Disney have released details of four new novels which are set in the same continuity as Star Wars Episode VII. Not only do we have 'A New Dawn' featuring Kanan
Jarrus and Hera Syndulla, we also see the return of some very familiar faces in the other three books - Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and Grand Moff Tarkin...
Following
today's announcement of Lucasfilm's new unified storytelling approach,
Disney Publishing Worldwide is proud to announce their first step into
that larger world, beginning with Del Rey Books. The publishing program
will feature new adult fiction novels set in the beloved galaxy far, far
away, and will be closely connected to the cinematic entertainment
currently in development at Lucasfilm.
Star Wars novels consistently rank on the New York Times Bestseller
lists -- from the very first tie-in novel, an adaptation of Star Wars: A
New Hope released by Del Rey in 1976, to the recently published Star
Wars: Kenobi -- and dozens of titles in between. With over 75 million
copies sold worldwide, these books have captured the imaginations and
creativity of authors who have enriched the Star Wars experience for
fans around the globe.
Going forward, Lucasfilm has begun mapping out the narrative future of
Star Wars storytelling that will appear on film and television and in
other media so that all projects will benefit from real-time
collaboration and alignment. The future Star Wars novels from Disney
Publishing Worldwide and Del Rey Books will now be part of the official
Star Wars canon as reflected on upcoming TV and movie screens.
"With the establishment of the Lucasfilm Story Group and our even
greater focus on unified storytelling, we expect our entire publishing
program to be stronger and more meaningful than ever before," said
Jeanne Mosure, senior vice president and group publisher, Disney
Publishing Worldwide. "We're extremely excited to kick off this new
strategy with Del Rey Books."
The first novel to benefit from this deeper collaboration is Star Wars:
A New Dawn, by bestselling author John Jackson Miller. Set prior to the
events of the forthcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels, this novel
tells the story of how two of the lead characters of the series, Kanan
Jarrus and Hera Syndulla, came to cross paths. To tell this important
backstory, Miller benefited from contact with series executive producers
Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and Greg Weisman, who together ensured this
tale will be part of the Star Wars canon of storytelling going forward.
It is scheduled for hardcover and eBook release on September 2, 2014.
"We're extremely proud of the hundreds of amazing Star Wars books we've
published at Del Rey," said Scott Shannon, SVP, publisher, Del Rey and
Digital Content, "And now we're excited to finally be able to call our
upcoming novels true canon -- a single, cohesive Star Wars storyline --
all while keeping the amazing backlist of Star Wars Legends content in
print."
Following Star Wars: A New Dawn, the all-new Star Wars fiction line will continue with the following 2014/2015 titles:
STAR WARS: TARKIN
James Luceno
11/4/14
STAR WARS: HEIR TO THE JEDI
Kevin Hearne
January 2015
STAR WARS: LORDS OF THE SITH
Paul Kemp
March 2015
In years past, the storylines that
would appear in print and on screen were developed separately, resulting
in an "Expanded Universe" that differed in ways large and small from
the filmmaker's "canon." These rich stories provide a treasure trove of
characters to fall in love with -- and deep worlds to explore and will
live on in both physical and digital editions, newly-branded as Star
Wars Legends.
For more information, please visit the Del Rey Star Wars Books Facebook page
at Facebook.com/StarWarsBooks.
