The long-awaited premiere of The Mandalorian on Disney+ as the very first live-action Star Wars TV series is finally only weeks rather than months or even years away, and showrunner Jon Favreau already has some great news for folks excited about the first season. Season 2 has already begun filming! The show, which stars Game of Thrones alum Pedro Pascal, is apparently hard at work on the next batch of episodes already.
Jon Favreau made the announcement at the recent press conference for The Mandalorian, attended by CinemaBlend's Sarah El-Mahmoud, saying this:
We actually have the first week of the second season under our belt. Our cast, especially Pedro may be a little tired because he was there quite late last night.
Not that it was ever likely that The Mandalorian would kill off The Mandalorian in the first season, but Jon Favreau's comments indicate that Pedro Pascal's character does indeed survive to the second season of the show! No Games of Thrones-esque twist for the main character in the first season of this series, since I'm pretty sure The Mandalorian wouldn't be coming back as a Force ghost!
Jon Favreau apparently didn't drop any concrete details about which members of the cast were with Pedro Pascal for the first week of filming The Mandalorian Season 2, but honestly, it should be enough to know that the team is already hard at work on the follow-up to the first season. That's not to say that viewers should necessarily expect Season 2 to debut just a couple of months after the conclusion of Season 1, though.
The special effects alone will undoubtedly take time to render, and I wouldn't be surprised if Disney wants to space out some of its new Star Wars material once Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker releases. That will be the last Star Wars movie for a while, and apparently the chronological conclusion of the Skywalker saga.
The Rogue One prequel and Obi-Wan Kenobi series may be a ways off, and Star Wars Resistance is ending at the conclusion of its second season. The Mandalorian has already rearranged itself a bit around Rise of Skywalker; I wouldn't be surprised if the release of Season 2 was impacted by the movie as well.
The Mandalorian Trailer Reveals A Deadly New Side Of Star Wars For First Live-Action Series
That said, nobody needs to start moaning and groaning for Season 2 ASAP when Season 1 hasn't even premiered yet. Disney+ also isn't following the Netflix model of releasing full seasons at once for binge-watching, so Star Wars fans will have no choice but to pace themselves and not race through the series on premiere day.
As a veteran binge-watcher myself, I can appreciate the prospect of getting new Star Wars on a weekly basis rather than in an eight-hour marathon. I may change my tune once I get a look at The Mandalorian, as critics who got an early glimpse of the premiere are already raving about it, but only time will tell.
The Mandalorian Season 1 premiere releases when Disney+ goes live on Tuesday, November 12. If you're having a hard time waiting for new Star Wars TV during the days between episodes, you can always check out (or re-check out) the Star Wars animated series that will be available streaming on Disney+, including Star Wars Rebels, The Clone Wars, Season 1 of Star Wars Resistance, and more. For some non-Disney viewing options, swing by our 2019 fall TV premiere schedule.
