The Mandalorian Season 3 Has Wrapped Filming, Carl Weathers Confirms

The Mandalorian season 3 has finally wrapped filming, clearing the way for a sooner than expected return of Grogu and Din Djarin. After a now-deleted Instagram post by the make-up department of the series sent fans into a frenzy, Carl Weathers, who plays Greef Karga in the series and serves as a director, officially confirmed the news via his Twitter handle. “And what a season of WONDERFULNESS!” the Rocky star wrote.

Set after the events of Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian is the first live-action series in the Star Wars franchise and follows Din Djarin, a lone bounty hunter from the planet Mandalore, as he tries to unite the Jedi youngling Grogu with his kind. Pedro Pascal plays the titular character, with Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers, and formerly, Gina Carano in supporting roles. Created by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian has been a sensational success for Disney and has spawned several spinoff series like The Book of Boba Fett and the upcoming Ahsoka.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Season 2 of The Mandalorian premiered in late 2020 and has seemingly redeemed Star Wars for fans who were left reeling by the sequel trilogy. The Mandalorian season 2 upped the ante and introduced fan-favorite characters from The Clone Wars like Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katie Sackhoff). And the finale set the internet on fire, with Mark Hamill himself making an appearance as young Luke Skywalker to take Grogu as his apprentice.

Pascal, Hamill, and Dawson also reprised their roles in The Book of Boba Fett. The series reunited Grogu with Din Djarin, giving us an idea of what to expect from The Mandalorian season 3. Djarin now wields the Darksaber, a weapon whose owner holds the power to unite the many clans of Mandalore. The Darksaber is coveted by Bo-Katan, and her conflict with Djarin will likely be a central arc in season 3. Grogu chose Djarin’s company over learning the Jedi ways in an unexpected decision. It remains to be seen how that plays out.

Previous seasons of The Mandalorian have premiered in November and December, and with season 3 now in post-production, we can assume the show will debut on Disney+ in 2022 only if the pandemic doesn’t cause any delays.

Disney and Lucasfilm Seem to Think Star Wars’ Future is in Television

Disney+

It’s been two and a half years since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concluded the four-decade-long Skywalker saga. The J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson-directed Star Wars sequel trilogy wasn’t as appreciated by the fans as Disney probably hoped when it acquired the franchise. While producer Kathleen Kennedy has stuck by the controversial plot decisions in the sequel trilogy, we have yet to see another Star Wars film. Those that were in development at the time, like Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron, have also been delayed or shelved.

Does it mean Disney and Lucasfilm have abandoned their Star Wars plans involving the big screen? It certainly appears so, especially after the success of the Mandalorian. Kennedy has also indicated that Disney+ is the future of Star Wars. The episodic format does make for better storytelling.

Several Star Wars TV series are in development currently. The Book of Boba Fett, starring Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen, premiered last December. Ewan McGregor makes his return in and as Obi-Wan Kenobi, launching on Disney+ on May 27. Hayden Christensen will also return as Darth Vader in the show. A Rogue One prequel series, Andor, starring Diego Luna, will hit Disney+ this August. Star Wars fans have a lot to look forward to in 2022.

Giancarlo Esposito Says The Mandalorian Season 3 Needs More Moff Gideon