About 
Ashley Eckstein explains why The Clone Wars' success saved the Star Wars franchise and helped sweeten Disney's interest in Lucasfilm.
Posted in: Cartoon Network, Disney+, Netflix, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: star wars, The Clone Wars
Star Wars: Ashley Eckstein Believes "Clone Wars" Helped Save Franchise
Ashley Eckstein explains why The Clone Wars' success saved the Star Wars franchise and helped sweeten Disney's interest in Lucasfilm.
Article Summary
- Ashley Eckstein says Star Wars: The Clone Wars kept the franchise alive when fans thought Star Wars was over.
- She believes The Clone Wars proved Star Wars still had power, helping pave the way for Disney’s Lucasfilm buy.
- Eckstein argues The Clone Wars success helped open the door for modern Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian.
- Dave Filoni’s Clone Wars legacy now drives Star Wars, with animated characters crossing into live-action projects.
Things came full circle for Ashley Eckstein, owing so much of her success to the Star Wars franchise, with her biggest break on the Dave Filoni-created The Clone Wars, the animated series that saw multiple homes since its premiere in 2008, with runs on Cartoon Network, Netflix, and Disney+ spanning seven seasons and 133 episodes. At the same time, the voice actress came across a revelation that her series might have been the foot in the door, the franchise needed before its second wind when Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. Speaking at the MCM Expo at The Clone Wars reunion panel, the star opened up about how the series success allowed Disney to see the viability of the franchise for its current output of content.
Ashley Eckstein Explains How The Clone Wars Saved Star Wars for Disney's Interest and Purchase
"For us, it's easy to forget, but when 'Clone Wars' was on the air, there was no other 'Star Wars.' We thought 'Star Wars' was done," the Ahsoka Tano actress said (via GeekTyrant). "This was before Disney bought it, and we were the only thing on the air… Without the success of 'Clone Wars,' we might not be seeing 'Mandalorian,' 'Boba Fett,' et cetera." The actress voiced the role for all seven seasons and reprised it for several animated Star Wars projects under Disney, including Rebels, Forces of Destiny, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, and Tales of the Jedi. She even made a vocal cameo in the live-action The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
With Filoni now COO and President of Lucasfilm, the current slew of live-action projects has integrated his original animated series characters into live-action, including the biggest non-Lucas creation, Ashoka Tano, with Rosario Dawson currently playing the live-action incarnation in the Disney+ series of the same name. Katee Sackhoff reprised her animated role as Bo-Katan Kryze for live-action The Mandalorian. Filoni's latest is Rebels characters like Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Ezra (Eman Esfandi), and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) into the new canon with Ahsoka to Zeb (voice of Steve Blum) for The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
