The upcoming third season had a trailer released at Star Wars Celebration which teased Din Djarin’s trip to Mandalore, as well as Bo-Katan Kryze as an antagonist – and baby Grogu and Mando reunited once more. 

“Three is even better than the previous one,” Pedro Pascal, who plays the Mandalorian himself, told ET Online (opens in new tab), while Katee Sackhoff, who plays Bo-Katan, described the upcoming episodes as “dark.” 

Meanwhile, Giancarlo Esposito, who is Moff Gideon in the show, said the scale is “larger than ever… and it’s just an expansion, in many ways, of last season.” He added: “It’s a season that has great ideas, great teasings, and great tips for the future.”

Season 4 of The Mandalorian has been confirmed by Jon Favreau, who is currently writing the next batch of episodes. 

As for specifics on the third season, Pascal talked about Din and Baby Yoda’s bond. “What I love is the idea of who’s protecting who because Grogu is discovering more and more of his powers,” he explained. “And it’s very important for Mando to nurture it and to also make sure it’s harnessed in the right way.”

Esposito has hinted at the Child’s fresh powers before, so it seems we’ll be getting to see more of the youngling’s newfound Force abilities in the upcoming episodes.

The Mandalorian season 3 arrives in February 2023, but before that there’s Andor in August, The Bad Batch season 2 in September, and this fall there’s also the animated anthology series Tales of the Jedi. 

For everything else coming soon from the galaxy far, far away, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows – and catch up on the saga on Disney Plus.

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• Mandalorian Nerf blaster pre-order: $119.99 at Amazon US (opens in new tab) / £109.99 at Amazon UK (opens in new tab)

Although it might not match the best Nerf guns in terms of performance, this Mandalorian Nerf gun is still a sight to behold. It’s an accurate replica of the Mando’s weapon in slightly friendlier colors, right down to the breech-loading mechanism, a wood-effect stock, and weathering details to show its battle-worn nature. You even get a light-up, LED-illuminated scope with a targeting reticle to accompany electronic firing and loading sounds pulled from the show.

Although it’s a little more expensive, it’s a very cool collectible. Season 2 on Disney Plus has arguably been the show of fall and winter, so being able to get one of its most iconic props is awesome. Especially because it has so much history behind it. Originally seen during 1978’s Holiday Special in the hands of a certain Boba Fett, it then made its way to Mando for the 2019 live-action series.

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This isn’t the only cool Mandalorian merch available right now, of course. Besides Baby Yoda toys, you can also get your hands on a special Mandalorian Black Series helmet for $120 at Amazon US (opens in new tab) or £119.99 at Amazon UK (opens in new tab). Combine that with the Mandalorian Nerf gun and you’ve got the start of a kickass display / cosplay / Halloween outfit on your hands.

Mandalorian Nerf gun

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Nerf The Mandalorian Amban Phase-pulse Blaster | $119.99 at Amazon US (opens in new tab) / £109.99 at Amazon UK (opens in new tab)
The Mando’s iconic blaster is being given the Nerf treatment, and you can pre-order it now ahead of its release later in 2021. It’s an accurate representation of the Star Wars weapon, right down to its wood-effect stock and breech-loading mechanism. It also comes with 10 Nerf Elite darts for when you need to reload.

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For more things Mando, check in with our roundup of guides (including info on when The Mandalorian takes place in the Star Wars timeline).

Hunting down presents in time for the Holidays? Don’t miss the best gifts for gamers this Christmas.

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Lego Star Wars Boba Fett helmet building kit – $̶5̶9̶.̶9̶9̶ $47.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Boba Fett’s helmet rendered beautifully in 625 breaks, and complete with a base and nameplate to show off the finished project. 

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Lego describes this as a challenging build, so you might want to do some deep breathing before you jump on in. Basically, this isn’t one to start at 10pm on Christmas Eve when you’ve been hitting the spiked eggnog. If you have more modern Mandalorian tastes, then yes, you can build your own Baby Yoda too. This little guy isn’t on sale, but his tiny, blocky face is worth every cent. Now that The Mandalorian season 2 is finally here on the Disney Plus streaming service, there’s going to be a lot of interest in getting collectibles based on the show and the films that inspired it. 

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Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian The Child  building kit – $79.95 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
1,073-pieces of cute, which will come together to make your own version of the cutest thing to come out of space since the Porgs. 

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Black Friday might be over, but there are still lots of Cyber Monday deals to check out until the clock strikes midnight, and plenty of Cyber Monday Lego deals at that.  

• Amazon Lego | See US sales (opens in new tab) | Browse UK deals (opens in new tab)
• Best Buy Lego | See US sales (opens in new tab) 
• Walmart Lego | See US sales (opens in new tab)
• Lego UK | Buy directly from Lego (opens in new tab) 
• Argos | See UK deals (opens in new tab)

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Director Dave Filoni reveals it’s actually been in the works for quite some time and they just needed a way into Baby Yoda’s backstory – one which Ahsoka’s introduction in “The Jedi” offered.

“Jon [Favreau] told me early on in season one what it would be, which made me start to think about how people could learn the name. This gave me the idea that Ahsoka, who is very compassionate, would be able to connect with the Child,” he explained to Vanity Fair (opens in new tab).

For Filoni, it was all about the connection between Grogu and Ahsoka that led to the timing of the  surprise reveal in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5.

Filoni said: “I felt that if anyone would know or understand the Child’s history it would be Ahsoka. She has such a long history as well. By having her relate the story it also helps the viewer to understand some of her own backstory.”

Honestly, we’re still getting used to calling him Grogu. I’ll be calling him ‘Gro’ for the time being – it sounds cooler – but it’s interesting to know that, for the Mando brain trust, the question of Baby Yoda’s history was never intended to be a long-term puzzler. Gro figure.

Don’t miss out on this week’s episode. Find out exactly when it airs on Disney Plus with The Mandalorian season 2 release schedule.

The post Dave Filoni reveals why we found out Baby Yodas real name so soon in The Mandalorian appeared first on Game News.

Just below, you can see gameplay from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which launched last year. There’s one pretty major difference though: protagonist Cal Ketsis has been swapped out for none other than Din Djarin himself, as he goes toe-to-toe with the Ninth Sister, one of the many boss battles featured in Respawn’s game.

It’s a really impressive mod, containing some equally impressive gameplay from YouTuber Jordy Castelli on the game’s highest difficulty setting. For the purposes of battling against the Ninth Sister, Djarin wields a Darksaber, which firstly appeared in The Mandalorian near the end of the debut season, in the hands of Giancarlo Esposito’s powerful Moff Gideon (if you’re unfamiliar with the elite weapon, check out our Mandalorian Darksaber explained guide).

We’re now past the halfway point in The Mandalorian Season 2, with episodes rolling out weekly on Disney Plus. Speaking of actor Giancarlo Esposito, he’s been teasing a fair bit about the upcoming instalments of the series, hinting that the Dark Troopers will make a triumphant return alongside Moff Gideon’s ultimate plans. If you’re slightly puzzled about how the Dark Troopers could affect the show at large in the latter half of the second season, you’ll want to read our Mandalorian Dark Troopers explained guide for more.

For a full schedule of the remaining episodes set to release as part of season two of the Star Wars show on Disney Plus, head over to our Mandalorian Season 2 release schedule guide for more.

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Of course, we know through the sequel trilogies that Imperial forces are long gone. But that probably won’t stop Giancarlo Esposito’s Darksaber-wielding villain from literally bringing out the big guns in his pursuit of The Child.

As spotted by io9 (opens in new tab), a new series of official Mandalorian Topps trading cards have been released through the Star Wars Card Trader app. Among them is a peculiar sight: an almost Star Destroyer-sized ship that bares a large resemblance to an Imperial Light Cruiser, a vessel that has been spotted across spin-offs such as The Clone Wars and Rebels.

With TIE fighters flanking it, it stands to reason that Moff Gideon is the one in charge of the space armada – that is, if The Mandalorian trading cards are representative of what’s about to go down in the show. Take this one with a Krayt dragon-sized pinch of salt, just in case.

If that is the case, though, it spells bad news for Mando and Baby Yoda. The last time we saw Gideon, he was scything his way out of his crashed personal carrier. His absence across the first two episodes indicates that he’ll return shortly with an ace up his sleeve – and it doesn’t get much bigger than your own fleet.

Find out exactly when the next episode drops on Disney Plus with The Mandalorian season 2 release schedule.

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But how does the Star Wars Disney Plus series keep all out of the public eye? W. Earl Brown, who guest-starred as the Weequay barman (a species you may recognise from the original trilogy) in The Mandalorian season 2 premiere, has revealed all.

In a multi-tweet thread, Brown laid out not only his experiences of being cast, but also what he had to do to keep his role a secret from everybody – including his own wife who works for Disney.

