This week’s Star Wars Celebration saved the best for last with an update on fans’ favorite bounty hunter-turned-adoptive-dad. The Mandalorian executive producers Jon Favreau (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) took the stage today with updates on the third season of the Disney+ series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The two were joined by Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight Massive of Talent), Carl Weathers (Toy Story 4), Book of Boba Fett‘s Temuera Morrison, and Gideon Moff himself, Giancarlo Esposito (Godfather of Harlem).
“I’ve always loved Star Wars. I grew up watching Star Wars. The type of story that I wanted to tell really suited the small screen,” Favreau told the buzzing crowd, via The Hollywood Reporter. “And it was also an opportunity to bring new people in who might not be up on all the lore. What we were most proud of was people were not just watching our show, but all of the viewership was going up for the movies and the animated series.”
The pair announced the third season is expected for release in February of 2023 and will resume the storyline that was set up in the spinoff series, The Book of Boba Fett, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The two also debuted the season trailer to fans inside the presentation hall. No word when the trailer will be available to the public.
During the panel, both Pascal and Esposito spoke about this season and the experience overall.
“It’s the closest I’ve come to being a dad,” Pascal stated via The Hollywood Reporter. This was of course in reference to the father figure role his character has assumed in caring for the breakout co-star Grogu. The character affectionately dubbed “Baby Yoda” made a cameo appearance during the panel presentation.
Esposito, who can be seen soon in Amazon’s third season of The Boys, mentioned how being on the show has “empowered” him.
“When you work with folks who allow you to extend yourself, that empowered me,” he said via The Hollywood Reporter. ‘And I thought, isn’t that what our show is about, being empowered?”
In addition to these details, it was revealed Weathers will direct an episode this season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This comes as it was announced earlier this week that Bryce Dallas Howard will return to direct as well. Howard formerly directed two episodes of the series and The Book of Boba Fett episode, “Return of the Mandalorian.”
Fans were also given a bit of news regarding the second spinoff series starring Rosario Dawson (DMZ). The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Ahsoka, which has been in production for the past three weeks, has cast Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny) as Sabine Wren. Wren appeared in Star Wars Rebels and is part of the Mandalore sect.
Star Wars fans can currently get their fix by streaming the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+.