In a world that brings a lot of bad news to the entertainment industry lately, Star Wars fans have been handed a bit of good news. According to producer Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian season 3 is staying on target and is expected to begin filming by the end of the year. That means we will, in all likelihood, see Mando and Baby Yoda return in 2021, assuming nothing changes between now and then.
Jon Favreau, who serves as a writer and executive producer of the live-action Star Wars show, has been making the press rounds to promote season 2. During a recent interview, he revealed that they are “on schedule” to begin filming The Mandalorian season 3 “before the end of the year.” “We’re operating under the assumption that we’ll be able to go forward,” he added. Favreau, speaking further, explained that the unique way in which the show is filmed will allow for them to proceed.
“We’re in very small situations and oftentimes we have a lot of characters in masks. And we also have a lot of digital work that augments things. So we’re a show that’s probably well-equipped to be flexible based on the protocols that are emerging surrounding work restarting.”
The Mandalorian shoots in something called “The Volume.” It is essentially an elaborate stage surrounded by screens that allows for real-world environments to be projected and captured in-camera, with set pieces used to augment what is being displayed. This allows for less travel and smaller crews on set. Other major productions such as Thor: Ragnarok are expected to utilize the technology to make filming more feasible in taking up new health and safety protocols.
Disney and Lucasfilm are high on Star Wars TV right now. Not only is Mando gearing up for more adventures but the Obi-Wan Kenobi series is finally set to film early next year, with the Rogue One prequel series happening soon as well. Jon Favreau and Pedro Pascal also teased that a Mandalorian movie is not out of the question. Favreau additionally expressed his gratitude for being able to work right now and it is technology that is allowing that to happen.
“Technology is always offering new opportunities to tell stories in a fresh way. It’s a very exciting time to be doing this and I feel very grateful that we’re able to be able to work remotely, because of the nature of the technology that we’re dealing with. So we’re continuing to try to move forward and keep the ball rolling, even though it’s been a challenging time for everyone.”
Pedro Pascal returns as Mando this season, with Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito and Carl Weathers also reprising their roles. Boba Fett is expected to make his live-action return to a galaxy far, far away, with Ahsoka Tano, said to be played by Rosario Dawson, set to make her live-action debut. The Mandalorian season 2 premiered October 30 on Disney+. This news comes to us via Variety.
