The Nevarro News: The Mandalorian in the Media

[WendyCR72]

There are two new Funko Pop versions of The Child up for pre-order: One with his cup and the other eating a frog:

Here is the frog version!

Here is the cup version!

I pre-ordered the one holding the cup.  🙂

[TVFan17]

I was just watching a video Zoom chat/interview featuring Pedro Pascal, Joel McHale and Ken Jeong.  And, way, way into the chat they finally got around to talking briefly about The Mandalorian (it's approximately at the 54-minute mark).

Ken asked Pedro about the challenges of doing the series in the helmet and armor, with the exception of the one scene where he shows his face.  Pedro mentioned that other guys are in the Mando suit.

 

But Pedro's follow-up comments were very interesting!!  (I typed up some of them.)  He said:

Quote

"To be honest, and without giving any of it away, there was, like, more that I did in Season 2.  And to basically be able to know that it's a gesture of the head, a posture, your imagination can go totally - you can get right into believing what you're doing and believing the world that you're in, and serious, like, kid fantasy playtime kind of thing.  And then there's 'I'm pretty sure I need an MRI,' and... you know.  You can't really see.  Sometimes you can't breathe.  And, you know, if they want to catch your dialogue, it's like... a big mic pack that's like [crushed] up against your skull inside the thing.  And when you take it on and off about 70 times in one day, there's like this constant sort of rubbed raw -- you know, there's a physical aspect of it.  It's fascinating to be under a kind of physical stress, which I think so many actors -- that's part of it.  But for it to go into such a complete version of that sort of experience, it was challenging."

 

And then Pedro added, with a smile: 

Quote

"You can't air any of this."

(I'm sure all the cast and crew are under strict orders from Disney and Lucasfilm to keep quiet about what's happening in Season 2, so he was understandably cautious and wary of revealing too much.)

 

Werner Herzog and Bill Burr were also brought up.  Immediately after the Bill Burr mention and talk of Chapter 6 from Season 1, Pedro said:

Quote

"I get into such -- we're talking about it, and I get into such a physical state of fear, 'cause I'm like... 'What will I say that will make the chip in my brain go off and kill me?'"

(Clearly, if the rumors are true about Burr returning for Season 2, Pedro cannot say anything about it because it has not been officially announced by Disney or Lucasfilm.  So I think he was trying to be very careful to not accidentally slip and say something he shouldn't say.)

 

If you're sensitive to hearing the F-bomb dropped, you might want to skip this video.  There is occasional cursing here and there.  But here is the full Zoom interview, most of which is not about The Mandalorian --

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by TVFan17

[Anduin]

Good stuff! But this bit stood out.

Quote

'I'm pretty sure I need an MRI,' and... you know.  You can't really see.  Sometimes you can't breathe.

Remember Luke in ANH? He can barely see in the helmet. Looks like things haven't changed much in 40-odd years. Has anyone spoken to members of the 501st or sequel set extras about the new stormtrooper helmets?

As I've said before, they should implement the helmets from the Legacy comics. Bigger visor. Oh, and maybe an air hole or two.

[TVFan17]

On 5/24/2020 at 3:00 AM, Anduin said:

Good stuff! But this bit stood out.

Remember Luke in ANH? He can barely see in the helmet. Looks like things haven't changed much in 40-odd years. Has anyone spoken to members of the 501st or sequel set extras about the new stormtrooper helmets?

As I've said before, they should implement the helmets from the Legacy comics. Bigger visor. Oh, and maybe an air hole or two.

 

You would think that in all of these years there would be a better helmet/mask design for actors who have to wear them the entire time, at least -- if not the ones who only wear them briefly too.  And Star Wars projects are full of people in crazy alien ensembles, helmets and all sorts of things to obstruct the face, so it must be difficult for a lot of people to see and breathe all the time. 

If I recall correctly, I think Dave Filoni talked about his difficulties in trying to direct actors who couldn't see (because of whatever their costumes entailed) in one of the Disney Gallery episodes, didn't he?  I think he was specifically referring to one of the characters in Chapter 1 (at the bar on the icy planet).  He felt out of his element because he was not used to directing live action, let alone in situations like that in which actors who were unable to move very well because they couldn't see.

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by TVFan17

[Anduin]

Maybe they need to look at real helmets. Like motorbike helmets, or even medieval armour. Those are all designed to let people see and breathe. I don't like the attitude of 'it looks cool, and that's enough.' If it impedes performance, then it isn't enough.

[TVFan17]

These titles below are misleading, as it sounds like Pedro is hinting or giving clues about Baby Yoda, which he is not really doing.  If anything, he is being extra, extra careful about what he says and does not say -- both in these articles and in that video chat with Joel and Ken that I posted a couple of days ago.  Click on links for full articles --

From TechRadar --

"Pedro Pascal talks The Mandalorian season 2 and Baby Yoda's secret"

From FanSided --

"Pedro Pascal teases Baby Yoda’s role in The Mandalorian season 2"

 

Excerpts of note include...

Quote

Bounty hunting, as we all know, is a complicated profession. Is it possible that Din Djarin might meet his end in season 2? With the vile Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) on his tail, he needs to watch himself, at least. “Oh, God, I have no idea,” Pascal said. “I think it’s such a dangerous world that he navigates. And then of course, everyone is in danger. Especially since shows I’ve been in, like Game of Thrones, sort of set the tone for those kinds of shocking surprises. Who knows? Star Wars has its own set of rules for sure. But anything is possible.”

 

and...

Quote

There are a lot of fan theories about who, or what, The Child is, his lineage and why there’s such a high bounty on his adorable little head. From him being a clone, to the lovechild of Yoda, to Yoda himself, the breadth of theories about the cuddly companion are as far-reaching as his galactic adventures.

But which one is Pedro Pascal’s favorite theory? “Oh, well, I know what he is!” he says. “So, my favorite is the one that I'm keeping to myself.” It’s safe to assume, then, that we will discover a lot more about the character when the second season – which has already been filmed – lands later this year.

Of course, that information is some of the most top-secret in the galaxy. Which is perhaps why Pascal is quick to add, “Actually, the truth is that The Child in the series is obviously a very, central story to the whole world of the show – and it's one that they even keep as a mystery from me.” He tells us that while he knows “what” the Child is, he isn’t aware of his entire story, adding, “Which works completely, because it is a mystery to The Mandalorian. So, I am learning about The Child just as our audiences are and will be.” 

 

They also talk about the possibility of Mando/Din appearing in a Star Wars movie and other things.  BUT... unless Pedro wants to leave the series, or unless he only wanted to commit to 2 seasons and not continue beyond that, they'd better not kill off Din Djarin and put some other Mandalorian in his place, or make the show a Clone Wars sequel or whatever!  They'd also better not try to get someone else in place to do the voice work for Mando/Din.

Edited May 27, 2020 by TVFan17

[magdalene]

Thanks a lot Buildabear for making it impossible for this working nurse to purchase Baby Yoda.  There is no store near me and during your so-called online purchase event where at 11.30 am you had to enter a "virtual waiting room" to get a chance to buy the Child I was at work doing a 14 hour shift.  By the time I got home it was all over.

Goes into corner to cry.

[TVFan17]

Interesting!  Click on links to read articles--

From Variety --

"Masked ‘Mandalorian’ Actor Spurs Golden Globes Rules Change"

Excerpt...

Quote

According to insiders, the unusual nature of Pascal being mostly hidden on “The Mandalorian” prompted the rule. Pascal ultimately wasn’t nominated for a Globe last year, but the unusual nature of his eligibility led the HFPA to clarify whether or not actors whose faces are completely hidden can compete. Since Pascal was unmasked in the finale, the HFPA confirmed that the actor could have been nominated.

 

From The Direct --

"The Mandalorian's Helmet Impacted a Unique Golden Globes Rule Change"

 

Excerpt...

Quote

Variety has revealed that Pedro Pascal was "eligible to compete" for a Golden Globes award last year, even though the actor is wearing a helmet for almost the entirety of the series. Fans had a short glimpse of Pascal in costume during the season finale of the first season. 

