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The Mandalorian’ Eyes Production Start As Spinoff, Casting & Boba Fett Buzz Heats Up
Disney+’s signature original series, The Mandalorian, just returned for its second season, which had wrapped production just before the pandemic hit in March. While not officially greenlit, a third season of the hit Star Wars series has been in pre-production for months, with creator, director and executive producer Jon Favreau publicly stating that he hoped to start filming by end of 2020. That may be the case, with some sources indicating that production would be starting as soon as next week (or in late November/early December), while others point to spring or even fall 2021.
The confusion stems from the level of secrecy in the Lucasfilm camp. But persistent chatter could explain the discrepancy — that another Mandalorian-related project/spinoff, I hear possibly a Boba Fett miniseries, would film first, starting next week or later this month, with The Mandalorian Season 3 production coming after that. Season 3 of The Mandalorian was recently listed in Production Weekly with the working title Buccaneer, sparking a guessing game among fans what that moniker may entail. Per usual, Lucasfilm and Disney+ are keeping mum on details about the new season, including casting.
Sophie Thatcher (When the Street Lights Go On, Chicago Med) is being rumored to be joining The Mandalorian franchise. Nobody is commenting, and there is conflicting information whether she will be part of The Mandalorian‘s upcoming third season or an offshoot series (or both). In February, then-Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted at the company’s plans to expand The Mandalorian franchise with spinoff series, teasing “the possibility of infusing (the mothership series) with more characters and taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series.”
There is speculation that such series is in the works and about to start filming, though it is unclear what Mandalorian character(s) would be spun off and whether Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) is one of them. A recent online report pointed to a potential offshoot featuring Cara Dune, played by Gina Carano, and the Star Wars Rebels character Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff, who has been rumored to appear The Mandalorian‘s second season.) Such a project does not appear to be real, at least for now.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Disney+ is developing a female-centered Star Wars series, written and showrun by Leslye Headland, believed to be a female-driven action thriller with martial arts elements and set in an alternate timeline from the usual Star Wars universe. The rumored spinoff is said to be separate from this Star Wars project but the situation is fluid.
The Mandalorian is a space Western, which begins five years after the events of Return of the Jedi and stars Pedro Pascal as the title character, a lone bounty hunter who is hired to retrieve “The Child” (aka Baby Yoda).