Executive producer Rick Famuyiwa says that The Mandalorian is a personal story that’s growing in scope. It was announced during the Star Wars Celebration 2022 that the director would be returning to the series as EP in season three, and now he’s living his dream of working in the Star Wars universe.
Famuyiwa spoke with ComicBook about where the series started and where it’s going for Mando’s (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu’s journey ahead.
“That’s what’s been great about the processes, how organic it’s been and that, yes, there’s some thoughts, I think now, about how it expands, but I think initially it’s just really the simple act of telling this story. I think Jon was trying to keep it from becoming so big when he initially conceived of it, but I think it’s Star Wars, it could never be contained. It’s never really about plotting a master plan, but there are a ton of stories that are going to continued to tell in Star Wars and some of them have come through our show.”
Over the past two seasons of The Mandalorian (and Mando’s stint in The Book of Boba Fett) the bounty hunter’s has been drawn ever closer to greater conflicts. Finding Grogu put him on the path of finding a Jedi who could properly take care of him and in the season two finale he interacts with Luke Skywalker — the center of the Star Wars universe.
The Book of Boba Fett set up The Mandalorian season three with the reintroduction of the Armorer and Mando’s next quest. Since he took off his helmet, (a big no-no in his traditional tribe) he’s no longer considered a Mandalorian. To redeem himself, he must purify himself in the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore.
Famuyiwa has directed previous episodes of The Mandalorian, and he discussed what the filmmaking process has been like for him. Said Famuyiwa, “I’ve been a part of the storytelling in this world since the second episode and what’s been great about how Jon [Filoni] and Dave [Favreau] have collaborated is that they’ve they’ve always included and wanted and they’re really pushed for the directors to bring their own points of view and vision.”
He goes on to describe keeping the core of the story with Mando and Grogu and allowing it to grow naturally. “And so I’ve been doing that within the episodes that I was I was directing, also writing,” continued Famuyiwa, “and now just to be able to expand upon that into executive producing and continuing to direct, It’s been pretty amazing. And so, you know, I think we’ve just been trying to tell this simple story of a guy and his child, complications continue to happen in his life, so whatever I could do to bring that to life, it’s been great.”
The Mandalorian season three trailer blew fans away with the first look at what’s next for the acclaimed bounty hunter. It even featured a cameo from the tiny Anzellan engineer Babu from The Rise of Skywalker and it blew up on social media.
The Mandalorian season three premieres February 2023 on Disney Plus.