For context, it was announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association last Wednesday that “voice-only performances are not eligible in any acting category," but the outlet's insiders revealed that the unusual situation revolving Pascal "prompted" the HFPA to clarify the rule, which ultimately led for them to make the change. It was then revealed by the HFPA that Pascal "could have been nominated" for an award last year. 

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by TVFan17

[paigow]

1 hour ago, TVFan17 said:

From Variety --

"Masked ‘Mandalorian’ Actor Spurs Golden Globes Rules Change"

From The Direct --

"The Mandalorian's Helmet Impacted a Unique Golden Globes Rule Change"

So that guarantees a win this year to make up for last year???

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

So that guarantees a win this year to make up for last year???

The fix is in!  lol

 

[TVFan17]

 

Jon Favreau said that there were early versions of Baby Yoda that were too cute or too ugly, or with wrong proportions or whatever.  Have a look at some of the earlier versions of Baby Yoda here, in this article from Nerdist...

"MANDALORIAN Docuseries Shows Alternate Baby Yoda Designs"

Thank goodness Jon and company went with the version of The Child that we know and love!  lol

Edited May 29, 2020 by TVFan17

[magdalene]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_zOsgWVDuY&t=189s

I always enjoy Charlie's videos. The Baby Yoda puppet truly is magical, it makes me almost cry. And Pedro Pascal, what a charming guy! When he says "we are all going to play second fiddle to this little guy" and smiles....

I can hardly wait for the second season.

[TVFan17]

9 hours ago, magdalene said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_zOsgWVDuY&t=189s

I always enjoy Charlie's videos. The Baby Yoda puppet truly is magical, it makes me almost cry. And Pedro Pascal, what a charming guy! When he says "we are all going to play second fiddle to this little guy" and smiles....

I can hardly wait for the second season.

Ditto to all you said!  This newest episode of the Gallery show (where he got that footage from) was quite good.  I will comment more on it when there is a thread for it.  

I saw some funny comments in various places online, about those early versions of Baby Yoda that I linked in the post above -- things like "Mando wouldn't have gone back for that child," and "We dodged a bullet with that one," and "It looks like Baby Yoda ate Jabba the Hutt." 🤣 

I suppose it's true, though -- despite Jon Favreau not wanting him to be too cute, they had to make Baby Yoda/The Child cute enough and endearing enough to make us believe that Mando would fall for him right away and instantly want to protect him.  If The Child just came out of his floating crib, snarling and acting obnoxious and Force-choking people left and right, or if he had not been quite as precious, he might not have won Mando's heart and brought out his fatherly instincts right away.  He had to be cute and he had to have a sweet, endearing little personality.

There has been a huge protest going on in my neck of the woods here in L.A. today, and I saw that Pedro posted photos from it.  He was there!  One of the photos he posted was a selfie of Pedro with Ismael Cruz Cordova (who played Qin in Chapter 6 of Season 1 of The Mandalorian).  They were both wearing masks, as were most people.  Now this protest is a serious situation, obviously, but I couldn't help but wonder if any of the news people on the scene realized that Din Djarin was walking around.  You just know that some of the news folks would love to get hold of a well-known person to ask their opinion on everything.  And Pedro has a lot of opinions on many things he is passionate about.  Pedro's hair is a bit longer now due to everything being shut down for the last couple of months, I guess, so, between the hair and the mask they might not recognize him anyway, even if they heard he was there.

Edited May 31, 2020 by TVFan17

[magdalene]

1 hour ago, TVFan17 said:

Ditto to all you said!  This newest episode of the Gallery show (where he got that footage from) was quite good.  I will comment more on it when there is a thread for it.  

I saw some funny comments in various places online, about those early versions of Baby Yoda that I linked in the post above -- things like "Mando wouldn't have gone back for that child," and "We dodged a bullet with that one," and "It looks like Baby Yoda ate Jabba the Hutt." 🤣 

I suppose it's true, though -- despite Jon Favreau not wanting him to be too cute, they had to make Baby Yoda/The Child cute enough and endearing enough to make us believe that Mando would fall for him right away and instantly want to protect him.  If The Child just came out of his floating crib, snarling and acting obnoxious and Force-choking people left and right, or if he had not been quite as precious, he might not have won Mando's heart and brought out his fatherly instincts right away.  He had to be cute and he had to have a sweet, endearing little personality.

There has been a huge protest going on in my neck of the woods here in L.A. today, and I saw that Pedro posted photos from it.  He was there!  One of the photos he posted was a selfie of Pedro with Ismael Cruz Cordova (who played Qin in Chapter 6 of Season 1 of The Mandalorian).  They were both wearing masks, as were most people.  Now this protest is a serious situation, obviously, but I couldn't help but wonder if any of the news people on the scene realized that Din Djarin was walking around.  You just know that some of the news folks would love to get hold of a well-known person to ask their opinion on everything.  And Pedro has a lot of opinions on many things he is passionate about.  Pedro's hair is a bit longer now due to everything being shut down for the last couple of months, I guess, so, between the hair and the mask they might not recognize him anyway, even if they heard he was there.

I hear there are riots now in Los Angeles - be safe!

[TVFan17]

The Mandalorian films in California (mostly in different parts of L.A.), so hopefully, with these new guidelines established, they will be able to start filming Season 3 in a few months (assuming they try to keep the same basic production schedule that they've kept for Seasons 1 & 2, which, of course, is not guaranteed).  It's a step in the right direction, in any case.

From Variety....

"Unions, Studios Release Back-to-Work Guidelines Amid COVID-19 Pandemic"

__________________________________

Also... this is new!!  ATX TV... from the Couch, will feature a Star Wars panel called "The Mandalorian: Behind the Camera,"

"Upcoming The Mandalorian Event To Feature Taika Waititi and Other Directors"

Excerpt...

Quote

ATX Television Festival’s virtual “ATX TV… from the Couch!” event has announced a panel for this Friday, June 5 dedicated to the filmmakers behind the Disney Plus live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian.

Joining the panel will be all five directors of the first season of The Mandalorian, alongside writer and executive producer Jon Favreau:

“The Mandalorian: Behind the Camera” panel will include series creator and writer Jon Favreau, executive producer and director Dave Filoni, and directors Rick Famuyiwa, Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Taika Waititi. It will be moderated by entertainment journalist and novelist Anthony Breznican.

And...

Quote

It's been noted that this panel will be looking back at Season One specifically, so any hopes of a trailer for the second season should be kept in check. Also important to mention is the postponement of the Playstation event that was scheduled for Thursday due to the unrest in the United States, so there's a possibility that this event may experience a similar delay.

 

More info about the ATX event here -- http://atxfestival.com/attend/atxtvfromthecouch/

It's free to view the panel, but you can register here to get streaming details -- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/atx-tvfrom-the-couch-a-virtual-festival-registration-102908058774

And here is the ATX YouTube Channel, where you can also subscribe to see the panel (if it doesn't get canceled/postponed) -- https://www.youtube.com/atxfestival

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

I'm always reluctant to post things like this, where the person or page that announces something does not cite their source and seems to mostly be speculating.  I mean... I have no problem with people speculating (I do it myself!), but it always bothers me when these established sources of supposedly credible news post info as if it news, but then, when you read further, it's clear that the news is not really news (yet), and it's mostly rumors and speculation.

I honestly think that a lot of the Star Wars "news" sources follow forums like this one (maybe lurking in the shadows), as well as follow various Star Wars-related channels on YouTube.  They see the comments and discussions; they read the rumors and speculation made by other people; and then they take it and announce it as "news" on their own platform.

 

So, on that note.... Keep in mind that Pedro Pascal already hinted (without revealing any details) that 'there is more that he did' in Season 2.  He said that in the interview with Ken Jeong and Joel McHale that I recently linked here (complete with the quotes I typed up from it).  But that "more" that he is doing could just mean that he has two scenes instead of one scene in which he is taking off the helmet through the course of the season -- it could be one time early on and then again later on in the season.  I don't think it's going to just be a free-for-all with Mando's face being revealed left and right in Season 2.

