Disney+'s 'The Mandalorian': New trailer, release date, plot, cast and everything you need to know about the upcoming 'Star Wars' spin-off
Whenever people bring up Disney+, the discussion almost always moves to the Marvel shows that were announced for the upcoming streaming service. However, the service will be launching with a huge treat for ‘Star Wars’ fans, Jon Favreau’s upcoming series ‘The Mandalorian’.
Following the adventures of a mysterious gunslinger, the epic space-western series will be written, directed and produced by Favreau with Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) and Dave Filoni (Star Wars Rebels) pitching in to direct a few episodes.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming show:
Release Date
‘The Mandalorian’ will be launching at the same time as the service itself. That means that the show, which is the first-ever live-action ‘Star Wars’ series, will be available to stream on Disney+ starting November 12.
Where to watch
Fans will be able to stream ‘The Mandalorian’ exclusively on Disney+.
Plot
The series will be set about five years after the events of ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ and before ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. It will follow the unnamed Mandalorian warrior on his adventures across the farthest reaches of the galaxy, far from the reaches of the law. Fans can hope to see a host of new characters and worlds added to the vast galaxy of the franchise.
According to a description shared by Favreau on his Instagram page, the official plot summary of the show goes: “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."
Cast
Pedro Pascal
Pascal is set to play the unnamed man behind the iconic Mandalorian mask. The actor is best known for playing Oberyn Martell in ‘Game of Thrones’ and Javier Peña in the Netflix biographical crime series ‘Narcos’. He also played an important role in ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ as Agent Whiskey.
According to Den of Geek, other members of the cast include Carl Weathers (‘Predator’) as a character named Greef, Werner Herzog (‘Grizzly Man’) as a crime lord with ties to the fallen Empire, Giancarlo Esposito (‘Breaking Bad’) as an Imperial officer, and former MMA fighter Gina Carano (‘Deadpool’) as ex-Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune along with Emily Swallow (‘Supernatural’), Omid Abtahi (‘American Gods’) and Nick Nolte (‘Warrior’) in undisclosed roles.
Creator
Jon Favreau
The series will be written and executive produced by Emmy-nominated producer and actor Jon Favreau who is also credited as the show’s creator. Favreau is perhaps best recognized for his role as Happy Hogan in the Marvel Cinematic Univers, most recently having reprised the role in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’. Favreau is also the director behind films like ‘Elf’ (2003), ‘Zathura: A Space Adventure’ (2005), ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ (2011), ‘The Jungle Book’ (2016), and ‘The Lion King’ (2019).
Favreau was unable to direct an episode for the first season because of other commitments. The show's directorial team for the first season includes Deborah Chow (‘Jessica Jones’), Rick Famuyiwa (‘Dope’) and Bryce Dallas Howard (‘Solemates’), along with Filoni and Waititi.
Trailer
Fans who attended the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago in April 2019 got an exclusive preview of the upcoming series. While the teaser has not been released to the public, we do know that the preview features Pascal and the show’s directors explaining the thought behind the series and what fans can expect when it hits screens in November. In the clip, Favreau describes the show’s hero as "a gunfighter, a bounty hunter, a citizen of the underworld."
"This is a character you’ve never met before and a period of time you’ve never seen," the director added, further increasing our excitement.
The first official trailer was released at the D23 Expo. The clip offers a look at John Favreau's ideas for the live-action 'Star Wars' show. The footage shows Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian bounty hunter as he traverses through Tatooine. The trailer has shades of 'Mad Max' with vast desolate landscapes as well. The trailer also establishes that the events is set five years in the future after the events of 'Return of the Jedi'.
A new trailer was released on October 28, with more of a focus on the Mandalorian himself in action. The Mandalorian is seen handling various weapons, most notably, the two-pronged Amban phase-pulse blaster teased by Jon Favreau on Instagram. A mention is also made of the Mandalorian’s people.
News
Though season 1 of 'The Mandalorian' is yet to arrive, Favreau revealed the show's creative team are already working on a second season and confirmed he will be directing at least one episode of season 2. “We’re working on season 2, writing, prepping with the directors and getting ready to direct myself, actually,” Favreau told EW. “I didn’t get a chance the last time around because I was doing Lion King. So, I’ll step in for one of them.”
Pictures
On October 28, 'The Mandalorian' released a set of posters that showcase Pedro Pascal's titular Mandalorian, Gina Carano's Cara Dune, Carl Weathers' Greef Carga, Taika Waititi's IG-11 and Nick Nolte's Kuiil.
If you like this, you'll love these:
'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'
'Star Wars Rebels'
'Star Trek: Discovery'
'Star Trek: Picard'
'The Orville'