Although Lucasfilm and parent company Disney have been quiet about when production will start, one of the main cast of the hit show may have just confirmed that the production and filming will be beginning soon. Check out the details revealed and what might be in store for the Mandalorian Season 3 below.
Another new hope
It is no secret that the Lucasfilm division of Disney has a very busy schedule. After the polarizing response from the sequel trilogy (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker), the Disney+ shows have been the saving grace in the eyes of a large section of the Star Wars fandom, and of these Disney+ Star Wars shows, the Mandalorian is the one main standout. The Mandalorian follows the adventures of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), the titular bounty hunter of the series. Djarin is tasked by the Bounty Hunter Guild to retrieve The Child, which turns out to be a naturally Force-gifted youngling from the same race as that of Jedi Master Yoda. Set during the period right after Return of the Jedi, the Mandalorian revealed the status quo of the galaxy far, far, away, with the fledgling New Republic still rebuilding after the fall of the Galactic Empire. However, the Imperial Remnant and the Moffs are scheming to fill the vacuum left by the death of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. In the course of the series, it is discovered that the remnants of the Empire led by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) wanted The Child, whose true name is Grogu, for their own plans. Din Djarin and Grogu would encounter different factions in the course of the Mandalorian bounty hunter’s quest to bring the Force-sensitive child to its people. At the end of the 2nd season, Din Djarin defeats Moff Gideon and claims the Dark Saber, while also making contact with Jedi Grandmaster Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). The season finale ends with Luke taking charge of Grogu in order to protect him and to begin his proper training in the ways of the Jedi.
Delays due to other shows
A post-credit scene in the Mandalorian Season 2 finale revealed that the next live-action project for Disney+ in 2021 would not be the third season of the series. Instead, it would be a spinoff titled The Book of Boba Fett. It would center on Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) taking over the criminal organization left by Jabba the Hutt on the planet Tatooine. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and the rest of the Lucasfilm production has referred to The Book of Boba Fett as Mandalorian Season 2.5. This is likely due to the events of this series having ramifications on the actual third season of The Mandalorian. But because of this, production of Mandalorian Season 3 would not begin until The Book of Boba Fett wrapped and is ready for the late 2021 release. It already finished filming sometime in June 2021.
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) June 8, 2021 But The Book of Boba Fett was not the only Star Wars show that affected when The Mandalorian would begin its production. Obi-Wan Kenobi was another series that needed to be finished. Headlined by Ewan McGregor, the Disney+ show will explore key events that involve the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in the intervening years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Lucasfilm’s Obi-Wan Kenobi wrapped up filming earlier this August for a release in early to mid-2022.
Star reveals Season 3 filming
With the two other Disney+ shows wrapping filming, the time is ripe for The Mandalorian Season 3 to start its own production schedule. Although no official word from Disney or Lucasfilm has been provided, a couple of The Mandalorian’s stars have given some hint as to when it will likely begin. Giancarlo Esposito mentioned that it would be beginning soon. But the real clincher is Carl Weathers, who plays Greef Karga, Din Djarin’s ally and contact with the Bounty Hunter’s Guild. Aside from acting as one of the regular members of the cast of the series, Weathers has directed one episode (The Siege, the fourth episode of Season 2). The Hollywood veteran known for classic roles in Rocky, The Predator, and many others, shared this info during the Steel City Convention:
— BespinBulletin.com (@BespinBulletin) August 17, 2021 Based on these comments, it appears Weathers will be directing at least one episode of The Mandalorian Season 3.
Last of Us?
There might be one complication with The Mandalorian Season 3 filming starting in September 2021. The Din Djarin actor himself Pedro Pascal is also working on The Last of Us series. Based on the zombie apocalypse video game of the same name, The Last of Us will run on the HBO Max streaming service sometime in 2022. However, one workaround would be to have Din Djarin constantly wearing his Beskar armor’s helmet. As part of the Mandalorian code is to never reveal their face, this can allow Pascal to only do voice work while a stunt double does the physical scenes. Hopefully, Pascal dividing his time during two different major projects will not further affect The Mandalorian Season 3’s production schedule. In the meantime, a new clip of Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian – Making of the Season 2 Finale was released on the official Star Wars YouTube channel. Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 3 is targeted for a 2022 release on Disney+.
