In case you thought Disney+ was drawing the line at The Mandalorian and the other Star Wars shows already in the works, then the latest news on the Star Wars TV front may surprise you. Another Star Wars show is happening that will bring Ahmed Best, a.k.a. the infamous Jar Jar Binks, back to the franchise. This isn't a Jar Jar series, though, or anything like Disney+'s other original Star Wars ventures. The project, called Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, will be a game show.
Yes, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge will be a game show releasing on Disney+ and set in that galaxy far, far away. The contestants will be like Padawans, with the show testing them on the Jedi principles of strength, bravery, and knowledge. Ahmed Best, who will hopefully have a more positive experience in the Star Wars franchise this time around, will host as a Jedi Master and mentor rather than Jar Jar. Will his assistance be enough for contestants to reach the rank of Jedi Knight?
The show will involve light sabers, hyperspace, the Force, the dark side, and more when the young contestants are tested in three locations: a forest planet, on a Jedi star cruiser, and within a Jedi temple. Here's hoping a yellow-eyed Anakin Skywalker doesn't storm Jedi Temple Challenge's temple if kid contestants don't pass all the challenges! (Is it too soon for Order 66 jokes? There have been some fresher Star Wars tragedies since Revenge of the Sith back in 2005, after all.)
All things considered, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge sounds a lot like a version of Legends of the Hidden Temple set in the Star Wars universe and funded by Disney rather than Nickelodeon. There could even be a Jedi Temple Challenge version of good old Olmec. While Ahmed Best is hosting Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, he'll be supported by a humanoid droid companion with Veep's Mary Holland lending her voice. Well, Dee Bradley Baker can't voice everything!
Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge will debut streaming on Disney+ in 2020. No more precise date for the Jedi Temple Challenge has been released so far, so the first episode could go live as early as a month or as late as a year or so from the series announcement in early December 2019.
Personally, my money is on a premiere sometime in spring or summer 2020, after The Mandalorian has wrapped its first season and the long-awaited Clone Wars revival, which premieres in February 2020, releases its final episode. While Disney+ has plenty of Star Wars series in the works, Season 2 of The Mandalorian is currently filming, and both the Obi-Wan series and the Rogue One prequel series are still relatively early in the production stages. If Disney+ wants to stagger its Star Wars content, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge would be a good fit for the aftermath of the Clone Wars revival.
For now, you can catch new episodes of The Mandalorian as the very first live-action Star Wars series Fridays on Disney+, along with plenty of other existing Star Wars TV and movie content.
