A new Star Wars show this week? Also, Ava scores $100 million.

A new Star Wars cartoon launches this week, aimed explicitly at kids. The first six episodes will launch this Friday, with more to come in December. Each episode promises “fun and educational add-ons designed to help older fans, parents, and other mentors to welcome the kids in their lives to explore the galaxy far, far away.”

The new series is said to be the opening salvo in a number of different initiatives under the Galaxy of Adventures brand, with Lucasfilm describing it as “the beginning of a year-long celebration of Star Wars storytelling,” leading up to the release of Star Wars Episode IX in December 2019.

Or, as we used to call it when I was a kid, a year-long marketing campaign.

I don’t really understand the hype surrounding Ava DuVernay.

She’s obviously well-known and liked in the industry. And I admire that she has moved from working in publicity to pursuing a career as a filmmaker where she’s making movies and TV shows that have some genuine substance to them. I also understand that working on publicity campaigns at the scale she has worked on means she has transferable skills as a Producer.

But, how exactly is she worth a $100 million dollar deal with Warner Bros? She’ll be producing, directing, and writing for Warners (who are soon beefing up their content output for a yet-to-be-formally announced streaming service). But looking at her track record, it’s indie films, shows that have had minor success on cable TV, and one big Hollywood film that flopped. I get wanting to be in business with her, but I just don’t get the price tag.

What am I missing?

Netflix has announced a handful of new foreign language originals. They include a new French series set during the French Revolution about Joseph Guillotin, the future inventor of the guillotine, who investigates a series of mysterious murders and discovers an unknown virus. Of course.

Also, there’s a Wallender series coming to Netflix. Young Wallender features the titular Wallander in his 20s.

CBS sitcoms Happy Together and Murphy Brown will both be capped at 13 episodes for their first seasons. Based on name recognition (but certainly not ratings performance), Murphy Brown is considered likely to return for a second season. For Happy Together, the timing is actually quite good if Warner Bros want to pounce on Damon Wayans Jr to replace his father in Lethal Weapon.

Following on from the success of the TV series, Margaret Atwood has announced a sequel to The Handmaids Tale to be called The Testaments. It will not, however, be connected to the TV show and is a direct sequel to the book.

Rest easy, the new season of The Ranch is coming. Now with less Danny Masterson.

Paul Feig, Sofia Coppola, Ryan Coogler and Guillermo del Toro will be among the subjects of a new series hosted by Elvis Mitchell, who will travel with A-list filmmakers and actors to places of inspiration around the world, exploring how each location shaped their work and identity.

Luther is returning for a fifth season of four episodes, with Idris Elba confidently saying that it won’t be the final season. Also, they have plans for a movie.

Netflix will produce a live-action series based on the well-known anime Cowboy Bebop. Also coming to the service will be a new series of Ultraman, and classic episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion.