‘The Mandalorian’: Jon Favreau Confirms Season 2 Being Written Ahead of Disney+ Series Premiere
Christian Zilko
Jon Favreau seems determined to be Disney‘s 2019 MVP. After appearing in “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” his CGI reboot of “The Lion King” is expected to carry the studio’s July box office. Then in November he’ll help launch their Disney+ streaming service with “The Mandalorian.” The “Iron Man” director is spearheading the first live-action TV show set in the “Star Wars” universe, and it sounds like things are going quite well.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel (via The Wrap) to promote “The Lion King,” Favreau opened up about his new show, and confirmed that Disney is already moving ahead with a second season.
“It’s after ‘Return of the Jedi,’ so the Empire is gone and all hell is breaking loose in the Outer Rim. And it’s about the scum and villainy, that once you take out the rule of law, what happens? Chaos takes over and you have all of these unseemly characters,” he told Kimmel.
Mandalorian bounty hunters have appeared in past “Star Wars” movies to great fanfare, most notably with Boba Fett. The scene-stealing character inspired Favreau to create this show. “I always loved the bounty hunters,” he said “and wanted to see more of them.”
Favreau is writing and producing the show, with directing duties going to the likes of Taika Waititi and Bryce Dallas Howard. The first season is completed, and the filmmaker said he has already started writing season 2.
As Disney dives head first into the streaming wars, the media empire is betting big on “The Mandalorian.” Disney+ will be relying on new series based on iconic intellectual properties to compete with the likes of Netflix and Hulu, and nothing has a higher profile than “Star Wars.”
All eyes will be on Favreau’s show to gauge the streaming service’s viability, with the studio hoping it will legitimize the service in the way “Stranger Things” cemented Netflix as a content producer. Fan expectations will be sky high, but this early vote of confidence suggests Disney thinks it has a hit on its hands.
“The Mandalorian” will premiere on Disney+ on November 12. It stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, and Werner Herzog.