 

Now I have noted before that Pedro was in Los Angeles a lot more often during the Season 2 production, as he didn't have other jobs in New York, London or wherever else this time around.  So my guess is that he was probably on the Mando set much more often than he was for the Season 1 production, even just to observe what was going on from the sidelines, and that it might mean an extra scene or two with the helmet coming off.  Add that to the fact that Brendan Wayne seemed to be out of commission for a portion of the production, and it *might* mean that Pedro had a bit more time in the actual armor -- maybe sitting behind a console or talking to someone such as Bo-Katan.  Who knows?  It's all pure guessing and speculating.

 

Anyway, Bespin Bulletin, which some people view as a credible source of Star Wars info, posted this...

 

 

But when you go to Bespin Bulletin's Instagram page, -- https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-kuDRA6b2/?igshid=1to2gija40k6w  -- and read what they say, it sounds like it's mostly speculation and rumors, not based on any actual confirmed info.  They didn't even mention Pedro's comment to Ken and Joel about how there is 'more that he did' in Season 2, and I would think that Bespin would jump on that because it actually came directly from Pedro, although it was very non-revealing.

 

And then other media outlets pick up on what Bespin Bulletin posts, so it makes it seem even more credible and plausible, even if it is all still just speculation -- https://thedirect.com/article/the-mandalorians-pedro-pascal-to-wear-costume-more-in-season-2

 

Anyway, I'm still thinking that Pedro was likely on the set much more often for Season 2, and that it probably means an extra scene or two sans the helmet.  But I don't yet see any credible info or confirmation to indicate that he "will wear The Mandalorian costume a lot more in Season 2," as Bespin reported.  That seems to be a stretch to say "a lot more."

 

I mean.. I hope it's true.  It's not that I want Brendan Wayne to have less work, but I'd like for Pedro to have more work, if that makes sense.  If you've got someone like Pedro -- an actor who's been on the stage, in movies and on TV, and who actually trained to do certain stunts or action work for some of his previous roles -- voicing the character and showing his face one time, you might as well put him to use and show him more often, especially since he was available more often during Season 2's production.  But until Pedro or someone involved with the production actually says that Pedro was in the Mando armor a lot more this time, then all we have to go on is his vague comment about how there is 'more that he did in Season 2.'
 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by TVFan17

[pezgirl7]

Quote

It's not that I want Brendan Wayne to have less work, but I'd like for Pedro to have more work, if that makes sense.

Makes sense to me!

Pedro being in the suit more in season 2 could also explain why a man who has said in the past “Do I look like I gym?” has started going to the gym. 😆 Brendan is very thin, so I think it might be noticeable to have someone who's not as thin in the armor.

Edited June 3, 2020 by pezgirl7

[magdalene]

I remember Brendan Wayne being very ill (burst appendix!) before Season 2 started production and it took him awhile to be able to start training again. There are other stunt men for the Mando who could have done the stunts though.

I too hope that something will happen to either negate or relax the rule that Din must wear the helmet at all times interacting with people.  It was impressive how much emotion could be conveyed through the helmet.  But Pedro Pascal is a very expressive actor and I want to see him interact with the baby face to face!

[TVFan17]

11 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

Makes sense to me!

Pedro being in the suit more in season 2 could also explain why a man who has said in the past “Do I look like I gym?” has started going to the gym. 😆 Brendan is very thin, so I think it might be noticeable to have someone who's not as thin in the armor.

 

You're right -- Brendan appears to be very lean and lanky, although I can't get a sense of how tall he is without googling his height.  He's got to be taller than Pedro, right?  But if Pedro is just being filmed from the shoulders up, then the height difference wouldn't be as obvious, I suppose.  Hmm....

 

1 minute ago, magdalene said:

I remember Brendan Wayne being very ill (burst appendix!) before Season 2 started production and it took him awhile to be able to start training again. There are other stunt men for the Mando who could have done the stunts though.

I too hope that something will happen to either negate or relax the rule that Din must wear the helmet at all times interacting with people.  It was impressive how much emotion could be conveyed through the helmet.  But Pedro Pascal is a very expressive actor and I want to see him interact with the baby face to face!

Exactly.  It would be very strange, but also a whole new dynamic, if we saw a helmet-free Pedro interacting with the Child!  lol  He once said something about how the puppet reacted to something he said, and even referred to him as a "scene partner" or some such thing, but he has to be so vague and non-specific about what he says that sometimes it's hard to tell if he is talking specifically about Season 1 or Season 2, or if he is referring to what he has observed on the set when he watched others in the Mando suit interacting with the baby.

Brendan posted something on Instagram at the beginning of November, when he was just leaving the hospital.  Season 2 started production in mid-October, so he couldn't have been working very long before the appendectomy.  And then, at the very end of December -- when the cast and crew would have been on a holiday break anyway -- Brendan posted something about finally being back in the gym and getting back to normal, or something similar to that.  So it *seems* like he might have been out of commission for the bulk of November and into December, unless he was doing some non-action-based work on the set, which is also entirely possible.

But, if it was not fully planned out in advance, it could be a matter of Favreau or Filoni asking Pedro if he wanted to be in the suit, sitting in the cockpit or in some scene where he didn't have to do intense stunts, during the time that Brendan was recovering in November/early December.  And then Brendan could have stepped back into the suit, back to normal, in January.

 

Well, it's all very mysterious, and all we have to go on in a 'straight from the horse's mouth' sort of way is what Pedro said about how there was more that he did in Season 2, although that "more" doesn't necessarily mean what Bespin Bulletin thinks it means.  It could be more, but not much more.  Or it could be a lot more!  lol

[paigow]

1 hour ago, TVFan17 said:

But if Pedro is just being filmed from the shoulders up, then the height difference wouldn't be as obvious, I suppose.  Hmm....

Shipwreck Mando on Kashyyyk for the season...Standing next to Wookiees solves all the height differences

[Anduin]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Shipwreck Mando on Kashyyyk for the season...Standing next to Wookiees solves all the height differences

As a big fan of Wookiees, this is clearly the best solution. I have spoken.

[TVFan17]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Shipwreck Mando on Kashyyyk for the season...Standing next to Wookiees solves all the height differences

This is very true!

I keep thinking that Mando will eventually end up on an ocean-based planet, where he would have to fight bad guys in or on the water.  We saw him on the icy planet at the beginning of Chapter 1/Season 1, and Lord knows he has traversed across enough deserts, through valleys and similar terrain.  Could there come a time when Mando ends up having to jump into an ocean and swim for some reason?  Pedro Pascal is a swimmer, so maybe his aquatic skills will come in handy on this show!

Edited June 3, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

I have no idea how this specific SPOILER RUMOR slipped past me, as it appears to be from 3 weeks ago!  I try to only link the articles here that have some new or interesting bit of info in them, and I try to avoid the ones that just recycle and regurgitate what we've already heard about.  So maybe I saw the title and assumed it was just recycling info -- I am not sure.

 

But this one has a rumor (which would be a spoiler if it turned out to be true) in it that I had not seen elsewhere, and I have to wonder if the reason it didn't gain much momentum on social media is because the source/website is not that reliable?  I'm not sure.

Anyway, here it is, from We Got This Covered -- read at your own risk!

"The Mandalorian Season 2 Will Reportedly Hint That [SPOILERS] Is Force-Sensitive"

 

And then We Got This Covered put out a new article today, about something new... which also references the spoiler in the previous article, so read this one at your own risk too!

"The Inquisitors Will Reportedly Feature In The Mandalorian"

 

 

[magdalene]

7 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

I have no idea how this specific SPOILER RUMOR slipped past me, as it appears to be from 3 weeks ago!  I try to only link the articles here that have some new or interesting bit of info in them, and I try to avoid the ones that just recycle and regurgitate what we've already heard about.  So maybe I saw the title and assumed it was just recycling info -- I am not sure.

 

But this one has a rumor (which would be a spoiler if it turned out to be true) in it that I had not seen elsewhere, and I have to wonder if the reason it didn't gain much momentum on social media is because the source/website is not that reliable?  I'm not sure.

Anyway, here it is, from We Got This Covered -- read at your own risk!

