The Mandalorian is set to borrow heavily from the Game of Thrones story-telling game plan in its sophomore season, director Jon Favreau revealed ahead of the flagship Star Wars TV show’s long-awaited Season 2 trailer reveal date.
The second season of The Mandalorian is finally on the horizon — Disney only just locked in their late October release date — and it’s going to be a big one; series creator Jon Favreau has teased Season 2 will bring “a larger story” to the show.
“The stories become less isolated, yet each episode has its own flavor, and we’re bringing a lot more scope to the show,” Favreau told Entertainment Weekly.
There’s also plans to make the show less “Mando-centric,” the producer added.
These plans may see The Mandalorian, Din Djarin, sidelined for some of the second season’s eight episodes. Supporting characters like Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano) could take center-stage at points.
There’s also the plethora of incoming characters rumored to be joining the series.
Anakin’s old Jedi apprentice Ahsoka Tano, fan-favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett, and even former Mandalorian queen Bo-Katarn Kryze have all been tipped to appear in parts of Season 2 by multiple Star Wars insiders.
Tano, who starred in The Clone Wars and follow-up series Rebels, will be played by Rosario Dawson. Katee Sackoff will take her Clone Wars character Bo-Katarn into live-action, while Temuera Morrison returns to Star Wars as Fett or Captain Rex.
New faces like Timothy Olyphant, who is set to play outlander Cobb Vanth, and Terminator alum Michael Biehn could also step into the Mandalorian spotlight.
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“As we introduce other characters, there are opportunities to follow different storylines,” Favreau continued, and pointed to HBO’s smash-hit phenomenon Game of Thrones as a major inspiration for Season 2’s “expanding” story.
“The world was really captivated by Game of Thrones, and how that evolved as all the characters followed different storylines. That’s very appealing to me.”
That’s not to say The Mandalorian is going to steer far away from what made it the biggest Star Wars hit of the post-Disney era. Fans will still see plenty of Mando, and of course ‘Baby Yoda’ will be along for the second season ride too.
“The personal story between the Child [Baby Yoda] and the Mandalorian develops in a way I think people will enjoy,” Mandalorian director, writer, and executive producer Dave Filoni said. “Everything gets bigger… the stakes are higher.”
One confirmed storyline is the Mando’s showdown with the show’s big bad, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). The imperial officer challenged the heroes at the end of Season 1, but they managed to escape.
“I’ll be going toe-to-toe with Mando,” Esposito revealed. “It’s an iconic battle. I want to disarm him mentally. Who knows? Maybe there’s an opportunity to get him to fight some battles for me. You’ll get to see [Gideon] be more of a manipulator.”
Star Wars fans should get their first look at all the action in The Mandalorian Season 2 quite soon. Insiders are tipping the first trailer to arrive as soon as early next week, during Monday Night Football’s doubleheader.
Disney has made a habit of pairing flagship trailers and teasers with NFL’s early-week showdowns. ESPN is set to host the 2020/21 season’s first round; keep your eyes peeled for the new Mando trailer during their Sep. 14 broadcast.