“What’s your feeling about a prosthetics gig? I know you’ve said you hate it,” it was my agent on the other end of the call.My mind flashed back to my days of misery spent as the demon, Menlo, on the tv series, ANGEL. I had eagerly jumped at the chance…1October 30, 2020

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Not only did Brown have to sign a seven-page document so that he wouldn’t spill the beans, he also wasn’t told what episode number he was in. While being transported to the set and for screen tests, he was hidden under a large cloak. Marvel, eat your heart out.

Brown also knew hardly anything about the episode’s plot itself. “I was given the scenes I was in and nothing else,” he said. “This is what information I was given: I was a Weequay; I owned the cantina in Mos Pelgo. ‘Cobb Vanth’ wore [Boba] Fett’s armor. [Sarlaccs] can move underground.”

That hush-hush directive even extended to his own marriage. As Brown explained, “My wife works in the streaming division of the Walt Disney Company. As an exec in Communications, she is aware of many of the inner goings-on of the company. She listened to me prattle on for days — STAR WARS, STAR WARS, STAR WARS… she said nothing. They are a secretive bunch.”

It may sound extreme but, hey, it worked. The Mandalorian season 2 was able to hide everything, from Cobb Vanth – last seen in the Star Wars books – showing up to even an unlikely Knights of the Old Republic Easter egg.

No secrets here: find out when the next Mandalorian episode drops on Disney Plus with The Mandalorian season 2 release schedule.

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“My character Moff Gideon is a warden of the galaxy, he is a remnant of the Imperial empire. He is still searching for his quarry [Baby Yoda] which we hope he’ll find,” Esposito told Good Morning America (opens in new tab).

While it’s worth having a little reminder about just where Moff Gideon’s intentions lie – especially after that Darksaber-infused finale last year – it’s Gideon’s description as “warden of the galaxy” that’s perhaps most interesting moving forward.

After all, The Mandalorian is set in the unexplored space between the original and sequel trilogies. The fracturing of the Empire and what comes next is something that’s rich for mining, as well as speaking to the relatively lawless period Mando finds himself in. That sort of interstellar politics absolutely could have a major influence in The Mandalorian season 2.

Of course, Gideon has an ace – or should that be a lightsaber? – up his sleeve. Earlier this year, Esposito teased that we’ll be getting some “epic lightsaber action” in The Mandalorian moving forward. That should mean the Darksaber comes in to play but, as a new Mandalorian TV spot showed, there could even be another lightsaber-wielder waiting in the wings.

We’ll find out for sure starting this Friday. For more on the franchise’s future, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies.

The post Giancarlo Esposito teases Moff Gideon’s goals in The Mandalorian season 2 appeared first on Game News.

Is that a concern? Probably not if early glimpses of The Mandalorian season 2 are anything to go by. The Disney Plus series is already laying the foundations for life after Baby Yoda – and in doing so, showrunner Jon Favreau is showing signs that he has learnt from some of Star Wars’ biggest missteps.

Baby Yoda, despite its short frame, casts a long shadow on The Mandalorian. However, although the puppet has an uncanny knack to break the internet at will, that doesn’t mask the fact that his journey lives and dies on answers. Once we know where it is from, the creature loses some of that mystique. If we don’t get an answer, the show risks spinning it wheels in search of something ungraspable.

Sure, Mando might choose to keep the Child by his side after the show’s main arc has concluded, but how long can the show hang its hat on Baby Yoda? Thankfully, plans are in place to sidestep that argument entirely by using The Mandalorian as fertile ground to plant a franchise-within-a-franchise.

Those who have kept out of the loop – deliberately or otherwise – for this new season may be surprised by how the show has silently widened its scope in the interim. There are a handful of interesting casting choices and potential character introductions from Star Wars tales new and old to freshen things up.

Boba Fett, for one, is likely to be a focus in The Mandalorian, at least this year (The Mandalorian season 3 has already been confirmed). Actor Temuera Morrison will reportedly return to the franchise after playing Jango Fett in the prequel trilogy. A new character played by Timothy Olyphant, meanwhile, is set to don the armour of the legendary bounty hunter – how exactly he got Fett’s armour remains to be seen.

So, that link to the original trilogy is one way to draw lapsed fans in. Another is to mine the rich side stories and animated spin-offs that have populated television across the last decade and bring them into live-action.