"The Mandalorian Season 2 Will Reportedly Hint That [SPOILERS] Is Force-Sensitive"

 

And then We Got This Covered put out a new article today, about something new... which also references the spoiler in the previous article, so read this one at your own risk too!

"The Inquisitors Will Reportedly Feature In The Mandalorian"

 

 

I don't know how to feel about this particular rumor.  Not too thrilled about it? Will discuss why in spoiler thread.

Never heard of this site before so it may not have any credibility.

[TVFan17]

I was just watching "The Mandalorian: Behind the Camera" directors panel stream from the "ATX TV...from the Couch" festival on YouTube.  It appears to have been recorded over one week ago, so there was no discussion of this past week's events. 

Right now ATX TV is doing one long live stream for the entire festival, comprised of many panels.  So I won't link that stream here.  However, they will eventually save each panel as its own video.  When they put the Mandalorian panel video up, I will link it here.

 

So all 5 directors from Season 1, as well as Jon Favreau, were part of the panel.  Jon had The Child next to him, and he showed him to the camera so that the baby could make a guest appearance. 

 

 

They all mostly talked about Season 1 only.  However, Jon Favreau DID say outright, in no uncertain terms, that Season 2 is coming in October!  Not November.  Not December.  It is on track for October!   Straight from the horse's mouth!  They have not missed a beat.  He said that they were lucky to have wrapped up S2 production before the lockdown, and everything was set up for them to do all of their other work while locked down!  (Good thinking, Lucasfilm, ILM, Disney and whoever else made it possible for these people to continue working on the post-production during the pandemic!)  So we have maybe 4 months or 4-1/2 months to wait, and S2 will be here!!!!

 

From the Hollywood Reporter --

"Jon Favreau Offers 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 Update"

 

On the ATX panel, Jon F. also said something, which was confusing and interesting.  He claims that they started filming Season 2 maybe the day after Season 1 premiered in November.  However, the S2 filming start date I saw was October 14th, and I have seen other sources mention October as well.  Maybe they were doing table reads, costume fittings and rehearsals in October, but didn't actually go to camera until November?  I'm not sure.  In any case, whether they technically went into principal photography in October or November, the important thing is that S2 is airing in 4-ish months!

As for when Season 3 films... who knows?

 

At the ATX panel, Rick Famuyiwa talked about how he was essentially the first of the directors to do an episode to start building the Child's personality (I am paraphrasing).  When we see the Child at the end of episode 1, he is only onscreen for a few seconds and that's it.  So, Rick's first episode was Chapter 2, and he had to start developing the bond between Mando and the Child, without any dialogue.  The script was only about 14 pages!  lol  Rick said that the Child's face was really the only face he had to work with (that could show different expressions).  So he had to look at the puppet as though it was an actual living actor, and he had to use what he could of the Child's facial expressions to sort of bounce off of Mando, or reflect what Mando was doing. 

Taika Waititi talked about making it believable that Mando cares about the Child.

Bryce Dallas Howard talked about how she got her kids to keep quiet about Baby Yoda and not tell any of their school friends about him. 

Jon Favreau commented on how remarkable it was that all of the kids who were on the set of Chapter 4 of Mando were able to keep quiet and not tell anyone about "Baby"!!

If I recall correctly, I think Jon also suggested/implied that Season 1 essentially picks right up from Season 2, so the cast and crew never felt like they were filming a separate second season.  Instead, it felt like they were just continuing on with filming one long Season 1.  lol  So that kind of supports what has been suspected -- which is that Seasons 1 and 2 were already mapped out, but Season 3 might be starting anew.  So whatever happens in Season 2 is probably directly connected to what happened in Season 1, whereas whatever happens in Season 3 might be a whole new ballgame with new settings, new stories, new supporting characters, etc.

 

Anyway, the ATX event was an interesting panel.  I wish that all of the canceled festivals and conventions had switched to a virtual format this year, just this one time.  (Star Wars Celebration has still not been canceled, even though it is supposed to happen in 2-1/2 months.  So I certainly hope the organizers are trying to set up virtual panels, complete with a world premiere of the Mandalorian, Season 2 trailer!)

 

I still want to see a panel with the actors from the show talking about their experiences since Mando, Season 1 premiered and became a huge hit that continues to stay in the news on a regular basis.   In other words, when Pedro Pascal is at the grocery store, do people walk up behind him and say "This is the way" in a creepy manner?   lol  Does Pedro get asked about The Mandalorian more than he was asked about Game of Thrones?   Do people call him Mando?  Do random people approach Gina Carano and try to get her to fight with them?  Do people see Carl Weathers out in the street and bombard him with questions about Baby Yoda trying to eat him?  Do people see Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally and curse them out for punching Baby Yoda?  Do people see Giancarlo Esposito and demand to know how he got the Darksaber?  And... do people see Nick Nolte (who has avoided ALL press and media related to The Mandalorian) and say "I have spoken" on a daily basis?  I need to know these things.

 

Edited June 6, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

Now we're getting into the announcements of the Second Unit directors!  lol

"Exclusive: ‘Extraction’ Director Sam Hargrave Talks Upping the Action in ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2"

 

Excerpts...

Quote

.....we can expect this action to help amplify the cool new story arcs —  and we’ll know Hargrave has put his stamp on it. But, when it comes to raising that bar, were Hargrave’s plans or vision for how the action would play out affected by the actor wearing the Mandalorian’s mask (because it’s not always series star Pedro Pascal)? Does that fact that it’s a variety of actors doing the work, as Mando, to bring this action to life pose any problems.

“It’s kind of a dream come true,” Hargrave told us. “There’s certain characters like, well, in one of [the Captain America movies] we put Captain America in the helmet and off you go. Or, with Iron Man, a lot of the times he’s CG but, like the Mandalorian, you put the helmet on and you just get the best people for the job and now the character can do whatever you can imagine him to do because it’s a stunt performer who’s trained his entire like to do these amazing things.”

......

“With that being said, the balance you have to find and the truth you have to adhere to is the character you’ve developed. So, if you have a character and for this guy — who’s more of a gunslinger, a bit more of a brawler — it would be out of character for him to come into a scene and throw out a round-off, backwards double flip and do a crazy kick just because you can, or because he has a helmet on. You have to remember to stay true to the character. So yes, you can put whoever you want in there, but you have to make sure that you reign in the excitement and make sure you’re true to the character and the story.”

 

And Sam Hargrave knows Baby Yoda's real name!

"Baby Yoda's Real Name Is No Secret to The Mandalorian's Second Unit Director"

 

 

Also... how cute is this Baby Yoda tiki mug?  https://www.sideshow.com/collectibles/star-wars-the-child-force-pose-beeline-creative-906338

Edited June 9, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

Bill Burr -- who is known to not be a Star Wars fan at all -- explains how he ended up playing Mayfeld in a Star Wars series.

"Bill Burr On ‘The King Of Staten Island’ And How In The World He Wound Up On ‘The Mandalorian’"

One small excerpt from the interview (though he goes into more detail after this comment)...

Quote

What did you make of the reaction to your episode of The Mandalorian? That episode just went gangbusters. That whole week everyone was talking about it.

Well, the thing was, Rick Famuyiwa wanted to do it in the style of Reservoir Dogs. So I think that that’s what ended up getting it, you know? And he did some shooting on that thing with the handheld, which I guess that style had not been done. I mean, I’m not a big Star Wars guy, so I don’t know. And then also, I don’t want to spoil anything, but something that happens to a good guy never happened, I guess, in the series. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

Did you notice this comment Bill threw in? - "I don’t want to spoil anything, but something that happens to a good guy never happened, I guess, in the series."

So it sounds like something was supposed to happen to "a good guy" in the script for Chapter 6, and was ultimately cut out?  Which "good guy" and what could it have been? 

_________________________________________

Also, there's nothing all that revealing in this interview with Chris Bartlett, linked below, but I wanted to bring attention to him because he played 3 different characters in Season 1 of "The Mandalorian," although we never saw his face for any of them!! 

Here is the interview with Chris...

"Chris Bartlett | THE MANDALORIAN"

An excerpt...

Quote

Star Wars is obviously known for its huge costume, and puppeteering workshops. So, can you tell us about what it's like to see their epic workshops in real life, and how they’ve been applied to constructing the world of The Mandalorian? 

