuster “The Meg,” David Ayer's “Suicide Squad” and Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit.”
He previously collaborated with Bigelow on her 2012 Oscar®-nominated film “Zero Dark Thirty.”
Earlier he served as head of production at Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures, following his long
history of traversing both studio and independent filmmaking. Wilson began his career working
as the assistant editor on Richard Donner's “Superman” (1978). In 1981 Wilson worked on the
crew of Steven Spielberg's “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” which was the start of a long association
with the legendary director and his production companies Amblin and DreamWorks SKG. He
served as an assistant editor on “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and associate editor on
“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” as well as “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
On "Hook” (1991), Wilson served as production visual effects producer. His expertise in the FX
realm was then put to use as associate producer on the blockbuster “Jurassic Park” (1993) and
as producer of “Casper” (1995). Wilson served in the latter capacity on multiple Spielberg films,
including “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997), “Amistad” (1997), "War of the Worlds" (2005)
and "Munich" (2005). Wilson also produced two other DreamWorks SKG productions not
directed by Spielberg, “The Haunting” (1999) and “Small Soldiers” (1998).
Throughout his long career, Wilson has worked with Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., 20th
Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios on a wide variety of films such as “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”
(1998), “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003), “Troy” (2004) and “John Carter” (2012).
One of his most notable collaborations was with James Cameron, as an executive producer on
“Avatar” (2009), which went on to win the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best
Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects, and was nominated for a total of nine Oscars®, including
Best Picture and Best Director. Ultimately, “Avatar” grossed more than $2.7 billion worldwide, to
become the highest-grossing film of all time and the first film in history to gross more than $2
billion.
CARRIE BECK (Executive Producer) additionally serves as an executive producer on the animated
series “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” and “Tales of the Jedi.” She is also a co-executive producer on
the upcoming show “Skeleton Crew” and the Emmy® Award-winning shows “The Mandalorian”
and “The Book of Boba Fett.”
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Over the past decade she has co-created and produced some of the most critically-acclaimed
content in the franchise, including the Emmy®-nominated animated series “Star Wars Rebels,”
“LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures” and the final season of “Star Wars: The Clone
Wars.” In addition to her work on series, she played a critical role in the creative development of
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering through the opening of
the new lands in 2019.
KAREN GILCHRIST (Co-Executive Producer), who has co-executive produced three Star
Wars series, including “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” and now “Ahsoka,” had
previously worked with Jon Favreau on multiple productions, including “Iron Man 2” (associate
producer), “Cowboys & Aliens” (co-producer), “Chef” (executive producer), “The Jungle
Book” (executive producer) and “The Lion King” (producer).
Annie Award-winning composer KEVIN KINER (Composer) has also been honored with multiple
Emmy® and other Annie Nominations, and won 20 BMI Film & TV Awards, making him one of the
most versatile and sought-after composer in Hollywood. Over more than a decade, working with
George Lucas and Dave Filoni, Kiner scored all seven seasons of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,”
which earned him the 2021 Annie Award for Best Music–TV/ Media for the series finale episode
“Victory and Death,” as well as a Primetime Emmy nomination.
His other diverse credits include HBO Max’s “Peacemaker,” Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico,” HBO
Max’s “Titans” and “Doom Patrol,” Showtime’s “City on a Hill,” AMC’s hit series “Dark Winds”
and “Hell on Wheels,” CBS’s “CSI: Miami” and CW’s “Jane the Virgin.”
From his intimate, soloistic guitar music to his grand orchestral music, Kiner has transported
audience from deserts to metropolises—and even to a galaxy far, far away.
