Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Announced

Disney has announced they will be renewing the acclaimed Disney XD animated series Star Wars Rebels for a third season. As someone who never quite got into The Clone Wars, Rebels has been a fun trip back to our favorite galaxy far far away. And what started out as a story about a small ragtag group has grown into something bigger in the second season. And I'm glad to see the story will go a bit further, but don't expect this series to go on much longer.

We will at some point catch up to the timeline shown in previous and future live-action movies — Star Wars: Rogue One tells the story of how the Rebellion gets the plans for the Death Star, which leads into the events of A New Hope.  We heard from a very good source last year that Star Wars Rebels would last only three or four seasons before Disney launched a whole new Star Wars animated series, with all new characters, set in the timeline of the current movies (the Star Wars sequel trilogy).

Hit the jump to read the Star Wars Rebels season 3 press release, but as the second season is still in full swing, we get no additional details.

THE REBELS CARRY THE FIGHT AGAINST THE EMPIRE INTO A THIRD SEASON OF THE HIT ANIMATED SERIES "STAR WARS REBELS"

Disney XD has ordered a third season of its animated series "Star Wars Rebels" from Lucasfilm. The third season is currently in production and scheduled to premiere in 2016. It was announced today by Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President, Programming and General Manager, Disney XD.

In making the announcement, Buhaj said, "We are proud to bring our audience a third season of 'Star Wars Rebels,' a series that has resonated across generations." Buhaj added, "The creative team behind the series continues to do a brilliant job in delivering on the key tenets that fans have come to expect from a Star Wars property, including adventure, hope and the battle between good vs. evil."

"We're very proud of our incredibly creative Rebels team," says Lucasfilm SVP of Development, Kiri Hart. "The show continues to tell fun, heartfelt, exciting new Star Wars stories week after week, and it's beloved by fans of all ages. Season Three will see our Rebel heroes face new obstacles and find new allies in their fight against the Empire."

To date, "Star Wars Rebels" ranks as Disney XD's #2 series in Total Viewers (1.3 million), Kids 6-11, Boys 6-11 and Boys 2-11.  It's the channel's #1 program among Adults 18-49 and Men 18-49.  In the most recent quarter tabulated (3Q15), "Star Wars Rebels" reached over 48 million unique Total Viewers in 157 countries/territories and in 30 languages. "Star Wars Rebels" has also generated nearly 4 million video starts on WATCH Disney XD.

The transformative second season of "Star Wars Rebels" featured the return of fan-favorite clone troopers Captain Rex, Captain Gregor and Commander Wolffe, and the debut of new characters including the Seventh Sister, a cunning and crafty Inquisitor who is tasked by Darth Vader to track down the rebels. Following a series of critical events, the lives of our heroes will be changed forever as Season Three begins.

"Star Wars Rebels" is created by Dave Filoni ("Star Wars: The Clone Wars"), Simon Kinberg ("X-Men: Days of Future Past," "Sherlock Holmes") and Carrie Beck. The Lucasfilm Animation production is executive-produced by Filoni and Kinberg.

The Season Two voice cast includes Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex, Captain Gregor and Commander Wolffe, David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus and Sarah Michelle Gellar as the Seventh Sister Inquisitor. 

Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for kids age 6-11, hyper-targeting boys and transporting them into worlds full of humor, unexpected fun and inspiring action-filled adventures. Disney XD-branded content spans television, online, mobile and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and short-form, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches over 80 million households via its basic cable and satellite affiliates.  In total, there are 31 Disney XD channels available in 25 languages around the world.

Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company's activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.