Legacy Effects were the ones that did the vast majority on the episodes that I worked on. The Child/Baby Yoda was there of course, everyone knows this one! I saw him on the first day, and I didn’t know that he was going to be such a central part of the story. It was more adorable than I thought any Ewok could be. Shortly after that, someone said that that was the bounty, that’s what The Mandalorian is searching for, and that’s what he is protecting through the whole season. It was a major thing that we had to keep quiet. I had seen all of the different variations of the armour for The Mandalorian, and I didn’t understand why there were so many different types until I had seen some scenes, where he was upgrading his armour.

Anyway, although Chris does not say it in this interview, I listened to a different audio interview with Chris just recently.  While Chris said that he mostly worked with Brendan Wayne, he also worked with Lateef Crowder dos Santos... AND he worked with Pedro Pascal.  Now that is very interesting, because the 3 characters that Chris played were not involved in the scene in which we see Pedro's face.  He did not reveal which scene it was, but just that he did work with Pedro in one part of an episode.   So it could have been another mysterious scene in which Pedro put on the armor and hid under the helmet... maybe?

_________________________________________

Perfect for Father's Day -- Daddy Mando and his tiny green son!
 

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by TVFan17

[Ms.Moon]

On 6/11/2020 at 12:58 PM, TVFan17 said:

Bill Burr -- who is known to not be a Star Wars fan at all -- explains how he ended up playing Mayfeld in a Star Wars series.

"Bill Burr On ‘The King Of Staten Island’ And How In The World He Wound Up On ‘The Mandalorian’"

One small excerpt from the interview (though he goes into more detail after this comment)...

Did you notice this comment Bill threw in? - "I don’t want to spoil anything, but something that happens to a good guy never happened, I guess, in the series."

So it sounds like something was supposed to happen to "a good guy" in the script for Chapter 6, and was ultimately cut out?  Which "good guy" and what could it have been? 

_________________________________________

Also, there's nothing all that revealing in this interview with Chris Bartlett, linked below, but I wanted to bring attention to him because he played 3 different characters in Season 1 of "The Mandalorian," although we never saw his face for any of them!! 

Here is the interview with Chris...

"Chris Bartlett | THE MANDALORIAN"

An excerpt...

Anyway, although Chris does not say it in this interview, I listened to a different audio interview with Chris just recently.  While Chris said that he mostly worked with Brendan Wayne, he also worked with Lateef Crowder dos Santos... AND he worked with Pedro Pascal.  Now that is very interesting, because the 3 characters that Chris played were not involved in the scene in which we see Pedro's face.  He did not reveal which scene it was, but just that he did work with Pedro in one part of an episode.   So it could have been another mysterious scene in which Pedro put on the armor and hid under the helmet... maybe?

_________________________________________

Perfect for Father's Day -- Daddy Mando and his tiny green son!
 

 

This is the cutest thing ever.  I want it for myself.  

[TVFan17]

Those rumors about Bill Burr returning for Season 2 may not be accurate after all.  There have been conflicting reports as to whether or not he will be seen in Season 2 -- and Pedro Pascal even got nervous about accidentally saying something he wasn't supposed to say when the subject of Bill Burr came up in Pedro's recent interview with Ken Jeong and Joel McHale, which was interesting.  But this article linked below seems to be steering us in the direction of thinking that Bill will not be back...  at least not yet.

That said, Chapter 6 in Season 1 kind of left it open for the 3 mercenaries to return.  Since Mando did not kill them, at least one of them (if not all) could come back -- maybe in Season 3?  Maybe Season 2 was getting too crowded with guest stars and villains and all of that?

Here is the article...

"The Mandalorian: Bill Burr Not Too Hopeful About Season 2 Return"

Excerpt...

Quote

Surprisingly, our anti-hero allows Mayfeld to live (though locking him aboard that prison transport could be considered a close second), which would leave him ripe for a return. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's in the cards (unless he's pulling a serious spoiler cover move). Speaking with Vulture in support of the newest season of Netflix's animated F Is for Family and his role in Pete Davidson's The King of Staten Island, Burr was asked if another run on the Disney+ series (or AMC's Better Call Saul) was in the cards. It's not: "No, none of that. Once these two things [King of Staten Island, F Is for Family] come out on the same day, the well is dry. I got nothing. So we shall see."

 

_____________________________________________

 

Also, here are more details about what Ahsoka Tano's physical appearance/look will be in The Mandalorian...

"New Details on Ahsoka’s Appearance in The ‘Mandalorian’ Season 2"

_____________________________________________

And...

The annual San Diego Comic-Con would have ordinarily been taking place next month, but since they cancelled the event they have decided to do a virtual event on the same July dates (Wednesday, July 22 through Sunday, July 26).  They have not yet announced the specific panels or what this virtual Comic-Con will entail (the panels will be free to view), but I am thinking that The Mandalorian has to be involved in it in some way.  At Comic-Con last year, the show had not premiered yet and I don't think there was as much of an interest in news or cast appearances as there is now.  Now that the show is a big hit, I would have to imagine that Comic-Con is trying to line up some of the cast, directors, Favreau and Filoni, as well as premiere a trailer, for their At Home event.  But...

 

Star Wars Celebration has yet to announce what they are doing with their August event -- meaning if it will be all virtual, or if they will try to have it in person as planned, or if they will try to postpone it a bit.  Celebration would be the one guaranteed place to have a Mandalorian panel and see a Season 2 trailer, but, until we know what Celebration is doing, then the Comic-Con At Home event is a very likely time when we could see our first full Mando trailer.

It IS possible that we could see a little teaser trailer even before Comic-Con and Celebration, as enough of the VFX work has been done to be able to throw something quick together.  But that's not guaranteed.  However, we will definitely see a full trailer (possibly 2 of them) between now and late August.

Edited June 14, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

Hmm.  The We Got This Covered site is not known for being a great source of news and spoilers.  Recently I posted another Mandalorian article they put out almost one month ago or so, but there is no reason to believe that particular spoiler is true.

This newest rumor (from 4 days ago) is NOT about the actual Mandalorian series, but it is about a *supposed* appearance by Mando and The Child in a future Star Wars movie. 

Here is the article (remember, it's not about the Mando series, but rather about a Star Wars movie in which Mando and The Child would presumably make an appearance)...

"Baby Yoda And Mando Will Reportedly Meet Rey In Future Star Wars Movie"

Excerpt...

Quote

....in an effort to tie the movies and the TV shows together, the current plan is to have The Mandalorian’s two biggest stars cross paths with Rey in order to generate more interest in her spinoff.

Obviously, Mando’s adventures take place roughly 25 years before the events of The Force Awakens, but that can easily be explained by presenting audiences with a much older and more grizzled Din Djarin, while we already know that whatever species the Yodas are age at a much slower rate than almost everything else in the galaxy.

 

I mean... Mando and The Child are extremely popular, so I would not rule out the possibility of them popping up in a movie at some point.  Why not?  It sounds like something that could be a possibility when the actual Mandalorian series comes to an end.   But I just wouldn't trust that to be true from this particular source.  I'd rather hear it from more reliable sources of news. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by TVFan17

[magdalene]

1 hour ago, TVFan17 said:

Hmm.  The We Got This Covered site is not known for being a great source of news and spoilers.  I posted a Mandalorian article they put out last week or so, but there is no reason to believe that particular spoiler is true.

This newest rumor (from 4 days ago) is NOT about the actual Mandalorian series, but it is about a *supposed* appearance by Mando and The Child in a future Star Wars movie. 

Here is the article (remember, it's not about the Mando series, but rather about a Star Wars movie in which Mando and The Child would presumably make an appearance)...

"Baby Yoda And Mando Will Reportedly Meet Rey In Future Star Wars Movie"

Excerpt...

 

I mean... Mando and The Child are extremely popular, so I would not rule out the possibility of them popping up in a movie at some point.  Why not?  It sounds like something that could be a possibility when the actual Mandalorian series comes to an end.   But I just wouldn't trust that to be true from this particular source.  I'd rather hear it from more reliable sources of news. 