Read more…

The Mandalorian’s final twist shows off the best and worst of Star Wars

It’s widely believed that Rosario Dawson will play Jedi Ahsoka Tano – one of the main players in The Clone Wars series – and Rebels’ Sabine Wren could appear in The Mandalorian season 2. Another name familiar to fans of the TV shows, Bo-Katan, may even make an appearance. The Mandalorian, then, has the potential to become a playground in which major new series are launched through backdoor pilots, all while offering love letters to fan-favourites.

It’s easy to forget that – beyond Baby Yoda, Boba Fett, and the introduction of Ahsoka – the beating heart of The Mandalorian is that it’s simply a solid serial show. The concept of The Mandalorian rocking up, Xena-style, and solving a town or spaceport’s problems and leaving on the ship he flew in on sticks true to the series’ space-Western roots and has plenty of potential as a long-term storytelling device.

By tweaking and refining that formula, attention can occasionally be drawn away from Baby Yoda and back on to Mando himself as he undertakes Witcher-style problem-of-the-week tasks that also feed into a larger narrative.

Take the first season’s fourth chapter, “Sanctuary”, as a blueprint for that sort of style. The Bryce Dallas Howard-directed episode didn’t push much forward in terms of overall plot, but added a deeper, more introspective take on who Mando is and what drives him as he saves a lowly village from an Imperial attack. That sort of plot may not be as grand as the eternal warring between Jedi and Sith, but it’s the sort of thing that can thrive almost endlessly under the right guiding hand. Say, a Jon Favreau or Dave Filoni. Which is handy.

Looking at Mandalorian as an example of Star Wars’ new approach, though, is perhaps the most striking development of all. These building blocks reflect a change in thinking on Lucasfilm’s part. The sequel Star Wars trilogy certainly had its detractors – both fair and unfair – but its refusal to commit to solid story arcs for its major players (even going as far as deciding on Rey’s lineage midway through filming Rise of Skywalker) was particularly egregious.

Now, even after the answer to Baby Yoda’s species gets answered, there’s plenty else to play with in a galaxy far, far away. That’s all thanks to the world-building, the wise decision to pick and choose from other existing media, and the limitless potential of the week-to-week format that works with the eponymous Mandalorian always at its centre. That forward-thinking needs to become the rule, not the exception, to the next decade of Star Wars stories.

Hopefully, Baby Yoda will stick around for some time to come. But if the unthinkable does happen and The Child flies the nest, The Mandalorian is still in safe hands.

The post How The Mandalorian is preparing for life after Baby Yoda appeared first on Game News.

No, he doesn’t have a walk-on part (we think – keep an eye out), but Lucas was present on set of Mando’s second season and even provided some tips to director Dave Filoni.

“He would be giving Dave a hard time about how many setups he was getting and how fast he was shooting and urging him to go faster,” showrunner and creator Jon Favreau told Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab). “He was like a boxer’s corner man coaching him, but always with a twinkle in his eye.”

That’s probably as close as we’ll get to seeing Lucas behind the camera again for an adventure in a galaxy far, far away but it’s especially comforting to know that Lucas’s reach isn’t far away from Star Wars.

It’s not the first time Lucas has been in touch with Filoni about Star Wars’ biggest series, even providing his reponse to The Mandalorian (opens in new tab).

“He’s been very complimentary,” Filoni told THR (opens in new tab). “I think he’s enjoyed the show, and he said once [that] now he gets to watch it as a fan and watch it as a viewer.” 

“He’ll give me some reminders, especially before I shoot something, about how many setups I should try to get in a day, and I might rack his brain for certain things about how to cover a scene.”

Elsewhere, The Mandalorian season 2 now has a bunch of official images (opens in new tab) to get excited about. More on that here, including Baby Yoda hiding out in a pouch. Who doesn’t want to see that? Own up, monster.

Giancarlo Esposito has even teased how his villainous character, Moff Gideon, might not be a Big Bad – at least in his eyes (opens in new tab).

“I’ll be going toe-to-toe with Mando,” Esposito said. “It’s an iconic battle. I want to disarm him mentally as well. Who knows? Maybe there’s an opportunity to get him to fight some battles for me. You may think I’m a villain, but I’m trying to harness some energy and some powers for a path that could be best for all. You’ll get to see him be somewhat diplomatic and more of a manipulator.”

• How to watch the Star Wars movies in order (opens in new tab) 
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ending (opens in new tab) explained 
• The best Star Wars movies (opens in new tab), ranked! 

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