George Lucas loved Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa. And while Lucas would go on to directly aid in the master’s career, producing the prismatic 1990 film, Dreams, his tributes started much earlier. Really, there’d be no Star Wars without Kurosawa’s 1958 drama The Hidden Fortress.
So it’s fitting that the Star Wars franchise will gift a wave of Japanese creators the chance to traverse in the galaxy far, far away on their own in terms in the upcoming anthology series, Visions. Lucasfilm gave fans a first look at the series, slated for this fall, at the 2021 Anime Expo on Saturday. Studios involved include Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru, and Production IG.
“Each one of these studios that we approached, we found hardcore Star Wars fans,” Lucasfilm executive producer Jacqui Lopez said in the sizzle reel. “They all had a story they wanted to tell.”
Here’s the full breakdown of shorts premiering within the series:
Kamikaze Douga – The Duel
Geno Studio (Twin Engine) – Lop and Ochō
Studio Colorido (Twin Engine) – Tatooine Rhapsody
Trigger – The Twins
Trigger – The Elder
Kinema Citrus – The Village Bride
Science Saru – Akakiri
Science Saru – T0-B1
Production IG – The Ninth Jedi
“It’s basically the story of twins of the dark side,” Hiroyuki Imaishi of Trigger said of his installment. Taku Kimura describes his short, “Tatooine Rhapsody,” as a “rock opera-style film.”
Check out the first footage and production art from the series in the video above. Star Wars: Visions premieres Sept. 22 on Disney Plus.
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