6 fun facts to know about The Mandalorian

09/03/2023

On the occasion of the release of The Mandalorian season 3, we propose you to discover six fun facts to know about the event series that won Star Wars fans’ hearts and neophytes of the genre.

Grogu (or Baby Yoda) is more real than you think
Grogu (or Baby Yoda) is more real than you think

If most fantasy or science fiction shows and movies use special effects to bring their creatures to life, it’s not really the case of The Mandalorian. Indeed, the little Grogu is not a completely digital masterpiece since he is actually a puppet, or more specifically, an animatronic creation operated by a team of puppeteers. But don't think that this artistic choice is there to save money, because Jon Favreau, the showrunner of the series, revealed that the puppet cost the trifling sum of 5 million dollars. Realism has its price!

The Mandalorian costs an average of 13 million dollars per episode
The Mandalorian costs an average of 13 million dollars per episode

Speaking of budget, The Mandalorian has nothing to envy to other big productions like Game of Thrones or The Crown. With its first two seasons totaling 16 episodes, the series would have cost 13 million dollars per episode with a budget of 100 million dollars for the first season alone. This astronomical figure explains how the show of the Star Wars franchise has risen to the ninth most expensive series in history, just ahead of Friends. The reason? The stunning visuals, the presence of a big-name star like Pedro Pascal and a bunch of famous directors.

Jon Favreau has chosen many celebrities to direct episodes
Jon Favreau has chosen many celebrities to direct episodes

Even if Jon Favreau's talents as a director are well known (Iron Man, the live action films The Jungle Book and The Lion King), the showrunner of the series preferred to entrust the direction of the episodes to other well-known Hollywood personalities. Among them are Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit), Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Deborah Chow (Better Call Saul, American Gods), Rick Famuyiwa (Brown Sugar, Dope), and actress and director Bryce Dallas Howard (Spider-Man 3, Jurassic World). On a side note, her father Ron Howard was the director of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the film dedicated to Han Solo released in 2018.

Star Wars fans played Stormtroopers in season 1
Star Wars fans played Stormtroopers in season 1

In 2019, during production of the first season of the show, the crew of The Mandalorian had underestimated the number of Stormtrooper costumes needed, so they ran out when filming the last two episodes. Jon Favreau and director/producer Dave Filoni decided to ask a local fan club called the 501st Legion for help. Several members showed up on set in their own Stormtrooper costumes to shoot the scenes with Moff Gideon. A happy accident after all!

Rosario Dawson was chosen for the role of Ahsoka Tano thanks to fans on Twitter
Rosario Dawson was chosen for the role of Ahsoka Tano thanks to fans on Twitter

Once again, The Mandalorian fans had a decisive role in the show production. In an interview with Vanity Fair, actress Rosario Dawson, who portrays Jedi warrior Ahsoka Tano, revealed that some fans of the show helped her to get the role via Twitter. Indeed, even before the actress was in talks to play the character, a fan on the social network reached out to inform her that people wanted her to play Ahsoka. In addition, producer and director Dave Filoni reportedly saw fan art on Twitter of Rosario Dawson as Anakin's apprentice and thought she would be perfect for the role.

Pedro Pascal thought he was going to play Boba Fett
Pedro Pascal thought he was going to play Boba Fett

Before the release of The Mandalorian first season, Pedro Pascal had spoken to Disney’s Twenty-Three magazine and told how he got the role. And it must be said that the situation was quite surprising since the actor of Game of Thrones and Narcos had not immediately understood that he would play Din Djarin. He said : “I wanted to meet Jon Favreau. I didn't care what he wanted me to do. So we met in Jon's office, which was covered with story illustrations from this show — and I noticed the Mandalorian, a Boba Fett-looking character, immediately.” Pedro Pascal also added : “Jon talked about the story, visuals, and tone. I thought it was amazing and finally asked, 'Well, who am I?' I'm pointing to different characters, creatures, and aliens in the concept art, and John just looked at me and said 'You're the Mandalorian.'" A fun fact that the 47-year-old actor finds embarrassing since he confused the two characters of the franchise.

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