Aug. 15--A galaxy far, far away is coming to the happiest place on Earth.
The Walt Disney Co. announced at its D23 Expo on Saturday that it's creating two new Star Wars-themed areas at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla., and at Disneyland in Anaheim.
Taking the stage at the end of the studio's live-action presentation, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the 14-acre areas will seek to create an authentic Star Wars experience for park guests, fashioning environments on other planets entirely populated with aliens, droids and humanoid characters from the franchise.
"We're currently casting for roles," the exec told the crowd, promising that "nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology."
FULL COVERAGE: D23 EXPO
Showing off a brief piece of concept footage featuring TIE Fighters flying over an alien city, Iger said that the park areas will include a re-creation of the Millennium Falcon, in which guests will be able to take the controls for a "customized secret mission," and an immersive experience that will put attendees into "a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance."
"We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single theme land expansion ever," Iger told the crowd. "We knew it needed to be big. We knew it needed to be great. And we knew it needed to be every bit as thrilling as the films will be."
