Disney XD to Debut Animated Series STAR WARS REBELS in 2014

With Cartoon Network losing its long-running series THE CLONE WARS - Disney is giving fans another with STAR WARS REBELS, an animated action series set to premiere on Disney XD in fall 2014.

According to Deadline, "the action series is set during the nearly two-decade span between Episode III and IV of the Star Warsfilms - a time frame never chronicled onscreen. The Empire is fortifying its hold on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion is taking shape, but plot details are in the vault."

Disney has brought Simon Kinberg (X-MEN FIRST CLASS) on board as an executive producer. He will also write the first episode, the publication notes.

Fans can get a first look at REBELS at Star Wars Celebration Europe, running July 26-28 in Messe Essen, Germany.

The first STAR WARS film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy's final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released.

The three prequel films were also released at three-year intervals, with the final film of the trilogy released on May 19, 2005. In October 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and announced that it would produce three new films, with the first film, Star Wars Episode VII, planned for release in 2015. 20th Century FOX still retains the distribution rights to the first two Star Wars trilogies, owning permanent rights for the original film Episode IV: A New Hope, while holding the rights to Episodes I-III, V and VI until May 2020.

Reactions to the original trilogy were mostly positive, with the last film being considered the weakest, while the prequel trilogy received a more mixed reaction, with most of the praise being for the final movie, according to most review aggregator websites. All six of the main films in the series were also nominated for or won Academy Awards.

All of the main films have been box office successes, with the overall box office revenue generated by the Star Wars films (including the theatrical Star Wars: The Clone Wars) totalling $4.49 billion, making it the third-highest-grossing film series. The success has also led to multiple re-releases in theaters for the series.