Disney Publishing Worldwide will release four new children’s books tied to the original Star Wars film trilogy, starting in October 2014. Authors Tom Angleberger (The Strange Case of Origami Yoda), Tony DiTerlizzi (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark & Grimm), and R.J. Palacio (Wonder) are reinterpreting the original Star Wars saga storylines in advance of the December 2015 release of the next Star Wars film, Episode VII.
“We’re working with a dream team of bestselling authors who are passionate about the brand and are telling the story in their own way,” said Carol Roeder, director of Lucasfilm franchise publishing at Disney Publishing Worldwide. “This is a great way to introduce the original films to kids who didn’t grow up with them.”
The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, a picture book encompassing all three films, written by DiTerlizzi and illustrated with Ralph McQuarrie concept art, will kick off the program in October. It will be followed by retellings of Star Wars: A New Hope by Palacio in April 2015, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by Gidwitz in July 2015, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by Angleberger in October 2015; all three will be illustrated by Iain McCaig. McCaig and the late McQuarrie are well known for their work as Star Wars concept artists.
The books will be available globally. In the U.S., they will be published under the Disney-Lucasfilm Press imprint of the Disney Book Group. They will be preceded in August by the first books under that banner, six titles tied to the Star Wars Rebels animated TV series on Disney XD. The Rebels program also includes titles from licensees DK, Bendon, Klutz, and Scholastic. “It’s not just a vertical program,” said Roeder, who noted that Star Wars publishing going forward will include a combination of books from existing licensees, new licensees, and Disney-Lucasfilm Press.
Click below to view a video featuring interviews with the series' authors.
