Star Wars action is coming to the small screen in live-action thanks to the upcoming Disney streaming service. The first to be announced was The Mandalorian, and although a pretty tight lid has been kept on spoilers, we do know some of the folks who will fill out the cast. Now, yet another cast member has been announced: Nick Nolte.
Yes, Nick Nolte has joined the cast of The Mandalorian. He is the third actor to be announced as an official part of the show, following Pedro Pascal and Gina Carano. No details are currently available about who Nolte will play in that galaxy far, far away, but who can't see Nolte as some kind of grizzled space pirate? The Mandalorian isn't exactly going to be taking place in the glitzy heart of the Republic.
Or the heart of the New Republic, I should say. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the First Order emerged, placing it between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The action will follow "the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic," according to a plot description released by executive producer Jon Favreau.
We can't say for 100% certain at this point that Nick Nolte won't be the lone gunfighter, but the odds are pretty good that Pedro Pascal will tackle that particular role. It should certainly be interesting to see what kind of character Star Wars serves up the actor known for projects like The Prince of Tides, Warrior, and the now-cancelled Graves.
Unfortunately, we can't even take Nick Nolte's looks as an indication of the kind of character he'll play. THR reports that the show will make significant use of visual effects, costumes, and makeup to transform actors, enabling some to be cast late in the production process as well as drop in and out of production as needed. That could certainly be useful if the ongoing goal is to attract big names.
There are big reasons for Star Wars fans to get excited about the series. It has already begun to gather A-list talent for behind the camera, including the executive producer of previous Star Wars TV shows, Taika Waititi of Thor Ragnarok, and more.
There was a bit of a snafu on set when a theft resulted in expensive equipment being stolen from The Mandalorian, and a memory card filled with sensitive information was rumored to be one of the things lost in the theft. Not a whole lot of details were released about the case, but given that tons of spoilers did not hit the web in the aftermath, it may be safe to say that The Mandalorian managed to avoid early disaster.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in Star Wars news. Neither of the upcoming live-action Star Wars series will premiere until after Disney+ gets off the ground, but you can find some Star Wars action on Disney Channel with episodes of Star Wars Resistance. For some upcoming viewing options not set in the galaxy far, far away, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule.
