Star Wars might be one of the biggest entertainment phenomena of the past 40 years, but it took until late 2019 for the first live action Star Wars TV show to arrive. The Mandalorian was one of the big selling points for Disney+, and the first episode was available from the service's launch day in November last year. While there was much excitement for the platform in general, with its wealth of classic Disney movies and shows, there is little doubt that The Mandalorian helped create many of its 28 million subscriptions.
Of course, as the release of recent movies has shown, Star Wars fans are very vocal about what they want--and don't want--from the franchise. Thankfully, The Mandalorian seems to have made most fans happy. Showrunner Jon Favreau, who previously kickstarted the MCU by directing 2008's Iron Man, struck a great balance between the new and the familiar. While the look and feel was 100% Star Wars, Favreau wisely stayed away from obvious fan service. By presenting us with new characters and stories within a recognisable world, The Mandalorian proved that there is life beyond Skywalkers and Death Stars. And, of course, Baby Yoda gave us one of the year's cutest pop culture icons.
Season 1 of The Mandalorian comprised eight 30-minute episodes, making it a concise and perfectly-paced experience. But, of course, it left viewers wanting to see more adventures of the mysterious bounty hunter. There's a lot of uncertainty around Star Wars right now--there are no concrete new movies on the horizon, and while there are other shows in various stages of development, none are likely to arrive for some time. Thankfully, The Mandalorian Season 2 was announced before Season 1 even premiered, and will--hopefully--arrive later this year. So here's everything we know about it to date.
And speaking of things you should be watching, consider listening to GameSpot's weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.
Who's the showrunner?
Jon Favreau is returning as showrunner for The Mandalorian Season 2.
When will it be released?
While a specific premiere date hasn't been announced yet, we know The Mandalorian Season 2 is due to hit Disney+ in October 2020. This was confirmed by Disney in February. And luckily, Season 2 had wrapped filming before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production across Hollywood, so hopefully its release won't be affected.
Who's coming back?
Several actors from Season 1 are returning for Season 2. Pedro Pascal is back in the title role, and Gina Carano (Cara Dune), Carl Weathers (Greef), and Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon) have all stated that they will reappear in the next season.
What new cast members have been announced?
There have been two big casting reports for Season 2 so far. Terminator and Aliens star Michael Biehn was the first new actor to be announced--specific details about who he will play are unknown, although The Hollywood Reporter states it will be a "bounty hunter." The other new addition to the Star Wars universe is Rosario Dawson, who recently appeared in Zombieland 2: Double Tap and Netflix's Daredevil. It has been rumored that Dawson will play fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano, who first appeared in the animated movie and show The Clone Wars, but this is yet to be officially confirmed.
Who's directing?
The Mandalorian Season 1 assembled an impressive roster of directors, including Taika Waititi, Dave Filoni, Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Rick Famuyiwa. The full line-up for Season 2 has yet to be confirmed, but we do know that Famuyiwa and Filoni are back. Favreau has himself helmed an episode this time, as has actor Carl Weathers, who plays Greef in the show. Unfortunately, Waititi has stated that scheduling issues meant he couldn't return to direct in Season 2.
What do we know about the story?
This is Star Wars, so plot details are mostly under wraps right now. However, from interviews with the cast and crew, we do know a few details. Season 1 ended with Mando setting off to find others with the same powers as Baby Yoda/The Child, and darksaber-wielding Moff Gideon is likely to be looking for revenge. Esposito recently revealed that Gideon gets plenty of action, and he had broken several darksabers during production. In addition, a list of potential episode titles has leaked but, unsurprisingly, none of these have been confirmed.
Will there be Season 3?
The Mandalorian Season 3 is definitely happening. The show has been greenlit, and according to reports, writing and pre-production design work has already started. Of course, the current situation means that the third season is unlikely to start shooting any time soon, but at least we know it's on the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.