That site doesn't look all that credible.  And I would want them to meet somebody interesting.  Not that Mary Sue.

You know, I think a lot of these so called spoilers out there are made up because we have so very little real news.

[TVFan17]

5 hours ago, magdalene said:

That site doesn't look all that credible.  And I would want them to meet somebody interesting.  Not that Mary Sue.

You know, I think a lot of these so called spoilers out there are made up because we have so very little real news.

I laughed out loud at your "Not that Mary Sue" comment!  lol

I don't trust that site at all.

I can understand someone putting Mando and the Child (assuming they are still together) into a Star Wars movie way down the road, after the actual series ends, but I am still in the camp of not wanting The Mandalorian to have anything to do with characters from other Star Wars series or movies.  But it's too late for that, because now we're getting at least a couple of them showing up in the series (although not all of them are as certain as others).  I would rather have all new characters in this show.

The only existing character I would really be happy to see would be the original Yoda (as a Force ghost) -- who is not rumored to be appearing at all!  lol  I would want to see that Yoda with Baby Yoda, or to maybe see Yoda talking to Mando/Din about the Force and protecting the Child, etc.

 

I fear that all of these articles coming out about the many casting rumors and story developments and anything else are going to end up leading to some viewers' disappointment.  Many people are now counting on seeing Katee Sackhoff/Bo-Katan and Sabine Wren, for example, even though those two characters have not been confirmed by anyone official to be appearing on the show.  Now people are expecting to see Temuera Morrison as either Boba Fett or Rex, but if he doesn't appear in Season 2, they'll be disappointed.  The plan could actually be that some of the rumored guest stars (such as Timothy Olyphant) will appear in Season 3, but somehow they were incorrectly attached to Season 2 - which is now building up the expectations of the fans who want to see those actors/characters.

 

There are only 8 episodes in the season, and most of them are not that long (I think the season finale is the longest).  We've already got Moff Gideon to deal with, and then Ahsoka, and whoever Michael Biehn is playing, etc.  We've hopefully got a few new characters.  The season might be too overstuffed if they threw in everyone who has been rumored to appear or return in Season 2.  It might be better to save some of them for Season 3 and beyond.

There are some other things I am going to comment on, but it will be over in the Spoiler thread because it's pertaining to those detailed Reddit spoilers that were recently posted!

Edited June 15, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

At least San Diego Comic-Con is having their free virtual event in July.  But Star Wars Celebration has cancelled with NO virtual events planned??  Am I seeing that correctly?  Celebration is not happening in Anaheim until August 2022 (August 2021 would not be possible because that's when D23 should take place in Anaheim), which is a long, long way off.

Why on earth didn't they reschedule for spring 2021, or fall 2021?

 

So... PaleyFest was cancelled this year, and so far there has been no virtual Mandalorian panel scheduled. 

Comic-Con will have virtual panels in July, but they have not announced if there will be any Mandalorian cast/director involvement. 

The next D23 is not taking place until August 2021 (assuming it still happens as usual). 

And now Celebration -- the one place we were guaranteed to get a Mandalorian panel and Season 2 trailer -- is not happening for another 26 months (before Season 4 of Mando, IF there is a Season 4)?  The show is hot right now, with people excited for cast revelations and any info they can get -- and they are waiting over 2 years to have the Star Wars event, with no virtual/online panels this year?  

Not to mention the fact that the Cassian Andor series is still supposedly expected to premiere sometime in 2021 (though I don't know how likely that is), and needs the extra buzz and promotion.

_____________________________________

I hope the Baby Yoda nutcracker shown in this article looks better in person.  I love the snow globe!

"Baby Yoda Christmas stockings, nutcracker and snow globe make us feel like it’s Christmas in June"

 

_____________________________________

Finally...

Meh... They can't leave well enough alone.  They have to try to link all of the different Star Wars stories in some way, instead of letting some of them stand alone and be separate.

"Star Wars Live-Action Connected Universe Rumored for Disney+"

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

On 6/5/2020 at 5:14 PM, TVFan17 said:

I was just watching "The Mandalorian: Behind the Camera" directors panel stream from the "ATX TV...from the Couch" festival on YouTube.  It appears to have been recorded over one week ago, so there was no discussion of this past week's events. 

Right now ATX TV is doing one long live stream for the entire festival, comprised of many panels.  So I won't link that stream here.  However, they will eventually save each panel as its own video.  When they put the Mandalorian panel video up, I will link it here.

 

So all 5 directors from Season 1, as well as Jon Favreau, were part of the panel.  Jon had The Child next to him, and he showed him to the camera so that the baby could make a guest appearance. 

 

 

They all mostly talked about Season 1 only.  However, Jon Favreau DID say outright, in no uncertain terms, that Season 2 is coming in October!  Not November.  Not December.  It is on track for October!   Straight from the horse's mouth!  They have not missed a beat.  He said that they were lucky to have wrapped up S2 production before the lockdown, and everything was set up for them to do all of their other work while locked down!  (Good thinking, Lucasfilm, ILM, Disney and whoever else made it possible for these people to continue working on the post-production during the pandemic!)  So we have maybe 4 months or 4-1/2 months to wait, and S2 will be here!!!!

 

From the Hollywood Reporter --

"Jon Favreau Offers 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 Update"

 

On the ATX panel, Jon F. also said something, which was confusing and interesting.  He claims that they started filming Season 2 maybe the day after Season 1 premiered in November.  However, the S2 filming start date I saw was October 14th, and I have seen other sources mention October as well.  Maybe they were doing table reads, costume fittings and rehearsals in October, but didn't actually go to camera until November?  I'm not sure.  In any case, whether they technically went into principal photography in October or November, the important thing is that S2 is airing in 4-ish months!

As for when Season 3 films... who knows?

 

At the ATX panel, Rick Famuyiwa talked about how he was essentially the first of the directors to do an episode to start building the Child's personality (I am paraphrasing).  When we see the Child at the end of episode 1, he is only onscreen for a few seconds and that's it.  So, Rick's first episode was Chapter 2, and he had to start developing the bond between Mando and the Child, without any dialogue.  The script was only about 14 pages!  lol  Rick said that the Child's face was really the only face he had to work with (that could show different expressions).  So he had to look at the puppet as though it was an actual living actor, and he had to use what he could of the Child's facial expressions to sort of bounce off of Mando, or reflect what Mando was doing. 

Taika Waititi talked about making it believable that Mando cares about the Child.

Bryce Dallas Howard talked about how she got her kids to keep quiet about Baby Yoda and not tell any of their school friends about him. 

Jon Favreau commented on how remarkable it was that all of the kids who were on the set of Chapter 4 of Mando were able to keep quiet and not tell anyone about "Baby"!!

If I recall correctly, I think Jon also suggested/implied that Season 1 essentially picks right up from Season 2, so the cast and crew never felt like they were filming a separate second season.  Instead, it felt like they were just continuing on with filming one long Season 1.  lol  So that kind of supports what has been suspected -- which is that Seasons 1 and 2 were already mapped out, but Season 3 might be starting anew.  So whatever happens in Season 2 is probably directly connected to what happened in Season 1, whereas whatever happens in Season 3 might be a whole new ballgame with new settings, new stories, new supporting characters, etc.

 

Anyway, the ATX event was an interesting panel.  I wish that all of the canceled festivals and conventions had switched to a virtual format this year, just this one time.  (Star Wars Celebration has still not been canceled, even though it is supposed to happen in 2-1/2 months.  So I certainly hope the organizers are trying to set up virtual panels, complete with a world premiere of the Mandalorian, Season 2 trailer!)

 

I still want to see a panel with the actors from the show talking about their experiences since Mando, Season 1 premiered and became a huge hit that continues to stay in the news on a regular basis.   In other words, when Pedro Pascal is at the grocery store, do people walk up behind him and say "This is the way" in a creepy manner?   lol  Does Pedro get asked about The Mandalorian more than he was asked about Game of Thrones?   Do people call him Mando?  Do random people approach Gina Carano and try to get her to fight with them?  Do people see Carl Weathers out in the street and bombard him with questions about Baby Yoda trying to eat him?  Do people see Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally and curse them out for punching Baby Yoda?  Do people see Giancarlo Esposito and demand to know how he got the Darksaber?  And... do people see Nick Nolte (who has avoided ALL press and media related to The Mandalorian) and say "I have spoken" on a daily basis?  I need to know these things.

