For a little while now, we’ve heard that a live-action Star Wars series was being developed for Disney’s impending streaming service. Well, now comes the encouraging news that Jon Favreau will be overseeing the project.

Lucasfilm officially broke the news, revealing that Favreau will executive produce and write the series. Favreau, of course, is no stranger to a galaxy far, far away, with him having provided vocals for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series in addition to having a small role in May’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. In addition to that, Favreau is a huge favourite of Disney’s for his work on the likes of the Iron Man franchise and 2016’s refresh of The Jungle Book. In fact, Favreau is currently working on a new take on The Lion King for the House of Mouse, not to mention plans for a Jungle Book sequel.

On this news, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy said, “I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform. Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe. This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”

For his part, Favreau enthused, “If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.”

There’s no specifics on just when this new Star Wars show will premiere, although we do know that Disney’s on-demand streaming platform will launch next year. Given some of the heavy hitters potentially at Disney’s disposal – from classic Disney favourites, to superheroes, to Star Wars and so, so much more – many are already expecting this new service to be a legitimate rival to Netflix and Amazon Video.