Entertainment Weekly had just posted a “First Look” at the upcoming Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 coming to Disney+. They also talk to Jon Favreau about the experience and why he feels the show worked so well.

Disney had a problem. Fans were not connecting with the new sequel trilogy and characters in the ways they expected them to. The films, especially after The Last Jedi, split the fandom and the company was worried about “Brand Fatigue.”  I still think they should have been more worried about the disjointed mess they had, but I digress.

Then came “The Mandalorian” to Disney+. It took off and did exceptionally well. Entertainment Weekly asked showrunner Favreau why he thought that was the case:

“I think it was the fact it was live-action Star Wars on TV for the first time. Having worked on bigger, higher-profile films, there’s a much different set of standards that you’re judged by. We’ve benefited from the smallness of our world.”

I think he’s too humble. They did benefit from the lowered expectations of a television show, but I think they did what the sequel trilogy didn’t do and made it feel like the Star Wars many of us grew up with. Sometimes change isn’t always for the better.

Of course Favreau worked closely with Dave Filoni who has previously brought us hit animated shows like “Clone Wars” and “Rebels.” Filioni worked closely with George Lucas and has a bit of insight into how George Lucas thought. It makes it feel a bit more authentic.

Filoni doesn’t try to “overthink things” and sticks to what people are familiar with:

“Quite simply: We didn’t overthink things. George started with these very iconic characters whose relationships are very clear, and then introduced what’s at stake — for us, the [fate of] the Child. An audience tends to enjoy a story by sticking to tropes and characters they understand — like a gunslinger in the Old West. So it was a clear story and a fun adventure even if you’ve never seen anything [in the Star Wars universe].”

What should we expect with Season 2?

According to Filoni there is going to be a larger story:

“The new season is about introducing a larger story in the world. The stories become less isolated, yet each episode has its own flavor, and hopefully we’re bringing a lot more scope to the show. Everything gets bigger, the stakes get higher, but also the personal story between the Child and the Mandalorian develops in a way I think people will enjoy.

As we introduce other characters, there are opportunities to follow different storylines. The world was really captivated by Game of Thrones and how that evolved as the characters followed different storylines — that’s very appealing to me as an audience member.”

I’m really excited for Season 2, but I hope they don’t rely on pushing “The Child” aka “Baby Yoda” too much. I don’t want them to over green milk the youngling.

You can read more about the upcoming season, and actor’s comments, in the Entertainment Weekly article HERE.  Or you can pick the issue up at news stands on September 18.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Source: EW