 

 

The ATX TV... From the Couch panel discussion (mentioned in my above quote from June 5th ^^) with Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and the directors from Season 1 of The Mandalorian has finally been posted as its own separate, official video on the ATX YouTube channel.  Here it is --

 

I love that Jon Favreau explains that (at the end of the first episode of Season 1) Mando is....

Quote

"changing, and not just being a ruthless bounty hunter -- as we kind of presented the series as -- but instead found this really vulnerable character in the baby that he had to make a decision whether he was going to fulfill his obligation as a bounty hunter, or if something in his soul was going to awaken, causing him to take on the cause of protecting this young child."

I think that is so lovely -- the sentiment that when Mando met the Child, something in his soul was awakened and it changed him.

Favreau is even admitting that he and Filoni presented the series as being about a ruthless bounty hunter -- and that's why I, personally, believe that a lot of people (commenters on YouTube, mostly) are having a hard time accepting that Baby Yoda will stick around past Season 2.  They believed the "ruthless bounty hunter" story before the show premiered, and they had certain expectations -- but instead got a show about a ruthless bounty hunter who becomes a surrogate daddy to a sweet little cuddly creature.   They are still thinking that the show is supposed to be about the murderous antics of a ruthless bounty hunter, and not realizing that what we got was supposed to be the show all along... a show about a man changing and finding someone/something to care about and protect.

Was it a bait and switch scenario?  Perhaps.  But I am not complaining.  I could not be happier with the direction they decided to take this series.  If it had just been all violence and killing all the time, I probably would get bored or stop watching.

Deborah Chow said in one of her EPK interviews a while back that when Mando meets the baby, he has to reevaluate his priorities and what means something to him, and the baby causes him to discover things about himself that he had never known.  So it sounds like she and Favreau are somewhat on the same page as to what the show is about.

 

The whole series is a lot more heartfelt and touching than people give it credit for!

Edited June 18, 2020 by TVFan17

[Anduin]

49 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

I think that is so lovely -- the sentiment that when Mando met the Child, something in his soul was awakened and it changed him.

Favreau is even admitting that he and Filoni presented the series as being about a ruthless bounty hunter -- and that's why I, personally, believe that a lot of people are having a hard time accepting that Baby Yoda will stick around past Season 2.  They believed the "ruthless bounty hunter" story before the show premiered, and they had certain expectations -- but instead got a show about a ruthless bounty hunter who becomes a surrogate daddy to a sweet little cuddly creature.   They are still thinking that the show is supposed to be about the murderous antics of a ruthless bounty hunter, and not realizing that what we got was supposed to be the show all along... a show about a man changing and finding someone/something to care about and protect.

Was it a bait and switch scenario?  Perhaps.  But I am not complaining.  I could not be happier with the direction they decided to take this series.  If it had just been all violence and killing all the time, I probably would get bored or stop watching.

Deborah Chow said in one of her EPK interviews a while back that when Mando meets the baby, he has to reevaluate his priorities and what means something to him, and the baby causes him to discover things about himself that he had never known.  So it sounds like she and Favreau are somewhat on the same page as to what the show is about.

Thank you! I knew there was something about the purpose of the kid, but I'd never quite put my finger on it. Yes, sometimes I do need things spelled out for me.

[TVFan17]

I was up in the middle of the night, watching the finale of the Disney Gallery Mandalorian season/series.  There were lots of good bits of info in the episode.  I posted more comments about it in the dedicated thread for the episode, but I was glad to see that /Film (Slash Film) wrote up an article about some of the tidbits that were revealed - because it's easier to share a link to an article than it is to explain it!  This article is also good if you don't have Disney+ anymore, or have not yet seen the Gallery series.

"Discover Mark Hamill’s Secret Role in ‘The Mandalorian’ and Other Surprises in the First Season"

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

I saw something about this pop up on my Twitter feed, so I had to investigate.

Bryce Dallas Howard says that she did, in fact, direct an episode of Season 2 of The Mandalorian.  But the way she says it in this video interview, it's almost like she is hesitating and choosing her words carefully, like she's not sure what she can say.  I thought she might say that she just directed a few scenes instead of a full episode, or that she was doing Second Unit work, like Sam Hargrave did.  I thought she might say that she was actually directing something for Season 3 instead of Season 2.  But she indicated that her work is on the second season.

Here is the article with the video embedded in it  --

"Bryce Dallas Howard on Directing ‘Dads’ and the ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Script"

Interesting!

So that leaves the confirmed list of directors for Season 2 to be:

Jon Favreau

Dave Filoni

Carl Weathers

Rick Famuyiwa

Bryce Dalllas Howard

Peyton Reed

Robert Rodriguez

Sam Hargrave (as a Second Unit Director, to bulk up the action scenes)

Edited June 20, 2020 by TVFan17

[magdalene]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/set-mandalorian-jon-favreau-taika-waititi-more-1298077

Taika Waititi holds the baby like "one of his children".  Aw.

[TVFan17]

2 hours ago, magdalene said:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/set-mandalorian-jon-favreau-taika-waititi-more-1298077

Taika Waititi holds the baby like "one of his children".  Aw.

I love that picture!   I'll almost forgive Taika for directing those two terrible Troopers to repeatedly punch the Child.

 

One of my favorite excerpts from the article is..

Quote

Beyond Pascal, multiple stuntmen were involved in bringing the Mandalorian character to life. "I’m 45, man," Pascal says. “It’s only aches and pains, man. Aches and pains."

 🤣  (Anyone who is Pedro's age or older, and who might not be in top physical condition at all times, can relate to the aches and pains.)

 

I also liked this part...

Quote

Jon Favreau says he was inspired by Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad in his "episodic serialized television" approach to Star Wars: "It seemed like there was a whole new way to tell a story over a chapter, over many, many hours — more like a novel."

I think that the episodic, serialized version of Star Wars -- in a live action format -- was probably challenging to adjust to for people who were so used to the grand, sweeping, epic feature films.  That's partially why a certain portion of the audience struggled with the middle episodes of Season 1 being kind of standalone-ish and not fully furthering the overarching story, or so they thought.  But if they had known from the beginning (before it premiered) that this show was going to be more episodic and not just one giant movie broken up into 8 parts, it might have been easier to accept. 

 

This is funny --

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

 

 

So if it's not a trailer for Season 2, what could it be? 

Maybe an official premiere date for Season 2?

Maybe an official, confirmed cast announcement from Disney or Lucasfilm?

Maybe an announcement of a virtual panel discussion/event since Celebration is not happening?

Maybe a promo poster/image for Season 2?

Maybe an announcement of Season 1 of The Mandalorian on Blu-ray?

Another Funko POP?

A new variety of Hostess cupcakes that look like Mando's helmet?

Okay, I'm grasping at straws now.  I give up.

 

Edited to add:  Jordan has since reminded people that he never said the "Mando goodness" would have anything to do with Season 2.   (Although I can see how it would be easy to jump to that conclusion.)

Edited June 24, 2020 by TVFan17

[TVFan17]

This Deadline article and video is apparently 4 days old, and yet somehow I never saw it prior to today -- even though I follow Deadline on both Twitter and Instagram.  It seems like it must have flown under the radar for quite a few people on social media too.

I think that the video in this article was edited down substantially, but it features Deborah Chow, Pedro Pascal and Dave Filoni talking about The Mandalorian. 

Click on the link to see the panel discussion and read the article....
 

"How ‘The Mandalorian’ Found His Own Path Apart From Boba Fett – Contenders TV"

 

Deadline has an annual series of articles, videos and panel discussions called "Contenders TV" (focusing on possible contenders for Emmy award nominations).

_________________________________________

Also, Collider hosted a "Directors on Directing" panel (it was prerecorded) that will be part of the new Comic-Con at Home virtual event in July.  Robert Rodriguez will talk about his other projects, of course, but I have a feeling he was asked about his work on The Mandalorian too!

