Disney has announced plans to host a real-time, animated telecast of Super Bowl LXI in 2027.
C-3PO will reportedly play a significant role in the event, titled “Star Wars Funday Football,” that will be “set in the universe” of the movie franchise.
Anthony Daniels, who originally played the character, will take part in the event, which will air across Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and the ESPN App on Sunday, February 14th.
At the same time, five other productions of the 2027 Super Bowl are slated for ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPNU among other Disney media properties.
The animated telecast will recreate every play of Super Bowl LXI as it happens, but transform players on the field into animated avatars.
Characters from “Star Wars” will sub in at key moments and surprise nods to the films will appear throughout the match.
The telecast is made possible by Disney being able to combine player tracking data in real time from the NFL’s Next Gen Stats and Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking.
The traditional broadcast of the Big Game will take place on ABC and ESPN. Othr alternate options are a Pat McAfee-hosted commentary-driven option called “Field Pass”, and “ManningCast” featuring Peyton and Eli Manning on ESPN2.
The release will come five days ahead of a restored version of the original 1977 “Star Wars” movie hitting theaters on Friday, February 19th.
Source: Variety
