The Mandalorian has been a huge hit in the States, with Baby Yoda proving a cultural force to be reckoned with. In fact it’s done so well that not only is Disney moving forward with season two, it’s already commissioned a third season of the show.
It’s worth remembering that this isn’t the only live action Star Wars series on the way to Disney+. Disney is also working on a Rogue One prequel series starring Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk, and Ewan McGregor will reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in yet another spin-off series after that, while Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland is working on her own untitled series after that.
Check out our full guide to all the Star Wars content on Disney+ for more on what you can watch now, and what’s on the way.
When is season two coming?
Showrunner Jon Favreau tweeted the news that season two was coming shortly after the season one finale dropped in the US, revealing that season two will arrive sometime in Fall 2020, with an image that may well tease a return of the Gamorrean pig aliens best known as Jabba the Hutt’s guards. Does that mean there’s a Hutt on the way too?
Season 2 of #TheMandalorian coming Fall 2020 pic.twitter.com/8VQYLDMQ0V
— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau)
December 27, 2019
Since then Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed a slightly more specific release date, revealing in an earnings call that season two is set to drop in October 2020.
We know it’s already finished filming too, as Director of Photography Baz Iodine shared an Instagram post declaring “That’s a wrap on season 2!”
Season three is even on the way too, with pre-production begun. Variety first reported that Jon Favreau has been writing the scripts “for a while” and that the art department is in full swing too, so it sounds like Mando season three is on track for 2021.
How many episodes are there?
There are eight episodes in the first season, so we’d expect the same again in season two.
Is there a trailer?
There’s no trailer for season two yet, but here are the teasers for the first season in case you haven’t watched it yet:
Who’s in the cast?
Playing the lead role is Pedro Pascal, best known as Prince Oberyn in Game of Thrones and Javier Pena in Narcos, and set to star in the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984.
In the first season Pascal was joined by former MMA star Gina Carano, who’s also appeared in the likes of Fast & Furious 6 and Deadpool, along with legendary character actor Nick Nolte, acclaimed actor/director Werner Herzog, the actual Apollo Creed from Rocky (i.e. Carl Weathers), Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito, Supernatural’s Emily Swallow, and American Gods’ Omid Abtahi.
We’re slowly hearing more about season two’s cast, but there have been two huge bits of news so far.
First, Rosario Dawson has apparently been cast for a role in season two. That would be exciting enough, but even better is who she’s playing: Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi Padawan from the animated Clone Wars show (currently rolling out its seventh and final season on Disney+ too).
Just as excitingly, Terminator and Aliens star Michael Biehn will also join the second season. His role is mostly unknown, but it will be another bounty hunter, and this will be his highest profile role since 2007’s Grindhouse.
It’s also rumoured that WWE star Sasha Banks will be joining the show for its second season, and has already filmed scenes (which makes sense, given the timing). No word on how major her part is though, so this could be anything from a new co-lead down to a single-episode cameo.
We also know that Carano at least is returning, as she Instagrammed in honour of the end of season two’s filming, setting aside any doubts about her return.
Who writes and directs The Mandalorian?
Behind the cameras, Jon Favreau, who’s a dab hand at both producing and directing and brought us Iron Man and The Jungle Book, is the showrunner and lead writer for the series.
He didn’t direct every episode in season one though, as Lucasfilm recruited plenty of others. The premiere was directed by Dave Filoni, making his live action debut after years on the animated side of the Star Wars universe in charge of series including Clone Wars, while other episode directors included Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), actor Bryce Dallas Howard (making her directorial debut, other than a few short films) and none other than Taika Waititi (who’s now working on his own Star Wars movie).
It looks like we can expect the same calibre of directors in season two, with both Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Planet Terror) and Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) confirmed to direct at least one episode each.
What is The Mandalorian about?
The Mandalorian takes place seven years after Return of the Jedi, so the characters from the original trilogy are in their prime – though with the issues around casting we’d be surprised if any of them ever crop up in person, with the possible exception of the likes of the droids and Chewbacca.
In case you don’t recognise the name, ‘The Mandalorian’ refers to the planet Mandalore. The Star Wars universe already has a couple of famous Mandalorians about too: the bounty hunter Jango Fett and his clone/son Boba Fett. In the Star Wars canon the Mandalorians are a pretty militaristic bunch whose soldiers wear the Fetts’ iconic armour.
The titular Mandalorian is a bounty hunter just trying to make a living when he comes across a job he can’t bring himself to finish. That sends him along a path of protecting his bounty as he tries to stay alive and figure out who wants them dead – and why.
Funnily enough, Favreau already has a connection to Mandalore: he voiced a Mandalorian called Pre Viszla in the cartoon The Clone Wars, a rebel who tried to overthrow the planet’s government. That character died during the show though, so don’t expect a return, though since a few Mandalorians have popped up between The Clone Wars and Rebels, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some sort of cartoon cameo eventually.
