Super Bowl LXI will receive a Star Wars makeover on Feb. 14, 2027, when ESPN, Disney, Lucasfilm and the NFL deliver a live animated alternate broadcast built around the franchise’s characters and settings. Anthony Daniels, a member of the original 1977 Star Wars cast, will return as the voice of C-3PO for the presentation.
A live Star Wars version of Super Bowl LXI
Star Wars Funday Football will animate the action from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, as every snap from the Super Bowl is recreated in real time. Players will appear as animated versions of themselves, while Star Wars characters are set to enter at selected points in the game. The telecast will also include franchise references and hidden visual details throughout the broadcast.
The production marks the first time a Super Bowl will have an animated alternate telecast. It is also the fourth NFL animated presentation jointly produced by ESPN, Disney and the league.
- Toy Story Funday Football aired for Falcons-Jaguars in October 2023 and won three Sports Emmy Awards.
- The Simpsons Funday Football accompanied Bengals-Cowboys in December 2024.
- Monsters Funday Football was used for Eagles-Chargers in December 2025.
Sony’s Beyond Sports will provide the live data-visualization system behind the animated game. The technology combines NFL Next Gen Stats player-tracking information with Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking to convert live on-field movement into animation.
Further details, including the virtual settings, participating characters and broadcast team, will be announced closer to Super Bowl LXI.
Where fans can watch
The standard Super Bowl broadcast will air on ESPN, ABC and Disney+, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth and Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge reporting from the stadium. The ESPN Spanish-language feed will be carried on Disney+ and ESPN Deportes, while Univision will have its own Spanish-language Super Bowl presentation.
Star Wars Funday Football will be available live on Disney+, the ESPN App, Disney Channel and Disney XD in the United States. Disney+ subscribers in the U.S. will also be able to stream the traditional ESPN and ABC game feed.
International reach
The animated feed will be carried live in markets across Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Canada through TSN+, the Netherlands, Sub-Saharan Africa, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
- The Star Wars broadcast will be added on demand to Disney+ shortly after the game in live-stream markets.
- Additional on-demand availability will include the United Kingdom, France, Germany and South Korea.
- The alternate presentation is expected to reach more than 155 markets worldwide.
- Disney+ will carry ESPN’s regular Super Bowl telecast in more than 55 international markets outside the U.S., including Brazil, Spanish-speaking Latin America, the Caribbean, South Africa and Australia/New Zealand.
- ESPN networks will distribute the Super Bowl in more than 130 countries and territories.
Several alternate Super Bowl feeds planned
The Star Wars telecast will be one of several companion productions available for ESPN’s first Super Bowl broadcast. Viewers will also have choices tailored to different styles of football coverage.
- Super Bowl LXI with Peyton and Eli will air on ESPN2.
- Super Bowl LXI Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will air on ESPNU.
- Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats will be shown on NFL Network.
The Super Bowl project arrives during Lucasfilm’s 50th-anniversary celebration of Star Wars. Five days after the game, the restored 1977 version of the original Star Wars movie is scheduled to return to theaters on Friday, Feb. 19.
Star Wars features begin during the regular season
The crossover will begin before Super Bowl week through SC+, Disney+’s daily SportsCenter program. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 20, the show will run Star Wars-themed “Hyperspace Highlights” featuring plays from Monday Night Football.
Starting Oct. 26, SC+ will also air a weekly Monday segment in which an animated Darth Vader interviews an NFL player scheduled to play in that night’s Monday Night Football game.
