TV

Pedro Pascal to Lead ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Mandalorian’

The ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Narcos’ actor will play a space cowboy in Disney’s streaming spinoff.
The Mandalorian Excitement
Lucasfilm
By  · Published on November 14th, 2018

The Star Wars series The Mandalorian is shaping out to be an exciting venture. We already know Jon Favreau is running the show, which takes place between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and with Taika Waititi, Dave Filoni, Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, and Bryce Dallas Howard tasked to direct, the project is filled to the brim with creativity. The Mandalorian will have to make room for more talent because, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Pedro Pascal is in negotiations to star in the new Disney+ series.

Pascal, known for his television roles as Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones and Javier Peña in Narcos, will bring diversity, depth, and versatility to The Mandalorian. He is a handsome, charming, and forceful actor, which will certainly translate well if he’s starring as “a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.” A “lone gunfighter” is a rather vague description for the character, but he’s probably modeled after Clint Eastwood’s iconic “Man With No Name” and could fit the space Western vibe that Star Wars is known for.

Is this character a bounty hunter? Is he a space cowboy (or a gangster of love)? Pascal traversing space alone, kicking ass and taking names, will seem similar to Boba Fett, who famously introduced the Mandalorian costume on screen, except that this character might actually do something. A live-action Mandalorian putting good use to that badass armor and useful gadgets while traversing a Western vibe is sure to be exciting. And the new location offers previously untapped space. To be honest, it’s about time we expand from that corner of the universe that the Skywalkers live in.

When Disney first announced this new streaming service, I was certainly excited at the prospect of more Star Wars, but I certainly wasn’t expecting anything so intriguing, so potentially different from what we’ve seen before. Along with this show, we’re also getting a Diego Luna-led Rogue One prequel series, but I’m definitely more excited for The Mandalorian because it takes us to a place that hasn’t been explored on screen. Also, rumor has it that Carl Weathers might have a recurring if not starring role.

Another reason to be excited about The Mandalorian is it brings Filoni to live action. He knows Star Wars. His work on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels is fantastic. With The Clone Wars, Filoni developed a show that bridges a very wide gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, making the prequels just a little more palatable. The show brought real depth to characters we hardly knew or cared about. He even made Anakin a sympathetic character by thoughtfully showcasing the pain and fear he faces throughout this period, giving him a real reason to turn Sith.

Filoni’s participation in directing The Mandalorian should actually be what we’re most excited about because he can lead and direct characters to untapped emotional spaces. But Pascal’s addition is very promising, as well. There’s still a lot more to learn about and look forward to as the series heads into production, but we’re already really hopeful and can’t wait to see what Favreau delivers when the show debuts on Disney+ in late 2019.

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Lover of coffee, the emdash, and General Hux. Journalism student at Biola University in Los Angeles.