"Collider Is Hosting a “Directors on Directing” Comic-Con@Home Panel"

 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by TVFan17

[AnimeMania]

Did you ever want to punch Baby Yoda right in his snout! Well this is the game for you. Bop It! The Mandalorian Edition is on it's way.

Mandalorian Bop It! Toy Requires You To Punch Baby Yoda

I think I am going to hold out for the Baby Yoda Hacky Sack.

[magdalene]

Well, whoever buys this and "bops" him is probably a sociopath....

And Disney agreed to licence this....good grief!

Edited June 28, 2020 by magdalene

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

Well, whoever buys this and "bops" him is probably a sociopath....

When I saw that item pop up in various tweets scrolling down my Twitter page (and some of the corresponding comments seemed to be gleeful about this item), I thought that it must be targeted at the people who hate Baby Yoda's presence on the show -- the ones who loved that he was getting punched in Chapter 8.  I mean, I'm on board with buying Baby Yoda merchandise, but I am not bopping or punching him.  Just the idea of it is weird to me.  I don't think about hitting things on a regular basis, whether they are alive or inanimate, so I'm not the target audience for that, I suppose.

 

________________________________________________

 

On another note -- and I was going to post about this later, but I will just comment on it now, while I'm here -- did anyone catch the artistic nude photo (topless, shot from the side) that Gina Carano posted on Instagram last night?  There was some debate in the comments next to the photo as to whether or not it is an old photo of Gina from many years ago, or a photo of someone else.  Either way, regardless of who is in the photo, when I was reading the comments last night I noticed that a couple of people mentioned that they were surprised to see the picture because she is working for Disney, and she might have younger followers who watch her on The Mandalorian, etc.   Someone even asked why the photo had not been reported or flagged as offensive or whatever.  I don't know if those comments are still there, but they kind of brought up a valid point. 

I am not judging someone for posting a photo like that -- it's up to them if they want to or not.  And it's up to the viewer whether they are going to be offended or not.  And it's up to Instagram to take it down or not take it down.   BUT... it IS true that Gina is employed by Disney, and everyone knows that Disney is and has always been a brand known for being fairly wholesome and mostly family-friendly, not counting any of their acquisitions under other production company names.   It's true that Gina might have some younger fans now.  The Mandalorian, despite having some violent moments in it, is still mostly crafted as something that older kids/young teens could probably watch.  It's not "adult" enough to be for adults only, I guess. 

It made me wonder if Gina thought about possibly upsetting the bosses at Disney with that photo (after all, Disney+ has a version of the movie "Splash" with Daryl Hannah's bare butt covered up).  Maybe Gina didn't care?  But I was also curious about the message she posted next to it -- which was a quote from Prince about freedom being sexy, with a magnet/horseshoe emoji at the end of it.

For some reason, after seeing Gina's photo and "freedom" message, my mind instantly jumped to wondering if this is 'contract negotiation month' for the Mandalorian cast and crew.  Did Gina sign on for Season 3?   Maybe she is "free" from having to worry about what she posts because she is not on board for Season 3?  I am just pondering, speculating and thinking aloud (hopefully she will be back for S3).

 

I also wondered if Disney might have gotten to Pedro Pascal earlier in the week too -- he posted a cast photo from "Wonder Woman 1984" on Instagram (the same one that has been posted in a lot of places this past week), and it was gone from his page shortly thereafter.  I wondered if Disney wanted him to take it down because Wonder Woman is a DC character, whereas Disney owns Marvel.   Maybe there was a conflict of interest of some sort?   But what a shame for Pedro if he can't promote this movie that has been repeatedly delayed due to COVID-19.  I hope there was some other reason he took the photo down, and not because he is not allowed to promote his non-Disney work.

Last night Pedro was also clapping back at some of the people complaining about one of his Instagram posts.  I think he usually ignores them, but all of a sudden he was responding with snarky answers.  He must have been in a mood.  Someone said that he used to be one of their favorite actors but that changed.  Pedro said something along the lines of (and I am paraphrasing), "That's too bad... well, no, I don't give a shit."  lol 

So between Pedro's snarky replies and Gina's topless photo, they were stirring things up on Instagram last night!  lol 

Edited June 29, 2020 by TVFan17

[Anduin]

I wonder if the photo will stay up. I gather that adult performers have to keep the nudity off their IG accounts. Are the rules different for actual celebs? We'll see.

I don't think Disney cares. Janina Gavankar was naked on True Blood before playing Iden Versio. Rebecca Hall was in The Awakening before Iron Man 3. Scarlett Johansson has been naked in a couple of roles. I don't know for sure if Daisy Ridley was topless on Silent Witness. There was a long shot of her character's corpse in the morgue. It could have been a dummy. But 3 or 4 times is a pattern.

Bai Ling claimed her scenes were cut from ROTS because she was in Playboy sometime between filming and release, but that was Lucas era.

Damn. I know too much about celeb nudity. I'll need to make a more insightful and less objectifying post sometime soon.

[TVFan17]

37 minutes ago, Anduin said:

I wonder if the photo will stay up. I gather that adult performers have to keep the nudity off their IG accounts. Are the rules different for actual celebs? We'll see.

I don't think Disney cares. Janina Gavankar was naked on True Blood before playing Iden Versio. Rebecca Hall was in The Awakening before Iron Man 3. Scarlett Johansson has been naked in a couple of roles. I don't know for sure if Daisy Ridley was topless on Silent Witness. There was a long shot of her character's corpse in the morgue. It could have been a dummy. But 3 or 4 times is a pattern.

Bai Ling claimed her scenes were cut from ROTS because she was in Playboy sometime between filming and release, but that was Lucas era.

Damn. I know too much about celeb nudity. I'll need to make a more insightful and less objectifying post sometime soon.

 

🤣🤣🤣

All good points!

It's tricky when you're employed by a company that has a very well-established image.  Gina is posting the photo now (even if it's an old photo), when she is currently still with Disney (we assume).   Everyone knows Disney's brand and image.  But even if Disney, for some reason, didn't care what their employees posted on Instagram, there are definitely PR people, publicists, agents, managers, etc., who don't want their clients to risk losing jobs and what not.  There are always 'advisers' behind the scenes, trying to get their clients to make certain choices.

So I guess I am more curious as to whether or not Gina cares about possibly ruffling some feathers, but it doesn't seem like she does.  That's what made me wonder if she might not be back for Season 3 -- if she, for example, knew she was not coming back in S3, then she might not care what she posted and would be happy with her freedom to do whatever.   Perhaps the plans for S3 will take Mando in a different direction that doesn't involve Cara Dune -- but Cara could always end up in one of the many, many planned Star Wars series in the works, whether or not she is part of Mando S3.

Anyway, it's all very interesting!  And yes, I, too, am wondering if that photo will stay up!  You just know that someone out there must have reported it, but it's still there.

Edited June 29, 2020 by TVFan17

[magdalene]

I didn't even know there was nudity on Instagram.  I looked at the photo and it doesn't bother me. I live in the US but grew up in Europe where there is a lot of nudity all over the place (like topless sun bathing on the beaches) and nobody bats an eyelash.  In general I am bothered much more by violence than nudity. 

But I know things are different here and I have no idea what Disney would make of this. I certainly do not want Gina to be let go because of this picture.

[TVFan17]

Also, here is a very sweet post from Brendan Wayne about his fellow Mando stunt/body double Lateef.  It's from a few days ago.  It seems that Brendan and Lateef have bonded through their Mando work, and they are always supporting each other on social media, which is nice to see.  

 

 

[TVFan17]

I guess it was only a matter of time before it happened... someone probably reported GIna's photo.  I doubt that any of Gina's pre-Mandalorian fans would care that she posted that photo.  However, playing Cara Dune on the show has probably gained her a lot of younger fans -- and those fans have concerned moms who probably didn't like that she posted the photo.

 

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by TVFan17

[paigow]

6 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

I guess it was only a matter of time before it happened... someone probably reported GIna's photo. 

Not wearing a mask gets you kicked out of Wal-Mart...why not Instagram as well...