New Star Wars project 'The High Republic' follows Jedi 200 years before films

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — As the latest Star Wars film trilogy comes to a close, Lucasfilm announced Monday it plans to take fans way back into the past of the Jedi Order with a new publishing initiative launching later this year.

“Star Wars: The High Republic” encompasses a series of novels, children’s books, and comics set 200 years before “The Phantom Menace” at the height of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order, telling original stories with new characters that will not overlap with any of the film and television projects Lucasfilm has in development.

“This was a golden age for the Jedi, and also a time of galactic expansion in the Outer Rim. So expect there to be rich tales of exploration; charting out the galaxy, meeting new cultures, and discovering what pioneer life in the Outer Rim was like,” Lucasfilm vice president for franchise content and strategy James Waugh said in a statement.

Creators involved in the multi-platform storytelling effort, which was previously referred to as “Project Luminous,” include Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule.

The first books of the High Republic storyline are set to launch at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in August. The interconnected story “Light of the Jedi” will be told across various formats:

• “Light of the Jedi,” an adult novel by Charles Soule
• "Into the Dark,” a young adult novel by Claudia Gray
• “A Test of Courage,” a middle grade novel by Justina Ireland
• “Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures,” a comic series written by Daniel Jose Older, published by IDW
• “Star Wars: The High Republic,” a Marvel Comics series written by Cavan Scott