Star Wars Is Throwing Its Own Super Bowl, with an Original Cast Member Returning

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Published Oct 20, 2026, 1:51 PM EDT

Austin Manchester is a writer and editor living in New York City. At Polygon, he covers gaming and entertainment news, reviews new video games, interviews behind-the-scenes talent, and more. He enjoys discovering hidden gems and sharing them with Polygon's audience. Previously, he was the gaming editor for AIPT Comics and has written for other outlets like XDA, How-To Geek, and The List.

He enjoys soulslikes, character-driven RPGs, and third-person shooters plucked straight out of the Xbox 360 era. He also likes to flex his non-video game nerdy knowledge sometimes, whether that's explaining who's who in the new Wolverine game or recommending a comic book series about a sentient sword.

C-3PO headlines Star Wars' Funday Football

Image: 20th Century Fox Film Corp/Everett Collection

If you've ever found yourself watching an NFL game and thought, "This would be so much better with lightsabers and Stormtroopers," then do I have some spectacular news specifically for you. On Tuesday, Disney announced it will broadcast a Star Wars-themed real-time animated telecast of Super Bowl LXI in February.

"Star Wars Funday Football" will transform the real-life players into animated characters and recreate the on-field action in real time using "data visualization technology from Sony’s Beyond Sports" that relies on player tracking data and optical tracking, according to a news release. Disney teases that Star Wars characters will "sub in during key moments," meaning we might see Luke Skywalker throw a touchdown or Chewbacca intercept a pass. With his height and athleticism, he'd make a tough DB in pass coverage.

Anthony Daniels will voice C-3PO for the broadcast in some capacity. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind the chaos of a booth with R2-D2 on play-by-play and C-3PO providing color. Hey, if Monday Night Football color commentator Troy Aikman is on his way out after this season, maybe this is Threepio's chance to show why he deserves the full-time gig.

The Star Wars alternate telecast will air on Disney Plus, Disney Channel, and Disney XD. Super Bowl LXI will be played Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It will be the first time ESPN has aired a Super Bowl.

It's a great time to be a Star Wars fan

A clone trooper, Umbaran, Mandalorian, and Jedi walk onto a battlefield.

Star Wars turns 50 next year, but the Star Wars-themed Super Bowl won't be the biggest Star Wars event of 2027. The original Star Wars — the one where Han definitely shot first — will return to theaters on Feb. 19, 2027, and will be shown in 70 mm IMAX. The Shawn Levy-directed and Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter will hit theaters a few months later on May 28, 2027.

In the meantime, Star Wars fans have a couple of great new Star Wars video games to check out. Star Wars Zero Company spotlights a ragtag group of operators navigating the Clone Wars, while Star Wars: Galactic Racer features high-octane, and highly dangerous, racing in the Outer Rim.