Here's everything we know about The Mandalorian so far. The Star Wars franchise entered a new era when Disney bought Lucasfilm back in 2012 and announced its intention to release Episode VII (or, as it ultimately came to be known, The Force Awakens) in theaters by 2015. In the years since then, the studios have expanded the property by leaps and bounds with more mainline sequels, spinoff films, multiple animated TV series, comic books, and novels, all of which adhere to a strict continuity. They don't intend to slow down either, not even after Episode IX hits theaters and finishes the Skywalker Saga this December.
While Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to announce any movie release dates beyond Episode IX, they've already recruited Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson to develop new trilogies that shift the focus away from the Skywalker clan and their allies. Similarly, they're actively developing The Mandalorian - the first live-action Star Wars TV series ever - to premiere on the upcoming streaming service, Disney Plus. Actor-director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book) is serving as showrunner on the series and wrapped production on the first season back in February.
Related: Star Wars Movies Will NOT Be Made for Disney Plus
It's now been officially confirmed that The Mandalorian will have a panel at Star Wars Celebration Chicago in April, with Favreau and Lucasfilm Animation head Dave Filoni (who directed the series' pilot) in attendance. Lucasfilm has yet to announce whether the first trailer will premiere at the event too, but the general exception is that Favreau and Filoni will unveil some actual footage at the convention. So, in the meantime, we're running down everything we know about the show at the moment.
The Mandalorian TV Show Release Date
By the sound of it, The Mandalorian will be one of the first original series made available on Disney Plus when the streaming service launches sometime this fall (think of it as the House of Cards to Disney Plus' Netflix). That means the show could arrive as soon as September or as late as November, depending on when, exactly, the Mouse House decides to get the subscription service up and running. Presumably, The Mandalorian will arrive before December, lest Disney and Lucasfilm have to divide their attention between promoting the series and starting Episode IX's marketing blitzkrieg at the same time. Marvel has typically spaced out their live-action MCU movies and TV shows to great success, so it stands to reason that Lucasfilm will follow their example, now that they're producing live-action series of their own.
The Mandalorian TV Show Story
The Mandalorian is set in "the outer reaches" of the Star Wars galaxy and far away from the influence of the New Republic. It also takes place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, which means the show won't focus much (if at all) on either the fall of the Galactic Empire or the rise of the First Order. Beyond that, all that's been revealed so far is that the series follows the adventures of the titular character - a "lone gunfighter" who wears Mandalorian armor, as Lucasfilm puts it. Needles to say, fans are already speculating that the character will end up having some connection to one or more of the famous Mandalorian warriors that've been featured in the Star Wars franchise so far (specifically, Boba Fett and/or Sabine Wren from Star Wars Rebels).
The Mandalorian TV Show Cast
Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, Narcos, Triple Frontier) is starring as The Mandalorian's namesake, though his actual name has yet to be revealed. He is joined in the series by a cast that - so far - officially includes Gina Carano (Deadpool), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Nick Nolte (Warrior), Omid Abtahi (American Gods), Emily Swallow (Castlevania), Carl Weathers (Rocky, Predator), and actor-filmmaker Werner Herzog in as-yet undisclosed roles. For now, however, it's expected that most of these actors will be playing brand-new characters to the Star Wars franchise.
Meanwhile, Favreau has seemingly confirmed that Thor: Ragnarok filmmaker Taika Waititi will lend his voice to IG-88 on the show. The bounty hunter droid briefly cameoed in The Empire Strikes Back and his backstory was explored in greater depth in the once-canon Star Wars "Expanded Universe" (now known as Star Wars Legends), but it seems The Mandalorian may offer something of a fresh start for the character. Waititi is also one of the series' directors and it's rumored that another Mandalorian helmer, Bryce Dallas Howard, will likewise pull double-duty and play a supporting role on the show.
MORE: Every Star Wars TV Show Coming to Disney Plus (Confirmed & Rumored)