InDisney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Executive ProducerJon Favreauinvites the cast and crew of the Disney+ live-action series–the first in theStar Warsfranchise–to share an unprecedented look at the making of the first season ofThe Mandalorian. Debuting today, timed to the worldwide celebration of all-thingsStar Wars, the eight-episode documentary series pulls back the curtain in the first episode that goes behind the scenes of the hit series with the directors themselves. Each chapter explores a different facet of the show through interviews, never-before-seen footage, and roundtable conversations hosted by Favreau. In other words, if you’re looking for more onThe Mandalorianbefore Season 2 arrives, this is just the title for you.
In the first episode, “Directing”, filmmakers Favreau,Dave Filoni,Deborah Chow,Bryce Dallas Howard,Rick Famuyiwa, andTaika Waititispeak about their individual journeys on the way to the director’s chair and take us inside the filmmaking process ofThe Mandalorian. It’s worth a watch for the behind-the-scenes shots of the show’s production alone, but the real gems here are in the directors' personal stories. It’s a rare bit of bonus content that not only rewardsStar Warsfans with more information (if not more lore) but also gives aspiring filmmakers everywhere some creative inspiration. Our review follows below, after a little more on what’s next forDisney Gallery: The Mandalorian:
Upcoming episodes include:
To better keep track of the behind-the-scenes snippets you’re watching, this is how the episodes of Season 1 were broken down, by director:
Showrunner Filoni fielded “Chapter 1: The Mandalorian” and “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger”, with Famuyiwa tackling “Chapter 2: The Child” and “Chapter 6: The Prisoner”, Chow on “Chapter 3: The Sin” and “Chapter 7: The Reckoning”, Dallas Howard for “Chapter 4: Sanctuary”, and Waititi closed it all out with “Chapter 8: Redemption.” The sharp-eyed viewers among you will be able to catch additional interesting tidbits fromStar Warslore–like plenty more shots ofGiancarlo Espositowalking around in full regalia as Moff Gideon with darksaber drawn and ready to go–but the more interesting stuff here are the directors' stories.
Perhaps least known of the bunch is Filoni himself, who makes his live-action showrunning debut withTheMandalorianbut has been leading the charge in the animatedStar Warsuniverse for more than a decade. Filoni shares his entrypoint into the world of the animation industry and a hilarious anecdote as to how he actually got the job to head upStar Wars: The Clone Wars. It’s also a blast to watch Filoni go toe-to-toe with Favreau and come out on top when it comes toStar Warslore and top-tier nerdery.
But each of the directors brings their own personality and personal stories to this behind-the-scenes look, just as they did in the show itself. Chow brings a relentless drive to get the most out of every facet of production, from the actors, to the sets, to the props, maximizing every second of shooting time. Famuyiwa brings nearly 25 years of experience behind the camera for screens big and small to his episodes of theStar Warsseries, while Dallas Howard, who obviously brings a Hollywood family line to the show, was admittedly the relative newcomer to the directing scene; they “threw her in the deep end”, as Favreau puts it, to see just how much she could do. Waititi, who was just coming off ofThor: Ragnarokat the time, had plenty of big and small-screen productions under his belt, but it’s his stories of scrappy beginnings in stand-up and his time exploring various art scenes that are worth the listen here.
