The Mandalorian

"I'm trying to evoke the aesthetics of not just the original trilogy but the first film. Not just the first film but the first act of the first film. What was it like on Tatooine? What was going on in that cantina? That has fascinated me since I was a child, and I love the idea of the darker, freakier side of Star Wars, the Mad Max aspect of Star Wars."

- Jon Favreau

The Mandalorian is an upcoming live-action Star Wars television series currently being developed by Lucasfilm. The series will take place about five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and is set to air exclusively on the new Disney+ streaming service beginning November 12, 2019. Jon Favreau is writing and will executive-produce the series. Directors include Dave Filoni, Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Taika Waititi.

Plot summary
"It's like after the Roman Empire falls, or when you don't have a centralized shogun in Japan&mdash;and, of course, the Old West, when there wasn't any government in the areas that had not yet been settled."

- Jon Favreau

After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars'' universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic....''

Development
"Since I wrote most of [The Mandalorian], I wrote it to fit within our volume, and in trying to keep the scale of it like the first Star Wars film, which was a relatively low-budget affair, even though the effects were spectacular."

- Jon Favreau

The series was announced by Disney CEO Robert Iger during a Disney quarterly earnings call on November 9, 2017. On May 10, 2018, in an interview with Anthony Carboni on the premier for Solo: A Star Wars Story, Jon Favreau revealed that he was halfway done with writing a season of the upcoming live-action Star Wars television series. During an interview with Dan Casey of Nerdist at the premiere, Favreau confirmed the show would take place seven years after the Battle of Yavin and feature all-new characters. Favreau also revealed that even before he had the job, he had written four scripts to show Lucasfilm what the show would be and to ensure that his vision made it to the screen.

On August 6, 2018, The New York Times reported on Disney+, Disney's new streaming service, and stated that the Star Wars television series by Favreau was expected to cost around $100 million for ten episodes. In an email to The New York Times, Favreau stated that Disney's new streaming service would allow for the opportunity to tell stories that go for several chapters. On October 26, 2018, it was reported that a rumored film centered around Boba Fett had been scrapped, with Lucasfilm instead focusing on The Mandalorian. On November 13, 2018, Pedro Pascal was reported to be in negotiations to play the lead role in the series. The next day, Gina Carano was announced to have joined the cast according to Variety. On November 30, Variety again reported that Nick Nolte had been added to the show's cast. On December 12, Lucasfilm officially announced the cast, confirming Pascal's, Carano's, and Nolte's casting, along with Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Omid Abtahi, and Werner Herzog. On December 19, Black Panther composer Ludwig Göransson was announced to be composing the music for the show.

Favreau described his role as showrunner: "It's a lot like being a chef. You write the menu, you staff up with people who are great at what they do, you oversee and help guide the people who are actually cooking the food, working the line, and then at the end, you plate." He compared his work on the series to that of Iron Man (in that the release of the former would mark the launch of Disney+, whereas the latter marked the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), noting that he didn't feel much pressure on either project. During production, Favreau shared photos on his Instagram account. Star Wars creator George Lucas visited the set during production as part of a birthday surprise for Favreau. As Favreau later told GQ Middle East, "One thing [George Lucas] said to me was, 'remember, Jon, the real audience for all stories and all myths is the kids that are coming of age', because he's really a Joseph Campbell adherent." Favreau made a conscious effort to appeal to all types of Star Wars fans: "Part of what's fun is to see if we could merge the worlds of the original trilogy, the prequels, the sequels, The Clone Wars, and what's been considered canon up to this point and what's been considered part of Legends."

Director Bryce Dallas Howard described the process as highly collaborative, with all the directors sharing an office, and the producers always open to ideas from the directors. According to director Taika Waititi, the series will match the tone of the Star Wars original trilogy. Waititi revealed that he shot a scene with 50-60 stormtroopers. While filming at a studio in Manhattan Beach, California, equipment was stolen from the set, prompting a police investigation. ILM opened a new London-based division, ILM TV, to work on The Mandalorian and other projects. As first hinted at in a Disney Accelorator conference, the series' special effects utilized a video game engine developed by Epic Games. The show also filmed at a warehouse in California used for motion capture. The first season wrapped filming in February 2019. Each episode of the season reportedly costed 15 million to make.

On April 2, 2019, a second season for The Mandalorian was reportedly ordered by Lucasfilm. When interviewed by Collider about his live-action remake of The Lion King, Favreau commented that he's currently writing the second season and that pre-production is underway. Rick Famuyiwa will direct an undisclosed number of episodes for this season.

Release
The series will debut on November 12, 2019. The series' merchandise line will appear in the Triple Force Friday, which will be held on October 4, 2019. Favreau, Filoni and most of the cast hosted a Mandalorian panel at Celebration Chicago on April 14, 2019, where the first footage premiered exclusively to fans in attendance. A few days later, the cast appeared on Good Morning America. The show was the cover story for the September 2019 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

On August 23, 2019, The Mandalorian first trailer was released at the D23 Expo in Anaheim at a panel consisting of Favreau, Filoni, and cast members Pascal, Carano, Weathers, Waititi, and Ming-Na Wen. On October 19, as part of their press day for Disney+, Disney showcased 27 minutes of footage for members of the press. A second, and final, trailer was released on October 28, 2019.

Credits
"We're having a great time working with this incredibly talented group and excited for everyone to see what we’re up to."

- Jon Favreau, to StarWars.com in the official cast announcement