While we've only seen two seasons of The Mandalorian, the 16 episodes that have aired on Disney+ have featured a wild number of cameos and special appearances – with actors like John Leguizamo, Michael Biehn, Titus Welliver, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Mark Hamill popping up in surprise capacities. It's a tradition that we fully expect will continue with Season 3 of the beloved Star Wars show... but there is one particular person whom Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are trying to get in front of the camera, and it's the creator of the entire franchise: George Lucas.
Entertainment Weekly posted a video from an interview with the Mandalorian writers/producers, and the duo was asked about cameos they would like to see in the future of the great Disney+ show. The filmmakers stalled by thinking back on all of the great people who have already been on the show, including Amy Sedaris and Werner Herzog, but eventually Jon Favreau found the right answer:
George Lucas. That would be the best cameo.
The answer inspired a laugh from Dave Filoni, who then subtly reminded The Mandalorian's creator that George Lucas has technically already played a character in the Star Wars universe. The writer/director has a cameo in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (the last movie he directed), and his role has been identified as Baron Papanoida.
Rolling with Favreau's answer, Filoni suggested that George Lucas could perhaps be a relative of Baron Papanoida – referencing the fact that the events depicted in The Mandalorian are set about 30 years after the events in Revenge Of The Sith. Said Filoni,
He’d have to be the son of Baron Papanoida or something like that. I don’t know. I wouldn’t even speculate on that. It’s hard for me to imagine what that day would be like.
Dave Filoni looked starry-eyed even thinking about filming a scene with George Lucas in The Mandalorian, and it was clearly a look that Jon Favreau picked up on, as he started talking about the great relationship that Filoni has with the creator of Star Wars. He said that he has personally had some "great conversations" with the beloved filmmaker, but he recognizes that the bond between Filoni and Lucas is a whole other thing:
Well, he’s been on the set when Dave’s been directing, so I love watching Dave and George together. George, I have tremendous respect for, I’ve been very fortunate to have great conversations where I’ve learned a lot, but when I see Dave and George Lucas together that’s like a whole… how long did you work together? Twelve years?
Answering, Dave Filoni explained that he has had the chance to work with George Lucas for more than a decade, and he has clearly felt blessed to have had the experience:
Close to that, yeah. At least 10. It was a master class. Every day was a master class, so I’m trying to apply that every day and pass on what I’ve learned. It is the Jedi experience I’ve had.
Based on the commentary from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, it doesn't sound like audiences can expect to see George Lucas showing up in an episode of The Mandalorian Season 3, but Favreau confirmed to CinemaBlend at Star Wars Celebration 2022 that Season 4 is in the works, so perhaps the legendary filmmaker can cameo during that run.
It's been a minute since we last saw a new episode of The Mandalorian – the Season 2 finale airing all the way back on December 18, 2020 – but there are only a few months of waiting left, as Season 3 will be debuting in early 2023. While you wait, you can rewatch all of the adventures that have unfolded so far on the show with a Disney+ subscription, read about the new run with our Mandalorian Season 3 Quick Things guide, and discover the vastness of the franchise with our Star Wars timeline guide.
