The Mandalorian may be television’s first live-action Star Wars series, but the scale of the Disney+ project looks nothing short of cinematic. Costing an average of $15 million per episode and with The Lion King’s Jon Favreau on board as creator, the new show is pulling out all the stops. The production also reeled in tons of all-star directing talent including Star Wars Rebels’ Dave Filoni, Dope’s Rick Famuyiwa, Deborah Chow, Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi and Jurassic World actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
Each of these filmmakers has certainly showcased their unique eye with their own projects in the past, and part of the fun of witnessing The Mandalorian will be seeing what this group of talented directors collectively bring to the highly-anticipated series. When I had the chance to sit down with actors Carl Weathers, Gina Carano and the Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal, at a recent Disney+ press day, they spoke about the collaborative process. Check it out:
While Carl Weathers may have lightly expressed feeling a little confused and left out, Gina Carano showed some enthusiasm about the mood on set, thanks to all the collaborators they worked with! Carano, who is best known for her MMA career and the role of Angel Dust in Deadpool, recalled Jon Favreau often getting emotional on set amidst delivering moving words to the cast and crew. The Iron Man director was greatly influenced by the original Star Wars trilogy as a kid – he even cites it as an inspiration to his filmmaking career.
She also mentions working with Dave Filoni, who has had an important role in the Star Wars franchise over the years. Filoni created Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Resistance for Lucasfilm, after directing The Clone Wars film in 2003. Gina Carano told us she discovered her Mandalorian character Cara Dune could decide her own way to hold a blaster with Filoni’s help, before turning it over to Pedro Pascal, who, apparently, went so far as to name his famed weapon.
Each director actually had the luxury of bringing their own personalities to the episodes they helmed, according to Pascal. He teased that each Mandalorian episode would have its own style and uniqueness to it! The process certainly seems to have kept the cast on their toes and will, in turn, likely give the audience a stunning, fresh experience each week. It was apparently “way too collaborative," according to Pascal!
At the Disney+ press day, we were also shown 27 minutes of footage across three episodes. I can confirm that it feels expensive, cinematic and like one of the more stylish entries to the Star Wars franchise. Many other journalists who saw the footage have also echoed my all-around positive first response to The Mandalorian ahead of its premiere on Disney+ in just two weeks.
The Mandalorian is the first of a few Star Wars live action shows coming to the new platform, including an Obi-Wan series starring Ewan McGregor and Diego Luna’s Cassian returning for a Rogue One spin-off, not to mention Rise of Skywalker coming to the big screen December 20. The Mandalorian premieres on November 12 on Disney+.
