For this year, Star Wars content is as strong as last year from what we already know, with four different shows lined up at present and potentially a mini-series or special squeezed into that schedule somewhere. And, just maybe, there’s a film set to be released at the end of the year. Though we won’t find that out until Celebration in April. It’s more than just Star Wars content I’m looking forward to watching that is seeing a release this year, though, so while I’m starting there, this article’s not focused on it.
The first place to start is The Bad Batch, which after a year of no content, is getting its second season right at the start of 2023. Another sixteen episode run will continue to explore the aftermath of the war, with the Batch encountering new allies and new foes. Commander Cody seems to play a big part in this coming season, with the trailer having shown that clones questioning their part in the extermination of the Jedi is something that will be explored. I’m excited for this one for that and the exploration of places we’ve seen in The Clone Wars – and especially Coruscant.
Crossing over into the running of The Bad Batch is The Mandalorian’s third season. After the events of The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin has a new mission, a new starfighter, and an old friend riding shotgun. There’s more exploration of Mandalorians coming with this season, and it seems that things are getting serious for that culture. For the people of Mandalore. With another eight episodes, there’s plenty of time to explore a new chapter in Mandalorian history while also checking in with some other characters that have been introduced throughout the series, such as Greef Karga and Peli Motto – who are both featured within the trailer.
What comes next is anyone’s guess, but there’s a lot more information about the Ahsoka series than either Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte. The Ahsoka series follows on from her appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, where she is now on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fans of Rebels have been awaiting this follow up of that series finale for a long time, with the Ghost crew all appearing in some capacity. Just how the change from animation to live action will be reflected in these characters remains to be seen, but the story is likely to be a strong one as Dave Filoni will want to give fans the closure they have long awaited.
While the third Sonic the Hedgehog movie isn’t coming until the end of 2024, exploration of that world is set to continue this year with a Knuckles the Echidna spin-off series. There’s nothing that is known about it at present, but it wouldn’t be a Knuckles spin-off if it didn’t feature the hot-headed echidna in the leading role. Idris Elba has been confirmed to be reprising his role for the series, which will be released to the streaming service Paramount+ some time this year. What is likely for this series is an exploration of the past, of Knuckles’ adventures across the galaxy as the famed hunter that Tails claimed he is.
Meanwhile, Sonic Prime has seen success with its first season, featuring a multiverse-spanning story where Sonic encounters different versions of his friends which he comes to help across the season. After where it ended, I’m interested in seeing how it continues, but as of yet there hasn’t been news of when the next season will arrive. It will be fun to see what other multiverse worlds the team can create with this next season, and how the situations the first season left open are going to be resolved. Assuming they aren’t left open for the third season, of course.
The eighth generation of Pokémon came to a close with the release of Scarlet and Violet last year. Not soon after, the TV series also ended in Japan, with the announcement that the long-running duo of Ash and Pikachu would be retired after a special mini-series entitled Aim To Be A Pokémon Master. The 11 episodes see Ash and Pikachu continue travelling around the world while Team Rocket continue to claim Pikachu for their boss Giovanni. There’s not much else known about it, but it should provide a special ending for the long-running series.
That’s not to say there’s going to be no more Pokémon anime, as at the same time the generation nine tie-in series was announced with even less information known about it. All we know is that it will feature dual protagonists in Liko and Roy, along with the three Paldea starters of Sprigatito, Quaxly, and Fuecoco. For those not in Japan, it’ll be a long while before we see this one, as there’s still one more batch of Journeys episodes to arrive on Netflix. And then that 11-episode mini-series, which is likely to be released a few months after.
Power Rangers turns 30. A special anniversary calls to see some special celebration, and that is exactly what is happening this year. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Once and Always is a reunion special bringing many cast members of the original series back together for a special episode. An episode that will see the return of David Yost and Walter Jones, who have not appeared in a series (bar archival footage) since the 90s. The special will also feature a daughter of Trini Kwan – Minh, who is likely here to pay homage to Thuy Trang – the actress who portrayed Trini in the original series who died in 2001. I would not be surprised if the special got dedicated to original Green Ranger Jason David Frank, who sadly died late last year.
Some time after the special will come Cosmic Fury, the next series of Rangers that will follow on from Dino Fury. After the events of Dino Fury, Lord Zedd has escaped his imprisonment by the Morphin’ Masters, calling on the team through Zayto so that he can once again be brought to justice. The Dino Fury Rangers had kept their powers at the end of the last series, but it’s already been confirmed they will see an upgrade. This series being a Netflix original is also likely to see the franchise get a bit of an upgrade, though the episode count has suffered for it. I can see those ten episodes still bringing the same action-packed Rangers content the franchise is known for, however.
Aardman always has a special place in my heart, with their loveable stop-motion films and shorts. A sequel to Chicken Run might have been a surprising announcement, but I’m sure they can make it work. Not much is known about it other than it will arrive on Netflix and feature a new threat to the chicken population, but we also know it’ll be some time after the events of the first as Rocky and Ginger have had a kid. Hopefully a trailer for this one arrives soon enough, as I want to see what new adventure these chickens will have.
Nintendo are moving into movies! So naturally the first one they’re doing is about Mario. Coming in April, the two trailers we’ve seen so far show a lot of references to the Mario world, integrated naturally into the world. Or at least most of them. Keeping with the Brooklyn-based plumbers thrust into a fantastical world backstory the older media had for the two brothers, each finds themselves in a different part of this world. Mario has ended up in the welcoming arms of the Mushroom Kingdom, while Luigi is running scared around the fiery doom of Bowser’s floating fortress.
The latest Pixar film coming this year is Elemental, where elements are anthropomorphised. Each element can have affects on the others who inhabit the world, which is where the central premise comes. Though the two main characters cannot touch, they develop a bond, finding out just how much they have in common with each other. It is pretty much a film that once again has a strong sense of human, dealing in the concepts of identity and belonging.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a tale about Charlie inheriting the titular chocolate factory from Willy Wonka – an eccentric chocolatier. A new film coming late this year puts focus on Willy Wonka before he owned that famous chocolate factory. It should be a fun adventure to see, since there’s a lot that can be explored with Wonka’s past. Another with very little information is a Gran Turismo film, which looks to follow a player of the series applying skills from the games in real world racing competitions on their journey to becoming a world-class racer.
I can see me checking out a few TV series that get released this year, though as yet I’ve not seen anything that catches my eye. Not counting season five of Miraculous, of course. And speaking of Miraculous, there’s also a film releasing this year that is said to explore the origins of the franchise. Both should be great watches for me. All of this and more that gets announced throughout the year should provide me with a lot of entertainment.
Images Taken From:
The Mandalorian | Season 3 Teaser Trailer | Star Wars
An All-New Pokémon Series Is Coming | The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct (Second Trailer) | Nintendo of America
