The men and women joining Jon Favreau to tell the tale of new live-action “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian” have been revealed. “Clone Wars”/”Rebels” executive producer Dave Filoni will direct the first episode, and subsequent installments will be headed up by a truly inclusive bunch, including “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi, Bryce Dallas Howard (making her television debut after several short films and music videos), Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope”), and Deborah Chow, whose credits include “Jessica Jones,” “Lost in Space,” and “Better Call Saul.”
For any TV show, this would be an exciting line-up of directors, but for the “Star Wars” live-action universe, it’s especially notable.
When the hiring of Favreau (who, like 96 percent of those who have worked on the “Star Wars” feature films, is a white man) was announced, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said as part of the announcement that the “series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”
Wednesday, Favreau revealed via Instagram just enough premise regarding “The Mandalorian” to get fans excited and theorizing about who “the Mandalorian” might be, including the reveal that it’s not Boba Fett or Jango Fett, and the story takes place between Episodes VI and VII:
In the meantime, Disney has provided a first look at the character, as seen above, which offers no clue as to the character’s race, gender, or species. But s/he does look tough enough to survive as a “lone gunfighter” in a galaxy far far away.
“The Mandalorian” is set to debut as part of Disney’s stand-alone streaming service in 2019. Production has begun.
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