Jon Favreau is currently making publicity appearances in support of his Lion King remake. While visiting with Jimmy Kimmel, the conversation turned to the upcoming live action Star Wars series The Mandalorian. You can watch the entire segment here, but here’s the relevant quote:
I got together with the guy, Dave Filoni, who is my partner on this one as producer, and we’re writing this stuff and coming up – it’s honestly like turning over your toy chest and playing with all the Star Wars toys together. We’re having a great time. It’s all new characters, it’s gonna be on Disney+ coming up in the Fall, and we’re done with the first season. I was actually writing part of the second season now. So I’m having a blast.
Real talk: my enthusiasm for Star Wars has waned. The rose-colored glasses of my youth are off and the romance is largely gone. The prequels, the recent movies, and the online ugliness that has consumed fandom have all done their part to take the shine off the diamond, so to speak. But there have been some bright spots. I enjoyed Rebels. Rogue One had its moments, and Solo movie was a couple hours of dumb (and unnecessary) fun for the most part.
There are a few reasons I’m optimistic about The Mandalorian. First, is the involvement and enthusiasm of Jon Favreau. Not only is that guy a fan, but he’s a damn good filmmaker. Next is Dave Filoni. He’s the guy, in my opinion, who should be the Lucasfilm’s Kevin Feige. He shows respect for the mythos and he knows how to tell a story. I’m not a big fan of cartoons, but I was always sure to DVR Rebels every week. The third thing that gives me a new hope (yep, I went there) is the footage that was leaked out of Celebration a few months ago.
So it seems that Disney/Lucasfilm likes what they’ve seen so far and has given Favreau the thumbs up to start work on another season…even though it hasn’t been officially announced yet. We should see more about this show at the D23 Expo next month.
The Mandalorian will take place after the fall of the Empire and before the rise of the First Order. It’ll follow the adventures of a lone gunfighter who travels the fringes of the galaxy, far removed from the control of the fledgling New Republic. Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) will star in the title role. The show will also feature Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, and Carl Weathers.
The Mandalorian is set to premier November 12 on Disney+